Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance advises StraitNZ on ro-pax ferry sale

Law firm Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance has advised StraitNZ on the sale of its ro-pax ferry, MV Strait Feronia, to Egyptian shipping conglomerate Pan Marine.

The transaction involved multiple elements, including unwinding an existing security package, deregistering the vessel from the New Zealand ship registry and re-flagging the vessel under the Panama flag on the same day, which required Stephenson Harwood to liaise with ship registries and correspondent counsel across multiple jurisdictions.

The sale forms part of StraitNZ’s wider strategy to replace its older ferries including the 28-year-old MV Strait Feronia and the 20-year-old MV Straitsman, which was sold in April 2023.

StraitNZ’s fleet now consists of two newer ferries, sister vessels MV Connemara and MV Livia, that were built by the Visentiri yard in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The Connemara was acquired by StraitNZ in November 2022 while the Livia was acquired in April 2025. Stephenson Harwood supported StraitNZ in each of these transactions.

The Stephenson Harwood team was led by Singapore-based Partner Pedram Norton, supported by Associate Jonathan Simpson.