Christian Finnern

Practice Areas

Christian is Head of Germany and heading the Transport Sector in Germany.

Christian acts for owners, managers and charterers of all types of vessels. He also acts for investors and a broad range of other market participants in the maritime industry.

He advises in relation to shipbuilding, the sale and purchase of second-hand tonnage, all flag and registration matters as well as on the employment, operation and management of ships. Another strong focus of his practice is in investments, joint ventures and M&A transactions in the maritime sector.

He also represents parties in insolvency and enforcement proceedings, including advice to insolvency administrators on shipping-related issues, as well as on contentious matters.

Furthermore, Christian has broad experience in advising international and domestic clients on all aspects of ship finance. This includes advice in respect of leasing transactions, complex syndicated financing structures, high profile restructurings as well as warehouse and platform solutions.

Professional Memberships

International Foundation for the Law of the Sea (Board of Directors)

German Society of the International Law of the Sea

German – South African Lawyers Association

Nautical Society of Hamburg

Chinese European Legal Association

German Maritime Arbitration Association

Work Highlights

Advising TUI Cruises GmbH on the €1.2bn acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises from TUI AG, creating a combined fleet of twelve cruise vessels.

Advising ZEABORN Group in relation to various M&A transactions, e.g. acquisitions of E.R. Schiffahrt and Harper Petersen, of Rickmers Shipmanagement and various subsidiaries and of the entire business of Rickmers Line and joint ventures in this segment of their business.

Advising MPC Container Ships ASA on the acquisition of a ten container vessel fleet from Cido Shipping of South Korea for USD 130m as well as frequent advice on their fleet expansion and various other strategically important matters, for example their acquisition of exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, to be retrofitted on selected vessels of their fleet to comply with IMO 2020 rules.

Advising Isle of Man based owners on sale of eleven 13,000 TEU vessels including all contractual agreements, de-registration, charter arrangements, closing and payment procedures with volume of USD 1bn.

Advising a range of German owners on their orders of container vessels and bulk carriers at Chinese and Korean ship-yards as well as advising a German yard on various newbuilding projects (this includes advising MPC Capital Group on their order of six 5,500 TEU container vessels).

Career

Christian’s advice to ship owners and other shipping companies is noted in the legal directories JUVE Handbuch and Chambers Europe. In Chambers Europe, he is recognised as “very active and visible in the market” and is praised to be “a strong practitioner who has a good character and is very supportive”.

He has been recognised by legal directory Legal 500 EMEA for his “strong industry knowledge, pragmatic approach and good results” and his “goal-oriented” leadership of the Maritime Service practice group, which focuses on investments, joint ventures and M&A transactions. Furthermore, it says that Christian has “a distinct sense for transaction dynamics as well as excellent shipping know-how and is very well connected”.

Christian is also recognised by Legal 500 Germany and Legal 500 EMEA as a leading name in Maritime Law and is praised for his “rapid analysis”, for being “always and immediately available” as well as for being “very helpful and responsive, flexible and unbureaucratic”.

Christian is a member of our global Supervisory Board.