Law Office News

A Japanese bulk carrier struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and triggering a state of "environmental emergency".Scientists say the spill is the country's worst ecological disaster, killing wildlife and damaging pristine waters that attract tourists from around the globe. The full impact is still unfolding. As residents scramble to mop up the oil slicks, they are seeing dead eels and fish floating…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday Rear Adm. Melissa Bert has been invested as judge advocate general and chief counsel of the Coast Guard. Bert is the service’s first woman to hold that office.Bert was most recently the director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Coast Guard, where she was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media and other inter-governmental entities.As judge advocate general and chief counsel, Bert will lead a group of legal professionals who are responsible for the delivery of all legal services in support of the Coast Guard's missions…

On Thursday, January 20, 2016, the Port of Palm Beach Board of Commissioners elected its new Chairman, Mr. Wayne M. Richards. Richards, a member of the board for 16 years, is known for keeping a strong focus on fiscal responsibility and bringing new, diversified business to the Port of Palm Beach. Among the board members, Dr. Jean L. Enright was voted into the position of vice-chair, and Mr. George E. Mastics was named Secretary-Treasurer. Richards’ dedication to business development at the port is highlighted by his many trade missions to the Caribbean nations such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic and Trinidad Tobago. Over the past year…

Watson, Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised ING Bank N.V. (ING) as sole bookrunner and facility agent for a syndicate of banks on a $340 million loan facility made available to Euronav NV. The facility is comprised of a $192m term loan facility and a revolving credit facility of up to $148m. Euronav plans to use the funds to refinance four Suezmax tanker vessels, finance the acquisition of four very large crude carrier tankers from Maersk and for general corporate purposes. The ships financed under the facility are registered on Belgian, Greek and French flags.

K&L Gates LLP welcomes Michael D. Bryan and Julius H. “Sam” Hines as partners in the corporate/M&A & commercial disputes practices respectively. Bryan joins K&L Gates from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, where he chaired the firm’s sustainable energy group, while Hines arrives from Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, where he was a leader of the firm’s admiralty and maritime practice group. A maritime lawyer and proctor in admiralty, Hines assists shipping clients in investigating and handling marine incidents such as oil spills…

The potential for sea tourism and its significance as a key factor in the development of the economies of Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region will be examined in depth during the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, scheduled to take place 21-22 June 2011 at the prestigious Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens. The forum will focus on three key areas of sea tourism: cruise shipping, the yachting industry and inter-island and passenger shipping. The first Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum comes at a time when this form of tourism is showing rapid growth globally…

The U.S. Coast Guard's 13th District is co- sponsoring the National Maritime Salvage Conference 2002, to be held on January 16 and 17, in Seattle, Washington. Joining the Coast Guard as event co-sponsors are: United States Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, American Salvage Association, Foss Maritime, Foss Environmental, Crowley Marine Services, King County Bar Association, Titan Marine LLC, Water Quality Insurance Syndicate, Global Diving and Salvage, Canflex USA Inc., Marine Response Alliance LLC, the Law Office of Kevin Beauchamp Smith, and American Hull Insurance Syndicate. The national scope of this event will bring together maritime representatives…

The U.S. Coast Guard's 13th District is co-sponsoring the National Maritime Salvage Conference 2002, to be held on Jan. 16 and 17, in Seattle, Wash. Joining the Coast Guard as event co-sponsors are: United States Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, American Salvage Association, Foss Maritime, Foss Environmental, Crowley Marine Services, King County Bar Association, Titan Marine LLC, Water Quality Insurance Syndicate, Global Diving and Salvage, Canflex USA Inc., Marine Response Alliance LLC, the Law Office of Kevin Beauchamp Smith, and American Hull Insurance Syndicate. The national scope of this event will bring together maritime representatives…

Turkey has made key changes to the requirements for registration on its international ship register. The changes will make it simpler for both shipowners and financiers to take advantage of Turkish registration. Seyma Inal, senior partner at Istanbul-based Inal Law Office says, "The biggest change, published last week, is that ships no longer have to call at a Turkish port before they can be registered on the Turkish International Ship Registry. And the registration period for ships first registered abroad has been increased from six months to one year. The amendment to the Turkish International Ship Registry Regulation was published in the Official Gazette on September 17, 2006 and came into force immediately.

Office in Istanbul. The firm will specialize in corporate and shipping work. better time to invest in Turkey. shipping. success in the ship finance field. Sozer, with paralegal back up. carry a lot of overheads.

Shipowners are constantly faced with ever-changing laws and guidelines they must abide by. If they don't adhere - or even are not aware of these environmental requirements and regulations - they may not only risk losing their upstanding place in the maritime industry, but could face stiff fines and possibly even jail time. Ever since the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in 1989, vessel owners and masters have since become wary of already-established and new guidelines (such as OPA '90) exerted by IMO and SOLAS for safe and clean waters. Everyone from captains on the largest cruise ships in the world - to the master of a small tugboat fall into this category. But, alas, there are always a few who think they are above the law or are just - in plain English - negligent in their decisions.