Mark Seward

Mark Seward is a partner at MFB and one of the firm's leading shipping and international trade lawyers.

Having graduated in Law from University College London and initially qualified as a barrister, Mark has spent more than 30 years advising shipowners, charterers, traders, insurers, P&I Clubs and other maritime interests in relation to complex shipping and commercial disputes. He joined MFB as a partner in 2007.

Mark's practice encompasses all aspects of dry shipping, with particular expertise in disputes arising under charterparties, bills of lading, contracts of carriage and international sale contracts. He is regularly instructed in matters involving laytime and demurrage, off-hire, withdrawal, cargo claims, unsafe ports, sanctions, marine insurance coverage, general average, salvage and casualty-related disputes.

A significant part of Mark's practice involves handling high-value international arbitrations under LMAA and LCIA rules, together with litigation before the English High Court and Commercial Court. He has extensive experience managing multi-jurisdictional disputes involving complex contractual chains, frequently advising on matters where commercial, insurance and operational considerations intersect.

Mark is particularly well known for his work in the Black Sea, Eastern European and CIS markets, where he advises owners, operators, traders and insurers on charterparty performance, war risks, sanctions, casualty response and recovery strategies. He is often retained on urgent matters involving vessel casualties, cargo contamination, marine casualties, political risk events and time-sensitive commercial disputes.

Clients value Mark's combination of technical legal expertise and commercial judgement. He is known for providing practical, strategic advice at an early stage of disputes and for identifying commercially effective solutions without losing sight of the client's broader objectives.

Mark is recognised as a leading shipping lawyer by both Chambers UK and Legal 500.

Recent Areas of Work

• Commercial Court and arbitration proceedings arising from charterparty and bill of lading disputes.

• War risks, sanctions and geopolitical shipping disputes.

• Casualty response, general average and marine insurance matters.

• Cargo contamination, shortage and damage claims.

• Complex off-hire, withdrawal and performance disputes under time charters.

• Multi-jurisdictional enforcement and recovery actions.

• LCIA and LMAA arbitrations involving high-value international trade disputes.