Our Sectors & Services Offering | Watson Farley & Williams

Our sector focus is at the heart of our strategy and your development. You will develop your skills by working at the forefront in some of the fastest moving sectors affecting international markets today.

Our two core sectors are:

Energy

Drawing on years of experience across all segments of the energy sector including conventional power, infrastructure, oil and gas, mining and commodities and renewables, you will get the opportunity to work and build your expertise on complex, cross-border transactions and disputes.

Transport

We have a stellar reputation worldwide in the aviation, maritime and rail sectors and you will be able to develop your career and expertise by working across high profile and cross-border transport deals and matters across all key service lines.

We group our services as follows:

Case studies

Multidisciplinary

The world’s largest mining and related infrastructure project

Advised the Republic of Guinea on the US$15bn Simandou project, the world’s largest mining and related rail and port infrastructure project.

Assets and structured finance

One of the first KPIs linked with gender diversity in a shipping loan

We helped Navigator Holdings obtain a US$200m loan to finance ten vessels, with the deal including one of the first KPIs relating to gender diversity ever seen in a shipping loan.

Dispute resolution, projects and restructuring

First-ever use of UK special administration regime for energy supply firm

We advised Sequoia as secured creditor regarding the energy administration of Bulb, the UK’s seventh-largest energy company, in the first-ever use of the UK’s energy supply company administration regime.

Cross-border finance

Largest ECA-backed green loan for offshore wind projects across Europe

We worked with Santander on a €1bn ECA-backed green loan granted to global energy leader Iberdrola to finance turbines for onshore/offshore windfarm projects.

Finance, corporate and regulatory

LNG maritime and infrastructure project to address German energy security

We assisted Höegh LNG on the refinancing of two FSRUs to service Germany’s new North Sea LNG terminals to help it achieve its goal of energy independence from Russia.

Assets and structured finance

Two award-winning ECA-backed pioneering maritime transactions

We helped Citibank and HSBC arrange two first-of-their-kind ECA-backed JOLCO loans for Seaspan. These deals represent the first time the ECAs involved have supported JOLCO structures in shipping.

Dispute resolution

Supreme Court success in lengthy case for PTT

In a case with important implications for all construction contracts drafted under English law, we successfully represented PTT (Thailand’s state-owned oil and gas company) in a multi-million-dollar dispute before the UK Supreme Court.

Multidisciplinary

Special aviation counsel on US$700m financing for Scandinavian Airlines (“SAS”)

We worked with Apollo Global Management, a leading alternative asset manager, on a US$700m debtor-in-possession financing for SAS as part of their Chapter 11 restructuring.

Multidisciplinary

Milestone transaction in acquisition of offshore technology specialist

We advised BW Offshore on its acquisition of Ideol to create integrated global floating offshore wind company BW Ideol, whose shares are admitted for trading on Euronext Growth Oslo.