Shipping

• Advising Bibby Marine on a shipbuilding contract and related financing package with HSBC UK to deliver the world’s first truly zero-emission, electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV) for servicing offshore windfarms. The multi-million euro financing made available by HSBC UK is backed by CESCE, the Spanish export credit agency. 

• Advising ABN AMRO on the financing to support the establishment of the LEMSCO (Low Emission Methanol Shipping Company) shipping fund with a portfolio of alternative-fuelled vessels. LEMSCO is backed by Proman, one of the world’s largest methanol producers, and Stena Bulk AB, a leading European shipping company. The transaction was independently assessed against the LMA Green Loan Principles and was successfully designated as a Green Loan by DNV.

• Advising KfW IPEX-Bank and other lenders of Genting Hong Kong on the $2.6bn restructuring of the Genting Hong Kong Group (which closed in 2021) and the subsequent insolvency (from January 2022 onwards) of the Genting Hong Kong Group. We advised in respect of the ECA-backed facilities for the ocean cruise vessels Global One (under construction and subsequently sold to Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and World Dream, and the river cruise vessels Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel.

• Advising KfW IPEX-Bank and the lenders on the post-delivery financing for Crystal Endeavor, a 200-passenger luxury polar-class expedition cruise vessel, and the subsequent sale of the ship to Royal Caribbean Group (and associated financing for the ship's purchase), after the ship was arrested in Gibraltar following the insolvency of the Genting Hong Kong Group.

• Advising Carnival Corporation & plc, one of the world's largest travel companies with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines and operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including English law aspects of over US$20bn of capital markets issuances.

• Advising various lenders on the implementation of ECA-backed cruise debt holiday arrangements for a number of leading cruise operators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including Genting Hong Kong, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Lindblad Expeditions.

• Advising Macquarie Bank Limited, London Branch on a number of secured ship financing transactions, including a multi-vessel $89 million facility for the Argentinian shipping company Interocean.

• Advising Macquarie Bank Limited, London Branch on the up to US$97.5m acquisition financing for subsidiaries of Stainless Tankers ASA to part-finance the purchase of seven stainless steel chemical tankers in connection with the admission to trading of all issued shares of Stainless Tankers ASA on the Euronext Growth Oslo stock exchange. Won: Private Placement Equity Deal of the Year, Marine Money 2023.

• Advising ABN AMRO as ECA coordinator, Nordea as facility agent and other lenders of FLEX LNG on a US$629m Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM)-supported multi-facility financing for five LNG carrier newbuildings. The transaction was awarded 2019 Export Credit Agency Deal of the Year (West) by Marine Money.

• Advising Bibby Marine, owner and operator of bespoke offshore service operations vessels and 'Walk to Work' vessels on the sale and leaseback of Bibby Wavemaster Horizon, a service operation vessel operated by Bibby Marine on long-term charter to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, servicing the Hohe See and Albatros windfarms offshore Germany. The transaction was awarded the Editor's Choice Award for Europe at the IJGlobal Awards 2020.

• Advising Citigroup and other lenders of Danaos on a US$2.2bn restructuring of the NYSE-listed Danaos Corporation, one of the world's largest independent owners of modern, large-size containerships. The transaction was awarded 2018 Recapitalization Deal of the Year by Marine Money.

• Advising BNP Paribas, Danish Ship Finance and ING Bank on the financing to support Sole Shipping's eleven vessel sale and leaseback transaction with Navigazione Montanari.

• Advising BNP Paribas on the post-delivery financings of a ro-ro ferry for CLdN ro-ro SA and a post-Panamax bulk carrier for CLdN Cobelfret SA and on the post-delivery financing of four ro-ro ferries for Seatruck Ferries (following the acquisition of Seatruck Ferries by CLdN from the Clipper Group of Denmark).

Aviation

• Advising Crédit Agricole CIB, as JOLCO arranger, facility agent, security trustee and lender, on Aegean Airlines S.A.’s debut JOLCO financing of three Airbus aircraft.

• Advising DHL, the global market leader in the logistics industry, on the financing of Boeing 777F freighter and Airbus A330 passenger-to-freighter aircraft.

• Advising Jet2 plc (Jet2) on fuel offtake aspects of its proposed major investment into a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant to be constructed in the North West of England – one of the first such deals in UK aviation. The agreement will see Jet2 invest an equity stake in the plant and expect to receive more than 200 million litres of SAF over a 15-year period.

• Advising DVB, the transportation finance division of DZ Bank AG, on: the sale of its aviation finance group to Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG); and the sale of its land transportation business to German public sector lender, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba). The transactions were awarded 2019 M&A Deal of the Year by Airfinance Journal.

• Advising Commerzbank AG and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited (London Branch) on the financing of two Airbus A330-300 aircraft for Aer Lingus, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group and the flag carrier airline of Ireland.

• Advising MUFG Bank, Ltd. on the JOLCO financing of three Airbus A320neo and two Airbus A321neo aircraft for Iberia, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group and the flag carrier airline of Spain.

• Advising MUFG Bank, Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, London Branch, Crédit Industriel et Commercial and La Banque Postale on the JOLCO financing of seven Airbus A320neo aircraft for Vueling, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group and one of Europe's leading low-cost airlines.

Offshore oil and gas

• Advising a syndicate of international lenders and the export credit agencies on US$1.6bn in export credit agency-covered and uncovered loan facilities to finance the construction of the FPSO Sepetiba and associated derivatives contracts. This transaction was the first project financing of an FPSO to be supported by China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure). Nippon Export and Investment Insurance of Japan and SACE S.p.A. of Italy also provided export credit agency cover. FPSO Sepetiba is owned by a special purpose company owned by affiliated companies of SBM Offshore (64.5%) and its partners (35.5 percent). It is spread moored in approximately 2,000 meters water depth at the Mero field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil, 180 kilometres offshore Rio de Janeiro, and chartered to Petrobras.

•  Advising a syndicate of international lenders to the SBM Offshore group on the US$720m project financing for FPSO Liza Destiny, operating in the Stabroek block, circa 200km offshore Guyana. The floating production, storage and offloading vessel is designed to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and was initially chartered to (and is now owned by) ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited.

Corporate finance

• Advising Smit Lamnalco, the leading provider of towage and associated marine services to the oil and gas terminal industry, on the US$450m refinancing of its term and revolving credit facilities and associated hedging arrangements.

• Advising Telenor, the leading Nordic telecoms company, on: the annual updates of its €10bn debt issuance programme; its issuances of SEK2.75bn floating rate notes due 2021; SEK2.5bn floating rate notes due 2024; SEK2bn 1.125 percent notes due 2024; €1bn 0.750 percent notes due 2026; €1bn 1.125 percent notes due 2029; and €500m 1.750 percent notes due 2034.