Christopher Hewitt of Moulis Legal spoke yesterday at the 31st Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference to leading mid-stream petroleum businesses and market leaders.

Christopher spoke on the evolution of the mid and downstream petroleum industry in Asia and the move away from a refinery to bowser business model. He spoke of the need for petroleum companies across the Asia Pacific region to work more closely with competitors and more niche businesses through the industry and across borders.

Christopher said:

In boardrooms and around negotiating tables we have seen a move towards industry independency and a greater emphasis on commercial relationships that allow for joint and shared success, rather than disposable service arrangements.

Christopher identified some concrete legal strategies and structure that can be used to capitalise on this changing environment, including:

• special purpose vehicles
• equity sharing in cross border markets
• entry business structures
• learning best practice from various Asia Pacific jurisdictions and applying those to jurisdictional and cultural circumstances

For more information, please contact Christopher Hewitt on +61 7 3367 6900 or by email at christopher.hewitt@moulislegal.com