Socgen News

French multinational banking and financial services company Societe Generale (Socgen) has joined SEA\LNG, the industry coalition promoting the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. The bank is the first financial institution to join SEA\LNG. Joining a growing band of industry leaders from across the LNG value chain, Societe Generale brings an essential financial perspective to the group which aims to accelerate the uptake of LNG as a marine fuel. Paul Taylor, Global Head of Shipping Finance, Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, commented: “The use of LNG as a marine fuel is gradually becoming a global reality.

Universal Energy entered voluntary liquidation on Oct 3, tightening credit in Singapore's bunker fuel market. Shipping fuel suppliers are filing millions of dollars in claims over unpaid marine fuel bills against now defunct Singapore-based peer Universal Energy, formerly one of the city state's largest bunker suppliers but which has now entered liquidation. Universal Energy, ranked as Singapore's third-largest bunker fuel supplier by volume in 2016, had its shipping fuel licences revoked by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) in August for actions that could give a false impression of how much fuel it was delivering to buyers. Overall creditor claims against Universal Energy - which went into voluntary liquidation on Oct.

Oman Shipping Company, wholly owned by the government of Oman, raised $227 million in debt to back the purchase of 10 tankers, Societe Generale said on Thursday.   Societe Generale was the sole arranger and sole underwriter of the transaction, which comprised a combination of commercial debt and export credit agency financing.   The commercial portion of the debt package also involved Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, the Korea Development Bank and ABN Amro. Reporting by Davide Barbuscia

Rhode Island's Deepwater Wind will start installing the foundations for North America's first offshore wind farm on Monday, a milestone the company says could pave the way for an industry long established in Europe but that is still struggling with opposition in the United States. The 30-megawatt wind farm, which will include five turbines located three miles (4.8 km) off the coast of the bucolic summer tourist destination of Block Island, will take more than a year to build and is scheduled to produce electricity for the tiny island community and the mainland by the end of next year. "Our belief is once Block Island is up and running…

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) said on Thursday its unit Qatar Shipping Company had acquired the remaining 60 percent interest in two firms which own Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers from France's Societe Generale. The two entities, Milaha Ras Laffan and Milaha Qatar, are chartered to RasGas under a 25-year time charter contract, with 14 years and 16 years remaining under the time charter agreement respectively, according to a bourse filing. Qatar Shipping Company owned the other 40 percent in each of the two companies prior to the transaction, for which the deal value was not disclosed. Reporting by Nadia Saleem

Total aims to exit its fuel distribution business in Turkey and has asked Societe Generale to lead the sale, sources said on Friday, as the French oil producer looks to scale back in a highly competitive and regulated market. Turkey has some of the steepest fuel prices in Europe but heavy taxes and other regulations leave little profit margin for the 70 different retailers. As a result, Total is looking to exit the business, three people familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified because the information is not yet public. Two of them said French bank Societe Generale has been chosen to lead the potential sale. "Profitability in fuel distribution is under serious pressure in Turkey. Other foreign companies may follow suit," one of the sources said.

Banque Atlantique, SocGen and Afreximbank have raised 200 million euros (US$272.81 million) to start a second container terminal at Abidjan port in Ivory Coast [West Africa], a banking spokesman said on Thursday. The new terminal contract, awarded to a group led by France's Bollore last year, should boost capacity at one of Africa's busiest ports - a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. Port traffic is booming and total tonnage surpassed 21 million tonnes in 2013. Banque Atlantique has raised 100 million euros and Societe Generale and Afreximbank gave 50 million euros each, Souleymane Diarrassouba, director general of Banque Atlantique, told Reuters. His bank is a subsidiary of Banque Populaire du Maroc.

Banque Atlantique, SocGen and Afreximbank have raised 200 million euros ($272.81 million) to start a second container terminal at Abidjan port in Ivory Coast, a banking spokesman said on Thursday. The new terminal contract, awarded to a group led by France's Bollore last year, should boost capacity at one of Africa's busiest ports - a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. Port traffic is booming and total tonnage surpassed 21 million metric tons in 2013. Banque Atlantique has raised 100 million euros and Societe Generale and Afreximbank gave 50 million euros each, Souleymane Diarrassouba, director general of Banque Atlantique, told Reuters. His bank is a subsidiary of Banque Populaire du Maroc.