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Exim Bank News

29 Mar 2019

GA Drilling Gets Fund, Signs Pact with MOL

High-tech deep-drilling company GA Drilling signed a EUR 4.2 million funding agreement with Lead Ventures and a service agreement with MOL Group.Lead Ventures, a Budapest based venture capital firm invested funds provided by MOL Group, and Hungarian Eximbank.The deal gives GA Drilling access to onshore production wells to test its disruptive PLASMABIT plug & abandonment technology in real field conditions.The agreement is a major step in enabling the commercialization of the PLASMABIT technology, which can bring positive environmental impacts, and significant cost and time reductions when compared to conventional methods of decommissioning…

19 Aug 2018

Norton Rose Fulbright, Citibank on USD 2.2bln Danaos Corp Restructuring

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Citigroup and other lenders of Danaos on a $2.2 billion restructuring of NYSE-listed Danaos Corp (DAC), one of the world’s largest independent owners of modern, large-size containerships.Norton Rose Fulbright’s Athens, London and New York offices advised Citigroup and certain other lenders (including China Exim Bank and Eurobank) on new money, take out and refinancing facilities, restructuring support agreements, debt for equity arrangements, debt trading, Chinese ECA aspects and complex shared security and other intercreditor agreements.The transaction, which completed out of court,…

22 Apr 2018

South Korea Eximbank Pledges Huge Loans to Shipping

As part of the government's large-scale rescue plan for shipping sector, the Export-Import Bank of Korea  (Korea Eximbank) sets a figure for loans and guarantees to the country's shipping sector. According to Yonhap, Korea Eximbank will funnel more than 800 billion won ($749.3 million) in shipping finance as a part of the state-sponsored program to revive the shipping industry following the collapse of Korea’s flag sea carrier Hanjin Shipping. The five-year plan for rehabilitating the maritime sector involves the building of more than 200 ships, including 140 bulk carriers and 60 container ships. The report quoted Eun Sung-soo, Korea Eximbank chairman and president saying that the fund will be given in the forms of loans and guarantees that the shippers can use to purchase new vessels…

11 Mar 2018

South Korea Restuctures Mid-Sized Shipbuilders

The South Korean government decided to restructure two financially-troubled mid-sized shipbuilders, said a report in Business Korea. While filing for court receivership for the debt-ridden Sungdong Shipbuilding, the government has decided to save STX Offshore and Shipbuilding Co. on condition of slashing 75 percent of its production workforce. The two shipbuilders are heavily indebted to Korea's two state-run banks, as they have struggled with snowballing losses amid unfavorable oil prices and the worldwide industry downturn. According to the report, the government held a ministerial meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the industrial competitiveness and announce its restructuring plans for mid-size shipbuilders.

23 Apr 2017

DSME Deal Non-starter

The creditors of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) still remain undecided over afor the shipyard's latest deal, further complicating troubles for one of the country's major shipyards, Yonhap reported. DSME  clinched a US$250 million deal to build three very large crude carriers (VLCCs) on April 4. Under the deal with Maran Tankers Management, a unit of Greece's largest shipper Angelicoussis Shipping Group, Daewoo Shipbuilding will deliver the 318,000-ton VLCCs by 2018. The deal came as the shipyard is suffering from a sharp decline in new orders amid a protracted industrywide slump. "We are still talking about (this), and the state-run creditors and commercial lenders have to narrow their differences on the terms," a source said, asking not to be named.

02 Nov 2016

DSME Creditors Mull Equity Swap

Creditors of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) are set to announce a debt-for-equity swap and other measures, worth 3 trillion won (US$2.62 billion), reports Yonhap. Korea Development Bank (KDB), a main creditor of DSME, said that the bank will accept debt-to-equity swaps worth at least 1.6 trillion won ($1.4 billion) to keep the company operating with sufficient financial liquidity. KDB along with  the other creditor Export-Import Bank of Korea (EXIM Bank) would provide a combined 4.2 trillion won worth of financial aid to Daewoo Shipbuilding, which breaks down to 2.6 trillion won from KDB and 1.6 trillion won from the other lender. The financial support includes a debt-for-equity swap and the purchase of stocks to be issued by the shipbuilder.

02 Nov 2016

Korea Dreams it Big for HMM

The government of South Korea has decided to help Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), the nation’s only major shipping line, grow into a mega shipper by all means available, reports Business Korea. The state plans to provide loans of up to 6.5 trillion won (US$5.68 billion) to domestic shipping firms, including HMM, so that they can grow in size and survive in the global chicken game. The government has  announced plans to raise the competitiveness of the shipbuilding and shipping industries. The plans were focused on enlarging HMM, which is actually the only one global shipping company from the nation, in order to boost its competitiveness in the global market.

20 May 2016

India: Iran Port Contract Likely

India will on Monday sign a commercial contract with Iran to build and run a strategic port on Iran's southern coast, the Indian government said on Friday, to help it gain a foothold in Iran and win access to central Asia and Afghanistan. Talks to build the Chabahar port have been on for years but since the scaling back of Western sanctions against Iran, India has pushed hard for the project so it doesn't lose out to other such as China, who are keen to invest. The deal under which India will develop two terminals and cargo berths at Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, will be signed during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran beginning on Sunday.

16 May 2016

South Korean Shipbuilders’ Off-Shore Debts

Beleaguered South Korean  shipbuilders's total liabilities as of the end of last year for their 34 overseas affiliated companies have reached 5.3584 trillion won (US$4.65 billion), up 28.7% compared to five years ago, reports BusinessKorea. The debts of those of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering increased by 43.2% to 2.1842 trillion won (US$1.89 billion) during the period while the amount of those of Samsung Heavy Industries soared from 431.2 billion won (US$374.9 million) to 1.2633 trillion won (US$1.09 billion). The amount was 1.9109 trillion won (US$1.66 billion) for Hyundai Heavy Industries’ although they reduced theirs by 13.4% over the five years.

27 Oct 2015

Billion-dollar MoU for Shipping Finance

On October 26, 2015 in the presence of President Xi Jinping and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, ING Bank NV and The Export-Import Bank of China signed a three year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The objective of the MOU is to further strengthen the cooperation between the two parties in the financing of Chinese built ships, both new and second hand, as well as selected offshore projects for a total amount of $1 billion, ING said. Stephen Fewster, Global Head of Shipping Finance ING Bank said, “We are very pleased with this next step in building a deeper relationship with The Eximbank of China. China is one of the leading nations in the shipbuilding industry and many of our clients own Chinese built ships.

13 Oct 2015

Insights: Matthew Paxton, SCA President

Matthew Paxton is President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), and a partner at the law firm of Adams and Reese. SCA is the national trade association representing 41 companies that own and operate more than 120 shipyard facilities on all three U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, inland waterways system, Alaska and Hawaii. SCA also represents 97 partner members that provide goods and services to the shipyard industry. Paxton, who has been practicing law since 2001, focuses his practice on maritime law and policy, fisheries law, natural resources development, and environmental policy issues. In addition to the SCA presidency in which…

07 Oct 2015

Ivory Coast Starts Construction of Abidjan Port Upgrades

Ivory Coast began construction on Tuesday of a four-year, 560 billion CFA franc ($962 million) project to build a second container terminal and widen the canal leading to its main port in the commercial capital Abidjan. Among the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa, the port serves Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa's largest economy and the world's top cocoa producer, and is also a gateway for landlocked nations to the north. China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd was awarded the construction contracts for both projects with the bulk of the cost covered by a loan from China's Eximbank. Construction of the new container terminal, which will be managed by consortium led by France's Bollore, will last 48 months and cost 409 billion CFA francs.

29 Sep 2015

Daewoo Put Under Pressure by Korea EXIM

South Korea’s second-largest shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) hit a hurdle in its efforts to get capital injection after the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Exim Bank) delayed necessary funding for its shipbuilding project, reports MKBN. In June, DSME won a $1.8 billion order from Danish container-shipping giant Maersk Line to build 11 ultra-large container vessels with a capacity of 19,630 TEU. The Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Korea Exim Bank, two largest creditors of Daewoo Shipbuilding, issued Maersk refund guarantee (RG) for five and six megaships, respectively. But Korea Exim Bank paid Daewoo Shipbuilding only 60 percent of 900 billion won ($75.3 million)…

17 Sep 2015

China Exim Bank Backs Seaspan

Seaspan Corporation has lined-up a $1bn worth of export credit facilities with the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM). Seaspan has signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM) for a total of up to $1 billion in export credit facilities. The credit facilities would be made available to Seaspan for the purchase and construction of vessels from shipyards in China within the next three years. Gerry Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chairman and Co-Founder of Seaspan commented, "We appreciate the strong support Seaspan continues to receive from leading banks around the world. "With the signing of this Framework Cooperation Agreement, we expect to be able to enhance our financial flexibility and increase our access to growth capital.

28 Jul 2015

Korean Shipyards in Troubled Water

Struggling with technology and a plunge in oil prices that has discouraged exploration, Korean vessel makers are racking up debt and could show billions of dollars in losses, reports Bloomberg. The Big Three shipbuilders in South Korea ventured into offshore oil rigs starting around 2010 with a goal to avoid direct competition with China. The idea appeared excellent then, with oil prices climbing toward $100 a barrel. Today the strategy seems to have backfired. The deep-ocean strategy is coming back to bite Korean shipyards. The Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries  â€śexcessively competed to win offshore plants to make up the gap caused by falling demand for ships…

13 May 2015

Sainty Marine in Troubles Waters

Financially troubled Chinese shipbuilder Sainty Marine has announced Bank of China and China Exim Bank have frozen its bank accounts. Shenzhen-listed Sainty Marine has also announced that it has reached an agreement with Dutch ship investment firm, Universal Marine, for the cancellation of four 2,350teu containerships. Universal Marine ordered the vessels at Sainty Marine in March 2014, however, it has been unable to secure the financing to start the newbuilding project, which has led to the cancellation of the vessels. No compensation is involved in the agreement. The struggling shipbuilder said that it had not received a court notice from the banks on their decision. The move comes following last week’s court order on freezing of the company’s assets worth RMB 300 million.

13 Mar 2015

US Treasury Secretary Visits Ellicott Dredges

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (L) and Senator Ben Cardin (R) take a tour of Ellicott's facilities in Baltimore (Photo courtesy of Ellicott Dredges)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, together with U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D- Md.), visited Ellicott Dredges March 9 at the company’s Baltimore plant for a discussion about U.S. export policies, the U.S. Government financing entity Eximbank and infrastructure investment programs. Lew met with senior management from Ellicott including, as well with shop floor employees assembling Ellicott dredges. The Secretary chose Ellicott for its century plus of leadership in dredge design and manufacturing and involvement in engineering projects around the world…

23 Feb 2015

Korean Shipbuilding Investment Creating Risk for Government: OECD

Two of Korea's major shipbuilding financiers are creating fiscal risks for the government due to the shipbuilding industry's struggles, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned yesterday. The report comes just days after Korean shipyards retook the number one spot in global compensated gross tonnage (CGT) delivered, after delivering 12.1m in CGT in 2014. Korea had the number one spot from 2002 to 2009, until falling to second behind China in 2010, the Maritime Executive reported. The Korea Times said that two-state owned export credit agencies, Korea Exim Bank and K-Sure, were singled out as having a problematic level of investment in an industry that is increasingly struggling to pay its debts.

27 Jan 2015

China Exim Bank, SWS Sign $312m Financing Deal

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding  (SWS), a  yard owned by the industrial conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), has secured a US$312million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China to build three 18,000 teu containerships. The deal marks the first time that SWS will be building large containerships of 18,000 teu in capacity. The new buildings will be deployed on the main Asia-Europe trading lanes and the charterer is one of the world’s top three biggest lines, according to CSSC. Founded in 1999, SWS is a wholly owned subsidiary of China CSSC Holding Ltd., a publicly listed company controlled by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The main business of SWS covers design, construction and repair of marine vessels and offshore products.

08 Dec 2014

China Eximbank Loans $875m for Container Terminal

China Eximbank has loaned Ivory Coast $875 million (approx.) for the construction of a second container terminal at Abidjan port, noted the port's  General Director. Ivory Coast plans to increase capacity at the port in its economic capital Abidjan, one of the busiest in Africa. The port serves as a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. "The total cost of the project is about $875 mil," Hien Yacouba Sie told a news conference. "The financing has been concluded with China Eximbank," Sie said, adding that construction would include the enlargement of the Vridi canal, the construction of the second container terminal and a roll on/roll off terminal.

17 Jul 2014

China, Brazil Close Plane, Finance, Infrastructure Deals

China and Brazil sealed their expanding commercial partnership on Thursday with a $5 billion credit line for Brazilian miner Vale and the purchase of 60 passenger jets from Brazilian planemaker Embraer. In a raft of energy, finance and industry accords signed before presidents Xi Jinping and Dilma Rousseff, the two nations agreed to join forces to build railways to help Brazil cut its infrastructure deficit and feed China's appetite for commodities. Trade between China and Brazil soared to $83.3 billion last year from $3.2 billion in 2002, with iron ore, soy and oil making up the bulk of Brazilian exports, making China the South American nation's biggest trade partner.

09 Sep 2013

Shanghai Yard Delivers 10th Bulk Carrier to Cuba

Bulker Abdala: Photo credit Acemex Cuba

Shanghai Shipyard Chairman Gu Tiquan presided at the launch of the Josefa, the last of the 35,000-ton carriers, accompanied by the Cuban ambassador in Beijing, Alberto Blanco, reports The Cuba Standard. Neither of the two sides has revealed the financial terms of the order by Cuba’s Empresa Importadora General del Transporte (EIGT), on behalf of Grupo Acemex, with Chinese state company China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC). The purchases are financed by China’s Eximbank. According to observers, the order for 10 35,000-ton handymax vessels is worth at least $250 million.

10 Sep 2014

Support for Indian Shipbuilding Industry : Exim Bank Study

The development of a successful shipbuilding sector has been pivotal to the rapid and robust economic development in most countries in the world with long coastal boundaries. Shipbuilding industry has the potential to significantly contribute to national GDP. The sector has an immense direct and indirect positive impact on most other manufacturing and ancillary industries, besides its huge dependence on infrastructure and services sectors in an economy. The Study, which analyses the shipbuilding industry in select countries, noted that, in line with the trends in global trade, the global shipbuilding industry witnessed a continued contraction during the period 2008 to 2012…