Marine Support — Maritime Operations & Dispute Support

MARINE SUPPORT

From the quay
to the claim file.

Maritime operations experience. Factual record reconstruction. Maritime-law research.

Discuss an AssignmentHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam · International scope
01Principal-Side Cargo Representation 02Operational Record Reconstruction 03Maritime Law Research & Documentary Support

Commercial services

Clarity at the operation.
Clarity in the record.

For cargo owners, commodity traders, shipping operators, charterers, claims teams, insurers and maritime law firms.

01 / Operational attendance

Principal-Side Cargo Representation

Independent loading, discharge and ship-to-ship attendance for cargo interests, traders, charterers and shipping operators. Direct factual reporting to the appointing principal includes unfavourable findings. Complements agents and surveyors without replacing their professional functions.

Deliverables

  • Contemporaneous observations and records of instructions received or communicated during cargo operations
  • Tally, quantity discrepancies, timing and boarding attendance
  • Statements of Facts tracking and cross-checks, with daily operational reports.

02 / Documentary analysis

Operational Record Reconstruction

Remote analysis of vessel, terminal, cargo, agency and correspondence records for commercial principals, claims teams, insurers and law firms.

Deliverables

  • A reconstructed chronology and comparison of conflicting accounts
  • Evidential gaps and findings that remain unproven
  • Factual analysis of laytime, demurrage, quantity, timing and operational disputes

03 / Research & documentation

Maritime Law Research & Documentary Support

Separately scoped research and documentary support for maritime law firms, claims teams, insurers and commercial principals.

Deliverables

  • Vietnamese maritime law and international maritime conventions research
  • Arbitration support through legal research and documentary analysis
  • Examination of Vietnamese-language maritime records

Professional scope: Factual operational reporting and reconstruction; maritime-law research and documentation. No legal opinions, regulated legal representation, insurance claims settlement, general average adjustment or recovery guarantees.

Provider assessment

Local Provider
Due Diligence

Independent reviews of port agents and maritime service providers against a principal’s defined operational requirements.

Deliverables

  • Evidence-based review of service records, reporting performance and operational arrangements
  • Authorised on-site observations, where agreed
  • Findings against the agreed requirements, with gaps and limitations identified

Operational due diligence; not financial auditing, statutory certification or regulated inspection.

Specialist engagements

Specialist
Technical Work

Assignment-specific technical work for cargo interests, operators, charterers, insurers and claims teams, with agreed inspection or attendance deliverables.

Assignment capabilities

  • Port captaincy
  • Marine surveying and cargo inspection
  • Draft surveys
  • Assessment of cargo and vessel damage arising from operations

Each engagement requires acceptance by the responsible technical specialist and compliance with applicable requirements. The mandate and report identify the attending professional, evidence reviewed and responsibility for technical findings.

Our people

Experience with defined responsibilities.

Tran Anh Tho

Maritime Law Research & Documentary Support

Tran Anh Tho brings 10 years of professional legal experience, including work at ZICO Law Vietnam and Lexcomm Vietnam LLC in Ho Chi Minh City.

At ZICO Law, she worked on investment, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and commercial transactions. At Lexcomm Vietnam, her work included litigation and arbitration, oil and gas projects, offshore energy and commercial transactions.

Her maritime experience includes international carriage of goods by sea, international sale of goods, contract reviews, ship sale-and-purchase disputes and admiralty-related court proceedings. She has collaborated with international lawyers and arbitrators. She holds an MSc in Maritime Law and Policy from World Maritime University and is an Associate Member of CIArb.

Hugo Federico Hernandez Varela

Maritime Operations Lead

Hugo Federico Hernandez Varela brings over 25 years of experience in ship agency, vessel and port operations, and cargo-handling coordination.

As a ship agent and port operations manager, his career includes port-call nominations, ship agency management, customs and immigration formalities and operational coordination in Argentina and Uruguay, serving international shipping clients. Further assignments involving Brazil, Chile, Panama, Ecuador and the Caribbean were handled through Marine Support, and he has coordinated port-call nominations for Spanish ports.

A former Loading Master, he has participated in over 500 ship-to-ship operations throughout his career, in roles including Loading Master, cargo-handling, boarding-agent and port-agency functions.

Capt. Abel Horacio Gutierrez

Master Mariner | Marine Surveyor & Port Captaincy

Capt. Abel Horacio Gutierrez brings 40 years of experience in the maritime industry. He is a Master Mariner with Argentine and Panamanian credentials and has served aboard bulk carriers and tankers.

He currently undertakes Loading Master and port captaincy assignments in Central and South American ports, including the Río de la Plata and Paraná River. His ship-to-ship experience includes the Gulf of Mexico, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Brazilian ports.

His specialist work includes marine surveying and cargo inspection, draft surveys and assessment of cargo and vessel damage arising from operations.

Professional credentials are stated by each specialist and are not independently verified by Marine Support. Current validity is confirmed for each engagement.

How we work

A defined mandate.
A usable deliverable.

  1. Define the assignment

    Agree the appointing principal, purpose, location, timing, available records and questions to be addressed. Identify conflicts before acceptance.

  2. Agree scope and responsibility

    Confirm deliverables and conditions in writing. Distinguish operational attendance, technical specialist work and legal research, with a responsible professional for each agreed function.

  3. Attend, reconstruct and report

    One responsible contact follows the assignment through to the final report. Observations, source records, limitations and unproven findings are identified. We do not act for opposing interests on the same operation.

International scope

Vietnam base.
International assignments.

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Marine Support serves an international commercial market. On-site assignments can be undertaken internationally, subject to the agreed scope, availability and applicable requirements.

Remote documentary services are not geographically restricted. Vietnam is an important operating base and market, alongside our international work.

Contact

Discuss an Assignment

Email a brief outline of the assignment, the location or records involved, and your timeframe. We will confirm the scope and availability in writing.

Send an Enquiry

General enquiries: info@marinesupportops.com