Clay Maitland

On a quest for quality in shipping

Analysts get all fired up again over governance allegations

By Joe Brady

Article originally appeared in TradeWinds on March 16, 2018

To read the article on TradeWind’s website, click here.

Aegean deal proves catalyst for revival of tough words at a Capital Link forum that usually treats owners gently

The scene on late Monday afternoon was like nothing in recent memory at a Capital Link finance forum.

A rambunctious panel of equity analysts at New York’s Metropolitan Club could be described as trashing shipping’s corporate-governance record, including the industry’s history of related-party conflicts.

Seated just feet away, and appearing to grow increasingly rigid in his seat, was Capital Link president Nicolas Bornozis — both the organiser of the forum a leading defender of shipowners with related party structures, though he… Continue reading

Maitland Calls for More Action to Tackle Ongoing Safety Flaws

By Adam Corbett

Article originally appeared in TradeWinds on October 4, 2013

To read the article on TradeWind’s website, click here.

International Registries managing partner Clay Maitland hits out at the industry’s failure to solve long-standing safety issues and says more class mergers would be a good thing

Chinese yards have still not totally overcome their quality problems, according to one flag-state veteran who wants classification societies to step up to the plate to ensure that all ships are built to the required standard.

Clay Maitland, a managing partner at International Registries, the US company that supports the Marshall Islands Registry, and an outspoken independent campaigner for safer shipping, says problems, including fatigue cracking, engine issues and lifeboat-release mechanism failure, are still… Continue reading

US Cluster Tri-State Outlook: More Rivals and Higher Taxes

By Greg Miller

Article originally appeared in Fairplay, 15 March 2018-Vol 300-Issue 6927

Click here to read the article on Fairplay’s Website

“It’s a very exciting time to be in New York – for the law firms, the capital markets, and private equity – because it’s a very interesting market and it’s the only really liquid maritime [capital] market,” said Frank Dunne, a partner and the immediate past chairman of law firm Watson, Farley & Williams.

“I think 2018 will be a very exciting year for the listed companies,” he told Fairplay. “They have access to capital and access to debt – being listed in New York is the best place to be if you… Continue reading

New York: Where Maritime Arbitration Began

New York: Where Maritime Arbitration Began

By Clay Maitland

Article first appeared in NYMAR (New York Maritime Inc.) – New York is the Capital for Shipping

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&nbsp… Continue reading

Jack O’Connell at The Maritime Executive Interviews Clay Maitland

This interview appeared in The Maritime Executive – January/February 2018 Issue

What attracted you to the maritime business?

I went to college at Columbia University and then Law School at New York Law in Lower Manhattan. My stepfather, who had a lot of contacts in banking and the legal profession, suggested that I apply for a job at Burlingham Underwood and Lord. I did and, to my surprise, received an invitation to come down and interview with them.
As it turned out, I only got a few job offers and chose the one from Burlingham because it was an admiralty law firm. I had never studied admiralty law, and I admitted it to the partner who interviewed… Continue reading

Maritime TV’s ‘Mondays with Maitland’ – Working with Congress to Insure Seafarers’ Port Access Rights are Respected at U.S. port terminals


In this 37th interview in the series, Clay discusses the need to make sure seafarers’ port access rights are respected while they’re on ships calling on U.S. port terminals, especially as it relates to Section 811 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act legislation. He also discusses his involvement with the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) which is working to support this legislation… Continue reading

Maritime TV’s ‘Mondays with Maitland’ – Clay’s perspective on the lessons learned from the MOL Comfort sinking and subsequent lawsuit.


In this 36th interview in the series, Clay discusses the issues surrounding the June 2013 MOL Comfort sinking after it was announced last month that claims against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the loss of the ship are now amounting to over $500m, with more than 100 claimants joining the Tokyo court legal action headed by Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL). Clay points to certain classification societies and shipyards in assessing responsibility for disasters like these, but stresses the complexity involved in addressing the problem… Continue reading

Alaska ro-ro voyage demonstrates value of U.S. mariners, pollution controls

Last year, at a Coast Guard Foundation dinner in Seattle, Carleen Lyden-Kluss and I bid on and won a one-way trip aboard Midnight Sun, a ro-ro trailer ship operating between Tacoma, Wash., and Anchorage, Alaska. Our attention was attracted by the fact that Midnight Sun’s owner, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), a member of the Saltchuk group of companies, has a well-earned reputation for innovation combined with careful attention to efficiency and performance. Midnight Sun is one of two Orca class ships, purpose-built for the Alaska trade. Carleen and I have been active in advocating a need for growing attention to Alaska’s maritime future, including its growing maritime connections with the “Lower 48”and with the expanding economies of Asia. As co-founders of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA)… Continue reading

Maritime TV’s ‘Mondays with Maitland’ – A Call for a National Maritime Education Conference in 2015 in DC


In this 19th interview in the series, Clay Maitland discusses importance of fostering communication between maritime educational professionals in this country, from the maritime high schools and vocational schools though the union institutions and the maritime academies, to compare notes on curricula and interface with industry. He proposes a large-scale National Maritime Education Conference to be held in Washington D.C. in the September-October 2015 timeframe… Continue reading

Maritime TV’s ‘Mondays with Maitland’ – New U.S. Sealift Capacity, Resources and Training Needs


In this twelfth interview in the series, as the 2nd National Maritime Strategy Symposium is about to take place in Washington D.C. on May 6, Maitland predicts the need for additional sealift capacity and trained mariners because of the increasing number of regional crisis points in the world, including the Black Sea, Persian Gulf and Asia… Continue reading

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