International trade & shipping, including carriage of goods by sea, admiralty matters and the sale & purchase of ships, and other sea going vessels.

Moray Hughes has acted in various international trade and other cross-border commercial transactions and has advised on transport, banking and insurance documents, including letters of credit, bills of lading and insurance policies. He has acted for importers and exporters, freight forwarders, agents and distributors. Also

• Various trading disputes involving oil, gas and other commodities
• A wide range of shipping transactions including charterparty disputes and cargo claims, collisions and salvage
• Sale and purchase of ships and other sea going vessels including oil rigs
• Fraudulent aspects of shipping transactions

Sue has acted for a member of the Major Ports Group in relation to Commercial leases and licenses across the dock estate and for tenants of a vehicle handling compound. She also acted for Harbour Commissioners in the grant of a Regulating lease of a river from the Crown Estate.

Setfords is an Associate Member of the British Ports Association where Andrew and Susan will be presenting at the BPA Annual Conference on 11 October 2018 which is hosted by the Port of Tyne.

Susan Macpherson has acted for four marina-owning clients in relation to the acquisition and development of their properties in some 32 sites, both in the UK and in Europe. Her work has been recognised by her clients as being first class.

Susan’s work has been both varied and very complex, involving

• UK and European Joint Ventures
• Advice on the Tendering Process for a Marina Site in Cyprus
• The purchase and development of unusual sites such as a Quarry, an operational ferry service including an ancient pier and Train
• Site Assembly
• Advice when dealing with the Environment Agency on River based Marinas
• The development of Industrial Estates, Inner City Regeneration and Land Assembly for Construction of a Premier League Football Club
• Advising on and Project Managing the Legals in relation to the development Construction and use of mixed use Estates Comprising Offices, Hotels, Cinemas, Blocks of Flats, Housing Estates, Marinas, Boatyards, Locks, Sea Walls, Dredged Channels, Land Reclamation, Yacht Clubs, Bars, Restaurants, Retail, an Innovation Centre, an Edwardian Pavilion and Multi-storey car Park
• Infrastructure Projects – Project Managing Representation of objectors at Local Plan and Port Planning Inquiries, Instructing Expert Evidence ad Writing Evidence. Negotiating unilateral undertakings and Agreements
• Instructing Queens Counsel at Planning Inquiries
• Managing pre planning agreements and planning application process, S106 and other Planning agreements
• Working with Parliamentary Agents in seeking Amendments to Draft Statutory Legislation
• Negotiating Local Authority, Port Authority, Harbour Commissioners and Crown Leases of the Foreshore, Sea Bed and the Bed of Inland Lakes and tidal and Rivers and the carrying out of major and minor works
• Corporate Support and Secured Lending and Receiverships Sales for Major Banks

Latest example: Purchase of a Marina in Glasgow for James Watt Marina Limited

In 2017, Susan project managed the legal work in conjunction with Scottish lawyers relating to the Purchase of a Marina business with a Development lease at James Watt Dock from Landlord James Watt Dock LLP. The right to purchase the site came as the result of a Competitive Tender process and completion within 4 weeks. This involved negotiation of a long lease and purchase of the business as a going concern.

Public International Law involves all aspects of National, Regional and International Shipping Regulation, Safety and Compliance, including Marine Pollution.

Andrew Higgs was invited by the Committee Chairman to participate in this Maritime UK Working Group in January 2016, and has been one of a small group of BMLA Lawyers actively participating in the regular meetings. He has recently suggested editorial amendments from a legal and regulatory view to the first published version of the Code of Practice, where a Second Iteration is due to be published in the summer of 2018. This is a World-leading, thought Leadership Protocol Document of UK so-called “Soft Law” Guidelines for “Small Ships” of less than 24 metres Length Over All.

He spoke at the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton on the insurance implications of US/MASS in November 2016, and then was invited by The Greenwich Forum to speak in the House of Commons on the legal implications of US/MASS, in January 2017.

He was one of the editors of the UK-led paper presented to MSC @IMO [“MSC98/20/2”], which first proposed that US/MASS be on the IMO agenda, and attended the LEGAL Committee meeting at IMO at the invitation of IFSMA in April 2018, where the legal issues raised by US/MASS were discussed at IMO for the first time, and where CMI presented a key IMO Information Paper [“LEG 105/11”].

Moray Hughes has acted in various matters involving marine pollution and has acted for shipping interests in the defence of marine pollution prosecutions.

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