Counting banks, lessors, shipowners, operators, port and terminal operators among its key roster of clients, CMS Hong Kong LLP advises on traditional and offshore shipping finance mandates, with additional expertise in aircraft and aircraft engine financing and leasing issues. Tim Elliott has ‘extensive experience’ in debt and leasing transactions, with a particular focus on offshore oil and gas shipping, and jointly leads the team alongside Conor Warde, who acts for lenders, lessors, investors, and corporate clients in maritime transactions.
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Profile

Work Department

Asset finance (including aviation and shipping finance)

Position

Partner

Career

Conor Warde is a partner in the Hong Kong office and leads the firm’s shipping finance practice in Asia. Conor helps lenders, lessors, investors, and corporate clients navigate their way through complicated transactions in the maritime and energy industries. He also represents a broad spectrum of clients in international financings, M&A, restructurings, and other corporate transactions across multiple industries and involving a broad range of corporate finance and investment issues, including senior and subordinated debt financings, asset-based lending transactions, and private equity investments.

Conor also has significant experience in representing owners and operators of offshore and traditional vessels and other maritime and offshore interests, primarily regarding energy-related projects, private equity and ship and other asset financing transactions, ship sale and purchase and shipbuilding contracts, international regulatory compliance, offshore drilling contracts and regulatory matters, international sanctions regimes, and pollution incident response and criminal prosecutions. Conor has been actively involved as a lawyer in the maritime industry since 2004 and has been based in Asia since 2011. He has spoken and moderated panels at numerous conferences around the world and is an active contributor to various publications and media. Conor is admitted as a solicitor/lawyer in five jurisdictions, namely England & Wales, Hong Kong, Maryland (USA), Washington DC (USA), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Memberships

  • Marshall Islands Quality Council of the Marshall Islands Shipping Registry.
  • Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program.

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘With rich experience in aircraft and ship financing and leasing matters, the team are meticulous and conscientious in their work and are able to provide a variety of flexible solutions.'

  • ‘Tim Elliott has extensive experience in litigation and advisory work.'

  • ‘The shipping team is efficient and trustworthy.'

  • ‘Vivian Zou gives advice to clients to mitigate the risks and provide good guidance. When urgently needed, she is always reachable.'

  • ‘The team has efficient communication with clients.'

Key clients

  • Bumi Armada Berhad
  • BW Energy Limited
  • CCB Asia
  • CCB Financial Leasing Corporation Limited
  • China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited
  • CMB Financial Leasing
  • Equinor UK Limited
  • GE Energy Financial Services
  • ICBC Financial Leasing
  • Jiangsu Financial Leasing Co., Ltd
  • Jiangsu Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd
  • Minsheng Financial Leasing Co. Ltd
  • Seaspan Corp
  • Shandong Huachen Financial Leasing Co., LTD

Work highlights

Representing a Chinese financial leasing company in the lease financing of two gas carriers for a Danish shipowner group on complex financial lease arrangements, including the exiting of existing financiers and the exercising of purchase options.
Representing a Chinese financial leasing company in the lease financing of two Liberian-flagged LPG tankers for a joint venture between a United Arab Emirates shipping group and an Indonesian shipping group.
Representing a Chinese financial leasing company in a 2 VLOCs buy-back transaction.