Legal & Marine Disputes — Wet & Dry

Marine disputes divide into wet and dry. Wet work arises from casualty — collision and allision, salvage and towage, general average, wreck removal, pollution and personal injury — and is characterised by urgency: evidence degrades, security has to be arranged, and positions taken in the first days shape the outcome. Dry work arises from contract — charter party disputes, cargo and bill of lading claims, shipbuilding and repair contracts, sale and purchase, and insurance coverage — and is characterised by documentation, where the file assembled during performance usually decides the result.

Disputes run parallel to projects, and they become difficult when contractual commitments are not comprehended at a suitable time. We work with arbitrators and lawyers who hold genuine in-depth knowledge of the business, supporting amicable settlement where that serves the client and legal recourse where it does not — including limitation proceedings, arbitration and mediation, and expert witness support on marine and offshore operational matters.