26.6.2024

Finnish Climate Fund Junior financing to Meriaura for the expansion of low-carbon technologies in shipping

Related services

We assisted Finnish Climate Fund in junior financing to the shipping company Meriaura for their fleet renewal programme to support the adoption of low-carbon shipping solutions.

Meriaura has commissioned two bio-oil-powered hybrid cargo ships with a tonnage of 6,750 from the Royal Bodewes Shipyard in the Netherlands. The ships can achieve emissions reductions of up to 98 % compared to traditional cargo ships powered by fossil fuels.

In the emission-intensive freight industry, more efficient vessels powered by renewable fuels have the potential to lead the way to emissions reductions across the sector.

Meriaura is a Turku-based maritime shipping company that specialises in the sea transportation of industrial products, raw materials as well as demanding special cargo. The company’s cargo ships operate in Europe, mainly in the Baltic and North Sea.

The Finnish Climate Fund is a Finnish state-owned special-assignment company. Its operations focus on combating climate change, boosting low-carbon industry and promoting digitalisation. By the end of December 2023, the Climate Fund has made 24 investment decisions totalling 178.9 million euros.

Our team

Latest references

Vapaus Bikes Finland – Series A funding round

We represented Vapaus Bikes Finland Oy, a company offering employee benefit bikes, in its international EUR 10 million Series A funding round. The investors behind the funding are private equity investors Shift4Good and Superhero Capital Ltd as well as Tesi together with the European Guarantee Fund of the European Investment Bank. The equity-based funding will support the company’s international expansion, software development, platform automation, and the growth of its concept for the second-hand market of bikes. Vapaus Bikes Finland is at the forefront of sustainable mobility services and has been a pioneer in the Employee Benefit Bikes sector since late 2020. It has been ranked among Finland’s fastest growing companies. Shift4Good is an impact venture capital fund focused on the decarbonisation of the transportation sector. Tesi (officially Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned, market-driven investment company that invests in venture capital and private equity funds and directly in Finnish startups and growth companies.

Tesi – Investment in Sisu Auto

We advised Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) in its investment in the heavy duty vehicles company Oy Sisu Auto Ab. With this investment, Tesi became an owner in the company with a share of 24.4 per cent. Sisu Auto is a pioneer in the Nordic market in the development of heavy duty vehicles. Sisu’s core competences are in the product development and production of trucks and military vehicles. Tesi is a state-owned, market-driven investment company that invests in venture capital and private equity funds and directly in Finnish startups and growth companies. The investments managed by Tesi total 2.1 billion euros.

Bionto – EUR 4 million seed equity funding

We advised Bionto Oy, a company offering industrial bio-solutions, in a financing arrangement where Korpi Capital made a EUR 4 million seed equity investment in the company. The execution of the investment requires that certain conditions specified in the investment documentation are met. Bionto is a Finnish early-stage biotechnology company that develops and produces sustainable, profitable and safe biotechnological solutions to support the green transition, business objectives and societal goals of various industrial operators.

BHP – Alliance agreement with Kingsrose Mining Limited

We acted as the Finnish legal advisor for BHP in connection with an exploration alliance agreement entered into between BHP and Kingsrose Mining Limited under which BHP (through a wholly owned subsidiary) will provide funding for regional mineral exploration across areas of interest in Finland. As part of the arrangement announced on 22 May 2024, BHP and Kingsrose entered into two exploration alliance agreements, focusing on nickel and copper exploration in specified regions in Finland and Norway. In Finland, the alliance agreement covers Kingsrose’s four exploration reservations at the Central Finland project in the Kotalahti Nickel Belt, a 400 kilometre long greenstone belt which hosts the past producing Hitura, Kotalahti and Enonkoski nickel mines. The alliances follow from Kingsrose’s successful participation in the BHP Xplor program, a global accelerator program targeting innovative, early-stage mineral exploration companies to find the critical resources necessary to drive the energy transition. BHP is the largest mining company in the world by market capitalisation, producing essential commodities through its assets, including iron ore, metallurgical coal, copper and nickel, and moving into potash.

Search from the site.