K&L Gates offers the U.S. and international maritime industry significant legal, transactional, legislative, and regulatory capabilities. Our wealth of knowledge and experience is a valuable asset for any business or association related to the maritime industry.

Because of our global presence, we offer our services throughout the world, whenever and wherever our clients’ needs may arise. However, the breadth of our experience is not reflected merely in the geographic span of our work, but also in our experience in and understanding of the maritime industry. Our team brings optimal levels of practical experience and industry insight into each engagement to help our clients achieve their goals.

Our maritime practice dates back nearly four decades. Today, the group represents owners and operators in all major sectors of the maritime industry — containerships, roll-on/roll-off vessels, liquid and dry bulk cargo vessels, passenger cruise vessels, and specialized vessels such as power-generating barges, tugs, mobile offshore drilling units, offshore supply vessels, fishing, dredging, and recreational boats. Our maritime clients also include ports, marinas, shipyards, investment and financing entities, maritime insurers, and a variety of industry groups and associations, as well as shippers and others with maritime-related needs.

On behalf of our clients, we are actively involved in matters ranging from U.S. legislation and industry-related rulemakings to ship sale and purchase, shipbuilding, repair conversion, and construction contract matters. The maritime group is especially skilled at handling complex international maritime arbitrations, mediations, adjudications, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. It also regularly represents clients before congressional committees, the Maritime Administration, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense and other executive branch agencies in the United States. Our attorneys provide maritime clients advice on vessel construction contracts, credit agreements, secured vessel financings, project financings, leveraged lease transactions, international structured financial transactions, and public financing of maritime projects. We have also handled cross-border disputes relating to pooling, competition, and consortium issues including regulatory control by port states, class, flag states, shipping distressed debt funds, and ownership and management structures.

Additionally, the tremendous scope of services available through the worldwide firm enables the maritime group to assist clients in related services such as insurance coverage issues, labor and employment matters, real estate transactions, construction law, and international transactions of every form. In sum, K&L Gates’ practice of maritime law takes a variety of forms in accordance with the requirements and goals of our global clients.