Creditor Banks News

French marine services group Bourbon Corporation, which has been in a court restructuring process after its business was hit by volatile energy markets, said its assets would be taken over by its creditor banks.Bourbon said the Marseille commercial court had ruled that Bourbon's assets would be transferred to Société Phocéenne de Participations (SPP) from Jan. 2, 2020.SPP is owned by BNP Paribas, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel Alpes Provence, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel de Paris et d'Ile de France…

South Korean state banks are preparing a fresh $2.6 billion bailout for floundering Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd, which has built up huge losses from offshore projects and risks missing debt repayments. Daewoo, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries are South Korea's top shipbuilders - a massive economic force and a source of national pride. But they slipped into the red in 2015 amid a commodities downturn and bleak trade volumes, prompting cost cuts and asset sales. Of the three, Daewoo's situation is the most difficult.

A South Korean court declared Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd bankrupt on Friday, after ruling earlier this month that the firm's liquidation value would be worth more than its value as a going concern. Hanjin Shipping, which had been the world's seventh-largest container shipper, applied for court receivership in late August after its creditor banks halted further support. The Seoul Central District Court said in a statement it has chosen a bankruptcy administrator, and claims by creditors are due by May 1, 2017. The first meeting of creditors will be held on June 1, 2017. "The court will, through the bankruptcy process, make efforts so the maximum of debt repayment will be conducted in a way that is fair and balanced to the creditors," it said. The court on Feb.

A South Korean court said on Thursday it decided to end Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd's court receivership process and expects to declare bankruptcy on February 17 after a two-week period for appeals.   The Seoul Central District Court said in a statement that it made the decision as the firm's liquidation value would be worth more than its value as a going concern.   Hanjin Shipping, which had been the world's seventh-largest container shipper, applied for court receivership in late August after its creditor banks halted further support.   Swiss shipping group MSC said on Wednesday its unit has bought a stake in Hanjin Shipping's U.S. port operator, the latest Hanjin asset to be sold.   Reporting by Joyce Lee

Struggling Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd's will receive an injection of 2.8 trillion won ($2.4 billion) from two state-run creditor banks to save it from being delisted, one of the lenders said.   Daewoo's main creditor, Korea Development Bank (KDB), said in a statement it will cancel about 60 million of its Daewoo shares, and reduce the remaining stake by a ratio of ten shares to one to cut the ship builder's debt-to-asset ratio.   It will then inject 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in Daewoo in a debt-for-equity swap.   The Export-Import Bank of Korea will buy 1 trillion won in Daewoo-issued perpetual bonds to shore up Daewoo's finances, KDB added. ($1 = 1,149.3900 won) (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

The bankrupting container operator Hanjin Shipping Co. is shedding half of its ground workforce and may ax equally that many of the crew on deck as the bankruptcy court is out to sell most of ground and sea assets, according to the Pulse. Hanjin Shipping under court-led reorganization cuts 350 land-based employees in South Korea, aiming to restructure the business and improve survive. The shipper, which applied for court receivership in late August after creditor banks withdrew their support, has about 650 land-based employees in South Korea, which will be reduced by more than 50%. It may not issue redundancy notice to remaining 300 workers who are involved in the Far East-North American route which the court hopes to sell.

A bankruptcy would be biggest ever for a container shipper. Hanjin Shipping Co's banks are halting support for the South Korean company, its lead creditor said, making it likely the nation's largest shipper is headed for bankruptcy as it is dragged down by a deep global industry downturn. South Korea's shipbuilders and shipping firms, which underpinned decades of economic growth, are reeling under debt after racking up losses amid a downturn caused by overcapacity and sluggish trade, forcing state banks to pick winners. Hanjin's lead creditor, state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), said on Tuesday inadequate financial support from parent Hanjin Group to an ongoing debt restructuring plan forced creditor banks to pull the plug.

South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd said on Thursday it is planning to sell shares to raise funds by the end of this year, with details to be discussed with its creditor banks. Daewoo Shipbuilding, the world's largest shipyard in terms of orderbook tonnage for July, according to Clarksons Research, reported earlier this week net losses of 1.19 trillion won ($1.08 billion) for the first half of 2016.   Reporting by Joyce Lee

According to a latest report in Korea Times, South Korea's biggest container carrier Hanjin Shipping's efforts to settle the rescheduling deadlines for financing ships and reducing charter fees before the end of July has not yet be resolved. This situation is raising concerns over the possibility that the nation's top shipping line may go into court receivership. Or, Hanjin may get a month's extension from creditor banks of an August 4 deadline of a voluntary restructuring agreement, giving the shipping major more time to comply with conditions that will prevent it from seeking court receivership. As on Tuesday, Hanjin Shipping has failed to conclude negotiations with foreign ship owners and creditors in a bid to lower charter fees and prolong looming deadlines for financing its shipping.

Cash-strapped Hanjin Shipping Co. sources say that the negotiations with tonnage providers for lower rates are undergoing, but wouldn't say much else. According to Korea Herald, the country's No.1 shipping line has come under growing pressure from its creditors to secure more money to tide over a deepening cash shortage. Hanjin Shipping has proposed raising some 400 billion won ($353 million) via stocks sales to its affiliates, but creditors want the shipping firm to jack up the figure to some 700 billion won. Meanwhile, there are reports that Korean Air, a Hanjin Group affiliate, is likely to help raise liquidity of up to 700 billion won (US$615.22 million) for ailing Hanjin Shipping. Hanjin Shipping needs some 1.2 trillion won over the next 18 months to pay back debt and do business.

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is notified by Samil PwC, a local member of the global accounting firm PwC, that its 3.5 trillion won worth management improvement plan is good enough for HHI to make operating profits and secure liquidity even in the worst case scenario. The announcement is the result of due diligence that had been conducted by Samil PwC for 10 weeks from May 23 this year at the request of HHI’s main creditor banks including the Export-Import Bank of Korea and KEB-Hana Bank. According to the analysis of Samil PwC, with the faithful execution of the proposed management plan, HHI would be able to make operating profits, secure enough liquidity and cut down considerable amount of debt each year until 2020.

A majority of Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd (HMM) bondholders have approved a debt-for-equity swap plan, South Korea's second-largest shipper said on Wednesday, paving the way for restructuring of the heavily indebted firm's finances. HMM, which had debts about 5.2 trillion won ($4.36 billion) at end-March, has about 804.3 billion won in publicly traded bonds outstanding, a spokesman said. The debt restructuring plan includes a debt-for-equity swap for over 50 percent of the applicable bonds, while the remaining amount is to be payable in three-year instalments, after a two-year grace period. Last week, HMM's creditor banks agreed to a 680 billion won debt-for-equity swap. Reporting by Joyce Lee

Speaking at the Intermodal Association of North America on May 5 in Chicago, U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Doyle discussed several of the shipping industry’s hottest topics, including ocean carrier consolidations and alliances, container weight VGM under SOLAS, and chassis. “We’ve all heard the recent announcements related to consolidations, for instance, CGM CGM and NOL-APL; and COSCO and CSCL. “We’ve all heard the announcement that Hapag Lloyd and UASC are in discussions on a possible merger.

South Korea’s largest container operator by capacity Hanjin Shipping's creditors are expected to approve a corporate rehabilitation program for the struggling container line, local media reports suggest. Creditor banks of cash-strapped Hanjin are likely to give the ailing container carrier a chance to avoid bankruptcy by approving a corporate rehabilitation program, reports Korea Herald. Seven lenders, led by state-run Korea Development Bank, are expected to allow the country’s No. 1 shipper to undergo rehabilitation Wednesday, after the company submitted a formal request to restructure its debt on April 29, according to sources. Facing a 5.6 trillion won ($4.9 billion) wall of debt…

A report in WSJ says that Hanjin Shipping Co has applied for a creditor-led debt restructuring to avoid bankruptcy, reviving talk of a possible merger with rival Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. (HMM). It could be merged as a part of the government-led restructuring of ailing industries and companies, according to government sources. Both Hanjin Shipping Co. and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. (HMM) are in hot water, but they are different from each other in a debt structure. Unlike HMM, Hanjin Shipping has a lot of non-bank debt, which makes it difficult for the main creditor Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditor banks to manage the company under a creditor-led restructuring program.

Pillarstone Italy, owned by U.S private equity firm KKR, will take on the bulk of the debt owed by Italy's Premuda to a group of banks, in a first move that could make Pillarstone one of the main shareholders of the shipping company. Under the deal, Banca Carige, UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo will transfer around 250 million euros ($281 million) in loans to Pillarstone, making it the main creditor of Premuda, a spokesman for the KKR unit said on Friday. "Pillarstone will enter talks with other creditor banks to reach a final deal aimed at restructuring the whole debt," Premuda said, referring to its total net debt of 320 million euros at the end of 2015. It added that a part of the debt held by the KKR unit could be converted into shares.

Hanjin's debts at 5.6 trln won at end 2015; company has been squeezed by low shipping margins. South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd will ask creditor banks to restructure its debt, the country's largest shipper by assets said, in an attempt to weather a squeeze in margins from a severe industry downturn. Hanjin, whose chairman Cho Yang-ho also controls flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co Ltd, had debt of 5.6 trillion won ($4.9 billion) and a debt-to-equity ratio of nearly 850 percent as at the end of 2015, according to the company. While major global shippers have undertaken merger deals and entered new alliances recently to survive the downturn, Hanjin and Korea's No. 2 shipper Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd , which is also under voluntary debt restructuring, haven't taken that route yet.

A bankruptcy of Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) would become the biggest ever in the shipping sector, and the creditors seem on the way to taking over control with the shipping group. Without further government support, bankruptcy is growing closer for Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) after the company's bondholders rejected the company's proposed debt rescheduling plan, says Alphaliner. "The potential bankruptcy of the financially troubled South Korean carrier would be the largest-ever in container shipping. Based on the total vessel container capacity operated by the respective insolvent carriers, a failure of HMM would dwarf all previous bankruptcies in this sector," said Alphaliner, noting that the company's survival seems to depend on a government bail out.

South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd (HMM) plans to seek another buyer for its majority stake in stock brokerage Hyundai Securities Co Ltd , an HMM spokesman said on Monday. HMM's talks to sell its entire 22.4 percent stake in the brokerage to Japan's Orix Corp for about 647 billion won ($535.83 million) fell apart late last year, the spokesman said. The plan needs to be approved by HMM's creditor banks, the spokesman added. Reporting by Joyce Lee

South Korea's No. 2 shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., will push for restructuring moves, including asset sales and a reduction in the number of executives, as it reels from massive losses, reports Yonhap. The shipyard will cut the number of executives by some 30 percent and slim down its structure. It also said it will push to sell assets, including its overseas affiliates that suffer continued losses and its headquarters in Seoul, to improve its financial footing. In a briefing on the shipbuilder's financial health to some 300 executives on Monday, DSME Chief Executive and President Jung Sung-leep said the company will liquidate most of the affiliates whose businesses are not involved in shipbuilding and offshore facilities.

Firm to sell non-core assets, exit from non-essential businesses; Daewoo reported $2.6 bln operating loss in Q2. South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd said on Monday it would sell non-core assets, and shut down or exit non-essential units as part of restructuring after a multi-billion dollar loss in the April-June quarter. Daewoo Shipbuilding late last month reported a provisional second-quarter operating loss of 3.03 trillion won ($2.61 billion), citing construction delays on offshore projects such as oil and gas rigs. The high-end offshore plant business has been loss-making for the world's three biggest shipyards…

China Huarong Energy Co, formerly known as China Rongsheng Heavy Industries, said in a regulatory filing that a memorandum of understanding on the disposal of assets to an unnamed buyer has expired. Huarong announced in March a potential sale of its core shipbuilding and engineering business, subject to formal agreement. Huarong Energy signed the MOU with the potential buyer in April for the sale of its shipbuilding assets as part of its restructuring process. The MOU was effective until 30 June 2015, and the company and the potential purchaser have failed to agree to a deal. A statement from the company says: "The Company wishes to…

STX Pan Ocean Co., the country's leading bulk carrier, said that CEO Kang Duck-soo (who is also chairman of the STX Group) has resigned as the shipper has been under court receivership since June amid a deepening liquidity crisis, reports Yonhap. The cash-strapped STX Group, South Korea's 13th biggest conglomerate, has seen its major affiliates struggling from liquidity shortages and mounting debt due to the downturn in the shipbuilding and shipping sectors. Creditors have pumped liquidity into ailing STX Group in return for overhaul efforts. STX Group's holding company STX Corp. and its three ailing units -- STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, STX Heavy Industries and STX Engine -- have requested that creditor banks supply liquidity.