Ship finance in the age of COVID-19

A “Ship finance in the age of COVID-19” webinar, co-organised by Maritime London and Watson Farley Williams LLP (WFW), was held on Wednesday, 6 May.

Participants included Lindsey Keeble, Partner and Global Maritime Sector Head at WFW, who was both panel discussion moderator and speaker; George Paleokrassas, Partner & Head of Greece at WFW; Stephen Fewster, Global Head of Transportation Finance, ING Bank; and Jos Standerwick, Maritime London Chief Executive, who delivered an introduction and handled Q&A.

Discussion centred on “how ship finance is working to maintain a ‘business as usual’ approach in the face of the challenges arising from the pandemic,” commented Keeble afterwards, together with “potential pitfalls to be mindful of and the solutions which are emerging.”

“The shipping industry is facing an unprecedented challenge in the face of Covid-19 but we should remember this is a cyclical industry and we have faced bad markets on numerous occasions before,” pointed out Fewster. “Those companies who identify potential problems at an early stage and prove themselves agile in both the way they operate their vessels and finance their activities will emerge from this as winners.”

“It was very interesting to participate in such a dynamic discussion and exchange information and ideas regarding the ways in which the shipping industry as a whole is adapting to yet another challenge,” concluded Paleokrassas, “as well as the long-term changes and developments in the industry which may be triggered or accelerated as a result of the pandemic.”

Use this link to reply the webinar.