Mohan Gopalan

Practice Areas

Mohan specialises in insolvency and debt restructuring and regularly advises creditors, debtors and insolvency office-holders on transactional and litigation aspects of insolvency and debt restructuring matters.

Career

LL.B (Hons) National University of Singapore; LL.M. (Banking and Finance Law), London; Admitted to the Singapore Bar

Professional Memberships

Member, Insolvency Practice Committee, Law Society of Singapore

Publications

“The Restructuring of Berlian Laju Tanker” (2016) 1 INSOL World 20; “Creditor Schemes of Arrangement and Dissenting Creditor Protection” (2018) 30 Singapore Academy of Law Journal 902; “Two things lenders should know about schemes of arrangement in Singapore” (2018) Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law 511; “The Moratorium under Sections 210(10) and 211B of the Companies Act” [2019] SAL Practitioner 2

Experience

Debt restructuring matters that Mohan has been involved in include:

1. Hin Leong Trading – Advised the informal steering committee of lenders in the insolvency of Hin Leong Trading, formerly one of Asia’s top oil traders.

2. Pacific International Lines – Advised Heliconia Capital Management (part of Temasek Holdings) on its US$600m investment as part of the restructuring of Pacific International Lines, the largest shipping carrier in Southeast Asia and 12th largest in the world.

3. Hyflux – Advised the Public Utilities Board and the National Environment Agency on Hyflux-related desalination and waste-to-energy plants in the context of Hyflux’s insolvency.

4. Floatel – Advised Keppel on the restructuring of its associated company Floatel, which owns and operates floating hotels for the offshore industry.

5. Berlian Laju Tanker – Advised the Indonesian shipping company PT Berlian Laju Tanker Tbk in a restructuring of over US$2 billion of debt, implemented using the scheme of arrangement process in Singapore as well as PKPU proceedings in Indonesia, Chapter 15 process in the United States and consensual arrangements with certain creditors. This transaction was named the Restructuring Deal of the Year at the IFLR Asia Awards 2016 and Insolvency Deal of the Year at the Asian Lawyer Emerging Markets Awards 2016.

6. Pacific Andes – Advised the debtor companies on a US$2.5 billion worldwide restructuring involving scheme of arrangement proceedings in Singapore. This transaction was named Finance Deal of the Year (Restructuring and Insolvency) at The Asian Lawyer Asia Legal Awards 2017 and won the Asialaw Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Award 2017 – Matter of the Year at the Asialaw Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Summit 2017.