Well known for representing vessel owners and operators, as well as financial institutions and investors, Cozen O'Connor‘s ship finance attorneys are routinely mandated to advise on asset-based loans, leasing transactions, and government guaranteed credit facilities. The practice also covers advice to investors in relation to maritime M&A, as well as assistance to publicly listed shipping companies with the listing of publicly traded securities and privately placed debt instruments. The firm is additionally home to experts in Marshall Islands and Liberian maritime law, while also maintaining a robust maritime bankruptcy practice. David Heffernan chairs the firm’s transportation and trade group, in which Robert Magovern sits as vice-chair; and New York-based Geoffrey Ferrer focuses on US and non-US flag shipping matters, along with asset-based lending (including ship finance and equipment leasing). The group further fields Anne Mickey, who represents foreign and domestic shipping companies in financing transactions involving the vessel registries of the US, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, and the Bahamas; and Jeff Vogel, whose wide-ranging practice incorporates advice to international and US companies on government-guaranteed financings. Another active practitioner, Joshua Stein‘s expertise includes representing shipowners on financings. All attorneys listed are in the firm’s Washington DC office unless otherwise stated.

Jones Walker LLP fields transactional experts in blue water, offshore and inland marine matters, while the group is additionally active in relation to offshore wind. In the maritime finance space, the practice consistently  represents marine lenders and borrowers in financings (including Title XI matters), restructurings, loans, and revolving credit facilities. The group additionally assists with maritime lien enforcements, foreclosures, ship seizures, and maritime bankruptcies (involving vessels flagged in the US, the Marshall Islands, the Republics of Liberia, and Vanuatu). Experienced in representing borrowers, lenders, and agents in marine finance deals, co-leader of the firm’s maritime industry sector, William C. Baldwin, also jointly heads the firm’s offshore wind initiative alongside Houston office leader Cindy Matherne Muller. The practice further features Kelly Duncan, a longstanding specialist in admiralty, maritime, and international and customs law; and DC-based maritime deal expert James Kearns, who advises on the financing of vessels engaged in the US’ foreign and coastwise trades. Promoted to partner at the start of 2023, Christopher Ulfers also has extensive experience in complex marine financings. All aforementioned attorneys are based in the firm’s New Orleans office unless otherwise stated.

Home to a ’cutting-edge practice that leads the way in US shipping finance’, Seward & Kissel LLP‘s banking and finance practice represents several of the world’s leading public and private maritime companies, financial institutions and other shipping industry participants. The team’s coverage ranges from initial structuring and formation and seed financing, to an array of capital-raising deals in the US and overseas. In addition to assisting with high-stakes finance deals, the group’s expertise encompasses capital markets, M&A, private equity, and restructuring and insolvency work. Active on behalf of both borrowers and lenders, it also advises on associated tax, litigation and regulatory issues. The ‘very knowledgeable’ maritime and transportation finance group is led by Mike Timpone, who predominantly represents US and non-US banks (as well as shipowners on the borrower side) in secured loans and other financing transactions; Keith Billotti is an adviser to maritime sector clients on corporate and US securities law; and Edward Horton acts for issuers and underwriters on major securities deals. The department further includes recently-promoted partner Kurt Plankl and maritime and international finance expert Sophia Agathis. Hoyoon Nam left the firm in January 2024. All the attorneys listed are based in the firm’s New York office.

Praised by clients as ‘The clear leader in shipping finance’, Watson Farley & Williams (New York) LLP‘s New York-based practice advises on the gamut of shipping finance transactions, including capital markets and private equity deals. It also assists with restructurings, insolvencies, sanctions, and tax issues; and on behalf of owners, shipbuilders, investors, lenders and operators, the group advises on the Jones Act. In recent highlights, the team assisted Altera Infrastructure with aspects of its Chapter 11 restructuring process in the US. Senior partner and New York office head, George Paleokrassas represents shipping lenders and shipowners on the structuring and restructuring of loan and leasing deals, as well as transactions involving distressed assets; and Christopher Belisle assists with asset-based loan facilities for ships, along with lease financings. The practice further showcases John Benson, who represents financial institutions and investment funds, as well as owners and operators in the international shipping markets; and corporate, private equity, securities and capital markets transaction expert, Steven Hollander, who ‘gets the job done’. Other names to note are maritime sector specialists Filana Silberberg (a late 2022 hire from Seward & Kissel LLP), Will Vogel, C J Chido, Maxi Adamski-De Visser and Todd Johnson. In October 2023, former partner Daniel Rodgers left the firm.

Acting for shipyards, owners, operators, cargo interests, lenders and investors, Blank Rome LLP‘s ship finance practice works across the firm’s DC, New York and Houston offices. The team is consistently sought out to advise on secured ship financing and vessel leasing deals, and has enviable expertise in the Jones Act (which regulates US maritime transportation). Other key areas include M&A-related maritime law advice, ship financing for vessels registered under the laws of Liberia and the Marshall Islands, and maritime restructuring and bankruptcy matters. The group also regularly acts on Title XI financings, which involve government guarantees of debt instruments (issued by shipowners or shipyards for the construction or modification of vessels or shipyards). With longstanding experience in domestic and international maritime financings, Anthony Salgado routinely negotiates and structures maritime deals, such as vessel-secured financings, vessel lease financings and maritime restructurings. Houston-based Douglas Shoemaker is also a maritime transactions specialist, while Natalie Radabaugh focuses on maritime transactions, corporate governance and ship finance. All practitioners listed are based in the firm’s DC office unless otherwise mentioned.

Holland & Knight LLP routinely acts for both US and foreign banks, as well as investors and shipping companies that are active in international shipping transactions. The group also represents non-traditional sources of ship financing, including governmental finance support entities, non-bank lenders, and underwriters in capital markets and private equity transactions. The team additionally acts for lenders and borrowers on Jones Act compliant domestic financings, and fields experts in US, Marshall Islands and Liberia-related tax issues. Other areas of strength are lender-side shipping group restructurings, workouts and Chapter 11 insolvencies. Recent highlights include assisting International Seaways with senior secured financings and marine integration activities (following its merger with Diamond S Shipping). Maritime finance practice head Jovi Tenev has extensive experience in representing banks and other financiers and companies in major shipping financings; and Richard Furey regularly represents vessel owners, lenders and charterers in a range of leasing and finance deals. Over in  Washington DC, Gerald Morrissey III advises on the financing of maritime-related companies and projects. All attorneys listed are based in the firm’s New York office unless otherwise mentioned.

Able to ‘put together cross-border teams with the required level of expertise’, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s US shipping practice comprises teams in both New York and Texas that are able to leverage the expertise of the firm’s shipping team globally for cross-border matters. The team routinely represents US and foreign banks in international shipping transactions, while being increasingly active on behalf of non-traditional sources of ship financing, such as funds, governmental finance support entities, and capital markets deals’ issuers. The group advises on the gamut of ship financings, including private debt and equity placements, finance and securities arrangements, and secured and unsecured financing. The firm additionally has a robust structured finance practice. Focused on the representation of financial institutions and borrowers, US head of transport Brian Devine is a specialist in maritime-related assets. Providing key support, past-President of the Connecticut Chapter of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association, Kassandra Savicki, is an expert in maritime and international finance; and Julie Pateman Ward assists with significant corporate restructurings. All attorneys named are based in the firm’s New York office.

In addition to its New York offering, Reed Smith LLP‘s shipping finance practice covers London, Athens, Hong Kong and Singapore. Alongside the firm’s shipping-related bank lending mandates, the practice increasingly encompasses work on behalf of private equity investors. The team is also actively involved in structured finance and fund formation matters, as well as capital markets, securities and M&A work, and it further advises on general corporate matters for the shipping industry. The firm has additionally expanded its practice to cover US Jones Act issues. Leading the firm’s shipping and maritime finance team in the US, Greg Chase is an expert in the financing of ships, offshore assets and other related capital equipment; and recently-promoted partner Han Deng is a specialist in cross-border and domestic shipping finance deals. The group also includes Robert Lustrin, who heads the firm’s shipping capital markets practice in New York; and Alice Colarossi and James Wade, whose wide-ranging practices encompass shipping finance. In November 2023, former partner Kevin Keenan retired from the firm. All attorneys listed are based in the firm’s New York office.

With ‘a wealth of knowledge in the area of ship finance’, Vedder Price‘s global transportation finance practice has enviable credentials in finance transactions. Such deals involve intermodal containers, chassis, barges, terminal facilities, bridge training simulators, ferries, and offshore construction and oil exploration vessels, as well as vessels involved in the transportation of cargo and passengers. The group’s expertise covers a range of maritime and offshore finance deals, including securitizations, syndicated and bilateral loans, export-credit facilities, debt capital markets, sale-leaseback transactions, leases, and bareboat charters. Experienced in cross-border marine finance structures, John Bradley represents lenders, investors, borrowers, ship owners, container lessors and marine terminal operators in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and documentation of vessels, containers and terminal facilities; and John Imhof Jr and John Geager ‘have a keen understanding of the maritime industry and maritime finance’. Also key to the department, Anthony Renzi in  Washington DC routinely acts for shipping, energy and offshore services sector clients, while Chicago’s Geoffrey Kass is the firm’s global transportation finance chair. The firm expanded its offering in January 2024 with the arrival of asset finance expert Hoyoon Nam from Seward & Kissel LLP. All attorneys named are based in the New York office unless otherwise stated.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is known for its expertise in distressed shipping-related restructurings. Based in New York, the team is also experienced in advising on finance deals, as well as corporate transactions such as M&A, joint ventures and securities offerings. The group’s representative experience includes acting for Evercore, as financial advisor, in relation to Global Ship Lease’s combination with Poseidon Containers Holdings, which created a containership charter owner that focuses on mid-sized and smaller vessels; and routinely advising Safe Bulkers on a range of governance and transactional issues (including securities exchange listing standards). Co-chair of the firm’s corporate group, Richard Brand, is an adviser to public companies, hedge funds, private equity firms and investment banks. His experience covers M&A, defense-side takeovers, shareholder activism, general corporate advisory issues, and securities offerings.

In addition to Winston & Strawn LLP‘s litigation and regulatory credentials, the firm’s maritime attorneys advise on major finance deals. The practice is experienced in assisting both US and non-US entities with vessel-related deals, including Jones Act financings, foreign investments in Jones Act vessels and companies, vessel finance involving the US government’s Title XI guarantee, and Capital Construction Fund programs. The DC-based group also advises on equity and debt issues, including IPOs and other offerings involving senior and subordinated debt and equity hybrids. The firm’s project financing, structured finance and private equity teams additionally handle shipping industry deals. Chairing the firm’s maritime and admiralty practice, Charlie Papavizas represents shipowners, shipyards, energy companies, marine construction companies, financial institutions, and operators and managers. Supporting Papavizas, Bryant Gardner‘s practice includes maritime government contract negotiations and disputes, US flag programs, and Jones Act compliance work.