Attorneys for Inland Shipping and Maritime Labor Law
Germany’s waterways play an ever increasingly important role in the shipping sector’s impact on domestic and international trade. As the world’s top center for logistics, nearly one third of all German trade comes through its seaports. Naturally, this highly developed aquatic trade system is regulated by Maritime and Inland Shipping Law.
What is covered under Maritime Law?
Maritime Law, also known as Admiralty Law, covers a range of specifications as vast as the ocean. Specifically with Shipping Law, this is an area within Maritime Law that deals with ships and the people employed in and around them. With our portside Berlin office location on the Marina Lanke port, we are readily accessible to seafarers and their litigation needs. As experts in Employment Law, International Business Law, and International Arbitration, the attorneys of ZELLER & SEYFERT hold the years of experience and detailed know-how to provide “smooth sailing” legal counsel for nautical corporate clients and the professional crewpersons that work aboard the ship.
Here is a selection of various issues involving Seehandelsrecht that we can help you and your company with:
- Compliance of international firms in regards to Maritime Law in Germany
- Bilingual Employment contract drafting for employers hiring workers
- Bilingual Employment contract review for crewpersons
- Compensation claims for unemployment due to the foundering (sinking) or loss of a ship
- Issuance of a maritime labor certificate
- Negotiating vessel insurance
- Injury claims of crewpersons while at sea/otherwise on duty
- Rights to food and accommodation
- Compliance of safety and hazard protection regulations at work
- Wage payment claims in case of illness
- Special protections for young crew members (under 18 years old)
- Complaints regarding ships flying a foreign flag
..and much, much more!
In our law firm, we specialize in legal advice and litigation within the following Maritime Law sections.
Crews
Maritime crew employees or employers of crewpersons can seek legal help regarding employment contracts, terminations, and other issues involving labor regulation on the high seas and inland waterways. In Germany, the Maritime Labor Act (Seearbeitsgesetz, SeeArbG) provides guidance on the crew employment. Read more about various legal issues seafarers may face in the Crews page.
Collisions
We will help your company fight liability and damage cases in the unfortunate event of boating and ship collisions. Our attorneys can help you negotiate a settlement out of court or, if necessary, litigate on your behalf at the responsible legal body. Read more about our services in the Collisions page.
Shipping Law: sea transport vs river transport
Germany bears its own unique topography, in which, besides a small coastline touching the North Sea and Baltic Sea, it is mostly landlocked. Contrarily, rivers played an important role in the country’s economic rise, in which the foundation of one of the world’s most developed inland navigation systems took place. Throughout Germany, you will find that virtually all of the country’s economic hubs are situated by rivers (including our Frankfurt HQ by the Main river and Berlin branch by the Havel). These waterways provide avenues for recreation, hydroelectric generation, and of course, essential trade routes. Thus, legislation for inland water transport (Binnenschifffahrt) is just as prominent as maritime transport (Seefahrt) in Germany, with each carrying their unique differences. For example, while the Maritime Labor Act regulates the working conditions of seafarers aboard vessels flying the German flag, it only applies to employees on inland vessels that do not leave zones 1 and 2 according with Annex I of the Binnenschiffsuntersuchungsordnung (BinSchUO), or Inland Waterway Vessel Inspection Code.
If your company is seeking legal advice regarding Shipping Labor Law, feel free to contact us via the details below.