Partner - BCom LLB (Hons)

Bangkok : +66 2646 1888 ext 1004 / +66 811 733 488
Phnom Penh : +855 23 215 734 / +855 12 906 115
Email: Marae.Ciantar@aar.com.au

Specialises in : Corporate & Commercial | Projects & Energy

Marae Ciantar heads our Thailand and Cambodia practices and is an active member of our regional Projects and Energy practice.

Marae has more than seven years' experience on major projects and international investment in Thailand, Cambodia and across Asia. His expertise includes energy and projects, inbound investment, infrastructure, telecommunications and general corporate (including M&A).

Marae is a member of our leading Projects and Energy team, which “has established an excellent reputation in South East Asia” (Chambers Asia 2009). He specialises in oil and gas projects (including upstream, gas transportation and M&A) and mineral resource projects (including joint ventures, refineries, management and supply/offtake arrangements). Marae has been involved in a number of significant energy and resources projects, including acting for :

• Inpex on its US$20 billion development of the Masela Floating LNG project in Indonesia, including drafting FEED and EPC contracts;
• BHP Billiton on its acquisition of a 33% interest in a US$3 billion project to develop a bauxite mine, alumina refinery and associated infrastructure in West Africa;
• Chevron Corporation on its successful negotiation of a 49% PSC interest in sour gas fields (China) with China National Petroleum Corporation, only the third onshore gas development project in China in which a foreign petroleum company has been invited to participate;
• Shell in connection with its US$50 million acquisition of an interest in Arrow Energy and option arrangements in relation to coal-bed methane assets in Vietnam, China, Indonesia and India;
• Rio Tinto on its joint venture aluminium smelter projects in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi;
• a listed company in Thailand in relation to its joint venture copper project;
• Indonesia's gas transmission company (TGI) on gas transportation and system access arrangements and a study of options for reform of Indonesia's gas transmission system; and
• Kyushu Electric Power (a major Japanese utility) on its acquisition from BP of a 33 per cent interest in the 715MW Phu My 3 BOT power project in Vietnam.

Marae also has substantial experience in Thailand and Cambodia assisting with inbound investment, infrastructure, telecommunications and general corporate (including M&A), including acting for:

• a multilateral lending agency on its US$100 million syndicated financing of an expansion of national telecommunications infrastructure;
• Vimpelcom (Beeline) on its entry into the telecommunications market by acquisition of a 90% interest in a mobile network operator;
• Total in connection with its acquisition of Shell's downstream and aviation jet fuel supply assets;
• a regional mining company on its proposed global offering (IPO) of shares and listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange;
• Nokia in connection with its proposed vendor financing and EPC contractual arrangements for telecom network infrastructure; and
• ANZ in relation to its introduction of mobile-phone enabled payment services.

Other clients have included Axiata, Boeing Capital, Cambodia Air Traffic Services, Credit Suisse, Daewoo Capital, DEG, DuPont, Fox Mobile, Hanil E&C, JPMorgan, Legg Mason, Oberoi, POSCO E&C, Raytheon, Shinhan Bank, Sri Lanka Airlines, Telecom Malaysia, Wells Fargo and Zurich.