What is maritime contracts?
Maritime contracts are the agreements that govern how a vessel is used, built, maintained and commercialised — charter parties, management agreements, crew agreements, build and refit contracts, brokerage and berthing agreements.
Most are negotiated from recognised industry forms, which are a sound starting point but rarely fit a specific deal without amendment. The work is in the amendments: delivery and redelivery, payment, liability, insurance and termination.
Who is it for?
Owners entering charter
Where a charter party defines the whole commercial relationship.
Owners building or refitting
Where payment stages and delivery dates need protecting.
Employers of crew
Where crew agreements have to meet MLC 2006 standards.
Anyone handed a contract to sign
Where an expedited review is needed before a deadline.
What you get
- Charter parties and management agreements.
- Build, refit and repair contracts.
- Crew and brokerage agreements.
- Clear risk allocation, in plain drafting.
- Expedited review where a deal is time-sensitive.
How the process works
Brief
We understand the deal and your priorities.
Draft
We draft or review the agreement.
Negotiate
We support negotiation of the key terms.
Finalise
We finalise and execute the contract.
Requirements
- The draft contract, or the heads of terms it will be built on.
- The commercial deal points you need protected.
- Any deadline the counterparty has imposed.
Please note. Eligibility is assessed case by case by the Malta flag administration. Send us the vessel details and we will confirm what applies to you before you commit.
Documents you will need
- The draft agreement or the industry form being used
- Heads of terms or the deal summary
- Vessel particulars and current certification
- Any related agreement the contract must sit alongside
Please note. Indicative list. The exact file the registry asks for depends on the vessel, its age and the regime it is registered under — we confirm your list in writing before anything is filed.