Shipping, insurance and international Trade law

Thanks to the experience built up over 36 years by Professor Carlo Rossello, who leads this department, BFP operates in the sector of shipping law and international trade, in addition to wider-ranging insurance law (major casualties, D&O, professional liability, industrial and environmental risks).

BFP’s key clients include major domestic and international insurance companies, and it has built up an outstanding reputation abroad in this area, often being engaged to represent in Italy clients based in France, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, USA and elsewhere.

What’s more, the head of this department, Carlo Rossello, also acts as counsel for major international law firms specialised in these sectors, a cooperation based on a professional relationship built up over time, and founded on mutual respect, trust and bonds.

This network puts BFP in a position to provide professional cross-border advice and representation in almost all European Union Countries, in the United States and in strategic areas of Asia (Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, India, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E.).

Of course, in Italy we can rely on an extensive, widespread network of correspondents in every port and in Italy’s major cities.

The activity of BFP in this sector includes litigation, advice in drafting policies and the examination (in the loss adjustment phase) of complex cases, to head off problems before they arise. 

Our extensive experience in disputes and litigation gives us clear insight into the pathology of the relationship, and consents us to identify criticalities “ex ante”.

The whole BFP legal team works together to provide cross-border advice to the all the operators of the shipping business (insurers, shipowners, charterers, shipyards, financing banks, logistics and port operators etc.). This also includes corporate and commercial law and features a multidisciplinary approach.

Areas of practice:

• domestic and international transport (by sea, air, road, multimodal) and transport insurance (H&M, Cargo and P&I)
• logistics
• charter-parties and bill of lading disputes; cargo claims
• ships’ sale and purchase; ship-building, ship-finance and ship-repairs contracts;
• other shipping contracts and agreements
• pleasure yachts and superyachts (building, financing, sale and purchase, claims)
• aviation
• freight forwarders’ activities
• carriers and forwarders liability
• insurance brokers’ activities and liability
• ships’ arrest
• ship-repairers’ liability
• liability of classification bodies
• salvage
• international trade (distribution and licensing agreements; letters of credit; guarantees etc.)
• reassurance
• permit and authorisation schemes for port development activities
• domestic and international arbitration and litigation in the aforementioned sectors