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Maritime & Transportation

This is where the firm began. Counsel to vessel owners, fisheries, terminals, and carriers on the regulatory, operational, and transactional matters of working on the water, for more than forty-five years.

We know the difference between inland transportation and inland marine, freight and cargo, brown water and blue water. Whether the question sits in Title 16, 33, 46, or 49 of the United States Code or in the general maritime law, we have it covered.

TALK TO THE PRACTICE Maritime & Transportation

One address that reaches the partners in this practice directly. Vessel owners, operators, fisheries, and carriers.

EMAIL THE PRACTICE

New matters begin with a conflicts check. Please hold files until we confirm we can take the matter.
TALK TO THE PRACTICE
James P. Moynihan
James P. Moynihan PARTNER

Vessel transactions, charter parties, and general counsel work for owners and operators across the Pacific Northwest.

EMAIL JIM

New matters begin with a conflicts check. Please hold files until we confirm we can take the matter.
PRACTICE AREAS

Twelve areas of the industry. One firm that works all of them.

Each area has its own page with the detail. Many clients touch several of them in a single season.

01 Transportation Motor carrier, rail, air cargo, and intermodal counsel for the companies that move freight to and from the water. LEARN MORE → 02 Fisheries Permits, quota, vessel operations, and regulatory matters for the North Pacific fishing and processing fleet. LEARN MORE → 03 Marine construction Contracts, claims, and compliance for dredging, pile driving, and waterfront construction. LEARN MORE → 04 Maritime employment Crew agreements, wage and hour, and employment counsel for vessel operators and processors. LEARN MORE → 05 Insurance Hull, P&I, cargo, and liability coverage advice and claims handling for owners and their brokers. LEARN MORE → 06 Salvage and casualty response Immediate response, Coast Guard reporting, and salvage arrangements after a grounding or sinking. LEARN MORE → 07 Regulatory matters Coast Guard, NOAA, EPA, and state agency compliance, inspections, and enforcement. LEARN MORE → 08 Tug & barge Towage contracts, charter parties, and operational counsel for tug and barge operators. LEARN MORE → 09 Vessel construction and repair Shipyard contracts, warranty disputes, and delivery issues for owners and builders. LEARN MORE → 10 Stevedore and terminal operations Terminal leases, stevedoring agreements, and operational risk for ports and terminal operators. LEARN MORE → 11 Vessel documentation Coast Guard documentation, mortgages, and title work for sales, financings, and flag changes. LEARN MORE → 12 Energy Vessel and offshore support counsel for energy and resource projects in the Pacific and Alaska. LEARN MORE →
NOT SURE WHICH APPLIES? If it floats, moves freight, or works the waterfront, we have probably handled it. Start with a conversation. EMAIL THE PRACTICE →
FISHERIES

Counsel to the fleet, from Seattle to the Bering Sea.

The North Pacific fishing and processing industry runs on permits, quota, vessel documentation, and crew agreements, and every one of those has a season attached to it.

We have represented catcher-processors, longliners, crabbers, and shoreside plants for decades, and we know the calendar as well as the law.

AGENCIES NOAA, NPFMC, and the Coast Guard
CLIENTS Vessels, processors, and cooperatives
VESSEL TRANSACTIONS

Buying, building, financing, or flagging a vessel.

Vessel sales, newbuild contracts, preferred mortgages, and documentation with the National Vessel Documentation Center all move on tight timelines.

We handle the transaction end to end, alongside the firm’s business group, so a closing does not stall on a documentation question.

DOCUMENTATION U.S. Coast Guard NVDC
ALONGSIDE The firm’s business law group
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Tug alongside the pier FORTY-FIVE YEARS ON THE WATERFRONT
HOW WE WORK

Practical counsel for people who work on the water.

01 Know the operation

We start with how your vessels, terminals, or fleet actually run, because the legal answer depends on it.
02 Solve it early

Most maritime problems are cheaper to prevent than to litigate. We draft, advise, and respond with that in mind.
03 Stay reachable

You get a partner who knows your business and answers the phone, in season and out.
PARTNERS IN THIS PRACTICE

The partners who handle it.

ALL ATTORNEYS →
James P. Moynihan James P. Moynihan PARTNER

Vessel transactions, charter parties, and general counsel work for owners and operators across the Pacific Northwest.

jpmoynihan@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3227 FULL BIO →
Michael S. Budelmann Michael S. Budelmann PARTNER

Regulatory, casualty response, and operational counsel for tug and barge, terminal, and construction clients.

msbudelmann@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3233 FULL BIO →
Gary M. Haugen Gary M. Haugen PARTNER

Fisheries, processors, and the permits, quota, and crew matters that come with them.

gmhaugen@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3226 FULL BIO →
James P. Moynihan
James P. MoynihanPARTNER

Vessel transactions, charter parties, and general counsel work for owners and operators across the Pacific Northwest.

Michael S. Budelmann
Michael S. BudelmannPARTNER

Regulatory, casualty response, and operational counsel for tug and barge, terminal, and construction clients.

Gary M. Haugen
Gary M. HaugenPARTNER

Fisheries, processors, and the permits, quota, and crew matters that come with them.

Draft partner assignments and blurbs, pending confirmation from the partners.

GET IN TOUCH

Working on the water and need counsel?

Tell us about your operation and the question in front of you. Once conflicts are cleared, a partner in the group will set up a call.

We represent vessel owners, operators, fisheries, terminals, and carriers.