Partner
At Webber Wentzel, the shipping team is jointly led by Gavin Fitzmaurice, Patrick Holloway and Andre Bowley, with Scott Edmundson and Neerasha Singh leading on aviation. On the shipping side, the group assists a client base including port owners and operators, shipowners, insurers and charterers with maritime casualties, commercial shipping transactions, international trade matters and enforcement of maritime claims, to name a few areas of expertise. On the aviation side, aviation finance and the import and export of aircraft are prominent in the group’s workload. Andre October handles contentious maritime and aviation mandates, and Sheena Dias is sought after for her expertise in marine insurance and port-related work. Sharmila Naidoo left the firm in July 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘One of the leading shipping and trade practices in South Africa. Years of experience and knowledge. Very dependable and professional.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice, Andre Bowley and Patrick Holloway are the leading individuals on the shipping side.’
‘They are very helpful, commercially minded and outcome focused. They are very focused on achieving the aims of the clients within the confines of South African law and the South African judicial system.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice is a pioneer and leading in his field.’
‘A strong responsive team with depth and breadth of knowledge in the shipping sector.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice is responsive, analytical and articulate in his approach.’
‘The shipping and transport team that I have worked with are extremely knowledgeable, very efficient and personable, making them a pleasure to work with.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice and Andre Bowley are both exceptional lawyers and their differing personalities and strengths appear to complement each other, producing clear advice and professional handling of matters.’
‘Andre Bowley is a deep thinker. Always great to work with. He is normally one step ahead of his opponent!’
‘Andre Bowley is great with strategy.’
‘Very prompt and efficient service. Understanding of the legal requirements of different jurisdictions. Friendly, knowledgeable.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice is a quality performer. Always available and effective at mobilising the team. Capable of operating at short notice and under pressure. Andre October and Andre Bowley are also noted and utterly reliable. Hard working, results orientated.’
‘The Webber Wentzel team has the resources and capacity to take on large and small matters and run them efficiently.’
‘Gavin Fitzmaurice's attention to detail along with the support of an excellent team make Webber Wentzel one of the primary maritime legal teams within South Africa.’
Key clients
- Karpowership South Africa
- Maryam D BV, registered owners of the ‘Maryam D’
- Durban Coal Terminal Company (Pty) Ltd, trading as Bulk Connections
- Pequod Associates Limited
- The Hollard Insurance Company
- Arkas Petrol Urunleri Ve Ticaret AS; Bryval t/a Zeba Marine; Bunkernet Limited; KPI Bridge Oil Limited; Monjasa DMCC
- Altera Infrastructure and Varg LLC
- UK P&I Club trading as Thomas Miller
- Nedbank Limited & FirstRand Bank Limited
- ARIA (African Rail Industry Association)
- Traxtion Sheltam Proprietary Limited
Work highlights
- Acting for a ports authority in a longrunning case concerning claims arising out of the grounding and total loss of the bulk carrier mv "Smart", which ran aground in 2013.
- Assisting rail company Traxtion with negotiations for the Commercial Agreement and the Rail Access Agreement, involving the regulation of slot sale arrangements between Traxtion and Transnet.
- Advised Nedbank and Rand Merchant Bank on the business rescue of Comair.
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Managing Partner - Cape Town
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Gavin Fitzmaurice, Patrick Holloway, Andre Bowley, Neerasha Singh, Scott Edmundson