London-headquartered maritime law firm Thomas Cooper has hired Steffen Pedersen as a partner in Singapore from Wikborg Rein.

Pedersen, who joins the shipping and energy team, covers collisions, charterparties, cargo claims, construction contracts and financing projects. Having spent his entire career in Asia, he has acted both for and against major Chinese yards, financing institutions and state-owned and private companies. He also focuses on investigations and obtaining security against counterparties in the Far East and particularly China.

Tim Kelleher, Thomas Cooper’s senior partner comments: “We consistently review the market for opportunities to hire suitable specialists who bring additional opportunities and experience which will complement the firm’s development strategy.”

Pedersen’s arrival takes the total number of partners at Thomas Cooper’s Singapore office to three, including office head Mark Sachs.