He heads the firm’s ship finance, shipping transport, oil and gas practice groups and co-heads the banking practice group.
Advises clients across various industries: Banking, insurance, shipping, subsea engineering and marine services, offshore construction, infrastructure (LNG ports, energy,oil & gas), logistics and transport.
Advising ship/rig owners on regulatory issues including flagging, cabotage, applicable taxes while investing in projects including LNG/port projects/FSRU projects, coastal,inland waterways, logistics, CFS & ICDs. Reviewing RFQ, bid documents,assessing risk areas.
While structuring investments he deals with competition law issues, red flag items-pollution,product liability, risks which are not insurable etc.
Advises Overseas Lenders in India related ship and structured finance for new builts,second hand vessels, offshore structures, sale and lease back.
He has extensive ship finance practice, having completed 400 ship finance deals in the past 12 years of new buildings,second-hand vessels, ocean-going vessels and oil rigs, LNG carriers, FSRUs, FPSOs, operating in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Some of the Go Green deals handled by him are:
· Actedfor overseas lenders for financing the first four LNG vessels “Disha, Raahi,Aseem, Prachi” flying foreign flags vessels on long term charters to PetronetLNG (2001-2004, 2009, 2016).
· Acted for Hoegh LNG in 2020 in regard to a 10-yearcharter with H-Energy for their LNG import terminal at Jaigarh, India. Höegh LNG will be the first FSRU operating in India and will replace a coal consumption with natural gas reducing CO2 emissions of 120 million tonnes etc.
Advises on all types of charterparty contracts,particularly relating to dry cargo (bulk)- iron ore/coal. Integrate subsea and marine service industry for seamless project delivery.
Recently advised private equity fund entering Indian shipping industry.
Mr. Thacker hand lessale and purchase contracts of goods/ services, take or pay, logistics, trade,commodities, supply chain contracts of raw material and finished products,licensing, dealership etc.
His litigation/arbitration practice is domestic& cross-border. Deals with banking & debt disputes, corporate insolvencies & restructurings, enforcement of foreign awards. Advises on managing litigation risks & facilitates negotiations to resolve disputes thus resulting in the least possible adverse effect to clients business &benefit
Lloyd’s List ranked him in the “Top 10 Lawyers” stating “HIGHLY regarded for his work in the LNG sector, particularly for interesting and highly geared finance deals in relation to infrastructure projects, energy, ports and ships.”
Mr Thacker is ranked Band 1 by Chambers: Shipping& Maritime for over last 10 years, and ranked in Banking & Insurance for several years. He is consistently recognized as leading lawyers for Shipping by Legal 500. He has also been ranked by Who’s Who Legal: Banking,Finance and Shipping from 2017 to 2021. Who’s Who Legal says: ‘WWL says: Shardul Thacker is singled out among peers for his "profound knowledge of the local legal environment and transactions" within the shipping industry”
He is the India correspondent for Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly.
Vice President of Indian Maritime Law Association, affiliated to CMI.
Member of Executive Committee of Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration, Maritime Users’ Council.
Contributed India Sections:
· International Maritime Law Handbook, Kluwer
· Transport Finance Law Review 2021, Law Business Research
· Chambers Global Practice Legal Guides for Shipping and Insurance 2019
· International Comparative Legal Guide for Shipping Law 2019, GLG, UK
· Time Bar in Insurance& Reinsurance, “An International Comparison”, Clyde & Co’s.
Cross-Border Security, Norton Rose & Buttorworths.
