Marine Prosecutions

Our marine disputes experts have significant experience defending and prosecuting marine related cases involving marine regulatory offences and maritime safety.  

Our practice includes marine licensing and fisheries prosecutions, harbour authority byelaws, special directions, general directions and harbour directions (including drafting new byelaws and directions) and maritime safety - both the Marine & Coastguard Agency and the Health & Safety Executive. We are also able to provide training to authorities considering bringing prosecutions.

We defend and prosecute for a wide variety of clients including harbour authorities, local authorities, fishermen, vessel owners and coastal businesses and developers. Our ability to prosecute places us at an advantage over firms that only defend because we are able to look at cases in the round and fully understand the evidential issues and pressures facing prosecutors.  This experience is invaluable when we defend cases prosecuted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the Marine Management Organisation, the Environment Agency and the Health & Safety Executive.

Our marine prosecutions experience 

• Successfully defending a range of clients including a coastal developer in relation to potential marine licensing prosecutions by the Marine Management Organisation.
• Prosecuting various offences including breach of special directions, general directions byelaws and other regulations for a number of statutory harbour authorities.
• Defending a company director accused by the Marine Management Organisation of fraud valued at £6 million relating to applications for grants from the European Fisheries Fund.
• Brought a successful prosecution against a trawler owner and skipper following a pollution incident at Sutton Harbour.
• Acting for various parties in relation to Inquests and / or HSE or MCA investigations following serious accidents or fatalities in the marine environment.