Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), Nishimura & Asahi and NoordenJones have advised on the Japanese operating lease with call option (JOLCO) financing for Hapag-Lloyd’s portfolio of shipping containers.
Mizuho Bank, a subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group, provided debt financing to the lessors. It was further complemented by arranging services provided by affiliated companies. Affiliated companies complemented this debt financing with arranging services.
Partner Frederik Lorenzen led the WFW team, which also comprised counsel Andrey Latyshev, senior associate Müyesser Demirel and associate Leon Rupp. Additional support was provided by partner Maren Brandes and senior sssociate Parit Patani, who advised on English law matters.
“We were advising on the financing and security documentation. JOLCO transactions require a well-coordinated international team capable of delivering high-quality advice in an efficient manner,” Lorenzen told Asia Business Law Journal.
Nishimura & Asahi acted as counsel to an unnamed Japanese lessor and were led by Tokyo-based partner Nobuhiko Harada.
NoordenJones advised Hapag-Lloyd on the JOLCO financing with a team comprising partner Clemens Hillmer, counsel Jan Mommsen and associate Jann Ole Golzio.
WFW said Hapag-Lloyd was among the world’s top liner shipping companies. Headquartered in Germany, the company operates a fleet of 302 modern container vessels with total transport capacity of 2.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
