Shipping

Alessandro joined Fichte & Co in 2006 and is presently a partner at the firm. He specialises in ship finance, ship sale & purchase, construction and conversion.  He regularly acts for owners, yards and banks in contentious and non-contentious matters relating to ship building, ship finance, and ship sale and purchase contracts. His interest also lies in ports development and operation, where he has advised port authorities and operators regarding the development and restructuring of their operations, and service providers in the UAE and in the West Coast of Africa in the negotiations of their service contracts. Alessandro has previously drafted legislations, most notably when assisting an international company in its dealing with the government of a Central African Republic (landlocked country) regarding the setting up of a shipping registry.

Although better known for establishing a ship finance practice in the Middle East, Alessandro’s broad knowledge encompasses many areas of the firm’s contentious work, with a particular emphasis on charter party and cargo disputes in which he advises a number of the firm’s shipping clients and P&I Clubs.  Consequently, Alessandro regularly deals with foreign counsel and drafts counter expert reports for the UAE Courts.

Before joining Fichte & Co Alessandro practiced in Italy with a top-tier insurance law firm, during which time he also assisted the Chair of Maritime Law at the University of Bologna. He then moved to the UK to read postgraduate maritime law at the University of Southampton and gained international work experience in London. Alessandro is the chairman of the Emirates Maritime Law Association and has been consistently named in the Legal 500 EMEA (Shipping) since 2011 (a professional lawyer who “gives sound, relevant advice on the matter at hand”, with clients “particularly pleased with his expertise and knowledge in the maritime field”). He is also included in the list of Who’s Who Legal (Transport) and was recognized in 2015 as Shipping & Maritime Lawyer of the Year (UAE) by Finance Monthly.

Areas of Expertise:

Ship Finance Ship Building & Ship Repair Ship Sale & Purchase Ports & Terminals Development and Operation International Trade and Commodity Finance

Partner

LLB, LLM (Southampton)