Vanessa Stefou
Associate
Vanessa is a maritime finance lawyer, with extensive experience advising shipowners and financiers on complex transactions.
Associate
Vanessa is a maritime finance lawyer, with extensive experience advising shipowners and financiers on complex transactions.
Languages - Greek, English, French
Vanessa Stefou is a dual-qualified associate (England & Wales and Greece) in the Maritime, Trade and Offshore group, specialising in ship finance transactions. She advises financiers and shipowners on a broad range of transactional shipping matters, including bilateral and syndicated loan facilities, sale and leasebacks, JOLCOs, and refinancing arrangements. Her experience spans both lender- and owner-side mandates, and involves both newbuild and second-hand vessels. She also advises on shipbuilding contracts, charterparties, pooling arrangements, and other commercial shipping contracts.
She is a member of the firm’s superyacht team, advising high-net-worth individuals on yacht acquisitions and related financing.
Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Vanessa worked in-house at a leading international tanker owner and operator, where she led and supported transactions across asset finance and commercial shipping. This experience enables her to provide practical, commercially grounded advice tailored to clients' strategic needs.
Ship finance - $260m JOLCO financing
Acted for a major tanker owner in relation to a $260m JOLCO financing for the acquisition of six newbuild MR product tankers.
Reflagging of JOLCO-financed fleet
Acted for a major tanker owner for the reflagging of nine JOLCO-financed tankers from Liberia/Marshall Islands to Singapore.
US$350m secured revolving credit facility
Acted for a leading NYSE-listed shipowner on the negotiation and documentation of a US$350 million secured revolving credit facility to refinance its 20-vessel fleet.
Sale and Purchase
Acquisition and related financing of four second-hand LR1 product tankers and three newbuild LR2 product tankers. Advised a major tanker owner on the acquisition of four second-hand LR1 product tankers via traditional lending, and the acquisition of three newbuild LR2 product tankers through a back-to-back sale-and-leaseback transaction.
Green and Sustainable Finance
Advised a shipowner and operator on regulatory aspects of sustainable shipping investments, including compliance with ESG-related frameworks, the EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime requirements, and voluntary cargo offset markets.
Shipowners and Operators
Acted for a major international shipowner and operator in negotiating pool agreements, time charter parties, and commercial management contracts. Drafted and negotiated bespoke clauses to reflect EU ETS and FuelEU requirements and helped shape new pool structures aligned with commercial objectives.
Acquisitions
Advised a leading global asset manager on its proposed acquisition of a leading energy infrastructure platform and owner and operator of LNG carriers.
Ardmore Shipping Corporation
Advised Ardmore Shipping Corporation on a US$350 million secured revolving credit facility refinancing.
