SBM Offshore on Wednesday announced the closure of a US$600 million bridge loan facility for the financing of the construction of FPSO Sepetiba, to be deployed in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil.
The facility was secured by the special purpose company owning FPSO Sepetiba and was agreed with a consortium of four international banks. SBM Offshore is majority owner of this special purpose company (with 64.5% equity ownership), together with Mitsubishi Corporation (20%) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (15.5%).
SBM Offshore said the facility will be drawn in July 2020 to finance the ongoing construction of the FPSO Sepetiba. The tenor of the bridge loan is six months with an extension option for another six months. The facility benefits from sponsor guarantees, which are to be released upon repayment. Repayment is expected to take place upon closure and first drawdown of the project loan which continues to progress. The facility’s weighted average interest margin is in line with the expected margin of SBM Offshore’s existing US$1 billion revolving credit facility for the second half of 2020.
“The successful closure of this bridge facility demonstrates the robustness of our financing model as well as the strength of SBM Offshore’s long-standing relationships with our banks” Bert-Jaap Dijkstra, Group Treasurer of SBM Offshore said.
He pointed out that as the facility is arranged at the level of the special purpose vehicle, it represents a financing tool which enables SBM Offshore and partners to optimize the financing of major projects.
The Group Treasurer further added that this bridge facility improves SBM Offshore’s liquidity position at a competitive rate.
SBM Offshore is the builder and operator of the Liza Destiny FPSO which is currently producing oil at the Stabroek Block some 120 miles offshore Guyana.
