Shipping: Finance | Asia-Pacific

Stephenson Harwood is a pre-eminent law firm for shipping finance, and especially valued in the region for its outstanding capabilities in Singapore, China and South Korea. The team expertly handles sophisticated loan facilities, sale and leaseback transactions, and restructuring matters for leading financial institutions and ship owners. It also regularly advises insurance, shipping and ship leasing companies. The firm maintains a significant contentious offering, utilising its extensive expertise and experience on shipbuilding and insolvency-related cases. It often represents clients in maritime arbitration and cross-border enforcement matters.

Watson Farley & Williams has an outstanding regional ship finance legal team, especially renowned for its prowess in China and Singapore, together with its noted Thailand office. The regional team also works regularly on financing and restructuring transactions for Korean ECAs and commercial banks. Its talented practitioners provide expertise to leading financial institutions and ship owners on sale and leaseback transactions, loan facilities and debt restructuring, particularly on matters pertaining to FPSOs and other offshore vessels. The firm is also active advising Chinese leasing companies, and regularly advises international banks. The team handles matters across the oil and gas, logistics, and cruise and ferry industries.

Norton Rose Fulbright provides notable ship financing legal expertise, with particular activity from its Hong Kong and Singapore offices. The firm represents major financial institutions, ship owners and lessors in relation to cross-border sale and purchase, sale and leaseback and loan transactions, while it also possesses key expertise in restructuring matters and offshore vessel financing. It is highly adept at handling insurance issues within the marine sector, along with risk management factors and regulatory compliance issues.

Allen & Gledhill has an outstanding domestic practice in Singapore with a deep bench of lawyers advising on the full range of shipping matters. The team is highly regarded for its transactional and finance work, with expertise in sales and purchases, restructurings, and lending and leasing agreements. The firm represents many domestic and international banks and non-banking creditors, as well as shipping companies and port operators. Allen & Gledhill also offers notable litigation and arbitration capabilities covering mortgage enforcements, ship arrests and charter party disputes.

Mayer Brown has a long-established ship finance legal team in Hong Kong, ably supported by the firm's Singapore office. Regularly acts for the region's leading financial institutions and ship owners, handling high-value ship sales and purchases, registrations and loan facilities as well as leaseback transactions, alongside transactions relating to LNG vessels. Provides further assistance to clients on mortgage and restructuring matters.

Rajah & Tann Singapore's pre-eminent shipping law practice is renowned for the size and strength of its litigation team. The firm covers the full range of contentious matters, including ship arrests, bunker payment claims, vessel collisions and casualty dispute cases. The team offers additional strength in ship financing as well as shipping-related restructuring, with clients benefitting from its regional network of offices in South-East Asia. The firm frequently advises international banks and commodity houses, as well as ship owners and judicial managers.

Reed Smith is an impressive law firm with a strong regional foothold in both shipping disputes and finance, with a presence in Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China and expertise beyond this in Japan, South Korea and Indonesia. It continues to be mandated on high-profile casualties, collisions and dry disputes including shipbuilding contracts and bills of lading, while its financing capabilities span secured and unsecured loans, leasing deals and debt restructuring. The firm is regularly entrusted by market-leading charterers, ship owners, P&I clubs and offshore and commodities companies. It is well placed to assist on cargo claims and claim enforcement.

Squire Patton Boggs is active on shipping finance and litigation through its team in Singapore, with additional expertise based in Australia. The firm regularly handles vessel and project financings, particularly in the offshore energy space. It has further capabilities in shipping litigation, from vessel detention to charter party disputes. Clients include shipowners and companies in the commodities sector, as well as lenders. It is also well versed in handling arbitration matters.