Clemens C Hillmer

Practice Areas

Clemens is heading the German Assets & Structured Finance Group.

Clemens advises on all aspects of maritime financing (including container boxes), with a focus on asset-/structured finance, leasing transactions, restructurings/work-outs and loan portfolio transfers, as well as on the commercial matters relating to the sale, purchase, employment, operation and recycling of maritime assets.

Career

Clemens is recommended as a leading finance lawyer by directories Legal 500 EMEA, Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, JUVE Handbuch and Who’s Who Legal. In Chambers clients praised that his “main strengths are his speed and ability to offer practical solutions, as well as efficient communication”. Furthermore, he was described as “a well-reputed expert in the financing of portfolio acquisitions and in refinancing loans.”

He has also been awarded “The Best Lawyers in Germany” in the field of Asset Finance Law by Best Lawyers in cooperation with business magazine Handelsblatt.

Work Highlights

Advising hsh portfoliomanagement AöR on the sale of a shipping loan portfolio of more than US$1bn secured by 56 ship mortgages. This deal won “The Restructuring Deal of the Year 2022”, Marine Money.

Advising Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG as lead counsel on a $135 million Fund Level Facility for the purpose of re-financing sale-and-lease-back ship transactions concluded by a subsidiary of fund managed by Meerbaum Capital Solutions. This deal won “The Structured Finance Deal of the Year 2020”, Marine Money.

Advising Höegh LNG Ltd on the refinancing of two LNG FSRUS and entry into new German terminals.

Successful representation of a German bank in the judicial recovery of a payment claim against a holding company under an oral letter of comfort in the double-digit USD million range.

Advising Hamburg Commercial Bank on a US$180m bank facility provided to an intermediate holding company of MPC Container Ships ASA.