10月8日，中国钢铁巨头宝武集团宣布，其子公司宝武资源已与赢联盟签署西芒杜铁矿北部区块项目矿山合资公司股东协议，这意味着中国宝武将成为该项目的合作主体。
霍金路伟律师事务所、几内亚Thiam & Associés律师事务所为宝武提供服务。此外还有多家律师事务所参与到了该项目之中。
据悉，西芒杜铁矿是全球储量最大、品质最高的未开发铁矿，预计投资150亿美元，该项目包括四个矿区、两个港口和横跨几内亚、连接矿区和港口的 600 多公里铁路。
与中国宝武共同开发西芒杜项目的合作方是赢联盟（WCS，是由新加坡韦立国际集团、魏桥创业集团共同组成的投资联合体）和Simfer（其股东为矿业巨头力拓集团，以及中国铝业牵头的中方投资联合体），二者均持有西芒杜矿区的矿权。
WCS由诺顿罗氏律师事务所、几内亚Kabèlè Law Group提供服务；魏桥由安睿顺德伦国际律师事务所提供服务；Simfer由高伟绅律师事务所、年利达律师事务所、安德慎律师事务所、非洲ADNA律师事务所担任法律顾问；华盛国际律师事务所则代表几内亚政府参与交易。
霍金路伟由北京代表处公司并购合伙人徐亮律师领衔，并组建了一支跨业务领域、跨多个办公室的全球团队；
安睿顺德伦由香港公司业务合伙人周兆玉牵头，并与多个司法辖区团队合作；
Thiam & Associés团队由管理合伙人Baba Hady Thiam领导；
华盛的一支跨业务领域、跨境团队则由常驻迪拜的项目类业务合伙人Alhassane Barry领导。
Hogan Lovells,Thiam & Associés advise China Baowu on largest mining and infrastructure project in Africa
On October 8, Chinese steel giant China Baowu Steel Group (Baowu) announced that its subsidiary, Baosteel Resources, has signed a shareholders' agreement with Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) on the investment in the Simandou mining and infrastructure project in the Republic of Guinea, which reportedly stands as the largest mining and infrastructure project in Africa.
Hogan Lovells and Guinea local firm Thiam & Associés are providing legal services to Baowu. Several other firms are also involved in this project.
Simandou is the largest undeveloped, high-grade iron ore reserve in the world, with an estimated investment of $15 billion. The project encompasses four mining blocks, two ports, and a 600+ km railway line crossing the entire country connecting the mines to the ports.
The project's joint developers with China Baowu are the Winning Consortium (WCS), composed of Singapore's WIL International Group and China's Weiqiao Pioneering Group, and Simfer (owned by mining giant Rio Tinto and a Chinese consortium led by Chinalco), both of which hold mining rights in the West Mangdou mining area.
The owners of the mines and the co-developers of the infrastructure are WCS (a consortium comprising Asian investors including Winning International Group and Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering Group) and Simfer (a joint venture between mining giant Rio Tinto and a consortium of Chinese investors led by Chinalco, the world's largest aluminium producer).
WCS is advised by Norton Rose Fulbright and Guinea's Kabèlè Law Group; Weiqiao is advised by Eversheds Sutherland; Simfer is advised by Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Allens and African firm ADNA. Watson Farley Williams is representing the Guinean government in the transaction.
Hogan Lovells have deployed a global cross-practice and cross-office team comprising dozens of lawyers led by M&A partner Liang Xu at Beijing.
Eversheds Sutherland team is led by Hong Kong corporate partner Roger Zhou, supported by a multi-jurisdictional team.
The Thiam & Associés team is led by managing partner Baba Hady Thiam.
The cross-border and multidisciplinary WFW team was led by Dubai projects partner Alhassane Barry.
