Jeremy Prain is a partner in our Cape Town office in the Shipping and Logistics practice.

He specialises in shipping and transport law and has expertise in admiralty dispute resolution, emergency response, shipping finance, ship sale and purchase, carriage of goods, marine insurance, road and rail transportation, and commodities and regulatory law.

Jeremy is described in the Legal 500 as “providing top-notch service”.

He has BA and LLB degrees from Stellenbosch University and an LLM from the University of Cape Town. He is dual qualified as a lawyer in South Africa and England and Wales and is a member of the Maritime Law Association.

Signature Matters

• Fire on board a container vessel
• Mortgage foreclosures and judicial sales in Namibia
• Main engine breakdown at Cape Town
• Towage incident off Cape Town
• Bill of lading advice
• Collision between the “Sunrise Jade” and the “Lezandi”
• Fire on board the “Maersk Londrina”
• Fire on board the “Tai Shan”

Awards

• Chambers and Partners, 2020 & 2019 recognised Jeremy in Band 3 for Shipping and an Up and Coming lawyer in 2018 & 2017 for the same category.
• Recognised by Best Lawyers 2017 for Maritime Law.
• Jeremy is listed in the Legal 500 (a guide to the world’s leading law firms), which describes him as an “outstanding practitioner”. He is also a contributor to the South African chapter of The Shipping Law Review published by Law Business Research.

‘Cape Town-based Jeremy Prain continues to foster an impressive reputation for his shipping practice, acting on mandates relating to collisions and towage charters, marine insurance, shipping finance and various disputes. Interviewees comment that he is “smart, intelligent and easy to deal with.”– Chambers and Partners 2020

Jeremy Prain is noted for his growing presence in the South African market, with sources regarding him as “a very good lawyer and a clever guy.” He is well placed to assist clients with collisions, emergency response and marine insurance, regularly acting for owners and underwriters. He also possesses notable experience in ship finance.– Chambers and Partners 2019

Jeremy Prain continues to make a name for himself in the South African market. Dual-qualified in South Africa and England and Wales, he is building a strong practice in ship finance, admiralty disputes and collisions work. He recently represented a boat builder in a USD14 million dispute over the construction and sale of two patrol vessels to a Nigerian buyer. Clients say: “He’s the next generation of leading admiralty practitioners. He’s my go-to for difficult shipping problems in South Africa.” – Chambers and Partners 2018

The “user-friendly” Jeremy Prain is qualified to practise in England and Wales as well as South Africa. He acts alongside department head Craig Cunningham at the firm’s Cape Town office, and is building a considerable reputation for ship arrests and collisions work. He recently led a case on behalf of the owners of a vessel and their P&I and hull and machinery insurers, in the aftermath of a collision off Cape Point which resulted in loss of the vessel. Market sources praise his pragmatic approach, saying: “He is impressive and has great skills. He gets things done.” – Chambers and Partners 2017

“Jeremy Prain, who is ‘knowledgeable’, ‘embedded in the maritime industry’ and is ‘comfortable with working in cross-border matters’” – Legal 500

• South Africa: Unintended consequence of ship leasing
• Claims against bareboat charterers and effects of insolvency
• South Africa: Government proposes a national carrier
• South Africa: Supreme Court revisits cargo theft and liability
• South Africa: Interim application process and requirements published for STS and bunkering operations outside of a port
• South Africa: MSC Susanna – Naval vessels and right to limit liability
• South Africa: Introducing The Bowmans Shipping Podcast
• South Africa: Enforcing awards against associated ships: Court clarifies position on charterparty claims
• Collisions in the Suez Canal: revisiting genuine and reasonable need for security
• Cargo theft and liability: Fujitsu v Schenker
• Court’s discretion trumps International Arbitration Act in admiralty case
• Hanjin fallout: Supreme Court of Appeal rules on protective writs in South Africa
• Court Clarifies impact of ‘business rescue’ regime on admiralty matters
• SA Constitution comes to the fore in North African cargo dispute
• Court recognises territory of Western Sahara’s prima facie right in cargo dispute
• Pre-action security: advantages of South Africa in an uncertain market
• High Court upholds arbitration agreement in cargo handling services agreement
• Supreme Court of Appeal considers Merchant Shipping Act warranty
• Viking Fishing v Mutual and Federal, Round Two: Supreme Court of Appeal considers the Merchant Shipping Act Warranty
• Parent company guarantee held to be maritime claim
• Judgment and arbitration award enforcement: the admiralty law perspective
• High Court clarifies effect of arrest in rem pending appeal
• Market woes continue as ships go under the hammer
• Shark diving operators: test for negligence and limitation of liability
• Bareboat charter claims and judicial ship sales
• Marine insurance: High Court revisits breach of warranty
• Reefer owners beware
• Performance Guarantees in Shipbuilding Agreements
• How effective are protective writs?
• Marine insurance: High Court revisits insurable interest
• Arresting a bareboat charterer’s rights in South Africa
• Cross-border insolvency and ship arrests
• Admiralty procedure: more than just ‘associated ship’ arrests
• MV Alina II: Judge declares charterparty a fraud
• Protecting The Necessaries