National Pension Service News

Bondholders at final meetings agree to debt-to-equity swap; shipbuilder needs about $400 mln in operating funds by April-end. South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd has won near unanimous agreement from bondholders to swap their debt for equity, meeting a condition that unlocks a $2.6 billion bank bailout for the world's biggest shipbuilder. Daewoo won approval from over 96 percent of bondholders at two meetings on Tuesday and three on Monday, with attendance exceeding 78 percent. The meetings came shortly after the shipbuilder won the approval of its biggest bondholder, the National Pension Service. "We will normalise the company as soon as possible through bone-grinding effort…

Debt-to-equity swap plan is condition of $2.6 bln bailout. South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd on Monday won near unanimous approval for a debt-to-equity swap plan in the first three of five bondholder meetings, as the world's largest shipbuilder battles to stay afloat. The votes were held hours after Daewoo's biggest bondholder, the National Pension Service (NPS), said it had agreed to the proposal. That move made it likely other bondholders would follow suit, creditor bank officials said, allowing the shipbuilder to meet conditions of a $2.6 billion bank bailout. The shipbuilder has been pushed to the brink by the impact of historically low oil prices, which caused delays in payments for complex offshore facilities.

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) agreed to a restructuring of bonds issued by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). Reuters reported that this move is expected to help the world’s largest shipbuilder tide over a financial crisis. NPS stated that accepting the debt restructuring will be more advantageous to improve the fund's returns. The finance crunch hit DSME will likely get more time to make payments on bonds that are due this month. NPS is the biggest holder of the debt. It is is Daewoo's single-largest bondholder, with about 390 billion won ($343.5 million) in bonds, Yonhap reported. The government of South Korea suggested in March that bondholders…

Samsung Heavy Industries said on Wednesday it has decided to scrap a $2.5 billion stock deal to take over Samsung Engineering, potentially complicating restructuring plans by parent Samsung Group ahead of a looming succession. Shareholders doubting the synergies of the merger had asked the two companies to buy back their stock for a higher-than-budgeted $1.5 billion. This led the deal to unravel, both companies said in regulatory filings. Analysts said this shareholder dissent…

AFP reported that 's state pension fund is likely to scrap plans to bid for Daewoo Shipbuilding because of global financial turbulence. The National Pension Service the world's fifth largest, had been in talks with POSCO, GS Group and Hanwha Group to find a partner for the acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding. Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipyard, is also interested in Daewoo Shipbuilding, the world's third biggest yard. The pension fund, with assets of $187b has posted a negative return so far this year due to the financial turmoil. State-run Korea Development Bank and a government asset-management unit are selling a 50.4 percent stake in Daewoo Shipbuilding, a deal newspapers said will fetch as much as seven trillion won.

Doosan Group pulled out of the bidding for Daewoo Shipbuilding, while steel firm POSCO said it was seeking partners to make a bid. POSCO, the world's No.4 steelmaker and a strong candidate for the Daewoo deal, wants to partner with a financial firm and 's National Pension Service (NPS) to bid for Daewoo Shipbuilding, reports said. The developments reflect expectations that a hefty premium for Daewoo Shipbuilding could double the value of a deal to $7.8-$9.6m and that tight credit market conditions are squeezing potential buyers. Source:  Reuters

Doosan Group pulled out of the bidding for Daewoo Shipbuilding, driving down shares of one of the world's biggest shipyards. South Korean steel maker Posco was reportedly seeking partners to bid for Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in a deal that would value the shipbuilder at as much as $9.6b. Shares in Doosan Group companies rose after it said it would not bid for Daewoo, easing concerns over the financial health of the conglomerate, which has made a series of acquisitions including last year's $4.9 billion cash deal for the U.S.-based Bobcat machinery business. Posco, a steel giant and a strong candidate for the Daewoo deal, wants to join with a financial firm and 's National Pension Service to bid for Daewoo Shipbuilding, said a person with direct knowledge of the  situation.