About the Role

SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL – SHIPPING & MARITIME

Job Summary Gulftainer is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel – Shipping & Maritime to provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice and support across the Group’s shipping, maritime, port, terminal, and logistics operations. The role will advise on a broad range of maritime and shipping-related legal matters, including vessel operations, charterparties, ship agency, cargo claims, marine liabilities, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution.

Working closely with business leaders and operational teams, the Senior Legal Counsel will help identify, assess, and mitigate legal and commercial risks while supporting the Group’s operational performance and strategic objectives. The ideal candidate will have substantial legal experience in shipping and maritime law, preferably gained in-house or within an international shipping company, maritime operator, port operator, ship management business, or a leading maritime law firm. The candidate should demonstrate strong commercial judgment, sound knowledge of UAE and international maritime legal frameworks, and the ability to manage complex matters across multiple jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, practical, and commercially focused legal advice on shipping, maritime, vessel operations, and related port and logistics activities.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on shipping and maritime agreements, including charterparties, vessel hire agreements, ship management agreements, ship agency agreements, contracts of affreightment, bills of lading, and other carriage of goods contracts, as applicable to the business.
• Advise on vessel operations, cargo handling, marine services, port calls, vessel berthing, and other operational matters involving shipping and maritime activities.
• Advise on cargo claims, vessel damage, collision, grounding, salvage, pollution, personal injury, general average, and other maritime incidents and liabilities, as relevant to the Group’s operations.
• Manage maritime litigation, arbitration, contractual disputes, cargo claims, and other shipping-related disputes in coordination with external legal counsel, insurers, and relevant stakeholders.
• Advise on marine insurance, protection and indemnity (P&I) matters, liability allocation, indemnities, limitation of liability, and insurance provisions in commercial and operational contracts.
• Monitor and advise on applicable UAE maritime laws and regulations, international maritime conventions, flag-state and port-state requirements, and other relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Support compliance with applicable maritime safety, environmental, sanctions, trade restrictions, and other regulatory requirements relevant to the Group’s shipping and maritime activities.
• Review and advise on procurement, service agreements, vessel-related contracts, marine equipment arrangements, and other commercial agreements connected with maritime operations.
• Support the negotiation and management of contractual relationships with shipowners, charterers, ship operators, agents, cargo interests, marine service providers, insurers, and other counterparties.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and commercial risks arising from maritime operations, contractual arrangements, regulatory developments, and disputes.
• Appoint, instruct, and manage external legal counsel and maritime specialists, ensuring high-quality, timely, and cost-effective legal support.
• Work closely with operational, commercial, finance, insurance, compliance, and senior management teams to provide practical legal solutions aligned with business objectives.
• Support the development of standard contractual terms, legal procedures, risk management frameworks, and best practices across the Legal function.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with a minimum of 6–8 years’ post-qualification experience (PQE) in shipping, maritime, or related commercial legal matters.
• Significant experience in shipping and maritime law, gained in-house within a shipping company, shipowner, vessel operator, ship management business, maritime services provider, port operator, or through a reputable maritime law firm.
• Strong knowledge of maritime contracts, including charterparties, bills of lading, carriage of goods, vessel operations, marine liabilities, and shipping-related commercial agreements.
• Demonstrable experience handling maritime disputes, cargo claims, marine insurance matters, arbitration, and litigation.
• Good knowledge of UAE maritime laws and regulations, together with familiarity with relevant international maritime conventions and cross-border legal frameworks.
• Experience advising on P&I claims, marine insurance, vessel incidents, pollution liabilities, and other maritime risk matters is highly desirable.
• Experience working across international jurisdictions and advising commercial and operational stakeholders in a multinational environment.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, analytical, and dispute management skills.
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.
• Arabic language proficiency is an advantage; fluency in Arabic is preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen, integrity, sound legal judgment, and the ability to provide clear, pragmatic advice under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with business leaders, operational teams, external counsel, and other stakeholders.

Preferred Skills

Candidates with direct experience in one or more of the following sectors will be particularly attractive:

• Shipping companies, shipowners, and vessel operators.
• Ship management and marine services.
• Maritime law firms and shipping litigation practices.
• Port operators, terminal operators, and integrated logistics businesses.
• Offshore marine services and other maritime-related industries.

Required Skills

• Shipping and maritime legal expertise.
• Commercial contract drafting and negotiation.
• Maritime claims, disputes, and arbitration management.
• Regulatory compliance and maritime risk management.
• Commercial judgment and stakeholder management.
• Cross-border legal advisory and external counsel management.
• Clear communication, problem-solving, and independent decision-making.