Maritime: Maritime Regulatory
Decisions made by governments and international bodies around the world have a tremendous effect on the maritime industry. We represent maritime interests before the U.S. Congress, the administration and its executive branch agencies, various state governments and agencies, and non-U.S. governments and entities. We work closely with our clients to understand and achieve their business and policy goals.
Our highly ranked maritime policy and regulatory team helps clients engage and shape governmental actions. We have significant experience working with legislative and executive branch agencies, as well as international governmental bodies and officials. For more than four decades, our team has helped leading maritime companies and associations solve their most critical governmental problems and realize significant benefits, at every stage of the public policy life cycle. We understand the complex issues affecting the maritime industry nationally and internationally, and provide our clients with creative solutions to legislative, administrative, and judicial issues.
Public Policy, Regulatory, and Legislative
We assist clients in presenting effective responses to government initiatives, both regulatory and legislative. Routine matters for the maritime regulatory group include vessel documentation, customs duties, maritime promotional programs, export restrictions, antitrust analysis of the industry, tax matters, and compliance with coastwise laws including the U.S. Jones Act cabotage requirements.
Trade
We represent clients before the U.S. Congress, the European Commission, World Trade Organization, U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury, and various administrative and executive branch agencies and federal courts on matters related to regulation of trade, U.S. trade policy, allegations of illegal subsidies, and customs duties.
We also advise domestic and international maritime clients on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), its international counterparts, and numerous other international trade and export control issues. In these areas, as well as many others, our ability to integrate lobbying and regulatory compliance allows us to work with clients who want to change, as well as comply with, restrictions governing their business arrangements.
Examples include:
- Pooling, competition, and consortium issues, including regulatory control by port states, class, and flag states; ITF, including advice in relation to shipping investments; shipping distressed debt funds; ownership and management structures; and flag-state issues
- Regulation of trade, allegations of illegal subsidies, and customs duties
- Sanctions counseling, including Office of Foreign Asset Control compliance
