Stanford Marine in Talks About Sale of Business
Creditors of Stanford Marine Group (SMG), which has links to troubled private equity firm Abraaj, are in talks with three potential buyers, sources familiar with the matter say.Banks are overseeing control of Dubai-based SMG after it failed to meet the terms of its debt obligations due to financial stress linked to a steep fall in chartering rates, the sources said.SMG, which operates offshore supply vessels that service the oil and gas industry, is 51 percent owned by a fund managed by Abraaj. Dubai-based Abraaj filed for provisional liquidation in June after a row with investors over the use of their money in a $1 billion healthcare fund.
DP World Launches $1.2 bln Sukuk Issue to Cover Tender
Dubai-based ports operator DP World launched a seven-year $1.2 billion sukuk issue on Tuesday, a document from lead managers showed. The issue, structured to be compliant with rules allowing investors in the United States to participate, will price at 237.5 basis points over midswaps, according to the document. This is significantly inside the initial pricing guidance of between 262.5 bps and 275 bps over the same benchmark given earlier in the day, indicating strong investor demand. The transaction will be used to fund the part-repurchase of DP World's $1.5 billion sukuk which is due to mature in 2017, for which preliminary results of a tender offer announced on Tuesday showed investor demand had significantly outstripped the firm's original plan to buy back half of the paper.
Topaz Successfully Arranges Refinancing
Phase One of US$ 330 million loan agreement signed. UAE-based Topaz Energy and Marine Ltd. (Topaz), a leading oilfield services multinational and a subsidiary of Renaissance Services, announced that it has signed phase one of a US$ 330 million loan agreement with a syndicate of banks towards the refinancing of some of its existing loans. The deal paves the way for extra liquidity and new investments in Topaz’s Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) operations. The agreement completes phase one of Topaz’s previously announced refinancing initiative. The transaction refinances Topaz’s existing borrowings and releases trapped equity of US$ 60 million. The first phase of US$ 203 million refinancing was arranged and financed by DVB Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and First Gulf Bank.
