Our Maritime Law offering can support you in the following ways:

Regulatory Prosecutions

Our team of highly skilled Regulatory lawyers have extensive experience in bringing individual and volume based Maritime prosecutions under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and other Maritime Regulations on behalf of our clients. We advise and support on highly complex Maritime matters, including providing charging advice on various maritime offences concerning shipping vessel owners and skippers.

In the ever-growing maritime sector, our capabilities and tools allow us to relieve our clients of the pressures of conducting investigations, running projects, and enhancing processes, thus allowing clients to spend more time on the things that matter to them.

Inquests and Inquiries

The Coronial process can be lengthy, complex and emotionally difficult for those involved. We provide invaluable critical support in representing clients in the coronial process; from supporting with DPA requests, liaising with the Coroner's office, identifying appropriate witnesses, assisting with witness statements, and limiting reputational impact of any Prevention of Future Deaths reports. Our team based in Scotland are also well versed in supporting clients at Fatal Accident Inquiries.

We add value by providing comprehensive legal advice and assistance in a time critical and efficient manner, and we ensure that witness support is at the core of what we do.

Investigation Work

We have a proven track record of collaborating and combining our expertise to deliver practical solutions. We work closely with our Financial Services Regulatory team to respond to, but also to conduct, corporate crime investigations into fraud, bribery, domestic & international asset tracing, people trafficking and proceeds of crime.

Working closely with our Intelligence team and Forensic Accountancy team, we have capabilities to provide Forensic Intelligence services to support clients with a broad range of investigation requirements such as producing detailed analytical charts, drafting strategic, operational and incident timelines and producing detailed account analysis. The team are highly experienced, with many of the intelligence team coming to DWF Forensic from law enforcement.

Crisis Response

Our Tier 1 ranked UK Regulatory, Compliance and Investigations Team also operate a 24/7 crisis and incident management hotline for responding to and dealing with a range of accidents including Maritime crisis situations. To find out more, click here.

Our recent cases and successes include:

We are instructed act on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency on a range of cases, working closely alongside the Regulatory Compliance and Investigations Team, HM Coastguard and the Survey & Inspections team.
Successfully advising on a prosecution under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 which resulted in securing a guilty plea from a rowing boat owner in a maritime fatality accident.
Acting on behalf of a maritime client in relation to a multi-faceted joinder inquest involving multiple fatalities at sea.
Assisting a Coroner during an inquest with an overview and analysis of complex and detailed information, receiving direct positive feedback from the Coroner.
Successfully designing and implementing a digital process in relation to volume and routine maritime prosecutions to alleviate administrative pressures from a key maritime client to allow focus on other commitments.
Providing training to a maritime regulator on the enactment of new regulation and vast changes to the maritime sector.