Our world leading transportation and trade practice offers an unrivalled breadth of services to many of the world's largest airlines, airports, shipowners, shipyards, financiers, lessors, commodities traders and private sector rail operators and owning groups. As co-ordinators of a consortium testing a decarbonisation system for voyage optimisation, we are at the forefront of shaping our transport networks for a net zero future.
Shipping
coZEV Initiative
We are the legal advisor to the Aspen Institute on the “Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels” (coZEV) initiative, members of which include major consumer-goods companies such as Amazon, IKEA and Unilever, with a target to progressively switch all of their ocean freight to vessels powered by zero-carbon fuels by 2040.
Blue Visby consortium
Co-ordinator of a Consortium of some 20+ companies and institutions (including UK Hydrographic Office, Carbon Trust, Anglo American, Marubeni, MOL, Vertis, BIMCO, Lloyd’s, ClassNK) that is testing an operational system for voyage optimisation using a multilateral platform for reducing shipping GHG emissions by about 15% through eradicating the practice of “Sail Fast, Then Wait”.
Acquisition of innovative eco-type barges
Advised J.P. Morgan Asset Management on the acquisition of 40 LNG-fuelled innovative eco-type inland waterway barges against charters with energy major Shell.
Stolt facility
Advised Nordea Bank Abp, filial i Norge in connection with a US$415 million sustainability linked secured loan facility made available to the Stolt Tankers Group.
DNB Bank financing
Advised DNB Bank ASA in connection with a US$154 million sustainability linked secured term loan advanced to a joint venture vehicle established by Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skibsrederi AS and Hayfin Capital Management.
HSBC's US$13.6 million facility
Advised HSBC on its first shipping sustainability and transition-linked financing for Stem Shipping Co S.A in respect of a five-year US$13.6 million facility.
The Sea Cargo Charter
Advised the Global Maritime Forum ("GMF") on the creation of The Sea Cargo Charter, and acting now as its legal advisor, The Sea Cargo Charter follows in the footsteps of the Poseidon Principles, another GMF initiative, and is a further development towards the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.
Hoegh Autoliners
Advised Hoegh Autoliners on a series of zero carbon Aurora class PCTC vessels.
Swire Pacific Offshore
Advised a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Offshore in connection with sustainability linked loans made to a company that owns and operates state-of-the-art turbine installation vessels.
Contractual advice and regulatory compliance
Advising shipowners, charterers and other users of cargo ships with regard to decarbonisation aspects of their contracts, including as to compliance with IMO regulations, and Scope 1, 2 and 3 reporting.
Road
Zenobē Energy Limited
Acting for Zenobē Energy in converting their bus fleets from diesel to electricity.
- on their £20 million receivables financing with NatWest in respect of the fixed income streams under lease agreements for bus chassis and embedded lease contracts for bus batteries and charging infrastructure
- on operating leases and hybrid finance/service agreements for the provision of bus batteries and charging infrastructure to major bus companies in the UK including: Transport UK Group (formerly Abellio), Arriva, First Group, National Express and Stagecoach.
A vehicle leasing company
Advised on a sustainable bond issue for a vehicle leasing company based on based on financing pools of electric cars.
Petronas and Petronas Ventures
Advised Petronas and its corporate venture capital arm, Petronas Ventures, on its Series C1 investment into Shenzhen Immotor Technology. Immotor is a smart energy network company that has pioneered an innovative power battery exchange platform present in more than 60 cities across the People's Republic of China.
CAF
Advised CAF in relation to its onboard energy/battery provision to the local authority pursuant to a services arrangements, which included a consideration of warranties as well as future proofing the supply of energy/batteries.
Axis Bank
Acting for Axis Bank in relation to the partnership with The Private Infrastructure Development Group guarantee arm, GuarantCo, on providing a US$200 million guarantee facility towards accelerating the e-mobility eco-system in India as part of fulfilling India's COP26 commitments.
Major Transport Company
Advised a major transport company on its strategy and bids to operate bus franchises. Also advising on the procurement of new electric buses and related depot infrastructure required for charging.
Volex PLC
Advising Volex PLC on various matters including in relation to its EV Type 1 and Type 2 AC Charging Cables.
EV financing
Advising a bank on its strategy in relation to the financing of EV vehicles.
Continental
Advised Continental in its minority investment in EasyMile, a French autonomous driving company developing driverless electric shuttles.
Rail
Touax Rail financings
Advised Touax on financings for a total amount of €180 million which combined
- a "Green Financing" at 5 years (in euros and in pounds sterling) for an amount equivalent to €120 million
- a confirmed 3-year revolving credit facility, together with an option to convert into a 2-year term loan for an amount equivalent to €60 million in euros and pounds sterling, and
- a VAT facility enabling the financing of VAT payments on railcar purchases. The "Green" and RCF facilities are secured on railcars and associated leases. The VAT facility and is secured on Touax's VAT claims towards the relevant tax authorities with VAT receivables pledges taken in Austria, Belgium, Germany and France.
We advised on the French law and English law aspects of the financings.
Aviation
Air France
Advised Air France on the structuring and negotiation of the terms of its first sustainability-linked financing for its twelfth Airbus A350-900 delivery.
Alternative fuels
Biofuels supplier
Drafted and negotiated long term supply contracts for petrol and diesel to be supplied to the supermarket sector.
Finnish energy company
Advised on joint venture for the production and distribution of bio fuels (ethanol) encompassing plant construction, supply contracts, and intellectual property rights protection.
Biofuel project and emissions trading
Provided corporate, financing and tax advice to an Indian agro technology and bio-diesel company, in relation to its existing operations in India and African countries.
E.ON/Uniper & Drax Power
Advised on the supply and freight contracts for several biomass conversion and power plant projects in various European jurisdictions, as well as advising related warehousing and logistics contracts.
Ethanol
Advised the world’s largest producer on its trading terms and conditions for ethanol and petroleum products.
Bio-diesel dispute
Acted in a tri-partite quality dispute between a major South American producer and two of the world's largest commodities traders arising out of an allegedly off-spec cargo of bio-diesel.
VCM, carbon offsets and insets
Our market-leading commodities team is assisting clients who approach carbon as a traded commodity, and are active in carbon trading in the voluntary carbon markets through carbon credit generating projects, carbon off-sets and carbon insets.
Climate litigation relating to maritime and supply chain decarbonisation
Advising entities involved in maritime trade and supply chain in relation to disputes and risks arising out of decarbonisation aspects.
