Laura Swanson’s practice spans both contentious and non-contentious matters across the commercial shipping, marine insurance, and energy sectors.

On the contentious side, she represents shipowners, operators, and insurers in complex disputes arising under charterparties, sale and purchase agreements, ship management agreements, bills of lading, and marine insurance contracts. She has extensive experience acting in London maritime arbitration and in proceedings before the English courts. Her work is inherently cross-border, and she regularly represents and works with clients and counterparties across multiple jurisdictions.

On the transactional and advisory side, she advises on the drafting and negotiation of charterparties, ship management agreements, shipbuilding contracts and supervision agreements, ship sale and purchase transactions, and ship finance matters. Her practice also includes advising on risk allocation and incorporating maritime industry developments in the maritime and offshore energy sectors in practice.

• Frequently advising owners and charterers under charterparties on a wide range of issues under bareboat, time, and voyage charters, including unseaworthiness, off-hire, bunker quality, redelivery, and demurrage disputes. Experience includes acting in dozens of LMAA arbitrations as well as negotiating pre-action commercial settlements.
• Negotiating charterparties in the offshore wind sector and advising owners and charterers on contractual disputes, including issues relating to delivery and termination.
• Advising shipowners, P&I Clubs, and traders on claims arising from cargo damage, contamination, shortage, misdelivery, and related contractual and tortious issues.
• Representing insurers in relation to a personal injury claim arising during a private yacht charter. Advising buyers in a dispute concerning a yacht building contract.
• Procuring sanctions screening and advising on sanctions risks in connection with commercial shipping operations, contractual arrangements, and counterparties across multiple jurisdictions.
• Advising marine insurance underwriters on the impact of English court proceedings where a counterparty has been designated. Advising insurance brokers on War Risks policies and related coverage issues..
• Acting for both buyers and sellers of second-hand commercial vessels, including negotiating contractual documentation, liaising with authorities, and preparing delivery documentation. 
• Acting for buyers of new-build vessels from the negotiation of shipbuilding contracts, supervision agreements, and security documents through to delivery, as well as advising on post-delivery disputes.
• Advising lenders on the financing of a new-build vessel and coordinating stakeholders across jurisdictions in Australia, Germany, and the United States.

• WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association)

• Charter-Klauseln in kriegerischen Zeiten: Wie ist die Lage für Reeder?
  (Charter Clauses in Times of War: What is the situation for shipowners?)
  Daniel Jones, Laura Swanson, HANSA International Maritime Journal, 02/2026

CONTACT

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