The UAE sits at the centre of one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, anchored by ports such as Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port, and Port Rashid, and free zones including JAFZA that serve as regional hubs for shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics operators. Maritime law here draws on a distinct body of UAE Maritime Law (Federal Law No. 26 of 1981, as amended), alongside international conventions the UAE has adopted, and it interacts closely with commercial, insurance, and customs law. Our maritime and shipping lawyers advise shipowners, charterers, freight forwarders, cargo interests, and marine insurers on both transactional and contentious matters across the UAE’s ports and territorial waters.

UAE Maritime Legal Framework

The UAE Maritime Law governs vessel registration, ownership, crewing, carriage of goods by sea, general average, salvage, and limitation of liability, and it remains the primary source of maritime law in the UAE alongside applicable international conventions such as the Hague-Visby Rules principles reflected in UAE carriage of goods provisions. Maritime disputes are typically heard before specialised maritime chambers within the Dubai Courts or Abu Dhabi Courts, or resolved through arbitration where the underlying charterparty or bill of lading specifies it. Free zones such as JAFZA add a further commercial layer for shipping and logistics companies structuring their UAE operations.

Vessel Registration and Ownership

Registering a vessel under the UAE flag involves compliance with Federal Transport Authority requirements and, depending on the emirate, the relevant maritime authority such as Dubai Maritime City Authority. Our lawyers advise shipowners on registration, re-flagging, and the ownership and financing structures used to hold vessel assets.

• Advising on UAE vessel registration and flagging requirements
• Structuring vessel ownership through UAE and free zone special purpose vehicles
• Reviewing mortgage and security documentation for vessel financing
• Advising on classification society and flag state compliance obligations

Charterparty Agreements and Disputes

Charterparties — whether voyage, time, or bareboat — sit at the centre of most commercial shipping relationships, and disputes under them are among the most common maritime matters our lawyers handle. Charterparty disputes frequently involve competing standard forms, incorporated clauses, and choice-of-law provisions that require careful analysis before a dispute strategy can be set.

• Drafting and negotiating voyage, time, and bareboat charterparties
• Advising on laytime, demurrage, and despatch calculations and disputes
• Handling off-hire, breach, and early termination disputes
• Advising on charterparty arbitration clauses and enforcement strategy

Bills of Lading and Carriage of Goods

Bills of lading function simultaneously as a receipt for goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title, making disputes over their terms and handling a recurring source of maritime litigation. Our lawyers advise carriers, shippers, and consignees on bill of lading disputes, including misdelivery, cargo damage, and title disputes arising from incorrectly negotiated or endorsed bills.

• Advising on carrier liability under UAE carriage of goods by sea provisions
• Handling cargo damage, shortage, and contamination claims
• Advising on misdelivery and letter of indemnity disputes
• Reviewing bill of lading terms and incorporation of charterparty clauses

Vessel Arrest and Maritime Security

Vessel arrest is one of the most powerful and time-sensitive remedies available to maritime claimants in the UAE, allowing a creditor to arrest a vessel within UAE territorial waters as security for a maritime claim, often without prior notice to the vessel’s owner. Our lawyers act swiftly on both sides of arrest applications — securing arrests for claimants and applying for release on behalf of shipowners — given the commercial pressure a vessel arrest places on ongoing operations.

• Filing urgent vessel arrest applications before UAE courts
• Advising on maritime lien priority and arrest eligibility
• Applying for vessel release and negotiating security substitution (P&I club letters of undertaking)
• Advising on counter-security and wrongful arrest claims

Marine Insurance

Marine insurance disputes in the UAE typically arise from hull and machinery claims, cargo insurance disputes, and protection and indemnity (P&I) coverage questions, each governed by a combination of the insurance policy terms, UAE Maritime Law provisions on marine insurance, and, where incorporated, English law principles commonly referenced in marine policies. Our lawyers advise insurers, shipowners, and cargo interests on coverage disputes and claims handling.

• Advising on hull and machinery, cargo, and P&I coverage disputes
• Handling total loss and constructive total loss claims
• Advising on general average adjustments and contributions
• Representing insurers and insureds in coverage litigation and arbitration

Port, Terminal and Logistics Agreements

Beyond vessel-level disputes, our lawyers advise port operators, terminal handlers, and logistics companies on the commercial agreements underpinning UAE port operations, from terminal handling agreements to freight forwarding and multimodal transport contracts that connect sea, land, and air logistics chains.

• Drafting terminal handling and stevedoring agreements
• Advising on freight forwarding and NVOCC (non-vessel operating common carrier) liability
• Reviewing multimodal and intermodal transport agreements
• Advising on port authority regulatory compliance and tariff disputes

Salvage and General Average

Salvage and general average claims involve specialised calculations and legal principles distinct from ordinary cargo or charterparty disputes, requiring close coordination with average adjusters and salvage contractors. Our lawyers advise shipowners, cargo interests, and insurers through the general average adjustment process and salvage award disputes.

• Advising on salvage agreements and Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) claims
• Reviewing general average adjustments and security guarantees
• Representing cargo interests in general average contribution disputes

Ship Building, Sale and Purchase

Vessel sale and purchase transactions, whether newbuild contracts or secondhand tonnage acquisitions, require careful contractual protection around delivery conditions, title warranties, and encumbrance clearance. Our lawyers advise buyers and sellers on structuring these transactions and resolving disputes when delivery or condition issues arise.

• Drafting and negotiating memoranda of agreement (MOA) for vessel sale and purchase
• Advising on newbuilding contracts and delivery condition disputes
• Conducting title and encumbrance due diligence prior to vessel acquisition

Crew and Maritime Employment

Crewing matters in the UAE combine UAE labour law principles with maritime-specific considerations under the Maritime Labour Convention framework, covering seafarer contracts, repatriation, and wage claims. Our lawyers advise shipowners and manning agents on compliant crewing arrangements and represent seafarers and owners in wage and repatriation disputes.

• Reviewing seafarer employment agreements for MLC compliance
• Advising on crew repatriation and wage claim disputes
• Advising manning agents on UAE licensing and liability exposure

Ship Finance and Leasing

Vessel acquisitions are frequently financed through a combination of bank debt, sale-and-leaseback arrangements, and, increasingly, Islamic finance structures such as Ijara-based leasing compliant with Sharia principles. Our lawyers advise owners, financiers, and lessors on structuring these transactions, including the security packages — ship mortgages, assignment of earnings, and insurance assignments — that lenders typically require.

• Structuring conventional and Islamic (Ijara) vessel finance arrangements
• Drafting ship mortgage and security documentation
• Advising on sale-and-leaseback transactions for fleet financing
• Reviewing assignment of earnings and insurance in financing security packages

Collision, Pollution and Environmental Liability

Collisions and pollution incidents in UAE waters trigger both civil liability claims and regulatory enforcement from port authorities and environmental regulators, with potential exposure running well beyond the immediate parties involved in the incident. UAE Maritime Law sets out fault-based liability principles for collisions, while pollution incidents additionally engage federal environmental legislation and, where applicable, international conventions on oil pollution liability that the UAE has adopted. Our lawyers advise shipowners and P&I clubs on managing the immediate response to an incident as well as the resulting liability claims.

• Advising on collision liability apportionment and defence
• Handling oil pollution and environmental damage claims
• Coordinating incident response with port authorities and regulators
• Advising on limitation fund establishment following major incidents

JAFZA and Free Zone Shipping Structures

Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) and other UAE port-linked free zones remain the preferred structuring choice for shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics operators seeking full foreign ownership, customs duty exemptions, and proximity to major port infrastructure. Structuring a shipping or logistics business within these free zones requires attention to activity licensing, customs bonded warehousing rules, and the interaction between free zone and mainland UAE operations for companies serving both markets.

• Advising on JAFZA and port free zone company structuring for shipping and logistics operators
• Reviewing customs bonded warehousing and re-export compliance
• Structuring dual free zone/mainland operating models for logistics groups

Maritime and Shipping Disputes

• Charterparty breach and demurrage disputes
• Cargo damage and bill of lading disputes
• Vessel arrest and release applications
• Collision and pollution liability claims
• Marine insurance coverage disputes

Why Choose Our Maritime & Shipping Lawyers

Maritime disputes move fast — a vessel arrest, a demurrage deadline, or a cargo claim under a tight limitation period can determine the outcome of a case before it is even fully argued. Our lawyers combine deep familiarity with UAE Maritime Law and the specialised maritime courts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with the responsiveness that shipping disputes demand. We advise shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, insurers, and logistics operators across the full range of maritime transactional and contentious work.