LinkedinNikhil advises on all aspects of shipping and offshore energy projects including construction, conversion, financing, sale and purchase, chartering and operational matters.
He has experience acting for a wide range of international clients including owners, charterers, operators, commodity trading firms and investors such as leasing companies, banks and investor funds.
Nikhil’s contentious experience includes working for P&I clubs, owners and charterers on charterparty and bill of lading disputes and for financiers in relation to enforcement for defaults under financing arrangements.
Nikhil’s past experience also includes working in the commercial domain of the shipping industry in India, particularly in Mumbai and Gujarat.
Recent Experience
- Acting for Golar in their sale of the FSRU Golar Tundra and related agreements for deployment in Italy for Snam.
- Acting for EXMAR in their sale of Tango FLNG to Eni for use in Congo and related agreements for O&M and conversion.
- Advising a NYSE listed owner on a major LNG Shipping tender from Qatar Petroleum in respect of construction and chartering of LNG vessels.
- Acting for a Houston based NYSE listed owner and operator in relation to EPC contracts, financing arrangements, the corporate structuring for ownership and delivery of two ultra-deepwater, 20k psi drillships (US$2.2 billion plus).
- Acting for an investment fund in their acquisition of a semi-submersible drilling rig (USD400mn plus).
- Acting for the buyer in distressed ship sale and purchase (US$200mn plus) of a deep water pipelayer and construction vessel.
- Advising a Middle East based client, as buyer and owner, in relation to the construction and delivery contracts and refund guarantees of a super-yacht (in excess of 180metres) to be constructed in Italy.
- Acting for buyers/owners in their project for purchase of an offshore supply unit and conversion into an explorer yacht.
- Acting for buyers in respect of the sale of the superyacht MY Tatoosh.
- Acting for the trading arm of a global LNG trading and shipping corporation for review and advise on LNG Master Sale and Purchase Agreements, together with related spot confirms.
- Acting for a global producer and trader of Aluminium in respect of their standard agreements for (FOB, CIF and CFR) sale of Alumina Trihydrate and Bauxite.
- Acting for lenders, including Norwegian and Danish banks, in respect of re-financing of loan facilities in excess of US$450mn for a fleet of seven offshore drilling rigs.
- Acting for Japanese owners/borrowers in respect of re-financing of loan facilities in excess of US$500mn for a fleet of five jack up platforms including work in respect of deployment of certain platforms into offshore wind projects in Japan.
- Acting for the lessor in relation to sale and leaseback of 2 geotechnical vessels.
- Acting for Trafigura in relation to the construction, sale and leaseback of up to 32 new build crude oil and product tankers (consisting of Medium Range (MR) tankers, LR2s and Suezmax tankers) which will be built in both Korea and China with a value in excess of US$1.35 billion.
- Acting for a UK based investment fund in their acquisition and subsequent re- financing arrangements in respect of their equity investment into a UK based owner and operator of offshore support vessels (largely deployed into offshore wind projects). Worked on the maritime and (existing) finance related due diligence aspects, the financing from incoming lenders (secured over the vessels) and overall structuring of the transaction together with the corporate and private equity teams.
- Acting for a prominent Dutch owner (as the owner and lessee) for the delivery (from a Korean shipyard) and sale and leaseback arrangements in respect of a new build 30,000cbm LNG carrier.
- Acting for an American bank and an investment fund (in joint venture), in relation to enforcement options (in a complex factual scenario) following non-payment by the borrower of the loan.
- Advising a UK bank in relation to enforcement options following non-payment by the borrower and guarantor of the loan (€80 mn plus) provided for financing a super-yacht.
- Acted for commodities trading firms on GAFTA arbitrations for contaminated cargo and shortage claims.
- Acted on various dry shipping disputes including cargo claims, insurance disputes, laytime / demurrage and claims for hire under time charters.
