Practice Areas

We have extensive local and international experience of all aspects of Maritime and Shipping law.  We advise in relation to both contentious and non-contentious work. The development of our Maritime team reflects Ireland’s rapidly growing national and international marine and shipping industry.

Contentious Work

We have successfully represented clients in all forums of dispute resolution including the High Court, arbitration and mediation. We have represented a broad range of interests, including harbour companies, banks, contractors, underwriters and liner and cargo companies. Having acted for the entire range of stakeholders in maritime and shipping assets and projects, the team can provide comprehensive commercial and solution-driven advice, paying particular attention to risk analysis and the early identification of issues that are relevant to clients. 

Our services include:

•  All means of enforcement of marine mortgages and other maritime security; including arrest of vessels and the appointment of receivers.
• Port/harbour construction, procurement, and planning disputes;
• Charterparty issues, bills of lading and freight disputes;
• Salvage claims;
• Damage to cargo claims;
• Shipbuilding, ship conversion and ship repair disputes;
• Ship management agreement disputes;
• Destruction / reconstruction of port and infrastructure by vessels;
• Off shore pipe line construction disputes; and
• Marine insurance claims.

Non-Contentious Work

We provide a full range of financing solutions for maritime infrastructural and shipping investment including the use of traditional secured bank lending, state funding and private equity. In addition, MH & C advise in relation to the procurement and construction of harbour and port development.

Our services include:

• Ship finance transactions;
• Construction contracts for port development, including contracts for dredging, pipe laying, construction and installation of topsides and sub-sea systems and tunnels;
• Tonnage tax and related taxation issues;
• Maritime regulatory issues;
• Drafting and negotiation of shipping contracts to include charterparties, bills of lading, ship management agreements, crewing agreements, supply vessel agreements and shipbuilding contracts; and
• Registration of vessels on Irish registry.

Recommendations:

Legal 500, 2013
Mason Hayes & Curran acts for A.P. Møller – Maersk and Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, as well as for Bank of Ireland, which is Ireland’s main maritime and shipping funder. It recently advised the latter on the sale of a large freight vessel. Judith Riordan is ‘very commercially aware’.

Legal 500, 2012
Mason Hayes & Curran is widely praised. It advised on the renegotiation of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company’s contract with Stena Line and acted for the same client in an arbitration dispute with Carillion.

Legal 500, 2011
Mason Hayes & Curran advised Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company in relation to the Stena Line operating contract. Rory Kirrane leads the team, which also counts the Marine Institute and Shannon Foynes Port Company among its client base.

Should you wish to find out more about how we can assist you and your business please contact one of the team members listed.

Our People

• Rory Kirrane
  Head of Department
  
• Susan Bryson
  Partner