Yanal Abul Failat

Biography

Yanal is an Of Counsel in the Corporate practice based in Dubai and a core member of Al Tamimi & Company’s Energy and Resources Practice Group.

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Recent Experience

Corporate Energy (Upstream – M&A, Joint Ventures and Project Development)

Highlights of Yanal’s experience as lead counsel include advising:

• national and international oil companies on acquisitions and host government instruments, including concessions, production sharing contracts, licences, and upstream contractual arrangements across more than 40 jurisdictions
• an Iraqi E&P company on the drafting and negotiation of a development and production contract with the Ministry of Oil for an integrated oil and gas field in northern Iraq, together with the associated joint bidding arrangements, joint operating agreement, and related project documentation
• a Southeast Asian oil and gas company on its farm-in to an upstream exploration and production block in Basra, Iraq, including related joint venture and participating interest arrangements
• an international oil and gas major on its bid for, and negotiation of, an onshore unconventional gas concession and associated joint operating agreement in Oman
• an international oil and gas company, as Omani co-counsel, on its farm-in to an onshore exploration and production sharing block in Oman
• an E&P company on its participation in an upstream gas concession and associated concession documentation in Abu Dhabi
• an E&P company on direct negotiations with ADNOC in relation to an upstream concession agreement and associated concession documentation in Abu Dhabi
• Maha Energy AB on the sale of its entire participating interest in Block 70 onshore Oman to Mafraq Energy LLC
• Maha Energy (Oman) Ltd on all aspects of its investment in, and development of, Block 70 onshore Oman, including its exploration and production sharing agreement and related midstream arrangements
• BlackRock and KKR, as UAE counsel, on the disposal of 40% of their respective indirect interests in ADNOC Oil Pipelines LLC to Lunate
• a Southeast Asian major international oil and gas company on its participation in the fifth and sixth Iraqi licensing rounds, including bids for exploration, development, and production sharing contracts and development and production contracts
• an independent commodities trading company on its auction bid for the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of an Africa-based oil company operating three petroleum storage terminals and approximately 40 retail fuel stations
• a Chinese E&P company on its participation in Iraqi licensing rounds, including advice on exploration and production sharing and development and production contract frameworks
• a crude oil storage tanker company on its acquisition of a minority interest in a bulk liquid storage terminal operator in the Port of Fujairah
• a Chinese E&P company operating in central Iraq on the Iraqi oil and gas regulatory framework across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, and on aspects of its technical service contract
• Mercantile & Maritime on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of GTI Fujairah, a bulk oil storage terminal operator in the Port of Fujairah
• a Fujairah midstream operator on the acquisition of an oil refinery located in Abu Dhabi, including demolition, dismantling, transportation, and reassembly in Libya, and the structuring of related joint venture and asset arrangements
• an independent commodities trading company on its potential acquisition of oil storage assets in Fujairah
• MedcoEnergi, as Omani co-counsel, on its farm-in to the Block 60 and Block 48 Exploration and Production Sharing Agreements in Oman
• a Nigerian E&P company on its proposed acquisition of oil mining licences and related assets in Nigeria (value confidential)*
• a multinational oil and gas company on its acquisition of 51% of the issued share capital of a European bunkering group with operations in Malta, Belgium, and the Netherlands, including related corporate and licensing aspects*
• a multinational oil and gas company on its investment and participation in offshore gas concessions in Egypt*
• Sapura Energy Berhad on its agreement to establish a joint venture with OMV (approximately US$900 million)*
• a Southeast Asian E&P company on its proposed acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq*
• SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad on its acquisition of Newfield’s oil and gas assets in Malaysia and China (approximately US$1.3 billion)*
• CEFC China Energy on its proposed acquisition of a 14.2% shareholding in Rosneft Oil Company from Glencore and Qatar Investment Authority (approximately US$9 billion)*
• CEFC China Energy on its proposed acquisition of Partex Oil and Gas (Holdings) from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, including interests in Angola, Brazil, Portugal, Abu Dhabi, and Oman*
• a Chinese conglomerate on a series of strategic acquisitions of private oil and gas companies in the Russian Federation (approximately US$5 billion)*
• a minority shareholder, together with Reliance Industries, on the disposal of its interest in African fuel retailer GAPCO to Total SA*
• Trans European Oil and Gas Limited on its proposed acquisition of upstream interests in Norway, Italy, and Poland*
• Edison International S.p.A on its farm-in and earn-in of a 25% interest in Falkland Oil and Gas*
• Edison E&P Limited and Euroil Exploration Limited on acquisitions and farm-ins relating to multiple UK North Sea fields and prospects*
• a European E&P company on its proposed acquisition of upstream assets across Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway*

Other Experience

Additional experience includes:

• advising producers, national and independent traders, and offtakers on spot and long-term sale and purchase agreements for crude oil, natural gas, and refined products, together with associated lifting, pricing, and export arrangements. Experience includes crude oil marketing and SOMO lifting structures in Iraq, terminal access and storage arrangements (including in Fujairah and Indonesia), and downstream trading, marketing, and distribution activities across the UAE, the Middle East, and internationally
• advising strategic investors, private equity sponsors, and regional corporate groups on cross-border acquisitions, minority investments, and joint ventures across multiple sectors. Experience includes transaction structuring, shareholder arrangements, and regulatory matters across the UAE (including DIFC, ADGM, and other free zones), Oman, Iraq, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• advising government entities, procurers, and investors on the structuring, procurement, and documentation of public-private partnership (PPP) and concession projects across the energy and infrastructure sectors, including projects in Jordan, Syria, and the UAE involving government entities, project agreements, and long-term concession arrangements
• contributing author to leading industry publications on upstream oil and gas law, including chapters in The Encyclopaedia of Upstream Oil and Gas (Globe Law and Business), UK Oil and Gas Law: Current Practice and Emerging Trends (Edinburgh University Press) and Understanding Joint Operating Agreements (Intersentia), as well as articles on concessions, joint operating agreements and petroleum commercial arrangements published in OGEL and other industry journals