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Dimitris Manolopoulos has been with the firm since 2009 based in the Athens office. Dimitris advises on a wide range of shipping, corporate and tax matters including carriage of goods by sea, international trade, marine insurance, admiralty law, banking and financial services, ship finance, ship sale and purchase, ship sale and leaseback, newbuildings, loan restructurings, loan workouts, public offerings, shipping taxation, EU/UN sanctions and various corporate issues. He also further regularly advises on estate planning, commercial leases and hotel management agreements and relevant day to day affairs.

Dimitris has been a member of the Athens Bar since 2010. He obtained his law degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a master’s degree in Maritime Law (LLM) from the University of Southampton. He is also a QLTS Candidate for membership in the Law Society of England and Wales (Solicitor). Dimitris has also attended seminars on International Taxation / Accounting at Deloitte Academy.

Dimitris is a co-author of the Greek Chapter of the 2014 and 2015 Ship Finance Edition of Getting the Deal Through and is fluent in Greek, English and German.

Experience, key assignments and notable projects

2015

• Acting on behalf of Navios Europe (II) Inc. on the acquisition of fourteen vessels from debtors of HSH Nordbank AG through an innovative financing structure. This project involved the acquisition of seven bulkers and seven container vessels with a purchase price of US$327.7 million in cash funded by a US$135 million senior bank debt and a US$14 million investment from Navios Maritime Holding Inc., Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation and Navios Maritime Partners L.P. and the assumption of US$192 million subordinated HSH participating loan facility. This transaction was concluded in June 2015 (V&P Law Firm was one of the finalists for the Lloyd’s List Global Awards - Deal of the Year Award 2015 in respect of this transaction).
• Advising the Highest Bidder in the international tender process for the acquisition of the property in Afantou, Rhodes, Greece owned by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund S.A.

2014

• Acting on behalf of Attica Holdings S.A.in relation to the restructuring of Attica Group’s existing debt (including a €200,000,000 bond loan issued by Blue Star Ferries Maritime S.A. originally led by Citibank International Plc and with Aegean Baltic Bank S.A. as the new agent and loan facilities in the aggregate amounts of €253,927,710 (originally) provided by KfW IPEX – Bank GmbH) plus new bond loans in relation to a €25,000,000 common bond loan and a €50,000,000 exchangeable bond loan subscribed to by affiliates of Fortress Credit Corp. with Eurobank Ergasias S.A. as agent, a €50,000,000 convertible bond loan was issued by Attica Holdings S.A. in relation to the above mentioned exchangeable bond loan and a new €42,425,000 bond loan led by Piraeus Bank S.A.
• Acting on behalf of a major hotel management company on the entry into a distress hotel owning group, its overall debt restructuring and the conclusion of commercial agreements and quiet enjoyment agreements for the purpose of safeguarding the prospects of the group.

2013

• Acting on behalf of Navios Europe Inc. on the acquisition of ten vessels from debtors of HSH Nordbank AG through an innovative financing structure. This project involved the acquisition of five tankers and five container vessels with a purchase price of US$127.8 million in cash funded by a US$120.4 million senior bank debt and a US$10 million investment from Navios Maritime Holding Inc., Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation and Navios Maritime Partners L.P. and the assumption of US$173.4 million subordinated HSH participating loan facility. This transaction was concluded in December 2013.
• Assisted the bondholders in relation to a US$300,000,000 offering of first priority ship mortgage notes by ELETSON HOLDINGS INC (Marine Money Public Debt Deal of the Year Award 2013).
• Assisted NAVIOS MARITIME PARTNERS L.P. in connection with a US$260,000,000 syndicated senior secured term loan facility and a subsequent increase of such facility by US$ 179,500,000.
• Assisted NAVIOS MARITIME ACQUISITION CORPORATION in relation to the US$610,000,000 offering of first priority ship mortgage notes due 2021.
• Advising AGC EQUITY PARTNERS in relation the tender for purchase of the majority stake in ASTIR PALACE VOULIAGMENIS S.A.
• Advising a major hotel management group on the assumption of the management of a number of hotel complexes in Greece.
• Advising a number of shipowning/shipmanagement companies on the recent tax implications further to the enactment of Greek Law 4110/2013 and subsequent Greek Law 4141/2013 as well as the enactment of law 4172/2013.
• Advising listed and unlisted ship-owning groups and their P&I clubs in relation to the recent EU sanctions on Iran (Regulation (EU) 267/2012) and the implications on the carriage of crude oil from/to Iran, marine insurance cover for such carriage and on financial transactions with Iranian entities.

2012

• Advising a major shipowning group in relation to the overall tax treatment of shipowning/shipmanagement companies in Greece.
• Assisted Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. in relation to an Indenture for the issuance of First Priority Ship Mortgage Notes due 2017 and their placement in the US market.
• Assisted Aegean Baltic Bank S.A. in the assessment of risks under time and bareboat charters that would be assigned by borrowers as security under loan agreements.
• Assisted a privately held shipowning group in re-negotiating executed shipbuilding contracts with COSCO group.

2011

• Assisted Marfin Popular Bank Public Co Ltd in rendering a facility to a major chartering group secured by inter alia the assignment of receivables under voyage charterparties.
• Advising a private client on the tax implications of mooring a superyacht in Greece.
• Acted for shipowners and financial institutions on numerous ship sale and purchase negotiations and transactions involving overseas closings.
• Acted for shipowners and financial institutions on a number of negotiations regarding shipbuilding contracts concluded with overseas shipbuilding groups.
• Acted on behalf of a German Bank for the purpose of conducting two rounds of shipping due diligence on a US listed company in relation to issuance of senior unsecured notes and placement in the US market.