Muhammad (or Oka, as he is familiarly known) is a senior associate at ABNR. He is lauded as a “Rising Star” for Shipping by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and has been named one of Indonesia’s “top 50 up-and-coming future legal leaders” by prestigious Hong Kong-based legal publication Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ).

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Indonesia and an LL.M in Maritime Law from the University of Southampton, England.

He focuses on maritime and shipping but also works on foreign direct investment, and projects and energy, especially matters that have ties to the maritime industry.

In his maritime and shipping practice, Oka has worked extensively on the drafting of logistics and warehouse agreements, charter party contracts, and ship sale-and-purchase and financing agreements. He advises clients on Indonesian cabotage policy, and limitation of liability and marine environment issues.

In non-contentious matters, he represented Mitsui Bank in the sale-and-purchase and financing of a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit for an oil and gas development project operated by Santos Ltd in the Northwest Natuna Sea. He also advised Bank of America Merril Lynch on the USD 250 million financing of an Indonesian subsidiary of a Turkish company for the procurement of a floating powership in North Sumatra.

In 2018–2020, he acted for a Dubai-based company on the procurement of a number of drilling rigs for operation in Indonesia, and advised on cabotage issues, especially in the oil and gas sector. He also represented a leading Italian shipbuilding company in connection with the procurement of six frigates by Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense.

In contentious matters, Oka has advised on a variety of vessel collision, grounding, wreck removal, and marine casualty matters, as well as marine environment cases, defending the interest of British and Japanese Protection and Indemnity Club involved.

He represented Zurich Insurance Company Ltd (Singapore) in a wreck removal reinsurance dispute that resulted from the sinking of a drilling barge operated by a leading Indonesian drilling company off the coast of Balikpapan, Kalimantan. He also acted for the Hong Kong branch of a German insurer and a South Korean company in vessel collision litigation against an Indonesian shipping company.  

In projects and energy, he advises on oil and gas offshore operations in Indonesia, and is counsel to a number of offshore oil and gas support-service providers. In port development, he assisted a Singapore company on the development of Marunda Port, a pioneering example of private sector involvement in the construction and operation of an Indonesian port.   

In 2020, he advised the South Korea government on the development of Warnasari Port, Banten, and was appointed counsel to an Indonesian state-owned port company to advise on port-related matters.

In foreign direct investment, he advised several international logistics companies, including Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics AS, Jacobson Global Logistics, Bollore Logistics Indonesia and ZIM Integrated Shipping Service in connection with various matters, including establishing and maintaining operations in Indonesia. He is also counsel to the American Bureau of Shipping, a Texas based classification society, for corporate and investment-related work for their subsidiary and branch office in Indonesia.