Trade Finance
Commercial legal advice in all finance matters
Our finance practice covers the whole spectrum, from trade and asset finance, through to project finance. We are well known for our work in the shipping, offshore, yacht and corporate jet sectors, and frequently handle assets relating to the transportation industry. With an international network of offices, we have the capability and expertise to handle all finance-related enquiries.
What we do in Trade Finance
Our trade finance practice combines thorough knowledge of key sectors and commodities with banking expertise. It is common for our banking lawyers to work closely with our commodities lawyers when advising on finance matters. We provide a full service to clients across this market: producers, financiers, traders, transporters and end users.
Our trade finance expertise is spread across a broad range of commodities: oil and gas, soft commodities, mining and minerals, power and freight; and structures: projects, pre-export financings, revolving trade facilities, prepayment, advanced payment facilities, documentary credits, letters of credit, CMAs, credit insurance and export credit insurance.
Our experience in Trade Finance
We provide below some examples of our experience in Trade Finance:
- Advising on the development and financing of the US$1.45bn 1,210MW coal-fired independent power project in Iskenderun (Turkey). This transaction involved an innovative coal supply structure with coal sourced from the world market, and a very complex coal transhipment structure.
- Advising a bank on its potential remedies under trade finance facilities where the borrower was in default; advising particularly on potential claims under insurances which had been assigned; subsequently handling cross-border insolvency issues and advising on liquidation proceedings brought against the borrower in Belize and Singapore.
- Advising a multinational oil company on a number of bilateral trade finance facilities; detailed review of the drafts put forward by a number of banks, some of which were bespoke and some of which were based on the banks' general conditions.
- Advising on the proposed US$500 million financing for the 576MW Bina coal-fired project in Madhya Pradesh. Work involved review of coal supply agreements, rail transportation and power purchase agreements, drafting and negotiation of senior credit agreements.
- Advising on contracts for the storage of crude oil, petroleum products and ethanol in Europe and the Middle East, including a US$117m agreement for the expansion of a terminal in eastern Turkey, jointly financed by a U.S. investment bank and the World Bank.
- Acting for a leading trade finance bank on a US$55,000,000 bridge facility made available to a borrower in Egypt.
- Acting for a leading bank on a complex facility made available to the Seament Group.
