In our sixty year association with the shipping industry, Moore Stephens has accumulated an unparalleled depth of knowledge and unrivalled experience. We are, therefore, in a unique position to provide a comprehensive and confidential range of business development services and traditional support services to the industry.
Our development internationally arose from our work in the shipping industry, which began in London in the 1930s when we began to act for Greek ship agents, which were establishing themselves in the City at that time. From those early days of our involvement in the industry, we provided all the services necessary for our clients to operate effectively in the London market. After the War, our services to our shipping clients needed to be supported by our development overseas to meet their specific requirements. This led over a period of time to a range of Moore Stephens' offices being established overseas, each specifically for our shipping clients. In due course, these offices diversified to offer services to a wide range of industries, but we have always retained a substantial client base in the shipping industry and regard this is as the major strength of the firm.
Our depth of knowledge is demonstrated by the fact that we currently provide accounting and/or audit services for over 2,000 single vessel-owning companies through member firms of Moore Stephens International Limited in London, Monaco and Greece. Of these, over 400 are dealt with in London.
Apart from routine shipping audit, accounting and taxation work, we have expertise in:
- corporate governance, risk management and internal audit
- company valuations, investigations, and feasibility studies
- information systems for shipping companies
- shipping corporate structures, organisation and management
- shipping finance
- employee share-ownership
- shipping litigation and arbitration, including salvage
- joint ventures and trading partnerships.
We provide audit and accounting services to the Greek Shipping Industry, and, more recently, have acted for many of the shipping related companies of the former Soviet Union.
We assist major shipowners to finance or refinance their fleets, whether secondhand single ship purchases or major newbuilding multi-ship projects, most recently by helping a major client to refinance a newbuilding programme of over US$400 million. We have assisted in the issue to the public of the shares in shipping companies and with the issue of high interest bonds for our clients.