Judicial Management News

Singapore's highest court has dismissed an appeal by oil tycoon Lim Oon Kuin and his two children after they were successfully sued for breach of fiduciary duties by the court-appointed managers of a company they once owned.Lim is the founder of defunct Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd and Ocean Tankers, once one of Asia's largest oil trading and shipping firms, which both went under judicial management in 2020, after oil prices collapsed."The entire conduct of this litigation has led to an immensely unsatisfactory state of affairs…

About one third of the roughly 150 ships owned by companies controlled by Singapore tycoon Lim Oon Kuin and his family have been sold as part of efforts to repay billions of dollars of debt owed to creditors, two sources told Reuters.Accounting firm Grant Thornton, court-appointed supervisor of Xihe Holdings, put up several vessels for sale through shipbrokers in September last year. Xihe Holdings is owned by the Lim family and held the bulk of their fleet.The rest of the ships are majority-owned by Xihe Capital - currently under liquidation according to Singapore business registry records - and 10 single purpose companies.The ships…

The court-appointed manager for Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd has applied to the Singapore court to return most of the ships the company manages to the shipowners, as cash is running low and Ocean Tankers will not be able to maintain the fleet, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.If successful, the move will allow Ocean Tankers, the chartering arm of embattled oil trader Hin Leong Pte Ltd, to resume its cash-generating business such as its oil lubricants business, for which a sales process is underway…

The court-appointed manager of Singapore Ocean Tankers (Pte.) Ltd is seeking to reclaim about $19 million from the Lim family directors of the firm, who allegedly transferred the funds from the shipping company to their accounts in April, court documents show.The interim judicial managers from EY said the Lim family "breached their fiduciary duties" by transferring the funds when Ocean Tankers was insolvent.Ocean Tankers, owned by Oon Kuin Lim, founder of embattled oil firm Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, and his daughter Lim Huey Ching, was placed under interim judicial management on May 12.The EY managers said in a statement of claim filed…

The family that owns beleaguered Singaporean oil trader Hin Leong Trading (HLT) is seeking to block creditor OCBC's request to appoint overseers for the family's Xihe Holdings and four other subsidiaries to recoup its debt.Oversea Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) applied last week for the Singapore High Court to appoint judicial managers over Xihe, owned by the family of Hin Leong founder Lim Oon Kuin, known as O.K. Lim.Kenny Lim Oon Cheng, Xihe Holdings interim chief executive, said…

Members of Singapore’s Lim family have asked a court to stop law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP (R&T) from working for court-appointed supervisors to two companies in the Lim’s embattled oil trading empire, Evan Lim Chee Meng told Reuters.Lim and his sister, Lim Huey Ching, filed an application to restrain R&T from acting for the judicial managers of fleet manager Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd, Lim said in an email on Friday. A similar application had been made in regard to oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, he said.They filed application on behalf of Ocean Tankers and Hin Leong Trading. Lim and his sister are directors of both companies.The actions are the latest in a series stemming from the collapse earlier this year of Hin Leong and Ocean Tankers…

EY, the court-appointed supervisor for Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd (OTPL), has proposed two restructuring options to the shipping company's owners and could meet with them as early as next week to discuss the plans, according to an EY report seen by Reuters.The discussions are to ascertain whether the owners - Lim Oon Kuin, his son Evan Lim Chee Meng and daughter Lim Huey Ching, or the Lim family - are "willing to support any future restructuring of OTPL", the report said.EY declined to comment. Its lawyers, Rajah and Tann did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Evan Lim, the director of Ocean Tankers, said in an email that the Lim family would make it known if it decided to release a statement on the report.

Two EY executives in Singapore have been appointed interim judicial managers of Ocean Tankers, the accounting firm said on Tuesday, following a Singapore court hearing to consider the shipping company's request to appoint independent managers.Ocean Tankers (Pte) Ltd (OTPL) is owned by the Lim family which also owns Singapore's oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, itself placed under judicial management in April as it seeks to restructure billions of dollars of debt.Under judicial management, a court appoints independent managers to run the affairs of a financially distressed company in place of existing management, a move that is often…

Singaporean shipping firm Ocean Tankers (Pte) Ltd, a unit of troubled oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, has applied to be placed under the management of a court-appointed supervisor, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Singapore's High Court is due to hold a hearing on an application by Ocean Tankers on Tuesday, according to a notice on the Supreme Court website. The notice did not give further details.Hin Leong and Ocean Tankers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Hin Leong, one of Asia's top oil traders, was placed under judicial management late last month as it seeks to restructure billions of dollars of debt.Hin Leong owes $3.8 billion to 23 banks…

EMAS Offshore, a global offshore contractor and provider of integrated offshore solutions to the oil and gas industry, said that its July application to be placed under judicial management approved by High Court of Singapore.According to a press note, the Court had granted the judicial management application on October 21, 2019.Goh Thien Phong and Chan Kheng Tek of PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services (PWC) have been appointed judicial managers and will seek to achieve the survival of the company, either wholly or partially as a going concern.Judicial managers will  find a compromise or arrangement between Emas Offshore and its creditors…

Singapore’s Swissco Holdings, currently under judicial management, announced that it is disposing of a substantial part of its offshore support vessels division, which is expected to help reduce the group's liabilities.UAE's Allianz Middle East Ship Management has signed a deal to buy most of the OSV fleet of Swissco, said a stock exchange annoucement from the restructuring vessel-owner."The Vessels are being sold on an “as-iswhere-is” basis. Only 3 of the 25 Vessels proposed to be disposed of are on charter. The remainder of the Vessels are not under charter and are minimally utilised or unutilised by the Group," said the statement.Additionally…

Following the path of oil prices, consolidation also follows myriad financial crises. What happens next isn’t altogether clear, but the long, deep trough for offshore energy may finally be in our choppy wake.In mid 2017, financial turnaround and financial repairs specialist Alix Partners made a bold statement regarding the beleaguered Offshore Service Vessel (OSV) marketplace. In a July 2017 report, following an analysis of 44 participants in the business, the restructuring team wrote: “The industry faces grave financial pressure…

Singapore-based offshore shipbuilder Otto Marine is seeking insolvency protection from the High Court in a bid to salvage the company and stave off liquidation. According to a report in the Straits Times, crippled with a debt of US$877 million (S$1.16 billion), the troubled company, which is delisted from the Singapore Exchange (SGX), filed an application last week to be placed under judicial management. The company  has applied for an interim judicial manager to be appointed, pending the hearing of its judicial management application. The hearing has been adjourned to March 12. According to Bloomberg, shipbuilder wants to turn itself around under the court’s supervision and fend off creditors while it restructures its debt, according to its Feb. 20 application for judicial management.

Singapore-based Mercator Lines says its judicial manager (JM) has filed an application to wind up the company. "Subsequent to the termination of the  Implementation Agreement (IA), the Judicial Manager (JM) held preliminary discussions with several potential investors to explore transferring the Company’s listing status and/or restructuring the Company," said a stock exchange filing. Whilst these potential investors have expressed an interest in the Company’s listing status, to date the Company has been unable to justify an application for a further extension on the Judicial Management Order. Accordingly, the JM has filed an application to wind up the Company. "The hearing date for the winding-up application has been fixed on 8 September 2017," said the company.

Singapore oilfield services company Swiber Holdings Ltd said on Friday it has applied to place itself under judicial management instead of liquidation. Swiber shocked markets earlier this week by filing for liquidation, as it faced hundreds of million of dollars in debt and a decline in orders, becoming the largest local company to fall victim to the slump in oil prices. Judicial management allows a financially-distressed company the room to return to financial health under the…

Swiber Offshore Construction, part of troubled Singapore oilfield services firm Swiber Holdings, has received an interim court order to halt payment of bank guarantees for projects it was involved in, a stock exchange filing showed. Parent company Swiber Holdings last month applied to place itself under judicial management, after initially filing for liquidation, becoming the largest local company to fall victim to the slump in oil prices. Judicial management allows for a company to be nursed back to health under the supervision of the Singapore Court.

Vallianz Holdings, which provides support vessels for the oil industry, said on Wednesday it had refused a request from the judicial managers of shareholder Swiber Holdings to pay around $63.5 million in outstanding dues. Vallianz, in a statement, said Swiber, which owns around 25 percent of Vallianz, owed it a similar amount and that should be taken into account. Oilfield services group Swiber applied last month to place itself under judicial management, rather than liquidation, as it faced hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and a decline in orders.

Singapore's Marco Polo Marine Ltd, whose business includes building and chartering ships, said it has appointed KPMG Services as an adviser to conduct an independent business review of the company. The company, which has S$50 million ($37.19 million) worth of notes maturing on Oct. 18, said it would hold an informal meeting with holders of the notes on Sept. 13 to present KPMG's review and discuss various options in connection with the notes. Marco Polo is one of several companies in Singapore's offshore and marine sector whose financial results have been hit by the slump in oil prices.

Singapore-listed Rickmers Maritime, which owns and operates containerships, said on Thursday it was seeking noteholders' support to restructure debt worth S$100 million ($73.21 million) in a bid to avoid potential liquidation. The business trust also said it was unable to repay $179.7 million of senior debt due March 2017. "Rickmers Maritime needs to restructure its debt to operate as a going-concern," it said in a presentation to noteholders, a copy of which it sent to the stock exchange. It is seeking bondholders' approval to convert their debt into S$28 million of new perpetual convertible bonds with a step-up coupon starting at 3.88 percent, to avoid potential liquidation or judicial management, which it said would be "likely to result in zero recovery for noteholders".

[ Updated ] The Singapore-based Rickmers Maritime Trust has come to a sitatuation where the choice is between restructuring the securities in the company to less than half their current value or shutting down. So it has warned the investors that if its proposed debt restructuring plan is not approved by its noteholders, it could be headed for a potential liquidation or judicial management. The shipping trust, has asked for clemency from its creditors regarding $179.7 million of debt and a following $100 million of interest that it cannot pay, reported Bloomberg. If Rickmers Maritime Trust is unable to restructure,  it could be liquidated or placed in court receivership, which would likely result in a “total loss” for noteholders.

Singapore-based shipping trust Rickmers Maritime announced that it has already received a letter from lawyers representing a group of bondholders demanding for the immediate payment of their share of  bonds, reports Bloomberg. The development comes after some holders of the firm’s S$100 million ($72 million) of 8.45 percent notes due in May 2017 sought accelerated repayment last month, as the operator of container ships proposed a debt restructuring plan to help avoid potential liquidation or judicial management. The letter said that the trustee DB International Trust (Singapore) Ltd. has “failed to institute any action against the issuer,” according to a statement Thursday from Rickmers. The letter said that the notes trustee DB International Trust (Singapore) LTd.

Singapore's Sembcorp Marine Ltd swung to a loss in the third quarter and the rig builder's revenue was hurt by customers deferring rig deliveries amid a protracted downturn in the oil and natural gas market. The company posted a net loss of S$21.8 million ($15.7 million) for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with a net profit of S$32.1 million a year ago. It said the bottomline was hurt by higher financing costs, share of losses from associates and foreign exchange impact. The company, majority-owned by industrial conglomerate Sembcorp Industries Ltd, said revenue dropped 21 percent.

Rickmers Maritime, a Singapore-listed trust that operates container ships, said it faces the risk of going out of business given the uncertain outcome of its discussions with bondholders and senior lenders about restructuring its debt. The firm said it would not be able to pay an interest of S$4.26 million, which is due on Nov. 15, on a S$100 million ($71 million) bond that it has been trying to restructure. "In view of the uncertain outcome of the discussions with senior lenders and the adjourned noteholders' meeting, the trust is unable to demonstrate that it is able to continue as a going concern," Rickmers said in a statement. Rickmers is also currently in discussions with its lenders to obtain waivers on its obligations under existing senior loan facilities.