We have been involved in some of the world’s largest oil and gas infrastructure projects from the outset of the project lifecycle through to dispute avoidance and dispute resolution. Our experience encompasses advising in relation to offshore drilling and process facilities (including platforms, FPSOs, Spars and subsea facilities), onshore refining and gas processing facilities (including GTL and LNG liquefaction and re-gasification), transnational oil and gas pipelines, pumping stations and receiving terminals, refining and petrochemical facilities, gas storage facilities and associated distribution networks. We have extensive experience in domestic and cross-border M&A, takeovers, public company listings and international joint ventures, we also regularly work on the acquisition of large scale assets associated with oil and gas exploration and production such as the purchase of MODU-Jack-Ups and self erecting Tender Rigs as well as land drilling rigs.
This experience is applied to the complex legal, commercial and technical challenges that arise in the key oil and gas producing regions where oil and gas infrastructure is required. Our network of offices enables us to utilise this experience to support our clients and to guide them through the potential pitfalls of undertaking projects in these many and varied jurisdictions including the North Sea, the Caspian, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Gulf. Our key expertise includes acting for major international contractors, owners, NOCs and oil companies.
Our Oil and Gas work includes:
- Advising the shareholders on the $US 450 million sale of Agora AS to Cairn Energy Plc
- Abu Dhabi State National Energy Company (otherwise known as TAQA) in their US$550 million purchase through 2 subsidiaries TAQA Britani Limited and TAQA Britani LNS Limited of the entire interests of 2 Talisman Energy subsidiaries in the Brae Asset in the UK North Sea
- Valiant Petroleum in its successful admission to the London Stock Exchange and various financings including the Euro 200 million senior debt facilities with Bank of Scotland plc for the development of the West Don and Don Southwest fields
- Ithaca Energy Inc in the acquisition of the Beatrice Oilfield and associated Nigg Terminal from Talisman Energy (UK) Limited. The headline price was £10 million but the transaction also involved the associated multi-million pound decommissioning liability
- Bank of Scotland in connection with the provision of a US$1 billion bridge facility to Tullow Oil plc to support its acquisition of Hardman Resources
- Cairn Energy Plc in its negotiations of a US$240 million series of bilateral loan facilities with five banks including IFC (World Bank)
- Abbot Group a FTSE 250 listed leader in oil and gas drilling equipment and services, on its £906 million sale to First Reserve, the US private equity group via the acquisition vehicle Turbo Alpha
- Murco Petroleum in relation to the acquisition of the fuel-filling station business and related assets of Petrol Express Limited and its subsidiaries
- the lead arranger on the financing for construction and operation of the Jordanian gas transmission pipeline to transport natural gas from Egyptian production fields to industrial customers and power plants in Jordan
- the construction joint venture on the Habshan to Fujairah cross-Emirate oil pipeline, UAE
- a Chinese contractor on construction of the Indian East-West coast bulk gas pipeline, an 1100km, 48" pipeline including negotiation of contract terms with the owner and advice during the design and construction phases
- a contractor in relation to the ADCO Qusahwira Field project in Abu Dhabi
- contractors in two ICC arbitrations concerning complex issues related to the construction and engineering of Turkish elements of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline in Turkey – one of the largest crude oil pipelines in the world
- a major US pipeline contractor in English High Court proceedings in relation to the design and construction of the onshore elements of the West African Pipeline which runs through Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.
- an international oil & gas contractor in relation to disputes arising out of an agreement for the design and construction of two oil & gas platforms on the Sakhalin Island Shelf offshore Eastern Russia
- advising an international operating company in relation to a $250m UNCITRAL arbitration concerning the engineering, procurement and construction of pumping facilities on an oil export pipeline system in Africa
- Kellogg Brown & Root, an international oil & gas contractor, in High Court litigation proceedings concerning issues arising out of purchase, design and conversion of VLCC hulls for the purposes of conversion to the P43 and P48 FPSOs located offshore Brazil
- an international oil & gas contractor in High Court litigation proceedings on its multi-million pound claim arising out of the design, construction, installation and pre-commissioning of the Bonga FPSO (being at that time the second largest such vessel in the world) stationed offshore Nigeria
- an international oil & gas contractor in High Court and Scottish litigation proceedings concerning patent infringement by new technology for transporting drill cuttings
- Amec Process & Energy Ltd in litigation in the Technology and Construction Court relating to extensive claims for additional compensation arising from variations and late design information in the fabrication and erection of topside modules at the Anasuria FPSO facility – the largest FPSO in the North Sea
- a major international sub-sea contractor in an ICC pre-arbitral referee procedure with a major oil company. The disputes concerned the supply of certain sub-sea equipment for use in a field development offshore West Africa. The strategy of using this dispute resolution process resulted in an early and successfully negotiated settlement for our client
- consortia including state entities and energy majors in relation to the development of large scale liquefaction and export facilities in Qatar
- an energy services contractor on a LCIA arbitration concerning the design and construction of the topside process facilities for an FPSO project procured in Singapore and located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea
- a major oil and gas services contractor in relation to a DIAC arbitration in Dubai concerning defects in the construction of the hulls for large semi-submersible rig.