Rania Tadros

Practice Areas

Rania is the Dubai office managing partner and has been located in the Middle East region for approximately ten years. Rania also leads the maritime and international trade team for the Middle East region..

She is a renowned shipping and oil and gas lawyer with over two decades of experience servicing clients operating in these industries, with a special focus on resolving disputes and advising on commercial matters for companies.

Rania has developed a reputation for assisting clients on their most complex disputes and prides herself on her ability to identify key issues and seek an effective resolution for her clients’ matters.

Rania also has significant experience advising clients in relation to their non-contentious matters and frequently advises clients in relation to their commercial contracts and large-scale projects. Her experience in litigation coupled with her practical industry knowledge allows her to develop, create and review commercial contracts for her clients.

She is widely regarded as one of the leading lawyers in the Middle East, which is reflected through the various accolades she has received, including The Maritime Standard's 'Woman in Shipping Award' and an honourable mention for 'Law Firm Leader of the Year' at the LexisNexis Middle East Women in Law Awards 2022 and 2023. Furthermore, she is recognised as a leading shipping lawyer in many of the legal directories, including Legal 500, Chambers & Partners and Who's Who Legal.

Professional Memberships

Rania is President of Women in Shipping and Trade Association's (‘WISTA’) UAE branch - an organisation consisting of 56 branches globally whose mission is to attract and support women in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Middle East

United Kingdom

Work Highlights

Advised a UAE-based bunker supplier in litigation proceedings before the UAE Courts in obtaining the first Bankruptcy Order from the UAE Court under the Bankruptcy Act.

Acting for a shipowner and its P&I insurer in relation to various claims against them arising out of alleged contamination of gasoil cargo.

Advising Greek shipowners with long-term relationships with Qatari charterers on the status of various sanctions and potential issues arising in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia including applications in practice.

Acted for shipowners, via the instruction of a P&I Club, seeking to enforce an English Court Judgment against a company based in the UAE through the DIFC Courts as a conduit jurisdiction. This led to a landmark decision by the UAE Judicial Tribunal with respect to the jurisdiction of the DIFC vs Dubai Courts.

Acted for numerous shipowners, both directly and via P&I Clubs, including for ADNATCO and NGSCO (as they then were) defending claims against vessels by physical suppliers of bunkers following the collapse of OW Bunker Group.

Advised numerous shipowners on the application of force majeure provisions in charterparties and potential claims for off-hire following the onset of the Covid pandemic worldwide, as well as issues arising out of delay/failure to perform due to Covid issues.

Advising shipowners and their liability insurers following a pollution incident in the Middle East and worked with lawyers in that jurisdiction to establish the first limitation fund in the jurisdiction.

Acted for a UAE based shipyard with respect to a global enforcement proceedings arising out of significant unpaid debts.

Advised a major UAE shipyard regarding the transfer of vessels under arrest within the yard. Advised on liabilities and recovery action available.

Represented rig owner in a dispute with the shipyard and a vessel owner following a collision whilst the rig was under repair at a yard. The claim involved claims for physical damage as well as delay losses / The claim was pursued through the UAE Courts.

Represented a shipyard in its claim against a supplier of jacking systems to be utilised on jack up rigs under construction in the UAE.

Advised a UAE part government owned shipyard specialising in the build, repair, maintenance, refit, and conversion of naval and commercial ships, with respect to recovering numerous unpaid debts by their customers.

Represented Gearbulk before the English Courts in the leading authority of Stocznia Gdynia v Gearbulk Holdings (2009) EWCA Civ 75 on the issue of contractual vs common law termination of a series of shipbuilding contracts.

Acted for owners of a number of offshore support vessels which were not constructed in a timely manner leading to cancellation of the shipbuilding contracts and claims against the Refund Guarantor.

Represented owners of an offshore service vessel based in Qatar on their disputes with an Indian shipyard arising out of the termination of numerous construction contracts, to include oversight of the arbitration proceedings seated in Dubai (but under SCMA Rules) and mediation.

Advised a Qatar chemical and petrochemical marketing and distribution company on various issues arising out of charterparties and bills of lading, including provision of letters of indemnity in return for issuing clean bills of lading.

Defended a shipowner following a fire onboard the vessel and handling multiple claims across various jurisdictions by the cargo owners.

Defended a Middle Eastern-based user of commodities in GAFTA arbitration concerning a claim for non-payment where payment had in fact been made to the allegedly wrong account following a cyber security breach.

Acted for one of the leading physical commodity traders in the world in relation to their UAE business and in particular with respect to their warehousing arrangements in the UAE as well as numerous debt recovery actions.

Acted for a UAE-based charterer in a chain arbitration brought under the LMAA rules in relation to breakdown of a ballast water management system.

Instructed by the logistics arm of a national oil company to review and comment on various charterparties (in and out) often on an urgent basis.

Advised a marine support services business on a joint venture with KSA and Thai partners in respect of the acquisition and operation of a barge used in the installations of offshore and marine infrastructures for oil and gas production. The joint venture was to undertake contracts for a governmental petroleum company in KSA and other major oil projects in the region and in Thailand.

Reviewed standard terms and conditions for a leading provider of bunker fuels operating in the GCC and globally.

Developing bespoke form based on Supplytime to be used by Offshore support vessel Owners for vessels operating in Saudi waters.

Reviewing charterparties for shipowners and charterers on various BIMCO and bespoke forms.

Supported Smit Lamnalco in their negotiations with the Jordanian authorities to provide all Port support services at the Port of Aqaba. This involved attending meetings in Jordan and negotiating scope of services as well as legal terms with the relevant teams.

Supported a Dubai government entity in its negotiations for the Charter 10 year of a FSRU to be used in the UAE. The support extended to drafting the Charter and ancillary services agreement for the FSRU and negotiating the same with the counterparty. Deal value over US$450million.

Awards