01
Admiralty & Maritime Claims
Advice and representation on admiralty claims — cargo loss and damage, collision, salvage, and other maritime causes of action.
Transactional Practice
Law of the Sea
Admiralty, maritime, and law-of-the-sea counsel — shipping, carriage of goods by sea, and marine regulatory matters.
Tx
- Coverage
- Admiralty · Shipping · Marine
- Framework
- UNCLOS · Merchant Shipping Act
- Gateway
- East African coast
Overview
How we approach law of the sea.
Kenya is a maritime nation, and the port of Mombasa is the gateway for the trade of much of East and Central Africa. The firm advises on admiralty and the law of the sea — the framework, drawn from the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and Kenya's own merchant-shipping legislation, that governs vessels, cargo, and the use of the ocean.
The work spans the commercial and the contentious: shipping and charterparty contracts, carriage of goods by sea, cargo and marine-insurance claims, vessel arrest and release, and the regulatory questions that arise for operators in the maritime sector. Where a matter turns into a dispute, the firm's litigation and arbitration teams carry it through.
Services
What we cover in law of the sea.
02
Carriage of Goods by Sea
Bills of lading, contracts for the carriage of goods by sea, and the disputes that arise between shippers, carriers, and consignees.
03
Charterparty & Shipping Contracts
Drafting, review, and advice on charterparties and shipping contracts, including the allocation of risk and the dispute-resolution mechanism.
04
Vessel Arrest & Release
Action to arrest a vessel in security for a maritime claim, and applications for the release of an arrested vessel against appropriate security.
05
Marine Insurance & Cargo
The marine-insurance interface of maritime claims — coverage questions, cargo claims, and subrogated recovery, handled with the insurance practice.
06
Maritime Regulatory & Compliance
Advice to operators on maritime regulatory requirements, licensing, and compliance under Kenya's merchant-shipping framework.
Approach
The way we run a law of the sea matter.
A four-step discipline applied to every brief, so the work is senior-led at the points where senior judgement matters, and moves predictably between them.
Instruction & Jurisdiction
The matter is scoped against the applicable maritime framework, the jurisdiction and the available forum confirmed before any step is taken.
Documentation & Strategy
Bills of lading, charterparties, and policy documents reviewed; a written strategy and a realistic outcome range agreed with the client.
Conduct of the Matter
Advisory delivered or the claim prosecuted — including arrest, defence, or recovery — with senior involvement at each material stage.
Resolution & Recovery
Matter resolved by settlement, award, or judgment, with enforcement and recovery pursued where a sum is due to the client.
FAQs
Questions clients ask about law of the sea.
The ones we hear most often. For anything specific to your matter, a short call is usually the fastest way to an answer.
All firm FAQs →It covers the legal framework governing vessels, cargo, and the use of the ocean — shipping and charterparty contracts, carriage of goods by sea, marine insurance, vessel arrest, and the regulatory requirements that apply to operators in the maritime sector.
Yes. Where there is a valid maritime claim, we act on the arrest of a vessel as security for that claim, and equally on applications to release an arrested vessel against appropriate security.
We do — disputes between shippers, carriers, and consignees over loss, damage, delay, and the terms of bills of lading, including the marine-insurance and subrogated-recovery dimensions where they arise.
Many shipping contracts provide for arbitration, and a great deal of maritime work resolves that way. Where the matter proceeds in court, it is run through the firm's admiralty and litigation capability. We advise on the best route at the outset.
Related Practice Areas
Adjacent counsel from the firm.
Law of the Sea Counsel
Speak with a partner about your law of the sea matter.
We will tell you, plainly, whether we are the right firm, and how we would propose to handle it. The first call is confidential and at no charge.