Sechang & Co.

Sechang is Korea’s premier maritime and shipping specialist law firm providing first class legal services to international and local shipping concerns. Sechang takes great pride in its transportation legal expertise in general and maritime, aviation and ship financing achievements and practice in particular. Sechang offers comprehensive transportation legal service in the areas of aviation, maritime, litigation and ship finance to domestic and international clients. Sechang is well known and highly respected throughout the international legal community in the above-mentioned areas.

Sechang’s areas of expertise include: Chapter 11 rehabilitation and Chapter 7 liquidation of large shipping companies and shipbuilders: Sechang has been and is legal counsel to the largest foreign based creditors with respect to all the large shipping company and shipbuilder Chapter 11 rehabilitation and Chapter 7 liquidation cases in Korea, including the rehabilitation of Samsun Logix, Daewoo Logistics, TPC, Yanghai, Korea Line, STX PanOcean and STX Offshore and Shipbuilding and the infamous Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 of Hanjin Shipping; Maritime: collisions, groundings, salvage, personal injury, safe port and berth disputes, towage and wreck removal, pollution and marine insurance, Ship Finance: sale and purchase, shipbuilding and repair contracts, finance for banks and owners, leasing and ship registration, Shipping Litigation and Arbitration: domestic and international litigation and arbitration, including charter parties, bills of lading, ship arrests and fraud investigation, Aviation: Defense of global parcels carrier for cargo damage claims.

Sechang has the honor and distinction of exclusively representing all of the major global container lessors (Textainer, Triton, TAL, SeaCube, Florens, Dong Fang, Beacon, Blue Sky, CAI and others) in regards to their claims and disputes against all Korean shippers which have gone under Chapter 11 rehabilitation and Chapter 7 liquidation, the most recent shipper being Hanjin Shipping.

Sechang has been and is legal advisor to Korea Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, Incheon Port Authority, PanOcean Co., Ltd., SK Shipping, KSS Line, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, Hyundai Glovis, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Incheon Harbor Authority, Incheon International Airport, Korea Shipping Association, Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM), Korea International Freight Forwarders Association (KIFFA), Korea Tugowners’ Association, Korea Marine Pilots’ Association, National Federation of Fisheries, Pan Continental Shipping (PanCon), Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA) and Korea Marine Police.

We further represent North of England P&I Club, UK P&I Club, Britannia, London P&I Club, Steamship Mutual, West of England, Swedish Club, Nordisk, Gard, Skuld, Japan P&I Club,

German Shipowners’ Defense Association, Korea Shipping Association, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, AIU Insurance, Aioi Nissei Dowa Insurance, Hyundai

Marine and Fire Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, AIG Insurance and KB Insurance.

Sechang is a major and leading Public Private Partnership, infrastructure, construction and projects law firm in Korea. We advise our clients relating to construction matters, including but not limited to, bids, contract documents, drafting proposals, negotiating agreements, and obtaining government clearance with respect to construction projects. Sechang clients include the Ministry of Construction & Transportation, Samsung Engineering & Construction, GS Engineering & Construction Corp., Daelim Industrial, Dongbu Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Mobis, Hanhwa Engineering & Construction, Kumho Engineering & Construction, Posco Engineering & Construction., Mokpo New Port Corp., Pohang-Yeongil New Port Corp., Seoyeong Engineering Corp., Halla Energy & Environment, and Beomwoo Corp. in their respective construction matters. The Korean Government retains Sechang in its construction matters and Sechang litigates construction cases on behalf of the Government. Sechang has contributed to the successful resolution of numerous disputes involving construction companies, either through private negotiation or mediation/arbitration.

Sechang has extensive domestic and cross-border experience in corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisition of both private and public companies and corporate rehabilitation and restructuring. Sechang advises and represents many foreign and domestic corporations in all their corporate legal matters, which clients include, China Telecom Global, Logitech, Nokia, Energizer, Here Solutions, Aggreko, Schneider Electric, Tenneco, Eurotherm, Invensys, Unilever, United Parcel Services, Footlocker, Eaton Industries, Suzlon Energy, Puratos, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Transport (MOLIT), Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction, SK Shipping, LG Engineering & Construction Corp., TMC, Pulmuone, Korea Railroad, Woori Bank, Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Sechang’s area of expertise include: mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and disputes, venture capital investments, debt and equity financing, technology licensing, franchising, shareholders’ agreements, strategic alliances, regulatory matters.

Our recent international works are as follows:

• Korean legal counsel for Stena against Samsung Heavy Industries over shipbuilding dispute resolved by arbitration with a case value was US$400m.
• Representing Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance in several high-profile cargo damage recovery cases against leading local shipping companies with an aggregate claim amount of approximately US$20m. On behalf of Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance, negotiated a successful settlement against the carrier in the amount of US$0.8m.
• Representing all the top global container lessors, who are foreign creditors against Hanjin Shipping in Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings, and previously under Ch 11 rehabilitation proceedings, with a total case value of US$1.0bn.
• Representing Teekay Tankers against vessel manufacturer STX Offshore regarding breach of contract and damages with a case value of US$175m.
• Representing a shipbuilding broker in shipbuilding contract commissions dispute in five box-ship contracts and the opposing party is one of the major ship yards in Korea with a case value of US$2.5m.
• Sechang is extremely active in handling a large number of cargo damage recovery claims against Korean and foreign carriers on behalf of Korean and foreign insurance concerns.  Among foreign underwriters, Sechang represents Aioi Nissei Dowa Insurance Company, AIU Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo among others; and currently represents all the major local underwriters such Hyundai Fire and Marine Insurance, Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance, Lotte Insurance, KB Insurance, as well as Korea Shipping Association.
• Sechang is extremely active in handling a large number of shipowner defense work cases against cargo interests and creditors, in particular defense against vessel arrests and auctions in Korea. Sechang is a primary Korea counsel for North of England P&I Club, German Shipowners’ Defense Association and for Korea Shipping Association, which is the dominant club for Korea coastal ships and crew.
• Representing PanOcean Co., Ltd. and North of England P&I Club in several cases regarding alleged personal injury to crew and alleged damage to cargo.
• Representing the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries (of the Korean Government), in a research project focused on the ownership and subrogation/abandonment of the sunken ships (notably MV “Sewol”).
• Representing a local forwarding company in defence of a silver ingots theft accident which occurred in Toronto, Canada with a case value of US$10m. Potential interests include a global major shipping company and their local agencies with litigation taking place in Canada and Korea.
• Representing local construction companies and government side on numerous large infrastructure projects, including the Ulsan Bridge, MaChang Bridge, Osan-Ichon Highway, Ilsan Bridge, Pyeongtaek-Shiheung Highway, Bucheon-Masan project, Incheon-Seoul highway, Busan-Bukhang Bridge.