Admiralty and Maritime

The firm’s admiralty and maritime team is actively involved in Charleston's maritime community, including such organizations as the Maritime Association of South Carolina, the Propeller Club of Charleston, and the Charleston Maritime Law Institute. Practice group members also serve in leadership positions in regional and national maritime law organizations, including the Maritime Law Association of the United States, the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, and the Tulane Admiralty Law Institute. Gordon D. Schreck, B.A. Moore, and David M. Collins are listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Mr. Schreck is listed in South Carolina SuperLawyers. Sean Houseal is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law-Litigation.

 

 

The firm serves as local Charleston Correspondent for all of the world’s major protection & indemnity insurers (“P&I Clubs”), insuring commercial cargo and passenger vessels calling at the Ports of Charleston and Georgetown. Members of the practice group are available 24/7 to assist with and investigate marine casualties and incidents of all types, including collisions, shipboard and dockside personal injuries, pollution and HAZMAT discharges, alleged navigational safety violations and cargo damage. With offices in Georgia and North Carolina, the firm is also positioned to handle casualty and litigation matters involving the ports of Savannah, Georgia and Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

 

The group assists in the structuring of ship sales and purchases, vessel mortgages, and other related marine finance transactions, including the preparation and recording of bills of sale, preferred ship mortgages, and other finance documentation. The firm is an affiliate member of the American Vessel Documentation Association and regularly advises lending institutions on marine loans and vessel financing issues. Members of the group can also assist in the foreclosure of ship mortgages and other vessel liens through judicial seizure and sale.

 

 

The firm practices extensively in the area of recreational boating, having participated in such seminal South Carolina cases as Tisdale v. Teleflex, Inc. and Young v. Tide Craft, Inc. This area of the firm's practice includes maritime products liability, warranty disputes, yacht finance and foreclosure, marina and boatyard disputes, yacht insurance coverage disputes, salvage matters, and owner/operator liability cases. Representative clients include Yamaha, Bombardier, Genmar, Viking Yachts, Ace Marine, CNA/MOAC, and Travelers. Our recreational practice covers much of the southeastern coast, including coastal South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, as well as the large inland lakes in these jurisdictions.

 

In addition to being avid boaters and sailors, the group's members are also actively involved in many recreational boating industry organizations, such as the American Boat & Yacht Council, and the National Marine Manufacturers Association. The firm is also part of the National Marine Bankers' Association's Recreational Boating Law Network.

 

 

Our Admiralty and Maritime Team assists clients who operate on the marine supply chain. Shipping clients need strong contracts, strategic partnering agreements and regulatory compliance, and our attorneys are experienced in helping clients in these areas.

 

We advise shipping companies with: