美国ION地球物理集团公司和中国地球物理服务提供商东方地球物理公司(BGP)近期正式介绍英洛瓦物探装备公司（INOVA Geophysical Equipment Limited）。

BGP 和 ION 高管之间签署关于 INOVA 的最终合资公司协议。中国石油天然气集团公司全资子公司 BGP 和ION Geophysical 在 INOVA 中分别持有51%和49%的股权。

INOVA 是一家新成立的独立公司，为地震服务提供商提供在陆上或过渡地带内油气勘探活动中所采用的先进的全套地球物理技术组合。

ION由美亚博和贝克•麦坚时国际律师事务所提供法律服务。 BGP则由美国苏利文•克伦威尔担任代表律所

Mayer Brown, Baker & McKenzie and Sullivan & Cromwell have recently been instructed on the ION Geophysical Corporation US$400m JV and stock sale with BGP.

The firms were advised on three separate transactions for the parties – the JV, BGP’s investment in the stocks of ION and ION’s refinancing of its senior credit facilities.

This deal was led by a Mayer Brown cross-border team that consisted of partners from Washington DC, Hong Kong and Beijing. The team gave legal advice on a wide range of issues regarding both onshore and offshore arrangements under general corporate, IP, finance, PRC and US regulatory and anti-trust laws.

“There were a variety of complications resulting from the contribution of various offshore assets held by ION and the wish of the parties to achieve the completion of PRC formalities and obtain the required approval within the limited period of time,” said Mayer Brown’s Beijing-based partner Ian Lewis.  

JVs have recently become very popular with Chinese investors in overseas pursuits. Most recently, China Coal Import & Export Company entered into a A$30m JV with Australian junior miner MetroCoal. PetroChina also entered into a joint bid with Royal Dutch Shell’s for Australia’s Arrow Energy earlier this year.

“The arrangements are certainly part of a new trend involving major PRC companies looking to establish an international presence. This is an important part in the development of the Chinese outbound strategy, and this deal demonstrates that international cooperation arrangements between foreign entities and major PRC SOEs based on a PRC JV are possible – and that more of these deals can be expected,” said Lewis.