Milbank News

SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced it has concluded the sale of its Caribbean liner and logistics business SEACOR Container Lines LLC (“SEACOR Island Lines”) to King Ocean Services Ltd. The transaction includes all operations and assets.King Ocean specializes in marine transportation and logistics solutions to close to 50 destinations across the Caribbean and South and Central America out of their Port Everglades facilities in Ft Lauderdale, Fla.“For 40 years, King Ocean, a multi-generational…

U.S. maritime companies Crowley and SEACOR Holdings' Seabulk Tankers have created a new joint venture that combines their liquid energy and chemical transportation vessels, operations and related services into a new, independent U.S. Jones Act service provider.The new company, Fairwater Holdings, will serve the U.S. domestic market with vessels and marine transportation solutions across the petroleum and chemical trades, as well as related third-party ship management services. It will include 20 oceangoing, articulated tug-barges (ATB) and 11 tankers, many under long-term charter.

Listed bunker company Aegean Marine Petroleum has entered a memorandum of understanding with Mercuria Energy Group for a billion dollar refinancing and strategic partnership, says a company press release. Aegean Chairman and independent director of the Board, Donald Moore, said, “As part of the announced strategic review, the new leadership at Aegean has, in short order, brought forward an opportunity to completely redefine and optimize the Company’s capital structure, enhance near term liquidity and position the Company for a dynamic partnership with one of the world’s largest privately held integrated energy and commodity groups. “We…

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited and its subsidiary Baltic Trading Limited has announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Genco will acquire Baltic Trading in a stock-for-stock transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Baltic Trading will become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Genco, and Baltic Trading shareholders will receive 0.216 shares of Genco common stock for each share of Baltic Trading common stock they own at closing, with fractional shares to be settled in cash. Upon consummation of the transaction, Genco shareholders are expected to own approximately 84.5 percent of the combined company and Baltic Trading shareholders are expected to own approximately 15.5 percent of the combined company.

Private equity firm Avista Capital Partners informs it has invested in a newly-formed joint venture (J/V) with SEACOR Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc. that operates a fleet of 7 U.S.-flag Jones Act vessels (5 owned and 2 chartered-in) in the U.S. coastwise trade transporting crude oil, petroleum and specialty chemical products. Under the terms of the joint venture, ACP III Tankers LLC, a wholly owned entity of Avista, will fund a portion of the equity required for the design and construction of three 50,000 deadweight ton product carriers, each with 330,000 barrel cargo capacity, which SEACOR has contracted to build at General Dynamic's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego…

In support of energy infrastructure in Latin America, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP represented Itaú BBA S.A. in providing a $370 million loan for construction of a new multipurpose port facility and terminal in Cartagena Bay, Colombia. The new Puerto Bahia terminal, located on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast, is one of the most significant investments in the country’s energy infrastructure sector to date. When operational in early 2015, the crude oil and products terminal…

Milbank represented Meridian Spirit ApS, as issuer, in a $195 million bond refinancing for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker vessel, the Meridian Spirit. Meridian Spirit ApS is a special purpose company owned by Teekay LNG Partners LP and Marubeni Corporation. Moody’s rated the 17-year private placement Baa1 based on the Meridian Spirit’s charter with Total’s Norwegian subsidiary, which is ongoing up to 2030. Proceeds from the issuance will refinance a portion of the bridge debt that the two sponsors utilized when they acquired the six-vessel Maersk LNG fleet in February 2012. The Meridian Spirit was built by Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and has a storage capacity of 165,500 cubic meters of LNG.

Milbank Represents Group of International Lenders in $692 Million Financing for New Deep Sea Drilling Ship Purchased by Brazil’s Schahin Group. Black Diamond 1 to be built by Samsung and leased to Petrobras for 10-year exploration of Brazil’s offshore oil and gas reserves; lender group from Asia, Europe, US. In one of the most significant cross-border financings involving Brazil’s offshore energy sector this  year, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP has represented a consortium of major international lenders providing a US$692 million debt facility for the purchase of the Black Diamond I deepwater drillship by Schahin Group. The Brazilian…

Composite Technology Corporation (CTC) (OTCBB: CPTC) announced that it has reached agreement to sell substantially all of the operating assets and operating liabilities of DeWind Inc., including its subsidiaries and certain assets of DeWind Ltd. to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) of Korea. Under the terms of the asset purchase agreements, the sale price is approximately $46,500,000 for substantially all of the operating assets and operating liabilities of DeWind Inc., and approximately $3,000,000 for certain assets of DeWind Ltd., subject to certain possible post-closing adjustments. The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions and are expected to close within the next 30 days.

General Maritime Corporation announced that it has appointed Jeffrey D. Chief Financial Officer. Mr. 1, 2004. Mr. Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. Peter C. stated, "We are delighted to welcome Jeff to General Maritime. as a premier tanker company. Mr. markets, shipping and legal experience. Mr. the bank's shipping, offshore, logistics and energy clients. Mr. ABN AMRO Inc. America. Prior to that, Mr. Transportation and Logistics Investment Banking for ING Barings. of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy. Mr. and Political Science from Yale University. from Columbia University. Mr. reputation for delivering strong results to both shareholders and customers. disciplined manner.

MC Shipping Inc. announced that, at a special meeting of shareholders held today, its shareholders approved the merger agreement pursuant to which Mast Acquisition Ltd., a newly-formed affiliate of Bear Stearns Merchant Banking ("BSMB"), will acquire the outstanding shares of MC Shipping for a price of $14.25 per share in cash. Approximately 97.5% of MC Shipping's common shares present and voting at the special meeting were voted in favor of the proposed merger, representing approximately 75.12% of the total number of common shares entitled to vote at the special meeting. In accordance with the terms of the merger agreement, MC Shipping expects to complete the merger within five business days, subject to satisfaction of the conditions to closing set forth in the merger agreement.