Bank Facility News

Offshore energy and marine consultancy AqualisBraemar will acquire marine and engineering consulting firm LOC Group (London Offshore Consultants).Oslo-listed group AqualisBraemar, which offers consultancy services to the offshore energy industries, said Monday that the acquisition would create "a leading global independent offshore energy and marine consultancy."David Wells, CEO of AqualisBraemar, said: "Our strategy is clear; we want to grow through continued expansion in the rapidly growing offshore renewables industry…

Ingalls Shipbuilding has reopened its rebuilt and modernized facility on the east bank of the Pascagoula River after much of the site was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.The Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder announced Friday that it moved the newly built destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) to the east bank's Pier Four, signifying the site's official reactivation. Ingalls, a division of Virginia-based naval shipbuilding giant Huntington Ingalls Industries, had shifted all of…

John Fredriksen-affiliated Flex LNG announced that it has entered into a sale-charter-back transaction with Hyundai Glovis for the vessels Flex Endeavour and Flex Enterprise.The shipping company focuses on the growing market for transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG), said that under the agreement, Flex LNG will sell the vessels for a gross consideration of $420m, with a net consideration of $300m adjusted for a non-amortizing and  non-interest bearing seller's credit of $120m in total. Flex Endeavour and Flex Enterprise will be charted back on a time-charter basis to subsidiaries of Flex LNG for a period of ten years.The Company will have  options to acquire the vessels during the term of the time-charters.

Local media quote Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)  as announcing this week the Avondale Shipyard, just upriver from New Orleans, is being sold. The historic, 206-acre facility is on the market after a tumultuous last five years that have included layoffs and threats to close the shipyard. But members of the community hope the new owners will bring business back to the area. Only a skeleton staff remains at the sprawling West Bank facility that once employed more than 5,000 skilled workers. The company that shuttered the shipyard after 76 years may now be looking for a buyer. Jerry Bologna, executive director of the Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO), said HII is expected to have the property listed for sale in the next 30 to 60 days.

Norway’s Ocean Yield ASA has agreed to acquire four 115,000 dwt LR2 product tankers which are currently on order from Navig8 Product Tankers at Sungdong Shipbuilding in Korea. Ocean Yield has agreed to acquire the product tankers for a total consideration of USD 198.1 million, in combination with 13 years "hell and high water" bareboat charters to Navig8 Product Tankers Inc, says a company statement. The four vessels are being built at Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd, Korea, and are scheduled for delivery in January, March, May and July 2016. The vessels are being acquired for USD 49.5 million each, which is equal to the original yard cost and is about 20% below current market value.

Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) announced that Transocean Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary, intends to proceed with an unregistered offering of shares of Caledonia Offshore Drilling Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Transocean, in connection with an offering being made to eligible investors in Norway and to eligible institutional investors internationally. The proposed offering of shares, which represents a minority interest in Caledonia's share capital, is intended to raise between $125 million and $185 million, with the net proceeds received by Transocean. Caledonia also proposes to make an unregistered offering of second lien senior secured bonds issued by Caledonia. The proposed offering of second lien senior secured bonds is intended to raise $350 million.

COSCO (Qidong) Offshore Co.,has delivered the third Sevan 650 Ultra-Deepwater Cylindrical Drilling Rig it has built for Sevan Drilling. The Sevan Louisiana, measuring 99 meters in LOA, 75 meters in breadth and 24.5 meters in depth, has a working depth of 3,800 meters and drilling depth of 12,000 meters. The deep water drilling rig and will start the transit to the US Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to commence operation for LLOG Bluewatert owards the end of Q1 2014, following completion of mobilization and certain additional equipment installations.

The Honorable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, along with the Honorable Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honorable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, today announced infrastructure investments that will strengthen the border, improve marine container inspection capacity and improve efficiency at Port Metro Vancouver (PMV). "Our government's top priority remains the economy and creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in every region of Canada," said Minister Fast.

The Company announced that it has signed a supplemental agreement to amend certain provisions in its $1.35b Senior Secured Facility dated February 28, 2013. “We are pleased that our syndicate of commercial banks and export credit agencies agreed to our request to amend certain provisions in their facility. The Company announced that on August 20, 2013, it successfully took delivery of its newbuilding drillship the Ocean Rig Mylos. The Ocean Rig Mylos is the first in the series of three 7th Generation Ultra Deepwater Drillships the Company expects to take delivery in 2013. The drillship is currently mobilizing to offshore Brazil and is expected to commence drilling operations under the 3-year drilling contract with Repsol Sinopec Brasil S.A. by November 2013.

DryShips Inc., a global provider of marine transportation services for drybulk and petroleum cargos, through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW Inc., an offshore deepwater drilling service company, made several company announcements. Ocean Rig announced that it has signed a supplemental agreement to amend certain provisions in its $1.35 billion Senior Secured Facility dated February 28, 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, the existing dividend restriction of up to 50% of preceding fiscal year net income will be amended to apply on a cumulative basis from July 1, 2013 onwards (50% of cumulative net income and 100% of cumulative losses) and include a carve-out to pay additional dividends up to the higher of $150m and 5% of the Ocean Rig's net tangible assets.

Bermuda-based Seadrill Ltd., an offshore driller controlled by billionaire John Fredriksen, is seeking to buy 50.1 percent of Sevan Drilling ASA to veto financing plans for the firm that it says would destroy shareholder value. Seadrill, headquartered in Hamilton, hired DNB Markets to look to purchase as many as 116.9 million shares in Norwegian-based Sevan at 3.95 kroner a share, it said in a statement. The company today [June 26] increased its stake in Sevan, an operator of deep-water drilling rigs, to 30.4 percent, report Bernews, citing statements by Seadrill. The Norwegian operator, Sevan Drilling, which owns two ultra-deepwater drilling units and has two more being built, said June 19 it agreed terms on a $1.45 billion, five-year bank facility.

The Company announced that it has received firm commitments from lenders for a $1.35 billion syndicated secured term loan to partially finance the construction costs of the Ocean Rig Mylos, the Ocean Rig Skyros and the Ocean Rig Athena. This facility has a 5 year term, and approximately an 11 year repayment profile. The facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin. Lead banks are DNB Bank and Nordea Bank supported by several other commercial lenders. Also participating in this financing are export credit agencies Garanti-Instituttet for Eksportkreditt (GIEK), Export Credit Norway and the Import-Export Bank of Korea (KEXIM). This agreement is subject to definitive documentation which the Company expects to complete in the first quarter of 2013.

Fairstar Heavy Transport N.V. (FAIR) has signed a USD 247 million syndicated loan facility led by ING Bank. The facility provides the necessary liquidity to satisfy the outstanding payment obligations to Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) due under the construction contracts for the 50,000 DWT semi-submersible vessels FORTE and FINESSE. In addition, the facility provides Fairstar with a USD 20 million tranche for the performance bonds required under the Gorgon, Ichthys and Golden Eagle contracts.

DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS), or the Company, a global provider of marine transportation services for drybulk and petroleum cargoes, and through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW Inc., of off-shore contract drilling oil services, today announced its unaudited financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011. * On May 12, 2011, the Company was awarded contracts for the Ocean Rig Corcovado and the Ocean Rig Mykonos by Petróleo Brasileiro S.A (“Petrobras”) for drilling offshore Brazil.

Globus Maritime Ltd (AIM: GLBS) (LSE: GLBS) announced that on May 19, 2010 it took delivery from an unaffiliated third party of the bulk carrier Sky Globe, the first of two sistership-vessels it had previously agreed to acquire for $32,825,000 each as announced on April 8, 2010. The M/V Sky Globe, built in 2009, is a geared and grab-fitted supramax bulk carrier with a carrying capacity of 56,855 dwt. The vessel was financed from the Company's existing bank facility and cash balances, and will fly the Marshall Islands flag. Following the delivery, the Sky Globe is employed on the spot market: for her first trip she was chartered by a first class European charterer at the gross rate of $30,000 per day.

Globus Maritime Ltd (AIM: GLBS) (LSE: GLBS), a global shipping transportation company that owns and operates Supramax and Panamax dry bulk carriers, announced that in line with its fleet renewal program it has agreed to purchase from an unaffiliated third party two geared and grab-fitted sistership 57,000 dwt Supramax vessels built at an established Chinese yard, for $32,825,000 each. The first vessel was built in the fourth quarter of 2009 and is expected to be delivered to the company by the end of June 2010. The second vessel, a newbuilding, is currently under construction and is expected to be delivered to the Company by the end of May 2010. Upon delivery to the company both vessels will fly the Marshall Islands flag.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the ratings of American Commercial Lines LLC's $535 million senior secured bank facility to B1 from Ba2 and the $300 million 10.25% senior unsecured notes to B3 from B1. The Senior Implied rating was lowered to B2 from Ba3 and the issuer rating was lowered to Caa1 from B2. The rating outlook was changed to stable from negative. The ratings downgrades is prompted by the substantial deterioration in operating performance resulting from a reduction in grain exports to Asia, higher fuel costs, and low water levels and unusual ice conditions on its U.S. transport routes which severely impacted the fourth quarter of 2000.

McMoRan Exploration Co. and Halliburton Company have announced the formation of a strategic alliance to conduct operations for McMoRan's recently announced major new oil and gas exploration and development program in the Gulf of Mexico. As previously announced, McMoRan has acquired from Texaco Exploration and Production the right to explore 89 oil and gas tracts and McMoRan purchased Shell Offshore Inc.'s, interest in 56 exploratory leases, all in the Gulf of Mexico. These two transactions, together with its current lease inventory, provide McMoRan exploratory rights to 160 blocks covering approximately 750,000 gross acres and the foundation for an aggressive exploration and development program.

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ship Systems sector has successfully tested the Low Observable Multifunction Stack (LMS) designed to demonstrate two different advanced exhaust suppresser systems for surface combatants. The exhaust systems, enclosed in a low signature composite structure, also integrate embedded multifunction communication arrays. Service Center. antennas that typically cover the topside of surface combatants," said Schenk. The project was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research through its Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has been an active participant and ship system integrator on every ATD program related to Topside Integration.

Rising out of the ashes of receivership, Hobart, Australia-based INCAT is back with a vengeance. After a setback this past year, the company, according to CEO Robert Clifford, is "well structured for the future." And the company is on its way to a speedy recovery with 2003 as it has just received two orders for the U.S. military and at press time, announced plans to have its debts repaid to the bank by the end of January 2003. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive (TACOM) leased its premiere Theater Support vessel for the Army from Bollinger/INCAT USA, the Australian shipbuilder's joint aluminum shipbuilding venture in Louisiana. MR/EN: It's no secret that INCAT was in receivership last year — but is now emerging out of financial difficulty.

Friede Goldman Halter, Inc., announces that its offshore subsidiary has reached an agreement with Petrodrill IV Ltd. and Petrodrill V Ltd. to advance construction of two Amethyst-class deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs. Friede Goldman will work at the customer?s direction, and operate on a cost-reimbursable basis with contractually established rates for equipment, personnel, and labor. The agreement is expected to generate greater security and additional employment opportunities for the local workforce. Preliminary estimates place work for this phase of completion at four months for the Company?s Pascagoula, Miss., offshore projects at the east facility on Greenwood Island. The West Bank facility will undergo a restoration and upgrade during the temporary closure.

The credit facility consists of a USD 180 million term loan to finance the acquisition of TI Asia (2002) and TI Africa (2002) by joint venture companies owned equally by Euronav and OSG and USD 320 million term loan to finance the conversion of the ships into FSO (Floating Storage Offloading) service vessels, which are scheduled to deliver to Maersk Oil Qatar on the Al Shaheen field offshore Qatar and start operation respectively on July and September 2009. The credit facilities have 8 year maturity as from the date of deliveries of each of the 2 vessels on site. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at a rate based on LIBOR plus an attractive margin.

Euronav NV signed a $1.6 billion senior secured credit facility with Nordea and DnB NOR acting as lead arrangers, Nordea as sole bookrunner and facility agent and Calyon, Citibank, Deutsche Schiffsbank, HSH Nordbank, Hypo-Vereinsbank, Royal Bank of Scotland and Scotiabank acting as co-arrangers. The credit facility, which was oversubscribed by more than 58%, consists of a term loan of USD 865 million, a non-amortising revolving loan facility of USD 500 million and additional term loan of up to USD 235 million, which will be available for the purpose of financing vessels scheduled to be delivered within the next two years. The credit facilities have 8 year maturity as from the date of closing at a rate of LIBOR +0.80%.