Shipping and asset finance, explained plainly
General information on how ship finance works in Singapore, for owners, operators, lessors and lenders. Read up before a deal, then speak with a lawyer about your own transaction.
Shipping & asset finance guides
Registering ships and mortgages, financing vessels, and buying and building them.
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6 articles
Registering a ship in Singapore: owners, provisional registration and the Registry
An overview of who may own a Singapore-flagged ship, how provisional and permanent registration fit together, and the documentation changes the Registry introduced in June 2025.
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Ship mortgages in Singapore: registration, filings and ranking
How lenders take security over a Singapore-registered ship, the two registrations that usually apply, and where a mortgage ranks when a ship is sold by the court.
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Sale and leaseback financing of vessels: how it works and what to watch
Sale and leaseback has become a common way to finance ships. This guide explains the structure and the points a shipowner, as lessee, should raise early.
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Refund guarantees in shipbuilding contracts
Why buyers of newbuildings insist on refund guarantees, the difference between demand and conditional guarantees, and how Singapore courts treat calls on on-demand bonds.
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Buying a secondhand ship: the main steps
A walk through a typical secondhand ship purchase, from the memorandum of agreement and deposit to inspection, notice of readiness, closing and registration.
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Schemes of arrangement for companies in financial difficulty
How a Singapore scheme of arrangement works, including the moratorium, voting thresholds, cross-class cram-down, pre-packaged schemes and rescue financing.
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