Maritime and Transportation

Montgomery McCracken’s Maritime & Transportation Practice Group represents a diverse group of clients in a broad range of corporate, regulatory, litigation, and arbitration matters. We are available to assist you anytime, day or night.

Montgomery McCracken’s maritime and transportation lawyers are globally recognized leaders in cargo defense, marine pollution, and major casualty litigation.  We have substantial experience handling agency investigations and proceedings as well as charter party arbitrations.  We are local correspondents for international marine insurers.  Additionally, our lawyers have real-world maritime and transportation industry experience, including a former general counsel from a major ocean container line and a naval architect and marine engineer from a boutique design firm.  We speak many foreign languages to facilitate the clear and precise communication of legal advice to our international clients.

We are first-and-foremost our clients’ trusted advisors.  Whether it is a litigation matter or a business transaction, the knowledge we have gained through our years of experience in the maritime and transportation industry enables us to fashion strategies that meet our clients’ objectives.  Moreover, as each engagement evolves, we continuously reassess changing circumstances to determine whether new developments require new strategies.

We frequently counsel our maritime and transportation clients concerning:

• Cargo defense
• Marine pollution
• Major casualties
• Charter party disputes
• Personal injury
• Bankruptcy claims
• Contract claims
• Corporate governance
• Regulatory compliance
• Criminal investigations

For every matter entrusted to us, large or small, simple or complex, we tailor our services to the best interests of our clients.  Our goal is to build and maintain long-term client relationships with mutual trust and respect at the core.

Representative Clients:

• International marine insurers
• Shipowners and operators
• Charterers
• Traders
• Carriers
• NVOCCs
• Freight forwarders
• Shippers
• Terminals
• Truckers
• Mariners

Our lawyers have earned global recognition for their award-winning client service.   We are completing all modules of the International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs’ P&I Qualification (P&IQ) program.  We always strive to be at the forefront of the maritime and transportation industry so that we can continue our success in the future.

Representative Engagements:

• Defending cargo claims brought against an international shipping line in connection with a natural disaster
• Obtaining judgment for a tanker owner against a global oil company for damages arising from a significant pollution incident, in a case ultimately decided by the US Supreme Court
• Obtaining limitation of liability for a shipowner and operator in connection with a major fire casualty caused by dangerous goods
• Defending intermodal trucking claims, especially in connection with personal injuries
• Representing the estates and trustees of a major shipping line and a global bunker trader in bankruptcy
• Providing corporate advice in connection with contract negotiations, employment matters, and regulatory compliance
• Arbitrating charter party disputes on behalf of vessel owners and charterers
• Representing a variety of clients in connection with agency investigations and administrative proceedings, including customs violations and the illegal possession of drugs
• Responding to emergencies, and conducting on site and onboard investigations anytime day or night

For more information about our maritime and transportation practice group, our Newsletters, our International Maritime Law Seminar, and our Trainee Program, please follow the links on the right-hand side of this page or contact a member of our group.