future-focused

Liskow has a nationally recognized maritime transactional team. Having offices located adjacent to The Gulf and the Mississippi River has allowed our lawyers to gain considerable experience with both brown water and blue water marine transactional work, and particularly the contractual risk allocation and insurance obligations required for complex marine and energy projects. We frequently find this expertise is sought by clients all over the world.

Overview

Liskow offers a broad range of marine transactional and vessel documentation services to our clients.   We also provide regulatory advice needed to properly navigate the finer points of Jones Act cabotage laws regulating the ownership and operation of vessels in the waters of the United States. Our maritime and business transactional practice groups work together closely to service the needs of our marine industry clients, serving vessel operators, and those who do business with them, including investors, lenders, and customers. 

Our team routinely handles: 

  • Vessel Construction Contracts and Vessel Construction Loans 
  • Capital Construction Funds 
  • Marine Finance 
  • Perfection and Enforcement of Ship Mortgages and Maritime Liens 
  • Charter Party Agreements  
  • Contracts of Carriage and Affreightment 
  • Towage Contracts 
  • Master Service Agreements 
  • Offshore Drilling Contracts 
  • Logistics Contracts 
  • Offshore Infrastructure Development, including traditional oil and gas as well as offshore wind and energy projects 
  • Jones Act Compliance Advice, including regulatory compliance guidance letters from US Customs Service 
  • LNG Projects and Transportation 
  • American Fisheries Act Compliance Advice for Owners of Fishing Industry Vessels and their Lenders 
  • Acquisitions and Divestitures of Marine Assets and the Ownership of the Marine Operators 
  • Salvage and Wreck Removal Projects 

While located on The Gulf, our marine transactional work is both national and international in scope, with marine industry clients throughout the United States and overseas. We have extensive experience in marine finance work for both lenders and borrowers and are recognized by Chambers, Best Lawyers, and US News for our work in this field. Our firm’s attorneys have unique experience in establishing and administering Capital Construction Funds, a means of tax deferral on operating income and capital gains from the sale of certain vessels.   

When transactions become troubled or marine incidents occur, Liskow has a talented team of admiralty lawyers with extensive experience in enforcing maritime lien claims and preferred ship mortgages, vessel arrests and cargo claims. Our firm represented BP in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and continues to handle claims arising out of the environmental damage resulting from that incident. We recently handled regulatory response, contracts and litigation relating to the casualty and wreck removal of the GOLDEN RAY car carrier offshore Georgia, the largest marine insurance claim in the world in 2019 and one of the largest wreck removal jobs in the history of the world’s marine industry.  The firm also has a lead role in the SEACOR POWER liftboat casualty and wreck removal. 

Notable Experience

  • Served as special counsel to Bollinger Shipyard, LLC in connection with its acquisition of VT Halter Marine Inc. and ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore (STEHMO).
  • Recently represented marine operator in the sale of substantially all of its tugboat fleet and related assets and the sale of an affiliate’s shipyard business.
  • Represented publicly traded corporation in American Fisheries Act compliance matters and in the subsequent spin-off of its vessel fleet prior to its acquisition by a foreign public company.
  • Assisted OSV operator in obtaining MARAD consents needed for the reflagging of vessels in Mexico.
  • Represented startup in acquiring and in financing its acquisition of its fishing vessel fleet and related restructure of its fish supply agreement to foreign seafood processing company and its continued MARAD reporting obligations required for maintenance of its fisheries licenses.
  • Represented a U.S. vessel operator in a feeder vessel contract to develop the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the United States.
  • Handled the chartering-out and chartering-in of tugs and barges for a large-scale marine transportation project providing aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
  • Represented commercial fishing operator in acquisition of OSV and its conversion of the OSV into a fishing industry vessel with related negotiations and documentation of a vessel conversion contract with Gulf Coast shipyard.
  • Represented shipyard and barge operators in negotiation and drafting of ship construction contracts.
  • Represented oilfield services contractor in acquisition of fleet of specialized vessels and financing of same.
  • Represented OSV operator in bankruptcy exit financing.
  • Represented private equity company fund in bankruptcy proceedings of a liftboat company and its acquisition of the equity ownership of the company in the bankruptcy proceedings.
  • Represented numerous banks and private equity company funds in loan workouts and vessel foreclosures.
  • Represented oilfield services contractor with obtaining Coast Guard waiver of U.S. manning requirement for foreign flagged vessels operating in United States waters.
  • Represented lenders and investors in several offshore infrastructure projects involving the financing of the construction of floating production facilities and pipeline systems on the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico
  • Represented clients in contracts related to operation of LNG bunkering barges.
  • Represented clients in connection with transferring flag on vessels to flag states including Panama, Vanuatu and Marshall Islands.
  • Represented clients in connection with sale of U,S. flagged vessels to foreign owners.
  • Represented national bank in multi-vessel construction loan facility to barge operator.
  • Represented Bahamian vessel operator in acquisition and reflagging of OSV previously flagged in the US.
  • Represented purchaser in the acquisition of coastwise endorsed derrick barge.
  • Represented lender in connection with acquisition of specialized Jones Act qualified heavy lift vessel.
  • Handled sale of OSV fleet by one vessel operator to another.
  • Assisted lift boat operator in its startup and acquisition of an existing domestic company liftboat fleet and in the subsequent expansion of the fleet through construction and acquisitions of additional vessels and numerous financings needed to fund payment of its acquisitions.
  • Represented national barge and tugboat operator in over 20 vessel acquisitions and divestitures and over 200 operational contracts such as charter parties, towage contracts, contracts of carriage, and master service agreements.
  • Assisted clients in evaluating and responding to customer requests for proposals (RFPs).
  • Represented Gulf of Mexico contractor in sale of assets and transfer of contracts.
  • Represented purchaser in acquisition of foreign flagged deepwater pipelay asset from U.S. Marshal’s sale.

We are known for these strengths

  • Vessel documentation expertise
  • Marine finance
  • Asset sales and dispositions
  • Master service agreements for oil and gas producers with their vessel operators
  • Creation and administration of Capital Construction Funds

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