Wikborg Rein appoints new shipping and energy partners in London

LEADING international law firm Wikborg Rein has appointed two new partners and a senior lawyer to its Shipping, Trade, Energy & Infrastructure team in London.

Renaud Barbier-Emery, who joins Wikborg Rein as a partner from Ince & Co, is a specialist in the energy, maritime and international trade sectors on both transactional and contentious matters. His practice focuses on the development and financing of offshore energy projects, most frequently for the publicly listed owners of large fleets of drilling units, FPSOs and LNG vessels.

Renaud also acts for shipowners, shipbuilders, financiers and investors on a range of transactions involving the construction, conversion, repair, sale & purchase, leasing, chartering, management and financing of vessels, as well as advising on joint ventures. In addition, he advises on a wide range of transactional trade finance matters.

Renaud recently participated as part of the Wikborg Rein team which advised Belgian gas carrier operator Exmar on its agreement with Argentina’s YPF for the long-term deployment at Bahia Blanca of the Caribbean FLNG unit, now renamed Tango FLNG, to produce and export LNG from Argentina.

Jonathan Goldfarb, who also joins as a partner from Ince & Co, specialises in energy and trading projects across the oil and gas and renewables sectors. He advises on project tendering, vessel construction and conversion, and financing, sale and purchase and leasing arrangements for FPSOs, FSOs, FSRUs, LNGCs, FLNG, drilling units and drillships.

Jonathan also acts for international traders in relation to structured trade finance transactions and trading projects. He represents some of the world’s largest contractors and energy traders, as well as financing banks, and handles a wide variety of projects in the energy and trading sector. He has been particularly active on Floating Storage and Regasification (FSRU) projects in the LNG sector.

Meanwhile, senior lawyer Ina Lutchmiah has also joined Wikborg Rein from Ince & Co. Ina has particular expertise in LNG projects and other offshore energy transactions, and her experience includes advising on the decommissioning and recycling of offshore assets and long-term charters for FSRU projects.

Chris Grieveson, manager partner of Wikborg Rein’s London office, says, “We are delighted to welcome Renaud, Jonathan and Ina to our team. Their appointments continue Wikborg Rein’s policy of recruiting experienced and respected industry professionals who will strengthen still further the firm’s reputation as a leading specialist in the shipping and energy sectors.”


Wikborg Rein's London office was established in 1987. The office specialises in shipping, energy, construction, international arbitration and all other forms of dispute resolution. In addition, it handles financing, corporate and cross-border transactions. The London office has both English and Norwegian lawyers who all possess broad expertise within Wikborg Rein's specialist areas. The London office is also the hub of the firm’s international English law practice focusing on shipping, energy and construction matters worldwide. www.wr.no

AKD recruits two first-tier shipping specialists

ROTTERDAM-based law firm AKD has further strengthened its pre-eminent position in the shipping and offshore sectors with the arrival of two senior executives.

Pieter den Haan, a specialist in handling maritime casualties, with particular expertise in major collision cases as well as in salvage and wreck removal and insurance disputes, joins from Van Traa as a partner in AKD’s Transport & Energy team with effect from 1 July, 2015. Pieter also advises shipyards, shipowners and private clients in connection with shipbuilding and repair contracts, as well as dealing with the enforcement of claims against ships and ship arrests. He says, “I am very pleased to be joining AKD’s robust transport & energy team as it provides the support which is needed to deal with marine matters at the highest level.”

Vivian van der Kuil, meanwhile, will join AKD’s Transport and Energy team from Van Traa as a senior associate. Vivian specialises in transport law, with a particular focus on maritime law, and has extensive experience of dealing with maritime casualties, as well as limitation of liability, assistance and wreck removal cases. Her expertise also extends to ship arrests and other procedures related to maritime law. Vivian has worked as a judge at the Rotterdam Court, dealing with transport law cases, among others. She has also undergone officer training at the Netherlands Royal Institute for the Navy and worked as an officer of the Maritime Service with the Royal Navy on board several ships. Vivian says, “I am looking forward to the challenge of working with the highly experienced team at AKD.”

Haco van der Houven van Oordt, lead partner of AKD’s shipping and offshore practice, says, “We are delighted to have recruited two people of the quality and experience of Pieter and Vivian. Both are first-class marine lawyers who are highly regarded in the industry. Maritime disputes are becoming increasingly more international and legally complex in their nature, and it is therefore imperative to strengthen the team to deal with the challenges that our clients face worldwide.

“The recruitment of Pieter and Vivian will enhance still further AKD’s proven ability to provide innovative solutions to often complex legal problems.”

AKD’s Transport & Energy team provides a full range of legal services. AKD is a full-service firm with over 250 lawyers. www.akd.nl

Piracy and terrorism specialist partner joins Tatham Macinnes from Ince

Stephen Askins, a leading expert on piracy and terrorism issues, is joining the specialist maritime law firm Tatham Macinnes LLP from Ince & Co LLP as a partner in its London-based offices.

Stephen, a former Royal Marine, is well-known as one of the leading experts on casualty response and in particular piracy, maritime terrorism and the use of armed guards at sea. He has managed many of the more serious piracy and hostage incidents in recent times. He was also part of the drafting committee which produced GUARDCON, the BIMCO standard contract for the employment of security guards on board merchant ships - widely recognised as contributing to a significant reduction in piracy incidents around the world

Stephen is also acknowledged as an expert adviser on the legal and practical issues arising out of operating in complex environments, including Libya, Crimea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. More recently, he has been dealing with the issues arising out of trading to Ebola-affected areas - helping to develop specific charter party clauses to cover the risks associated with the virus.

Stephen says, “I am delighted to be joining Tatham Macinnes. It’s a great team with a surprising depth of legal and technical knowledge. The legal market is changing rapidly. The chance to provide innovative and flexible solutions and services to our clients is very exciting.”

Tatham Macinnes partner Simon Tatham says, “Stephen’s reputation speaks for itself. His energy and enthusiasm, combined with his all-round shipping experience is a perfect fit for us. Tatham Macinnes has gone from strength to strength over the last three years, and we are very proud that Stephen recognises that and has taken the decision to join us.”

Tatham Macinnes LLP is a London-based maritime law firm set up three years ago, specialising in maritime law and, in particular, in large-scale casualty response. In that time it has dealt with numerous collisions, groundings, wreck-removals and pollution incidents. www.tatham-macinnes.com

For more information:
Simon Tatham
Tatham Macinnes
Tel: D. +44 (0)20 7469 2553
simon.tatham@tatham-macinnes.com