Maritime

Holland & Knight is one of the few "shipbuilder to shipbreaker" maritime law practices in the United States, providing maritime litigation, finance and regulatory advice. This comprehensive and in-depth experience ensures an informed and precise response to any maritime matter.

Our deep maritime roots date back nearly two centuries after our firm combined in 1997 with the venerable Haight, Gardner, Poor & Havens, the longest-standing shipping firm in New York with origins in the 1830s. Today, our maritime attorneys continue that tradition of providing skilled maritime counsel that has a thorough understanding of our clients' priorities, anticipates challenges and delivers solutions with impact.

Global Reach Advances Your Strategy

Supporting your global strategy, our maritime law practice is strategically positioned to serve you throughout the world with offices located near all of the major U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast and West Coast ports – including New York, Boston, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa and Washington, D.C. – as well as in Bogotá, Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico.

Additionally, our network of national and foreign correspondent counsel stands ready to assist our clients in any matter around the globe.

Award-Winning Practice

Holland & Knight is consistently recognized as a leading law firm in maritime law by respected national and international publications. Our Maritime Team is featured in the Chambers Global and Chambers USA editions (shipping litigation and finance practices), The Legal 500, Lexology Index: Transport (shipping), Super Lawyers (transportation) and other top publications. Holland & Knight was named the 2024 "Law Firm of the Year" in Transportation Law by the Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" guide, also earning the Law Firm of the Year honor for Admiralty and Maritime Law in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2026. In addition, Law360 named our Transportation practice as 2022 "Practice Group of the Year."

Full-Scale Representation

Our multidisciplinary Maritime Team offers the sophisticated legal service and counsel you need to successfully accomplish your business objectives. We have extensive experience in all aspects of maritime operations, including:

• casualty, pollution and salvage
• maritime and logistics contracts
• regulatory and government, including before the Federal Maritime Commission
• maritime security and piracy
• vessel finance, maritime bankruptcies and workouts, including maritime liens
• energy, LNG/LPG and cables
• marine appellate and amicus curiae
• intermodal and terminal
• cruise line and yachts

Extensive Industry Connections

The U.S. government and Congress have called upon Holland & Knight lawyers to lend their experience in critical maritime matters such as:

• Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: We provided expert testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on legal issues relating to oil pollution liability and written testimony on the same issues to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works, at the Committee's request, in connection with the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon oil spill and environmental damages.
• Rotterdam Rules: One of our maritime attorneys was a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) working group that drafted the Rotterdam Rules, the first rules governing contracts for the international carriage of goods wholly or partly by sea.

Our commitment to the maritime industry is also demonstrated by our participation and service on the boards of maritime organizations, industry groups, seminars, conferences, bar associations and maritime museums. Over the years, Holland & Knight attorneys have served as:

• president of the Maritime Law Association of the United States (USMLA)
• chair of the International Bar Association's Committee on Maritime and Transport Law
• chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Tort Trial and Insurance Section, including its Admiralty and Maritime Committee
• counsel to INTERTANKO
• director and committee chair of USMLA
• chair of the Alumni Foundation of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point)

In addition, our maritime attorneys have served on boards of the following industry organizations:

• Propeller Club of the United States
• Marine Society of the City of New York
• National Maritime Historical Society
• American Maritime Museum
• South Street Seaport
• Seamen's Church Institute
• Tug Pegasus Preservation Project, New York

We use the knowledge gained through these industry connections and our experience to provide added value to our clients. For example, our team frequently writes articles and legal updates to keep clients informed of the latest developments within the maritime industry.