Toby Royal

Background

About Toby Royal

Toby has a wealth of experience in the maritime sector advising shipowners, operators, private equity funds, investors and financial institutions across the full spectrum of non-contentious commercial shipping work. His practice has a particular emphasis on commercial contracts ranging from newbuildings, sale & purchase, charterparties, ship management agreements and due diligence. He is recommended as a transactional maritime expert by leading legal directory Legal 500 UK and praised for his “very broad experience” (2020), “looking out for his client’s best interests” (2020) and being “thorough and commercially minded” (2021). He is also recognised by Legal 500 UK as a key lawyer at WFW for shipping (2024, 2025). Toby sat on the advisory board for the development of the ground-breaking Vessel Technology Assessment Project, an initiative of the Energy Technologies Institute to assist the maritime industry understand the benefits of investing in fuel efficient technologies. He co-established and co-led the firm’s Sustainable Shipping offering and was also part of the core WFW project team helping in the development of the Poseidon Principles, providing legal oversight and drafting input to the group of major banks and other leading industry players to support the IMO’s goal to reduce shipping’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Toby is dual qualified in England & Wales and Ireland, holding qualifications in maritime law, ship management and notarial practice. He has participated in courses run by the London Institute of Space Policy & Law and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.