Michael Tucker is an Executive and Head of the Shipping, Ports and Logistics practice. He specialises in a broad range of shipping and admiralty law matters, with a particular focus on liability and defence disputes and marine insurance.

He has acted on instructions of the International Group Professional and Indemnity clubs, marine insurers, various owners and operators, and solicitors and lawyers in the United Kingdom, Greece, Scandinavia, United States, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Australia. Michael has also acted for a number of prominent local fishing groups and local and international offshore supply service providers, salvors, ship builders and repairers, and port services and logistics providers. He has also represented various owners’ interests at every marine court of enquiry that has been convened by the South African authorities in recent years.

Michael’s experience includes arrest and attachment, casualty investigation, access and evidence-preservation orders and disputes, collision, pollution, cargo and other protection and indemnity disputes, wreck, salvage and towage matters, charter party disputes and claims for hire and demurrage. He also has experience in ship finance and sale and purchase matters, and related transactional work. He has been instructed in petroleum product disputes and in relation to the casualties that have occurred off the South African coastline in recent years, including groundings, collisions, sinkings, and the salvage of a number of distressed vessels and their entry into South African ports of refuge. As such he has a sound knowledge of and a close working relationship with all role players in local casualty response and investigation, including the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, South African Maritime Safety Authority and National Ports Authority.

Education

• LLB (University of Cape Town)
• LLM (University of Cape Town)
• Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa