At Bowmans, Craig Cunningham is a highly regarded practitioner in the shipping space, and is sought after by marine insurers, charterers, shipowners, suppliers and financiers for his expertise in advising on cases involving maritime casualties, ship finance and the arrest and attachment of vessels. Andrew Pike stands out for his focus on port infrastructure and development work. Heather Manson leads the aviation practice, and is well known for her specialist expertise in aviation insurance, also a key area of strength for Claudia Jackson. Mark van Velden specialises in charterparty matters, and is equally adept at handling shipping litigation and mortgage foreclosures; Jeremy Prain‘s workload includes rail and road transportation matters and ship finance work; and Lana Stockton fields expertise in cross-border shipping insolvency matters.

At Webber Wentzel, the shipping team is jointly led by Gavin Fitzmaurice, Patrick Holloway and Andre Bowley, with Scott Edmundson and Neerasha Singh leading on aviation. On the shipping side, the group assists a client base including port owners and operators, shipowners, insurers and charterers with maritime casualties, commercial shipping transactions, international trade matters and enforcement of maritime claims, to name a few areas of expertise. On the aviation side, aviation finance and the import and export of aircraft are prominent in the group’s workload. Andre October handles contentious maritime and aviation mandates, and Sheena Dias is sought after for her expertise in marine insurance and port-related work. Sharmila Naidoo left the firm in July 2022.

ENSafrica‘s department has established strength in handling a broad range of contentious and non-contentious shipping matters. Practice head Tony Norton is a specialist in maritime law and acts for marine insurers, agents, and owners and operators of vessels in cases involving maritime casualties, as well as defending maritime claims before the High Court. Jacqui Kaufmann is highly regarded for her expertise in handling litigation arising from ship attachments and arrests, and Kate Pitman‘s workload includes assisting with bills of lading, contracts of affreightment, and charterparty matters. Marine insurance and defence disputes are key areas of instruction for Michael Tucker. Bibi Motala and Angelique Barroso-Cordier are key names in the team.

The shipping department at Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa Inc has an excellent reputation for advising on marine insurance and maritime casualties, both key areas of instruction for practice head Malcolm Hartwell. Firm CEO Andrew Robinson is sought after for his expertise in port regulatory matters and admiralty litigation, and Peter Lamb has been kept busy advising on contentious mandates concerning shipping collisions. Carol Holness is active on matters in relation to charterparties, bills of lading, maritime casualty response and international trade cases.

With experience in admiralty law and contentious shipping matters, Arthur James heads Clyde & Co LLP’s shipping and marine practice. James regularly acts for ship owners and hull insurers in this space, and is equally adept at advising insurers on marine cargo policies. Thomas Henstra is active in marine insurance matters, and Nicholas Veldman acts for vessel owners and operators in demurrage and collision cases. Tilly Seboko plays an important role in the team. Mbali Mbunda left the firm in August 2023.

At Cox Yeats, the team’s workload includes handling charterparty disputes, ship arrests, marine insurance claims, claims under bills of lading and the sale and purchase of ships. Practice head Andrew Clark is well versed in advising on marine insurance claims and ship arrests, and Tamryn Simpson fields expertise in vessel collision claims, charterparty agreement litigation and cargo recovery claims. Aideen Ross handles marine and liability insurance, which is also a key area of strength for Slindokuhle Ngwenya.