EURONAV to Buy 4 Japanese-built VLCCs

EURONAV has entered into an agreement for the purchase of four modern Japanese built VLCC vessels for an aggregate purchase price of $342 million. The vessels are on average three years old. This acquisition fits into the company’s strategy to further strengthen its position as the leading listed crude tanker company.

The transaction allows EURONAV to expand its existing fleet with an ‘en bloc’ acquisition of four of the best vessels that can be found in today’s second hand market. This will not only rejuvenate the company’s fleet, but it will also complement the company’s existing fleet and further position EURONAV as the key pure play consolidator in the crude tanker industry. Three vessels are expected to be delivered in the course of the third and fourth quarter of this year and the last vessel in the course of the second quarter of 2015.
 
The acquisition of the vessels will be partly financed with funds raised through a private placement of new shares within the authorised capital which will be launched today. The new shares will be offered to institutional investors selected through an accelerated book build offering. EURONAV intends to raise $100 million in this private placement. The company intends to raise a further $200 million in bank debt for this acquisition.
 
Petercam NV, acting as Settlement Agent and one core shareholder will enter into a share swap agreement in order to deliver listed shares to all investors who receive allocated shares in the private placement. As part of this share swap agreement the core shareholder will deliver up to 10 million existing and listed shares to the Settlement Agent. The core shareholder will receive in exchange the same number of newly issued non-listed shares.

The listing and trading on Euronext Brussels of all other newly issued shares (not subject to the aforementioned share swap agreement) will be requested immediately after their issue.

The shares that the core shareholder will receive as a result of the share swap will be listed upon approval of a listing prospectus by the FSMA on a later date.
 
The book building procedure will commence immediately. It is anticipated that the books will close July 9, 2014 although the Joint Book Runners reserve the right to close the books at any time. The price per share and the final number of shares placed will be determined on completion of the book building procedure and will be announced shortly thereafter. Settlement is expected to occur on the third business day after announcement of the private placement results.
 
The Euronav shares will be suspended throughout the book building period. Trading in the stock will be resumed following the publication of the results of the book building.
 
Petercam NV is acting as Global Coordinator and Settlement Agent and, together with DNB Markets and Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, as Joint Book Runners for the placing of the shares