Anna Hoffmann

Barrister, 4 Pump Court

Anna Hoffmann is a barrister at 4 Pump Court specialising in commercial litigation and international arbitration, with a particular focus on shipping and the intersection between ESG, corporate accountability and new technologies. She is ranked as a Leading Junior by The Legal 500 in both Shipping as well as in Commercial Litigation and as Up and Coming by Chambers and Partners in Shipping & Commodities.

She acts as sole counsel and as part of counsel teams in a wide range of commercial disputes including all types of charterparty, bills of lading, cargo, ship-sale, shipbuilding and ship-finance disputes, including LMAA and other international arbitrations. Her work frequently involves jurisdiction, injunctive relief, sanctions and war risk.

Anna also has substantial experience of climate and energy disputes, greenwashing and corporate accountability. This includes specialist secondments to ClientEarth and Mishcon Purpose, working on climate litigation, directors’ duties and ESG issues. She regularly speaks and writes on the contractual and regulatory challenges of decarbonisation in shipping, including risk allocation and sustainable offshore construction.

In 2023, she completed a shipping secondment at Nordisk Defence Club in Oslo. Before coming to the Bar, she worked in international arbitration at Homburger AG in Zurich. She is an LMAA Supporting Member and a native-level German speaker.

Contributed to

1

The Energy Transition and Sustainable Shipping—overview of some key issues for maritime lawyers

Practice Notes

Introduction and scopeMaritime lawyers need to understand the commercial and regulatory pressures shaping the energy transition and their implications for clients’ operations, contracts and liabilities. There have been sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by war and geopolitical tensions, and these have placed significant pressure on shipping costs. At the same time, the salience of the risks from climate change is increasing year on year. The sector therefore faces dual pressures: managing fuel costs, availability and the move to alternative fuels; and meeting increasingly demanding requirements governing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) advisory opinion of 21 May 2024 and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion of 23 July 2025 have clarified States’ obligations to address climate change and protect the marine environment from GHG emissions, strengthening the legal basis for regulatory action affecting shipping. These intersecting pressures make environmental and energy transition issues central to maritime advice, from vessel investment and fuel procurement

Environment