Melanie Fridgant is an associate and a member of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice, where her practice focuses on transactions and regulatory matters in the maritime and energy industries. Melanie represents clients in the United States and internationally on a wide range of maritime and energy-related transactions, such as financing and lease financings, investments, mergers and acquisitions, and sale and purchase agreements of marine assets including commercial and fishing vessels. Melanie’s ship finance experience also includes advising clients with respect to loan agreements, ship mortgages, security agreements, and other financing instruments for marine assets. Melanie’s maritime corporate and transactional experience also includes advising clients on corporate formation documents and joint ventures, as well as drafting and negotiating voyage, time, and bareboat charterparties, vessel construction agreements, drilling contracts, master services agreements, and other services contracts such as ship management agreements, support services agreements, and EPC agreements for onshore and offshore infrastructures. In addition, Melanie has advised client with the registration and deregistration of vessels in various jurisdictions including the United States, Malta, and the Marshall Islands.
Melanie also advises clients on matters involving the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, and US Maritime Administration, as well as regulatory compliance with the Jones Act ownership and coastwise trade regulations, the American Fisheries Act, the Federal Maritime Commission, and international trade matters including the USTR, export control, and US sanctions.
