Blank Rome Attorneys and Practices Highly Ranked in The Legal 500 United States 2021

June 2021

The Legal 500 2021

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that our practice groups and attorneys have been highly ranked and recommended in The Legal 500 United States 2021. Researchers at The Legal 500 conduct annual, in-depth market research and gather information from individual law firms as well as feedback from peers and clients to form an objective analysis and prepare comprehensive rankings and editorial of the U.S. legal market.

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Chambers USA 2021 Honors Blank Rome Maritime Attorneys and Practices

BAND ONE: Shipping Litigation (New York) – Nationwide

What the team is known for: “Esteemed practice with significant experience handling high-profile maritime litigation for national and international clients, including P&I clubs, shipping companies and owners. Highly regarded for crisis response and offering additional expertise in alternative dispute resolution. Maintains an excellent reputation for advising maritime industry entities in federal investigations arising from intentional misconduct allegations and casualty events, as well as in a host of cybersecurity issues. Recently active on a range of fuel contamination, cargo loss, salvage and collision cases.”

Strengths: “An impressed client reports: ‘Blank Rome really caters to its clients’ needs, and each of the partners are very savvy and really provide great and succinct advice.’ Sources praise the ‘great team with good associates,’ and highlight their ‘wealth of knowledge.’ Interviewees say: ‘The team really is a leader in the space and really on top of the matters.’”

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Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Team (“SWERT”)

SWERT is an interdisciplinary group of Blank Rome attorneys and government relations professionals with decades of experience helping companies and individuals recover from severe weather events, including recent hurricanes, wildfires, and mudslides across the United States. We are ready to assist those in the path of storms and other severe weather events. 

Learn more at blankrome.com/SWERT.

Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) Task Force

From supply chain disruption, government-ordered closures, and event cancellations to employee safety concerns, vaccine requirements, and social distancing recommendations, every company is facing its own unique challenges surrounding this ongoing global pandemic. Blank Rome’s Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) Task Force is monitoring this ever-changing situation and is here to help. 

Blank Rome’s Maritime Industry Team

Our maritime industry team is composed of practice-focused subcommittees from across many of our firm’s offices, with attorneys who have extensive capabilities and experience in the maritime industry and beyond, effectively complementing Blank Rome Maritime’s client cases and transactions. 

Download our Maritime Industry Team flyer for a detailed listing.

Mainbrace Live: U.S. Maritime Regulatory Update

Blank Rome’s internationally recognized Maritime & International Trade practice group presents a new series of informative webinars covering hot topics in the shipping industry and key insights into 2021 and beyond. Sessions will cover:

    • Sanctions and international trade
    • Offshore wind developments
    • Shipping litigation
    • Maritime regulation
    • Ship finance
    • And more!

For the fourth webinar in our Mainbrace Live series, Blank Rome LLP attorneys Jeanne M. Grasso, Dana S. Merkel, and Stefanos N. Roulakis presented “U.S. Maritime Regulatory Update” on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.

Jeanne, Dana, and Stefanos discussed:

    • The conundrum in ballast water management: VIDA, VGP, and the IMO
    • Ongoing industry challenges as COVID-19 continues
    • Emerging greenhouse gas regulation and shipping

MODERATOR

    • Jeanne M. Grasso, Partner and Co-Chair, Maritime & International Trade Practice Group

PRESENTERS

    • Dana S. Merkel, Associate, Maritime Practice Group
    • Stefanos N. Roulakis, Associate, Maritime Practice Group

To watch a recording of this webinar, please go to the webinar on-demand registration page here.

Chambers USA 2021 Honors Blank Rome Maritime Attorneys and Practices

Band One | Shipping Litigation (New York) — Nationwide

What the team is known for: “Esteemed practice with significant experience handling high-profile maritime litigation for national and international clients, including P&I clubs, shipping companies and owners. Highly regarded for crisis response and offering additional expertise in alternative dispute resolution. Maintains an excellent reputation for advising maritime industry entities in federal investigations arising from intentional misconduct allegations and casualty events, as well as in a host of cybersecurity issues. Recently active on a range of fuel contamination, cargo loss, salvage and collision cases.”

Strengths: “An impressed client reports: ‘Blank Rome really caters to its clients’ needs, and each of the partners are very savvy and really provide great and succinct advice.’” “Sources praise the ‘great team with good associates,’ and highlight their ‘wealth of knowledge.’” “Interviewees say: ‘The team really is a leader in the space and really on top of the matters.’”

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Note from the Editor

Thomas H. Belknap, Jr., Editor

When Mainbrace started some 30 years ago, it was a traditional print newsletter that went out by mail. Over the years, the publication has seen many updates in form and format, mirroring the industry-wide evolution from print to digital. This spring, Mainbrace took the next step in its evolution with the launch of our Mainbrace Live virtual webinar series. In April, we hosted two webinars, the first on preparing for the Biden administration’s maritime and foreign policy and the second on providing an update on the offshore wind industry. If you missed these presentations, you can still view them using the links in our Mainbrace Live section below. I also encourage you to register for our upcoming sessions, U.S. Maritime Litigation Trends (May 18) and U.S. Maritime Regulatory Update (June 22). If you miss them, don’t worry—recordings will be posted for later viewing. And keep an eye out for more Mainbrace Live sessions in due course.

As you will see from this latest newsletter issue, we aren’t abandoning or replacing the traditional print version of Mainbrace—we view Mainbrace Live as an addition to our communications toolbox. We are grateful for these opportunities to communicate with our clients and colleagues in the industry, and we hope that you enjoy this latest issue which, we think, dovetails nicely with the subjects covered in our new webinar series. As always, we welcome suggestions for new topics for Mainbrace, and now for Mainbrace Live as well.

MAINBRACE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES

UPCOMING WEBINAR:

U.S. MARITIME REGULATORY UPDATE
June 22, 2021
6:00–7:00 a.m. PDT / 9:00–10:00 a.m. EDT / 1:00–2:00 p.m. GMT

Join Blank Rome maritime attorneys as they discuss the latest U.S. maritime regulatory updates, including:

  • The 8-year conundrum in ballast water management: VIDA, VGP, and IMO
  • Ongoing industry challenges as COVID-19 continues
  • Emerging greenhouse gas regulations and shipping

REGISTER HERE »

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

PREPARE FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S MARITIME & FOREIGN POLICY

Blank Rome LLP and Blank Rome Government Relations LLC maritime attorneys and professionals discussed the outlook for maritime policymaking under the new Biden administration and Congress, as well as its impacts on the global shipping industry, including international trade sanctions, foreign policy, and enforcement trends. VIEW WEBINAR »

U.S. OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY UPDATE

Blank Rome maritime attorneys discussed U.S. offshore wind development projects and infrastructure, the Biden administration’s commitments to expand renewable energy, the Jones Act’s impacts on existing and planned offshore wind installation and servicing projects, and pitfalls and opportunities for contractors and service providers looking to enter the industry. VIEW WEBINAR »

U.S. MARITIME LITIGATION TRENDS
Blank Rome maritime attorneys discussed the latest U.S. maritime litigation trends, including the purpose of and criteria for section 1782; judgment enforcement; timeline of a federal case; and spill investigations. VIEW WEBINAR »

Considerations on the Use of Offshore Wind Vessels for U.S. Operations

Jonathan K. Waldron and Dana S. Merkel

As the offshore wind industry is growing in the United States, there is an influx of vessels that are considering operating on the U.S. outer continental shelf (“OCS”), both foreign- and U.S.-flag Jones Act-qualified vessels. An important consideration in planning for operations on the U.S. OCS is how the vessel must be crewed for such operations, which is often overlooked or misunderstood. 

Foreign-Flag Vessels

The U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (“OCSLA”) generally requires all vessels that are engaged in “OCS activities” to crew the vessels with U.S. citizens. The U.S. Coast Guard defines “OCS Activity” as “any offshore activity associated with exploration for, or development or production of, the minerals of the Outer Continental Shelf.” There is an exception to this rule that allows foreign-flag vessels that are over 50-percent foreign owned or controlled by foreign citizens to engage in U.S. OCS activities using foreign-citizen crewmembers. To use this exception, a formal application to the U.S. Coast Guard is required, which if validated by the U.S. Coast Guard, results in the issuance of a letter of non-applicability stating that the U.S. manning requirements do not apply to the vessel.

With respect to offshore wind farm work, the U.S. Coast Guard has taken the position that such work is not an OCS activity subject to this OCSLA requirement and the U.S. crew requirement does not apply. However, OCSLA was amended on January 1, 2021, to expressly clarify that U.S. laws, including the Jones Act, apply to offshore wind farm work in the same manner as they do to oil and gas work. The U.S. Coast Guard is now reviewing this change and, ultimately, we expect the Coast Guard to change its position on OCS activities and begin applying the U.S. citizen crew requirements to vessels engaged in offshore wind farm work. 

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