Ben James, Energy Lawyer, London Attorney, Bracewell

Ben gets to the heart of the matter without over-lawyering. He’s a really good, well-rounded transactional lawyer.
Chambers UK, 2024

Ben is an energy lawyer with a particular focus on the oil and gas sector. He has advised clients on the development, sale, purchase and financing of oil and gas assets across the value chain, from wellhead to market. Ben has particular experience in relation to African transactions, having advised on deals in more than 25 jurisdictions across the continent.

Hunt Oil Company

sale to MidOcean of a 15 percent interest in Peru LNG, South America’s only LNG export facility
on matters across its international oil and gas portfolio, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and Peru

Rhino Resources

farm-down of Block 2914A in the offshore Namibian Orange basin to Azule Energy, ahead of a two well drilling campaign

Savannah Energy PLC

all-share acquisition of Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Limited, the holder of a 49 percent participating interest in the Stubb Creek Field, Nigeria
$407 million acquisition of ExxonMobil’s entire interest in the Doba oil fields in Chad and its stake in the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline
sale and purchase agreement with PETRONAS International Corporation Limited to acquire its interest in three onshore blocks in South Sudan for up to $1.25 billion

Impact Oil & Gas Ltd

farmout of its interests in Blocks 2912 and 2913B offshore Namibia, which contain the Venus discovery, to TotalEnergies EP Namibia B.V.
on its strategic options for the Venus discovery in Namibia; in South Africa on its farm-down of Tugela South block to Shell and farm-in to Area 2; the acquisition of upstream blocks in Gabon, Namibia, the Senegal-Guinea Bissau AGC; the farm-down of the AGC block to CNOOC and the Namibia block to Total

Hillwood International Energy, LP

acquisition of Kerogen Investments No. 7 Limited’s interest in HKN Energy, Ltd, the owner of a 62 percent operated interest in the Sarsang PSC in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and on its ongoing operations in-country

Storegga Ltd

foundation equity financing with Macquarie and subsequent equity financings with GIC, Mitsui, Macquarie, M&G and SNAM; acquisition of Pale Blue Dot Energy, the lead developer of the Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage Project at the St Fergus Gas Terminal in the UK; advising on the growth of its DAC business

Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

up to $150 million prepayment facility in Colombia with Trafigura as lender and crude oil offtaker

Genel Energy plc

in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on its farm-in to the Chevron operated Sarta and Qara Dagh blocks, the development and commercialization of its Miran and Bina Bawi gas discoveries for export to Turkey, the acquisition of OMV’s interest in the Bina Bawi Block, the farm-down of the Chia Surkh block, crude transportation and marketing arrangements

Trafigura

on the redevelopment and financing of the Berbera oil terminal in Somaliland

Savannah Petroleum plc

material aspects of its takeover of the Seven Energy Nigerian business, including relating to the re-organisation of the Uquo onshore gas field and the Accugas gas processing facility and the re-listing of its shares on the stock exchange; on its gas sales agreements; on its exploration assets in Niger; on the divestment of its interest in Lekoil Cayman

Anglo Tunisian Oil & Gas Limited

acquisition of Medco Tunisia, a seven asset upstream oil and gas business in Tunisia, including the associated acquisition financing from Trafigura

Assala Energy UK Limited

on its long term crude sales agreement in Gabon

Ophir Energy plc

$2 billion floating LNG project offshore Equatorial Guinea, including host government arrangements, LNG sales agreements, chartering agreements, joint venture arrangements, project financing and construction

Anglo African Oil and Gas plc

Tilapia field operations in the Republic of Congo

Trident Energy Management Limited

acquisition financing to acquire, in partnership with Kosmos, Hess’ business in Equatorial Guinea

GAIL (India)

LNG cargo swap transactions around the globe

Chevron

exit from Mauritania

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