About me
With over 30 years of legal and maritime experience, I’m a transactional specialist advising on matters relating to all types of vessels and offshore units, from superyachts and wind turbine installation vessels to autonomous vessels and FLNGs. As a military veteran turned lawyer, I’m also keen to assist other veterans in making a successful transition from service life.
My clients include shipyards, owners, operators, financiers, energy companies and contractors. I provide them with a range of services across the asset lifecycle including advising on ownership structures, construction, conversion, sale and purchase, chartering, financing, recycling and more.
With such a broad practice, I adapt to client needs: for some I operate effectively as part of their in-house legal team while others require more limited assistance. In all matters, I aim to work with clients in a way that best works for them to secure a successful outcome.
Before my legal career, I served as a ship’s captain in the Royal Navy. My seagoing experience enhances my legal project management and my ability to collaborate across commercial, legal and technical teams.
My experience
- Acting for an Owner in drafting and negotiating a conversion contract of an LNGC to an FLNG (US$1.5 billion-plus).
- Acting for a leading FPSO owner/operator in drafting and negotiation of FPSO EPCIC contract and finance lease (US$ 2 billion-plus). .
- Advising (both Buyers side and Sellers side) on the sale and purchase of various second hand FPSOs offshore Brazil (transactions have in all cases included dovetailing wider matters such as cross-jurisdictional requirements of revised service contract arrangements for ongoing operations).
- Advising Buyer on the US$400 million plus purchase (in a distressed sale) of a semi-submersible drilling rig from a shipyard (this included, advising on pre-delivery completion and testing of the rig, sellers’ credit and related security documentation, and post-delivery bareboat charter and management arrangements).
- Advising various sellers and buyers on sale and purchase of vessels (including offshore vessels and units) for ongoing trade and also for end of vessel life recycling. This has included drafting pro-forma ship sale and purchase agreements for various entities (including for two of the world’s largest container lines and also for one of the world’s largest owner/operators of offshore drilling units).
- I am a member of the BIMCO Recyclecon drafting sub-committee.
