Jones Walker LLP

Maritime

Partner

Wayne Zeringue, a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Industry Team, represents marine and energy clients in a broad range of litigation and transactions.

Wayne has more than 30 years of experience in admiralty and maritime, oil and gas, construction, products liability, and environmental litigation. He represents oil companies, exploration and production companies, builders, owners, barge lines, towing companies, marine fabricators, shipyards, construction companies, product manufacturers, blue-water shipping interests, offshore service companies, and underwriters and insurers. Wayne handles a wide variety of admiralty and maritime litigation, including vessel collisions and allisions, contract and charter party disputes, and property and economic damage cases involving construction and repair of fixed offshore platforms, marine terminals, docks, ships, towboats, barges, and offshore service vessels. He litigates all types of personal injury matters relating to operations on vessels, offshore platforms, and marine facilities, including Jones Act claims, asbestos, silicosis, and toxic tort matters.

His practice includes drafting, negotiating, and interpreting vessel construction contracts, charter parties, master service agreements, work orders, indemnity agreements, and labor agreements, as well as interpretation and construction of insurance policies, including general liability, builder’s risk, hull and machinery, protection and indemnity, charterer's liability, and maritime employer's liability coverages.

In his construction practice, Wayne has represented builders and owners in trials involving change orders, liens, plans, specifications and scope of work, design issues, unpaid retainage, cost overruns, delays, liquidated damages, surety bonds, constructive total loss, and maritime arrest.