Ashurst advised the syndicate of lenders, jointly coordinated by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. and Barclays Bank plc, on the amendment and extension of a US$1.2bn syndicated revolving credit facility for Petrofac, a FTSE-250 listed leading provider of oilfield services to the international oil and gas industry.

The facility, which now matures in June 2020, includes two one-year extension options (subject to lender approval) and is available for the Petrofac group's general corporate purposes.

Clifford Chance advised Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) on a US$1.5 billion syndicated loan facility.

NautaDutilh advised an international syndicate of lenders on the financing of the acquisition of Weener Plastic Packaging Group ("WPPG") by 3i. The syndicate comprised of Bank of Ireland, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank Deutschland, GE Corporate Finance Bank S.C.A., IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, ING Bank N.V., Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and SOCIETE GENERALE, Frankfurt Branch.

3i invests approximately EUR 250 million. The transaction is still subject to the approval by the antitrust authorities.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised UK-based social impact investor AgDevCo and KfW, the German development bank, on the establishment of an investment holding company, The Lending for African Farming Company (LAFCo), in Mauritius.

Ashurst advised an international lender syndicate on the financing of the acquisition of Weener Plastic Packaging Group ("WPPG") by 3i. The syndicate banks comprised Bank of Ireland, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank Deutschland, GE Corporate Finance Bank S.C.A., IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, ING Bank N.V., Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and SOCIETE GENERALE, Frankfurt Branch.

DLA Piper has advised Gordon Brothers Europe (GBE) on its £1.2 million second lien term loan to Theo Fennell, a leading luxury jewellery retailer. The loan was provided in conjunction with a new senior facility from a UK-based lender.

Theo Fennell combines design and craftsmanship to create original, imaginative and unusual pieces sold through its own stores, concessions and selective retailers around the world. The loan will be used to support the working capital needs and future growth of the business.

King & Wood Mallesons advised Deutsche Bank AG and HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG as arrangers on the syndicated financing of Merz Gruppe. The syndicate comprised of BNP Paribas S.A. – Frankfurt Branch, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurter Sparkasse and HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG provides syndicated financing for Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA, Frankfurt Branch with a five-year term and an increase option.

Ashurst is advising Goldman Sachs in relation to the £388 million recommended cash acquisition of Anite plc by Keysight Technologies Netherlands B.V., a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Keysight Technologies, Inc.

Slaughter and May, working as part of an integrated team with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, advised INEOS Finance plc and INEOS US Finance LLC on the extension of the maturity date from 2018 to 2020 of EUR 1,118,342,825.90 and US$1,145,739,606.52 term loans under their existing credit agreement.

CONTACTS

Financing: Caroline Phillips (partner), Rebecca Nind (associate), Emily Stratten (associate) and Martin Byers (associate).

A team led by Dr. Christoph Wetzler and Klaus Weinand-Härer of the Frankfurt office of commercial law firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek advised automotive supplier Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. (Hella), Lippstadt, on structuring a syndicated loan. The loan by an international banking consortium for EUR 450 million has a term of five years with two extension options for one additional year each. The loan is to serve general corporate financing purposes.