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Ann Fenech

Partner
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Marine Litigation Yachting Energy Law

Ann Fenech

Partner
Ann is a Partner at Fenech & Fenech Advocates. She heads the Marine Litigation Department and her main area of practice is all aspects of marine litigation.

Ann qualified in 1986 and immediately joined Holman Fenwick and Willan in London. In 1991 she moved from there to Chaffe, McCall, Phillips Toler and Sarpy in New Orleans, and in 1992 joined Fenech & Fenech Advocates setting up the Marine Litigation Department. She was appointed Managing Partner of the firm in June 2008, a position she held until December 2020.

She has extensive experience in disputes ranging from ship building contracts to immediate casualty response acting for the most important international maritime operators and has dealt exclusively with maritime issues for the past 38 years. She has been involved in the majority of serious casualties involving Maltese registered vessels worldwide and those occurring in Maltese territorial waters. She has extensive experience in judicial sales having conducted several judicial sales by auctions and court approved private sales. She has a wealth of experience in marine related transactional work including having acted for the Malta Privatisation Unit on the privatisation processes related to the then Malta Drydocks. Ann is also the legal correspondent for the West of England, the American Club and Steamship Mutual.

Ann was elected President of the CMI in Antwerp in 2022 after having occupied the post of Vice President since 2018. She is co-Chair of the CMI international working group on the Ratification of the Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships and was the CMI Co-Ordinator of the project at UNCITRAL leading to the approval by the Commission of the Draft Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships in June 2022 and its adoption by the General Assembly in December 2022. She was heavily involved in the organisation of the 2nd signing ceremony of the Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales held in Malta in June 2024.

Ann has been involved in drafting a number of shipping laws including amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act, The Pilotage Regulations and the articles on actions in rem in the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure. She lectures extensively worldwide on maritime law and particularly at the University of Malta and the International Maritime Law Institute.

She is the immediate Past President of the Malta Maritime Law Association, founding member of the Malta Maritime Forum and a board member of the European Maritime Law Organisation since 2008.

She has been appointed Honorary Member of the Croatian Maritime Law Association and the Italian Maritime Law Association.

Ann has been listed in the Lloyds List Top 100 People – The Shipping Industry’s most influential people in 2022 and 2023.

In 2024 she was awarded with the Newsmaker of the Year Award, during an award giving ceremony at the Malta Maritime Summit 2024.

Languages: Maltese, English, Italian, French

Career Highlights

2022 President of Comité Maritime International

2008 Fenech & Fenech Advocates, Managing Partner

1992 Fenech & Fenech Advocates, Partner and Head of the Marine Litigation Department

2017 Comité Maritime International, Appointed Executive Councillor of the Comite Maritime International for a second term

2016 Malta Marittima Agency, Appointed to represent the MMLA on the Board of Malta Marittima Agency

2015 Malta Maritime Forum, Appointed on the Board of Directors of the Malta Maritime Forum

2013 Malta Law Academy, Honorary Patron of the Malta Law Academy

2012 Premier Capital Plc, Appointed Director of the public listed company Premier Capital Plc

2012 Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd, Appointed Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd Legal Correspondent

2011 International Maritime Law Institute, Lecturer on the Role of a Maritime Law Practitioner

Education

University of London

1988-1989 LL.M. Degree in Maritime Law

University of Malta

1986 LL.D. Degree. Thesis: ” Liability without fault and the theory of Created risk in Tort”

London and Trinity College, Cambridge, UK

1985 Preparation of thesis at the Institute of advanced legal studies

University of Malta

1984 Diploma of Notary Public

RANKINGS
Shipping | Star Individual
Chambers Europe Shipping | Band 1
Chambers Europe Dispute Resolution | Band 1
Shipping | Tier 1
Dispute resolution | Tier 1
View all Awards
Testimonials
"The team at Fenech & Fenech Advocates is composed of lawyers who are both passionate and professional about their job in assisting clients. The detail in which they explore the issues and cases is exceptional."
Legal 500 2025 | Shipping - Leading Partner
“Ann has helped us to solve some difficult issues over the years“
Chambers Europe 2025 | Shipping - Star Individual
"Ann Fenech is a force to be reckoned with. Her dedication to what she does is very hard to find."
Chambers Europe 2025 | Dispute Resolution - Band 1
"The team is excellent. They are all engaging and approachable and very easy to work with. Some of our favourite external lawyers."
Legal 500 2025 | Dispute Resolution
"Ann Fenech is the pure example of competence and knowledge and the absolute best."
Chambers Europe 2025 | Dispute Resolution - Band 1
View all Testimonials