Kirby to Acquire Barge & Tankship Operator Penn Maritime
Kirby Corporation (Kirby) has signed an agreement to acquire Penn Maritime Inc. (Penn) and Maritime Investments LLC.
Penn Maritime is an operator of tank barges and tugboats participating in the coastal transportation of primarily black oil products in the United States. The total value of the transaction is approximately $295 million (before post-closing adjustments and transaction fees) and will consist of cash, Kirby common stock and the retirement of Penn's debt.
Penn operates a fleet of 18 heated, double-hulled tank barges, with a capacity of 1.9 million barrels, and 16 tugboats along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States. Penn's tank barge fleet has an average age of approximately 13 years with a product mix that consists primarily of refinery feedstocks, asphalt and crude oil. Penn's customers include major oil companies and refiners, nearly all of whom are current Kirby customers for inland tank barge services.
The transaction will be financed through a combination of borrowing under Kirby's revolving credit facility, issuance of new unsecured fixed rate senior notes, and the issuance of Kirby common stock. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in mid-to-late December 2012, subject to certain conditions.
Joe Pyne, Kirby's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased to announce our agreement with Penn Maritime. Penn is a well-respected U.S. Jones Act coastal tank barge operator with a well-maintained fleet, and earns the majority of its revenue from term contracts with blue chip domestic and international oil and refining customers. Penn's fleet will extend our coastal product capabilities, particularly transporting asphalt, which we expect to benefit from the need to repair and upgrade aging highway infrastructure throughout the United States.