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The project finance market is set for a busy year in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector with a number of big ticket deals being lined up in the coming months. The first LNG related deal to tap the market is the easiest credit for banks unfamiliar with this fast growing sector - the refinancing of the $1.3bn project debt for Oman LNG.

Kuwait The bank list has been released on the refinancing of the international debt facilities for Equate Petrochemical Co KSC.

Alex Woodthorpe, Merrill Lynch's head of equity syndicate in London, is to move to Hong Kong later this month to be part of the Asian equity capital markets origination team. After Woodthorpe's departure, John Millar, a managing director responsible for TMT origination in equity capital markets at Merrill Lynch, will head up the syndicate desk in addition to his existing responsibilities.

MmO2, which recently demerged from British Telecom, has put its name to a euro5 billion ($4.52 billion) Euro-MTN programme. Deutsche Bank is the arranger. The company will begin the roadshow of its long awaited £

Italy Juventus, one of the largest football clubs in Europe, priced its Eu143m IPO at Eu3.7, in the bottom half of the original range of Eu3.5-Eu4.2 on December 15. The offer closed on December 14, and trading started on December 20. The shares dropped on the first two days of trading, but since then have climbed back steadily, closing yesterday (Thursday) just below issue price at Eu3.63.

* Jeffrey Peek, once tipped to take over from Dave Komansky as chief executive of Merrill Lynch, is to oversee the asset gathering business at Credit Suisse First Boston. Credit Suisse Asset Management was folded into CSFB on January 1, and its CEO, Philip Colebatch, is to retire in the first quarter.

* Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

* Swedish Export Credit Rating: Aa2/AA+

Nuon, the Dutch energy company, has signed a euro2 billion ($1.81 billion) Euro-MTN facility under the issuer name of Nuon Finance. Schroder Salomon Smith Barney (Salomon) is the arranger. The issuer is rated Aa3 and AA- by Moody's and S&P respectively. Salomon's is joined as a dealer by ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, ING Barings, Merrill Lynch and UBS Warburg.

It was a quiet day's trading as just two currencies were tapped. Two issuers looked to sterling. BBVA Global Finance did a one-year £

It was a frantic day's trading for the whole market and issuance in other currencies was no different. Nineteen trades were closed for $521.77 million. Hong Kong dollar dominated as always. And one issuer in particular was active in the currency. Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz closed three HK$84 million ($10.77 million) trades, a HK$46.50 million note and a HK$46 million trade. All five notes were placed by ABN Amro. Elsewhere in the same currency, Barclays Capital led a seven-year HK$100 million note for Nederlandse Waterschapsbank. The note carries a quarterly coupon of 5.945%. Sterling was also in demand with four trades closed. DePfa-Bank Europe did a three-year £

Deals in other currencies have started off strong in 2002. Eighteen trades were closed in the sector and Hungarian forint was a popular choice. European Investment Bank closed a two-tranche dual-currency 2004 note. The first tranche is a Z100 million ($25.10 million) offer and the second is a Ft7 billion (25.21 million) deal that is priced at 101.259%. Deutsche Bank led both tranches. International Bank for Reconstruction & Development also plumped for Hungarian forint and issued a Ft10 billion note that was led by Toronto Dominion Securities (TDS). The note pays a coupon of 7.75% and was issued at a price of 100.78%. Rabobank saw opportunities in Canadian dollar and issued a C$100 million ($62.63 million) four-year note that was led by TDS and Rabobank. The deal pays a coupon of 4.5% and was issued at 101.21%. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group went for four deals in Hong Kong dollar. The largest deal was for HK$35.91 million and the longest trade went out to August 2006.