Sovcomflot concludes USD 149 million project credit facility with leading European banks
Sovcomflot says it has signed a new USD 149 million credit facility, for up to 10 years, with a consortium of three leading international banks, comprising: ING Bank N.V.; KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank.
The funds will be used towards financing the construction of a new generation 174,000-cubic metres Atlanticmax LNG carrier. The vessel will feature a slow-speed tri-fuel X-DF diesel engine and gas boil-off partial liquefaction system. The LNG carrier will operate on long-term charters with Total Group.
The project facility benefits from a limited-recourse structure and a favourable long-term tenor, as well as competitive pricing, reflecting the robustness and the high credit quality of the deal structure, underpinned by the stability of the charter hire revenue stream and cash flows.
Nikolay Kolesnikov, Senior Executive Vice-President & CFO of Sovcomflot, said:
“SCF Group is pleased to conclude this new long-term LNG financing with its three long-standing financial partners: ING Bank; KfW IPEX-Bank, and Credit Agricole CIB. We very much value the involvement of these high-profile lenders in this deal, reflecting their in-depth understanding of the transaction and their strong commitment to SCF Group, and welcome this opportunity to further expand the relationship with them.
“This is the fifth successful international debt financing accomplished by SCF Group in 2018, which further strengthens the Group’s liquidity position and, despite challenging conditions in the global financial and shipping markets, enables it to address its upcoming financial requirements. We are very grateful to all our financial partners for their ongoing support towards the growth of our business.”
Sovcomflot (SCF Group) is one of the world's leading energy shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, as well as the servicing of offshore oil and gas exploration and production. The company’s fleet includes 147 vessels with a total deadweight of 12.7 million tonnes. 80 vessels have an ice class.
Sovcomflot is involved in servicing large oil and gas projects in Russia and around the world: Sakhalin-1; Sakhalin-2; Varandey; Prirazlomnoye; Novy Port; Yamal LNG, and Tangguh (Indonesia). The company is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.
At the present, SCF has 13 gas carriers in operation. The Company became an independent owner and operator of gas carriers in 2006, the very first Russian company to successfully establish itself in this shipping segment. Key charterers of SCF’s gas fleet include: Gazprom; Sakhalin Energy; Shell; Yamal LNG; Sibur, and Tangguh LNG. Over 2017, SCF’s gas tanker fleet increased its revenues by 17.4 per cent when compared to 2016,and grew its share of the Company’s total revenue base to 15.6 per cent from 12.3 per cent in the prior year.
