Stephenson Harwood advises National Bank of Greece on $80 million facility for Star Bulk Carriers Corp

Law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP has advised National Bank of Greece (NBG) on a $80 million secured loan facility to Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (Star Bulk), a leading NASDAQ-listed global dry bulk shipping company.

The facility was secured in part by security over 14 vessels in Star Bulk’s fleet. It was structured to refinance existing indebtedness and provide additional liquidity to Star Bulk.

Chris Vartzis, Partner at Stephenson Harwood, said, “This transaction reflects NBG’s continued activity in the shipping finance market and its support for established industry leaders. It involved a significant cross-border financing workstream, delivered to a demanding timetable and requiring close coordination between the client teams and our lawyers across multiple jurisdictions.”

The transaction drew on legal input across the Marshall Islands, Liberia, Malta, Singapore and Cyprus.

The Stephenson Harwood team was led by Athens-based Partner Chris Vartzis, with support from Associates Nefeli Christodoulou Founta, Thanassis Mitrakas, and Zeta Giannouli, and Paralegal Katerina Christodoulidou. Marshall Islands/Liberian law advice was provided by Partner Vanessa Tzoannos and Singapore law advice was provided by Partner Colin Jarraw and Associate Jamie Loh.