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Ian Herbert

Partner

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Ian Herbert is a partner in CMS’ Oil & Gas Team and advises clients on a wide range of energy related matters with a particular focus on oil and gas infrastructure projects and supply chain contracts, as well as M&A.

Ian was seconded to BP for 15 months to advise on the procurement of four FPSOs and associated infrastructure for the development of major deep-water oil & gas fields offshore Angola, and has advised BP on all its major supply chain contracts in Iraq since 2009. Ian previously spent four years working for a leading offshore engineering & construction contractor, McDermott Inc. 

With more than 450 energy and climate change lawyers, including over 100 partners, the CMS Energy and Climate Change practice is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Led from its centres of excellence such as London and Aberdeen, the practice works across 75 offices globally. Building on 40 years of experience advising on power, oil & gas and renewables through to energy disputes, emerging areas and Energy Transition, CMS is uniquely placed to ensure clients receive advice best suited to their commercial needs and to our collective future.

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Relevant experience

Oil & Gas Projects

  • Premier, Repsol, BP, BG, Salamander, Nautical and Baker Hughes on standard form supply chain contracts.
  • Maersk Oil & Gas on bareboat leasing, operations and maintenance and EPCI contracts for the development of the Chissonga field, offshore Angola, involving an FPSO and a tension leg wellhead platform.
  • BP Angola’s programme for the US$25bn development of 4 deep-water oil & gas fields. This involved leading the drafting and negotiation of EPCI contracts for 4 FPSO vessels to be converted from existing tanker hulls and key topsides production equipment, as well as associated subsea equipment, risers, flowlines and umbilicals.
  • BP Iraq on a wide range of contracts which BP is placing as part of the redevelopment of the giant onshore Rumaila field, including high value drilling, workover and wells services agreements, as well as construction projects for power plants, water treatment plants, processing facilities, replacement of pipelines and degassing stations, and the development of secure camp facilities.
  • Talisman-Sinopec on the £1.5bn project for the redevelopment of the Montrose Arbroath platforms in the North Sea, including EPCI contracts for the design, build and installation of a new bridge linked platform, upgrades to the facilities on an existing platform, and the associated subsea systems, umbilicals, flowlines and risers.
  • Ocean Rig on a number of high profile offshore drilling contracts (and associated matters) with E&P companies such as Petrobras, Total, Vanco, Hess and Tullow.

Oil and gas M&A

  • BP on various deals, including the disposal of assets in Egypt, US and Canada to Apache in a US$7billion deal, and multi-billion US$ potential acquisitions in Ghana and Australia.
  • Melrose Resources on the farm-out of an interest in exploration and production acreage offshore France (in the Mediterranean) to Noble, the farm-out of an interest in Block 27, offshore Romania, to Beach Energy, and the farm-in to the Midia and Pelican Blocks, offshore Romania, from Sterling Resources including associated loan arrangements.
  • Dea (previously RWE Dea) on various disposals and acquisitions.

Mining / Power

  • UK Coal plc on its major coal supply agreements, including contracts with Drax, E.ON, SSE and EDF worth more than £1billion in aggregate.
  • SSE on coal purchase agreements.
  • Portucel on a US biomass plant project, including off-take agreements.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Committee Member, IBA UK Energy Lawyers
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Education

  • University of Surrey, Joint Honours Degree in Russian and Law.
  • College of Law, Legal Practice Course.
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Feed

26/06/2023
Our Mining & Mineral Practice
Sector-focused legal advice for the full lifecycle of your mining project From preliminary negotiations with government bodies to secure crucial mining titles, through to project development, financing...
07/08/2020
Oil & Gas / Shipping – Commercial Court Examines Legal Effect of “Subject...
In the context of a crude oil voyage charter, the Commercial Court has provided guidance on the legal effect of “subject to” provisions in contracts. In doing so, the Commercial Court noted that...
06/03/2020
Oil & Gas: Hydrocarbon sales - risk of loss of pre-payment and without...
In VTB Commodities Trading DAC v JSC Antipinsky Refinery [2020] EWHC 72 (Comm) the Commercial Court refused to continue an order for specific performance relating to the delivery of gasoil that had been...
13/01/2020
Shipping & Maritime
CMS has 74 offices in 42 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Russia, China, Hong Kong, North Africa and Latin America. We are recognised as a leading law firm both in the UK and globally, delivering...
17/07/2018
Oil & Gas: drilling down into termination for force majeure
In Seadrill Ghana Operations Limited v. Tullow Ghana Limited [2018] EWHC 1640 (Comm), Tullow Ghana Limited (“Tullow”) sought to defend its termination of a contract for hire of a drilling rig with...
16/07/2018
Oil & Gas: Drilling down into termination for force majeure
In Seadrill Ghana Operations Limited v. Tullow Ghana Limited [2018] EWHC 1640 (Comm), Tullow Ghana Limited (“Tullow”) sought to defend its termination of a contract for hire of a drilling rig with...
27/11/2017
Pemex makes biggest onshore find in 15 years
Mexican state-owned oil company, Pemex, announced that it has made its biggest onshore oil discovery in 15 years in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. The discovery at the Ixachi-1 well holds an original...
29/09/2017
Mexico: Round 2.1 contracts signed, momentum builds up to Round 2.4
Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) this week signed exploration and extraction contracts with bid round winners from June's shallow water Round 2.1 (see our Law Now here). Round 2.1 was...
26/07/2017
Mexico: Winners of Oil & Gas Licensing Rounds 2.1 -2.3 Announced
The Centro Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) has announced the results of Mexico’s 5th, 6th and 7th Oil & Gas exploration Rounds since the reform of the country’s hydrocarbons industry. The Rounds generated...
25/07/2017
Oil and Gas: An Inel-UCTA-ble Consideration for Exclusion Clauses
The arguments concerning the applicability of an exclusion clause in the face of extreme conduct by the party relying on that clause are familiar to most practitioners in the oil and gas sector. What...
17/07/2017
Mexico: Significant Oil Discovery Increases Industry Momentum
Mexico’s increasingly lucrative hydrocarbons industry has gathered momentum through the fifth largest global oil discovery since 2012. A joint venture led by Houston-based Talos Energy made the discovery...
13/12/2016
Mexico finally announces results of deepwater auctions
The results of Round 1.4 and the PEMEX “Trion Round” have definitely shown that the Mexican oil and gas market is open for business with domestic and foreign investors flocking in to take advantage...