Gorrissen Federspiel’s Shipping/Offshore/Transportation Group is among the leading Nordic advisers within the maritime, offshore and transportation industries. Our maritime law practice dates back to the 1890s and is today by far the largest in Denmark.
Drawing on in-depth knowledge of the industries we serve, we strive to offer our clients the best legal advice and respond efficiently and effectively to their needs. Our work spans transactions, regulatory and contentious matters. We are always available and capable of assisting, whether by providing swift advice or coordinating complex international matters.
In addition to Danish law, we also advise on English law. Our outlook is fundamentally international and most of our lawyers have studied abroad or been seconded to English, US or German law firms. We have several English solicitors in our group and lawyers with backgrounds in other foreign jurisdictions. We also cover Greenlandic and Faroese legal matters.
Our advice includes among other things:
Our team holds a leading market position for transaction volume with market-leading mandates. Each year, we advise on more than 100 ship sale and purchase transactions and regularly assist on large and complex mergers and acquisitions involving shipping companies.
Our transaction mandates include:
Furthermore, we advise on all aspects of tonnage tax and other tax implications, competition law and corporate law affecting the corporate set-up of shipping companies.
Our group regularly provides advice on IMO, EU and other international and regional regulations as well as Danish domestic regulations which affect the shipping and the other maritime sectors. These regulations concern, inter alia, the following matters:
We regularly advise on complex charter party arrangements, contracts of affreightment, vessel sharing and management agreements. Our experience covers various segments, including bulk cargo, product tankers, LNG/LPG carriers and container vessels. We have drafted the contractual framework for some of the most dominant pools in the industry.
We have broad expertise in drafting transport and logistics contracts covering the entire transport chain by sea, road, rail and air, including multimodal transport solutions. In logistics, we advise on all contract types from simple warehousing agreements to complex 3PL or 4PL agreements. We have broad expertise in drafting transport agreements and general conditions of carriage for container carriers, ferry operators and freight forwarders. We also regularly act for carriers or the cargo interest in cargo claim cases.
We work closely with the firm’s energy and infrastructure group to provide high-quality advice on offshore contracts in the wind energy, oil and gas, dredging and marine construction sectors. Our multi-disciplinary group brings together experts from across the shipping and energy industries to help our clients manage the risks associated with their offshore projects.
We regularly advise developers, OEM’s, marine contractors and vessel owners on a broad range of transactional issues relating to the development of offshore wind farms. We have vast experience chartering vessels for WTG, foundation, and cable installation, along with service and maintenance operations. We also assist on international offshore disputes.
See international construction projects
We act as legal counsel in civil proceedings before the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court, the High Courts and the Danish Supreme Court and international arbitration across dry shipping, marine casualties, marine insurance, international offshore construction and other matters within the shipping and offshore industries. We furthermore act as defence counsel to ship owners, charterers and other industry players and advise on criminal investigations in respect of, for instance, international sanctions and compliance.
It is essential for us to be our clients’ trusted advisers and to improve the industry we are part of. Several partners in our group and across the firm are on the boards of directors of shipping companies and hold positions of trust in international associations, including CMI and European Maritime Lawyers’ Organisation. We act as official partners to the Global Maritime Forum, Maritime Anti Corruption Network and Women in Shipping.
We regularly work for Danish Shipowners, Danish Maritime and other leading Danish and international industry organisations. We have served on documentary committees in BIMCO and drafted standard terms for Danish Maritime, among other organisations.
Our group is also very active in supporting the development of jurisprudence in maritime law. The group has written the Commentary to the Danish Merchant Shipping Act (5th ed., 2020) and we act as the Danish editors for the leading Nordic maritime case law publication (Nordic Maritime Judgments). Our group head Peter Appel is a member of the Danish Maritime Law Committee advising the Danish government on maritime regulations. Our lawyers act as lecturers in maritime law on the Danish Shipping Education organised by Danish Shipowners.
“Gorrissen Federspiel is renowned as a ‘leading shipping law firm’ with ’in-depth knowledge and understanding of global shipping regulations and industry specific challenges.”
Legal 500, 2025
“The team at Gorrissen Federspiel always seems to have an answer that is to the point, sharp and knowledgeable.”
Chambers Europe, 2025
“Gorrissen Federspiel is, in my opinion, a leading shipping law firm, with an in-depth knowledge and deep understanding of global shipping regulations and industry-specific challenges. Their expertise spans a wide range of areas, including shipping finance, vessel acquisition, cargo disputes, environment compliance, and marine insurance claims etc.”
Legal 500, 2025