Patrick Smith
Partner London
PATRICK IS A PARTNER IN THE ASSETS & STRUCTURED FINANCE GROUP.
Patrick specialises in shipping finance, predominantly working on debt finance and leasing transactions for owners, international banks, private equity funds and agency and trustee service providers.
He also regularly acts on restructurings, the due diligence aspects of mergers, fleet acquisitions and loan portfolio sales and on some commercial shipping transactions.
Patrick qualified in January 2006 and joined the firm as an Associate in June 2007. He has spent several months working with the firm in Greece and has previously worked in Russia.
He has acted on numerous Marine Money ‘Deals of the Year’, most recently the Marine Money ‘Leasing – West Deal of the Year Award’ for 2022 – USD 160 million JOLCO for Seapeak LLC
- Acting for Global Meridian Holdings (a fund managed by JP Morgan) in relation to the lease financing for four newbuild LNG carriers at Samsung Heavy Industries which will go onto long term charter with Qatar Energy. This deal won Marine Money Leasing East Deal of the Year 2023.
- Advising a Teekay joint venture with a Chinese counterpart on a US$1.6bn term loan facility from a Chinese bank to fund six 172,410cm Arc7 liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) carrier newbuildings for the Yamal LNG project.
- Advising General Maritime Corporation on its US$1.4bn merger with Navig8 Crude Tankers to create one the world’s largest owners of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) with a combined fleet of 28 VLCCs. This deal won the Marine Money 'M&A Deal of the Year'.
- Advising Teekay on Chinese sale and leaseback transactions worth over US$1bn from three different lessors for six 173,400cbm MEGI LNG carriers.
- Advising Altera Shuttle Tankers on a $367 million Senior and Junior Secured Amendment and Upsize Facility. This deal won the Marine Money Export Credit Agency Deal of the Year 2020 award, and the original financing won the Marine Money 'ECA Deal of the Year West' 2018 award.
Education
- 2003 · Nottingham Law School, Diploma in Legal Practice
- 2002 · Nottingham Law School, Postgraduate Diploma in Law
- 2001 · Christ Church, Oxford University, MA (Oxon) Modern History and Russian
memberships & associations
- Law Society of England & Wales