Eximbank News

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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  “excessively competed to win offshore plants to make up the gap caused by falling demand for ships…

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…

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.

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.

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.

The Export-Import Bank of China (Eximbank) joins hands with China Classification Society (CCS) to support the country's shipping industry. China Eximbank and CCS agree to conduct more cooperation in future on financing services, technical risks hedging and prevention, shipping and maritime information sharing and talents training. The signing of this agreement in Beijing signalled a joint and effort by both sides to make full play of their strength to promote the development of China’s shipping, shipbuilding and related sectors with a view to establish Chinese national brands on the global market. Founded in 1956, China Classification Society (CCS) is the only specialized organization of China to provide classification services.

China’s shift towards a domestic consumer demand-oriented economy could provide a significant boost to the global shipping industry, as the world’s second largest economy targets more sustainable growth. “2013 will be another peak year of new vessel deliveries. Oversupply of capacity is still an obstacle for the shipping industry to overcome, but with the improvement of the world economy, the shipping sector is expected to experience moderate growth,” said Mr Xu Lirong, President of China Shipping (Group) Company. Mr Xu will examine this key issue affecting China, and the nation’s pivotal position in the international maritime arena, in a conference summit at Sea Asia, the region’s leading maritime event, in Singapore next April.

On May 16 Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX) took delivery of the newly-built m/v "Philadelphia", a Newcastlemax dry bulk carrier of 206,040 dwt that was contracted in April 2010. As previously announced, the m/v "Philadelphia" is chartered to EDF Trading Ltd., London, at a gross rate of $18,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a minimum forty-four (44) to a maximum fifty (50) month period. The charter commenced yesterday. This employment is anticipated to generate approximately $23.76 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the charter. The Company also announced that through one of its wholly owned subsidiaries…

While the U.S. economy may be in the doldrums, smart U.S. companies are looking increasingly to exports to help their bottom lines. A major market for U.S. exports is Brazil. This article examines new market opportunities in the oil and gas, shipbuilding and port infrastructure in Brazil, and identifies certain financing sources available to U.S. companies seeking to participate in these markets. Brazil’s growth in recent years has been amazing. Over the past 5 years, real GDP growth in Brazil has averaged 4.3% annually (as compared to 1.3% annually in the U.S.), reaching 7.5% in 2010.

In 2008 Ellicott Dredge Enterprises and its product units Ellicott Dredges, Mud Cat, IMS dredges, and Liquid Waste Technology (LWT) sold close to 100 dredges in over 20 countries. The company introduced new dredge products with more underway. The company's new plant in Wisconsin near Minneapolis is in full production. Egypt: Sale via a Bechtel affiliate of two LWT remote-controlled dredges to maintain power plant intake cooling water access channels at two power plants, Nubaria and El Tebbin. The Nubaria sale is itself a follow-on order.

I.M. Skaugen ASA, Oslo (IMSK) will take delivery of its sixth vessel in the newbuilding program, MV "Norgas Napa", on October 31, 2003. The vessel is built by the Hudong - Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group in Shanghai, China. The successful completion of the newbuilding program combined with the new alliance with A.P. The Norgas fleet currently consists of 19 gas carriers (18 with ethylene carrying capacity) has about 150,000 cbm capacity. The age of the Norgas fleet have with these new vessels been reduced to an average of 16 years. The total delivered cost (incl. of all pre delivery cost such as supervision and financing cost during construction) is about $21.5 million per vessel.

Ellicott International received orders for four units of its new patented Mud Cat MC-2000 model auger dredge. Three will be going to Mexico where a local contractor will be desilting rivers in the State of Veracruz. The State of Veracruz specified the use of the MC-2000 for its high output and low turbidity with delivery slated for the first quarter of 2002. A U.S. contractor bought a fourth unit for cleaning fly ash ponds for a major utility, American Electric Power. The U.S. Patent Office has just awarded a patent to the MC-2000 for its innovative low turbidity excavation and pumping systems. In recent applications both the U.S. Environmental…

Setting sail again, a newly built replica of the Jeanie Johnston, the Irish emigrant ship that rescued thousands from the Great Famine, will voyage from Ireland to North America and visit cities this summer and fall throughout the U.S. The eight-month tour, with stopovers in 23 U.S. and Canadian cities, is expected to arrive mid-June in Washington, D.C. and will be greeted by President Bill Clinton. The ship will then join more than 200 tall ships, 500 U.S. and foreign naval vessels and 50 to 70 thousand spectator crafts from all over the world in New York Harbor's OpSail 2000 Parade of Sail, the largest maritime event in world history.

The Export-Import Bank of China has agreed to lend $370 million to two state-owned conglomerates contracted to build five oil ships for Iran. The deal marks the largest loan yet by the Eximbank, which was founded in 1994 to help finance Chinese machinery exports. The loans to China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. and China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. reportedly carry export credit insurance worth $500 million. The contracts with Iran are China's first to build and export oil ships of the 300,000-tonnage size, marking a breakthrough for the domestic shipbuilding industry.