Ship Finance – Introduction

Maritime Finance attorneys Sophia Agathis and Nicholas Kaasik co-authored the introduction for the Lexology Panoramic: Ship Finance 2026 guide. The publication offers a comprehensive exploration of the global ship finance market, offering jurisdictional overviews that allow practitioners, owners and investors to compare local trends while tracking cross-border issues. In the introduction, Ms. Agathis and Mr. Kaasik summarize industry developments from the past year: regulatory uncertainty resulting from U.S. port fees, the European Union's implementation of Basel IV and net-zero initiatives; financing updates such as the rise of private credit and growth of the Nordic bond market; and major geopolitical events including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and potential reactivation of Venezuelan oil and gas exports.

Several other Holland & Knight attorneys also contributed to the guide's USA chapter, and attorneys Richard Furey and Jovi Tenev served as the guide's editors.

READ: Ship Finance – Introduction (Subscription required)