Rob is a partner in the Shipping Group at Reed Smith LLP, specialising in transactional shipping work. He advises financiers, investors and shipowners in relation to all aspects of the financing of newbuildings and secondhand vessels (including debt finance, mezzanine finance and sale and leaseback transactions) and in relation to restructurings and work-outs. Rob also advises in relation to the construction, conversion and sale and purchase of, and ownership structures and joint venture arrangements for, commercial vessels and other related marine and off-shore assets. He has considerable experience acting for banks and fund clients purchasing distressed shipping loans and shipping loan portfolios.

Recent Representative Matters

• Acting for the winning bidder in relation to the purchase of a US$600m non-performing shipping loan portfolio from a UK bank.
• Acting for York Capital in relation to a US$500m joint venture with Costamare.
• Acting for a US fund (winning bidder) in relation to the purchase of non-performing loan portfolio from Japanese bank.
• Acting for Sovcomflot in relation to a US$700m debt facility made available by a syndicate of EU and US banks to refinance 34 tanker vessels.
• Acting for a US fund in relation to the sale and leaseback of four tanker vessels from a Malaysian owner for a total purchase price of over US$167m.
• Acting for Sovcomflot in relation to the en-bloc purchase of six aframax type ice-class shuttle tankers and attached long term charters.
• Acting for the winning bidder in relation to the purchase of multiple shipping loans from a Taiwanese bank.
• Acting for a commodities house in relation to the establishment of a joint venture vehicle with an Italian shipowner for the purchase and operation of drybulk vessels.
• Acting for a US fund in relation to a mezzanine finance facility made available to a Greek ship owner.
• Acting for a US private equity fund in relation to a US$175,000,000 joint venture with US listed shipowner and another US private equity house to acquire vessels.