Greg is an asset finance specialist covering the whole spectrum of aviation, shipping and asset finance deals and financings for oil, gas, water and electricity assets. He is also knowledgeable in receivables finance and bilateral and syndicated debt finance.
Greg advises financial institutions, investors, lessors, shipping and energy companies, airlines and cruise operators. He also works with high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
Greg has extensive experience with all types of vessels and offshore installations, from FLNG, LNG, FPSOs, drillships and drilling rigs to cargo and container vessels, offshore support vessels, ROVs, tankers, cruise ships and luxury yachts. He advises on multi-jurisdictional sale and purchase transactions, ship recycling and newbuilding and conversion finance.
Greg’s aviation finance experience includes lease financings, operating leases, pre- and post-delivery financings, export credit-backed financings, sales and purchases of new and used aircraft, helicopters, engines and spares, as well as spares pools and maintenance arrangements.
In domestic and cross-border asset financing he has worked on a wide variety of assets from satellites, vehicle fleets, rolling stock, pipelines, power stations, interconnectors, water treatment facilities and pipelines to IT and medical equipment, films, manufacturing plant and construction equipment.
Expertise
Marine and Shipping
- Lease, debt and equity financing and investment for shipping and oil/gas offshore assets, newbuildings, conversions, upgrades
- Sales and purchases, charters, ship management
- Ship recycling
- Yacht sales and purchases and finance
Aviation
- Aircraft and engine sale, purchase, leasing and management and operating agreements, charters, wet leases/ACMI agreements
- Leasing, debt and equity investment in aircraft, helicopters and engines
- Engine and parts purchase, leasing and pooling agreements
Equipment Finance
- Lease finance, vendor finance, receivables finance
- Portfolio sales and purchases
Africa
- Advised the African government on shipping aspects of the legal, commercial and contractual framework for LNG projects.
- Advised a bank on €90 million financing for electricity transmission lines in southern Africa.
Experience
Marine and Shipping
- Advised European and Korean investment funds on $250 million debt financing secured on two FLNG vessels
- Advised Korean investment fund on a cost over-run financing for a $300 million FPSO upgrade
- Advised financiers on a $260 million project finance facility for Sovcomflot’s acquisition and chartering of ice-class LNG carrier for Yamal Russian Arctic LNG project – awarded Marine Money Project Financing Deal of the Year 2018
- Advised a Japanese bank on $70 million equity bridge financing for design, construction and financing of 5 LNG carriers
- Advised European banks on £1.5 billion financings for three ultra-deepwater drillships
- Advised TUI UK on financing, chartering, acquisition, chartering, sale and recycling arrangements for eleven cruise ships and three river vessels
- Advised a European bank on €110 million secured term loan facility for construction of luxury private passenger vessel
- Advised a government agency on the purchase of a fleet of fast interceptor, rescue and patrol vessels
- Advised on numerous yacht purchases, sales, financings and design/construction contracts
Aviation
- Advised lessors on aircraft leases to British Airways, Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic, TUI Travel, Thomas Cook, Monarch Airlines and others
- Advised on purchases, sales, financing, operation and management of Dassault, Embraer, Bombardier and Hawker private jets
- Advised lessors on sales, financings and securitisations of aircraft leasing portfolios and leasing partnerships
- Advised financiers on financing and leasing of a fleet of Antonov aircraft
- Advised on purchase and lease financings of cargo helicopters, air ambulance helicopters and hospital aircraft
- Advised on ACMI charter and operating and management agreement for a helicopter
- Advised on restructuring of a purchase agreement for 30 A320 aircraft
- Advised on the sale of two A321 aircraft for part-out
- Advised on the purchase of 747 cargo aircraft from an insolvent company
- Advice on purchase contracts for in-flight entertainment systems, aircraft seats
Other Asset Finance
- Advised financiers on $270 million sovereign financing for a satellite and communications and broadcasting system
- Advised a financier on £200 million structured finance for rolling stock for a European operator
- Advised lessors on £100 million lease financing for Amazon.com Inc.
- Advised lessors on £100 million lease financing for a vehicle procurement programme
- Advised a rail operator on leasing and security aspects of a project to repower and upgrade 16 locomotives
- Adviser financiers on rolling stock leases for Department of Transport, Network Rail, New Jersey Transit, Virgin Cross Country, Arriva Scandinavien
- Advised financiers on lease financing of trams and related infrastructure for passenger transport executive and Stagecoach
Energy
- Advised lessors on lease financings for gas pipelines, electricity interconnectors, power stations, turbines, oil refineries
- Advised an energy company on pooled security arrangements for customers of a subsea gas storage facility
- Advised an African government on shipping aspects of the legal, commercial and contractual framework for LNG projects
- Advised an oil major on template contracts for procurement and financing of FPSOs
- Advised an equity investor on equity and debt investment in a European operator of large-scale photo-voltaic plants
- Advised EIB on €90 million financing for electricity transmission lines in southern Africa
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for Transport Finance and Leasing (2022-2024)
Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) for Asset Finance Law (2009-2023)
Recognised by The Legal 500 2023 for Oil and Gas Law
Greg has repeatedly been recommended as a leading individual by The Legal 500 and by Chambers as “one of the top lawyers in this field“, “an accurate and pragmatic lawyer” who is “terribly able” and considered “to excel in the context of complex structures“, with a “thorough, competent and unflustered manner”.
Career
Greg qualified as a solicitor in 1986. Before joining Keystone Law in 2021, he worked at Dentons.