This CDGA training course will highlight:

• Dynamic of downstream, midstream, and upstream activities
• Essentials of contract principles
• Gas Sales and LNG Contracts with reference to international model contracts
• Transportation Agreements with reference to international model contracts
• Gas sales and Purchase Agreements
• Contractual risk management issues, insurance, indemnities, liabilities, and force majeure
• Negotiation arts and strategies relevant to LNG contracts

This CDGA training course aims to provide an overview of the LNG contracts and its context within the oil and gas industry, to understand how to negotiate profitably key LNG contracts, to asses and manage pricing and overall risks, and to understand the application of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) relevant to LNG contracts.

This CDGA training course aims to achieve following: 

• Understanding common contractual pitfalls in LNG contracts
• Negotiate profitably LNG contracts, with clear understanding of insurance provisions, liability and indemnity clauses
• Enhance your ability to draft and negotiate LNG force majeure clauses
• Asses and manage risks as relevant to LNG contracts
• Grasp and apply dispute resolution methods to LNG contracts

The 5-Day CDGA training course is specifically designed for professionals actively involved or likely to be involved in contract negotiations and all those who need an understanding of the principles of gas contracts, including issues such as price terms and the allocation of risk.

Therefore, the audience for this training course will be:

• Senior and middle level commercial managers
• Commercial lawyers
• Contracts Managers
• Compliance personnel
• Risk managers
• Energy purchasing managers
• Strategy managers
• Pipeline marketing managers
• Operations managers
• Project managers
• Senior government officials and regulators

This interactive CDGA training course will provide the participants an ideal opportunity to improve and sharpen their skill sets in planning, negotiating and drafting LNG Contracts through interactive session with role playing, case studies, discussion groups and scenario building and the high-point of the training course being a simulation exercise of oil and gas contracts negotiation involving interactive role play by the participants. The objective of the interactive role play is to enable participants to apply the knowledge and understanding gained at the workshop to negotiate more effective LNG contracts. This will help participants gain practical insights into managing the risks and enhancing their rewards.

Organisational Impact

For professionals involved nationally and internationally in the oil and gas industry, this course offers a unique opportunity to rapidly increase your understanding of the LNG contracts and to improve your negotiation techniques and skills in drafting a variety of related contracts. Therefore, your organisation will benefit from this training course by:

• Gaining expertise and improving knowledge and skill sets of personnel dealing with areas of legal risks in handling LNG contracts.
• Through various workshops and exercises ability to appreciate and understand the current international practices in LNG contracts
• How mitigate risks in LNG contracts
• Enhancing contract personnel negotiation skills

Personal Impact

Attendees will gain by participation in this training seminar as a result of:

• A unique opportunity to rapidly increase your understanding of the international practices relevant to LNG contracts
• Improving your negotiation techniques and skills in drafting a variety of related LNG contracts
• Managing and mitigating legal risks associated with LNG contracts
• Choosing most appropriate form of dispute resolution and how to draft a suitable ADR clause
• Enhancing your ability to negotiate and manage claims and disputes with confidence

Day One: Dynamic of Downstream, Midstream, Upstream & Contract Law  

• Introduction to LNG & Sales Contracts
• Training objectives
• key terms and definition
• The main international industry players
• Introduction to specific LNG and Sales agreements
• Legal System and Contract Law

• Mandatory elements of a legally enforceable contract
• Contract Law: Contract formation
• Contract Law: Contract terms
• Contract Law: Interpretation of contract terms
• Contract Law: Remedies for breach of contract
• Assessing available remedies for breach of contract

• Rescission
• Compensatory damages
• Consequential and incidental damages
• Liquidated damages
• Specific performance
• Injunctive Relief

 Day Two: The Essence of the LNG Sales Contracts 

• Characteristics of LNG sales contracts
• The contractual process
• Commercial realities
• Drafts and drafting
• Enforcement
• Fundamental legal principles
• Cultural and language issues
• Fundamental Legal Principles
• LNG Sales Contracts
• What is LNG?
• The LNG Industry
• LNG Value Chain
• LNG Sales, and LNG sale and Purchase Agreements
• Financing of LNG Projects
• Current Issues in LNG
• Transportation Agreements
• The contractual arrangements put in place for getting petroleum from the wellhead to the market place
• Off taking and transporting Oil & Gas (pipeline or ship)
• Typical terms of a Gas Pipeline Transportation and Processing Agreement (TPA)
• Transportation (or Transhipment) of crude oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or Gas to Liquids (GTL)
• International practices and model contracts

WORKSHOP:  A case study on behalf of a client looking to enter into a gas transportation agreement, with the owners of an existing pipeline, to export gas from their nearby new development.  participants will consider and explain the main effect and implications of various points relevant to transportation agreement and will be asked to feed any recommendations they may have.

• The Essential of Negotiations in LNG context
• Meaning of negotiation mean
• Types of negotiation
• Issues to be negotiated
• The negotiation processes
• Style, strategy, and tactics
• Persuasion- the role of argument
• Practical activity

 Day Three: Gas Sale & Purchase Agreements

• Types of Gas Sales Agreements
• Parties
• Term and Effectiveness: Duration and delayed start date provisions
• Sale, Purchase and Delivery
• Gas Reserves
• How to express gas quantities in pipeline gas contracts
• Take-or-pay, Carry Forward and Make Up
• Current practice on shortfall penalties
• Quality
• Price
• Nominations, Undertake, and Overtake
• Measurement and Testing
• Invoicing and Payment
• Force-Majeure in gas sales contracts; the differences between pipeline gas and LNG
• Termination
• Tax

WORKSHOP: participants will consider a case study of relevance to the types of gas sales agreements (GSA) and to explain what other features might mitigate the seller’s liability under the GSA.

• Storage Agreements
• Key clauses
• Drafting and negotiations
• Liability Clauses

• Drafting enforceable liquidated damage clauses
• Handling consequential damage waivers
• Mitigation of damages clause
• Contractual limitations periods
• Practical Exercise
• Contractual Indemnity

• Negligence
• Strict Liability
• Unseaworthiness
• Pre-Existing Conditions
• Arising out of
• Legal Fees
• Invitees
• Punitive Damages

Day Four: Force Majeure Clauses 

• Understand the purpose and risks this clause is intended to mitigate
• Avoiding common Force Majeure pitfalls
• Protect yourself from abuse and misuse of this clause
• Mechanics of exercising Force Majeure rights
• Practical Exercise: Case studies

• Insurance Provisions
• Overview of coverage types
• Understanding typical insurance exclusions
• Assessing the quality of your insurance carrier
• Evaluating deductibles and coverage limits
• Insurance subordination issues
• Effective claims management

• Contract Management
• Operational issues
• Gas delivery procedures and coordination between suppliers, terminal operator, transporters and users
• Types of dispute resolution vehicles
• Importance of the dispute resolution clause

 Day Five: Contract Claims & Dispute Resolutions

• Types and Assessment of Claims
• Tiered Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
• Formal Dispute Resolution
• Preventing costly litigation through effective use of ADR option
• Types of dispute resolution vehicles
• Assessing litigation vs. arbitration options
• Mediation considerations
• Considerations for selecting effective mediators and Arbitrators
• Selecting arbitration and mediation rules of procedure
• Drafting effective dispute resolution clause
• Practical Exercise: Mock arbitration exercise
• Contract Close Out
• Contract Review, Evaluation, Lessons Learned
• Seminar Overview – Learning Outcomes

CDGA attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 80% of the total course duration.