Sector
Ports and maritime
Port concessions, maritime casualty and cargo claims, and shipping-agency structuring across the Somali coast.
The firm in this sector
Somalia has one of the longest coastlines in Africa, and its ports are central to regional trade. The firm advises port operators and shipping lines on the full range of that work: constitutional and legislative review of concession agreements, maritime casualty and cargo-liability claims, and the corporate, tax and competition-law aspects of restructuring a shipping agency across the Somali and Somaliland jurisdictions.
Its maritime claims practice has managed casualty, cargo-damage and operational-liability matters at a major regional port, negotiating structured settlements under international maritime law with full mutual releases.
Work in this sector is described by anonymized descriptor. The firm never implies a named client without consent.
What the firm handles
A working list of the matters clients instruct the firm on in this sector.
Selected matters in this sector
A development finance institution
Instructed through international counsel, the firm examined the legislative framework governing the concession of a major Somali port. The review assessed the concession against national procurement legislation and the constitutional requirements that govern the disposition of state assets, and set out where the arrangement conformed and where it was exposed. The analysis was delivered in a form the instructing counsel and the institution could rely on for their own decision-making.
An international port operator
The firm provided constitutional and regulatory analysis for a concession to construct and operate a port and an associated toll corridor. The central questions were land rights along the corridor and the allocation of oversight between the Federal Government and the Federal Member State in which the project sits. The firm mapped where authority genuinely lay for each element of the project, so that the operator understood which approvals were secure and which carried federal-state risk.
A sovereign government
The firm acted as co-counsel to a sovereign government in an international commercial arbitration seated in Europe, with roughly 157 million euros in dispute under a public infrastructure contract. Its contribution centred on Somali constitutional and administrative law: whether the contractual commitments in question were validly entered into given the approvals that state institutions are required to give, and what the consequences are when that process is not followed. The work combined close analysis of the domestic legal framework with the practical demands of an international arbitral proceeding.
Related reading
EAC Membership Eases Export Rules
Somalia EAC membership transforms export-import regulations, creating new trade opportunities and compliance requirements for businesses in East African markets.
Parliament Passes Tougher Maritime Crime Law
Somalia Parliament passes revised Anti-Piracy and Maritime Crime Law with 5-20 year penalties, strengthening enforcement for international shipping and business operations.
Port Investment Risks Rise Amid Security Challenges
Somalia port investment faces rising security challenges from al Shabaab sanctions and maritime threats. Essential legal compliance guidance for investors and operators.
The Somali-law counsel for this sector
The firm acts directly for operators in this sector and as Somali counsel to the international firms that advise them. Tell us about the matter.