Seward & Kissel is the leading law firm serving the shipping industry in the United States. The Firm frequently counsels clients on global strategy in international litigations and arbitrations spanning many forums. Seward & Kissel’s maritime litigation clients include major marine lenders, shipowners, institutional investors, bondholders, issuers and shareholders, publicly and privately held shipping companies, ship operators, ship managers, charterers, and other enterprises involved in the business of shipping. The Firm’s experience in this realm is substantial and includes:

  • shipping securities actions
  • derivative actions
  • maritime attachments
  • vessel arrests and foreclosures
  • maritime arbitration
  • sanctions, corrupt practices and regulatory issues
  • workouts and restructurings
  • maritime bankruptcy
  • piracy and crisis response
  • marine insurance and reinsurance disputes
  • shipping derivatives
  • environmental law
  • commercial disputes
  • employment law
Representative Matters
  • Represented Commodities & Minerals Enterprise, Ltd. in two arbitrations against a Venezuelan government-related iron ore company. After 25 days of hearings, the arbitrators issued final awards in our client’s favor for over $200 million – the largest award ever issued by a panel of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators.
  • Represented ING Bank N.V., as security agent, in successfully resolving approximately 48 federal court actions in the United States following the collapse of O.W. Bunker & Trading A/S and O.W. Supply & Trading A/S.
  • Represent DryShips Inc. in connection with putative securities fraud class action cases brought in federal court in New York concerning stock splits and securities issuances.
  • Represented Blue Wall Shipping Ltd. in successfully defending two ship arrest actions in federal courts in Texas and Oregon in which the plaintiffs asserted that our client, as vessel owner, was responsible for the liabilities of its contractually retained ship manager.
  • Represent DryShips Inc. in connection with a shareholder litigation making direct and derivative claims that was initially brought by individual shareholders in the High Court of the Marshall Islands alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and other wrongdoing and then re-filed in the U.S. District Court for Texas after our client moved to dismiss the Marshall Islands case.
  • Represented DryShips Inc. and certain of its officers and directors in successfully obtaining the dismissal of a suit brought by plaintiff investment funds in the High Court of the Marshall Islands alleging that defendants were the recipients of fraudulent conveyances of assets from non-party Ocean Rig UDW. The matter was affirmed by the Supreme Court of the Marshall Islands.
  • Represent publicly traded shipping companies in reviews by FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and NASDAQ of trading in company stock in advance of major announcements (such as mergers or significant earnings releases).