Bnp Paribas News
Fincantieri in Talks to Buy Leonardo's Submarine Unit Wass
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is in talks with Leonardo to buy the defense group's submarine unit Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (Wass), several newspapers reported on Wednesday.Spokespersons for Fincantieri and Leonardo both declined to comment.The acquisition would have a value of between 200 and 300 million euros ($217-$326 million), Corriere della Sera and financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported.The move by Fincantieri would be part of the group's broader strategy to grow non-organically and focus more on the defence sector…
Swedbank Adopts Poseidon Principles
Swedbank has signed the Poseidon Principles, a global framework for integrating climate considerations into lending decisions within ship financeThe Poseidon Principles provide a standardised methodology for data collection and reporting of emissions from banks’ shipping portfolios, with the overall ambition of supporting and facilitating the decarbonization of the shipping industry.The Poseidon Principles are consistent with the policies and ambitions of the IMO, including its…
Ships Get Older and Slower as Emissions Rules Bite
If shipping is the beating heart of global trade, its pulse is about to get slower. Faced with uncertainty about which fuels to use in the long term to cut greenhouse gas emissions, many shipping firms are sticking with aging fleets, but older vessels may soon have to start sailing slower to comply with new environmental rules.From next year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all ships to calculate their annual carbon intensity based on a vessel's emissions…
Vineyard Wind Secures $2.3 Bln Loan, Allowing Construction to Start
Vineyard Wind, which is on track to be the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, closed on a $2.3 billion loan and will begin construction in Massachusetts later this year, its owners said on Wednesday.The senior debt financing allows the project, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, to mobilize its contractors and suppliers to begin work, the companies said.The U.S. government approved Vineyard Wind in May, billing it as the inauguration of a new domestic industry that will help eliminate emissions from the power sector…
Hapag-Lloyd Secures 'Green Financing' for LNG-powered Newbuilds
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has joined the shift to green financing, securing funds for six liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered, 23,500 TEU containerships it ordered in December 2020.The firm said it concluded two transactions according to the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA), as verified by independent secondary party DNV GL, as the shipping industry increasingly turns toward financing linked to measurable sustainability targets."Our first green financings are a major milestone for us…
Ship Finance Lenders Fall Short of Sector's Carbon Targets
Many of the world’s biggest lenders to shipping companies fell short of carbon-cutting targets last year in the first analysis of CO2 goals for the sector by financiers, a report showed on Wednesday.Global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions and the industry is under pressure to reduce those emissions and other pollution. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea.Last year, a group of leading banks signed up to environmental commitments known as the Poseidon Principles…
EU Green Finance Rules Leaky for Ships
Months of EU deliberation to decide which business activities can be marketed as green investments have produced a set of draft standards some finance officials and NGOs say are lax for the polluting shipping sector and challenging for buildings.In other cases, they strike a fair balance, they say.As the European Union pursues regulation to try to deliver the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, a powerful tool in channeling funding over the coming decades will be its financial taxonomy - in other words…
CMA CGM Takes $1.1 Bln Loan
Shipping group CMA CGM has obtained a 1.05 billion euro ($1.1 billion) loan to be 70% guaranteed by the French government as it seeks to bolster its cash position during the coronavirus pandemic, which has hammered international trade.The loan, secured from a consortium of banks comprising BNP Paribas, HSBC and Société Générale, has an initial one-year maturity and an extension option of up to five years, Marseille-based CMA CGM said in a statement on Wednesday.France is offering guarantees to support billions of euros in loans for French companies to help them survive the economic fallout fro
Oil Prices Climb on Hopes of Deeper OPEC+ Production Cuts
Oil prices edged higher on Thursday as investors focused on the possibility of deeper supply cuts from the world's biggest producers, whilst largely shrugging off reports which cut demand forecasts after the coronavirus outbreak in China, the biggest oil importer.Brent crude was up 32 cents, or 0.6%, at $56.11 a barrel by 10:52 a.m. ET (1552 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 14 cents at $51.31 a barrel.The energy complex was led higher by U.S. gasoline futures…
Poseidon Readies $140Bn Shipping Loan
With the signing by the France-based international lender to global shipping BNP Paribas and the Swiss multinational investment bank Credit Suisse, Signatories of the Poseidon Principles represent around $140 billion in loans to international shipping – about 30% of the total global ship finance portfolio.Poseidon Principles is a global framework for responsible ship finance which helps incentivize shipping’s decarbonization.They establish a common framework to quantitatively assess and disclose whether financial institutions’ lending portfolios are in line with climate goals set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized…
Lenders Back Initiative to Factor CO2 Cuts into Shipping Finance
Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas and French public investment bank Bpifrance are the latest lenders to join an initiative to link provision of shipping finance to cuts in carbon dioxide emissions.Global shipping accounts for 2.2% of the world's CO2 emissions and the industry is under pressure to reduce those emissions and other pollution. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea.Last year, a group of leading banks signed up to environmental commitments known as the "Poseidon Principles"…
MOL Secures Green Loan for LNGBV
Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has signed its first green loan, which it plans to use to partially finance the construction of the world's largest liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel (LNGBV).The 18,600 cubic meters (cbm) LNGBV for Total will be owned and operated by MOL. Last year, Total and MOLsigned a long-term charter contract for a pioneer LNG bunker vessel.The loan is provided by BNP Paribas (BNPP) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), with both banks acting as Mandated Lead Arrangers and BNPP acting as Sole Green Structuring Advisor. MOL obtained a second party opinion in respect of the loan from a third-party institute.Green Loans are used to raise funds for businesses aimed at protecting and improving the environment.
Bourbon Assets Taken Over by Creditor Banks
French marine services group Bourbon Corporation, which has been in a court restructuring process after its business was hit by volatile energy markets, said its assets would be taken over by its creditor banks.Bourbon said the Marseille commercial court had ruled that Bourbon's assets would be transferred to Société Phocéenne de Participations (SPP) from Jan. 2, 2020.SPP is owned by BNP Paribas, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel Alpes Provence, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel de Paris et d'Ile de France…
Jan De Nul orders Offshore Installation Vessel
Six months after the offshore installation vessel Voltaire, Jan De Nul Group orders Les Alizés, a floating installation crane vessel from the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China.Together with the Voltaire, this new vessel will be in a super-size class of its own, capable of building the newest generation of offshore wind farms. Les Alizés, that will be ready in 2022, is equipped with a crane having a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons and equally impressive lifting heights. Les Alizés will be able to load out, transport and install multiple units of the largest and heaviest wind turbine foundations.
Ørsted Issues Green Bonds in Taiwan
Ørsted, the largest energy company in Denmark, has secured nominal TWD 12 billion (USD 395m) through the issuance of green senior bonds, to finance its investments in offshore wind in Taiwan. This transaction marks the first ever green TWD bond to be issued by a foreign corporate in Taiwan. The bonds will be issued in accordance with Ørsted’s Green Finance Framework.Ørsted CFO Marianne Wiinholt, said: “We are very pleased with the completion of this historic transaction which is an important step in the financing of the Changhua 1 & 2a project. We are proud to help develop the local financial market with respect to green financing and this underlines our commitment to Ørsted’s activities in Taiwan”.Matthias Bausenwein…
Iranian Tanker Hit by Missiles, Oil Rises
Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Friday, October 11, 2019, after Iranian media said a state-owned oil tanker had been struck by missiles in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect of supply disruptions weeks after attacks on Saudi oil plants.The Suezmax crude tanker Sabiti was ablaze and suffered heavy damage after being hit by two missiles, Iranian media reported.Both oil benchmarks recorded their biggest daily rise since Sept. 16, the first trading day after the attacks on Saudi installations pushed oil prices up around 20%.International benchmark Brent crude futures were up$1.39, or around 2.4%, at $60.49 a barrel by 0829 GMT.U.S.
Siemens Gamesa Ups 'Green' Credit to $1.4Bln
Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has increased the amount of guarantees that qualify as "green" to €1.25 billion ($1.4Bln) as they contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).The deal, arranged with BNP Paribas, adds €350 million to the existing line of €900 million in "green" guarantees arranged with other banks.Siemens Gamesa will use this line to fund its business of manufacturing and selling onshore and offshore wind turbines worldwide, with a positive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) relating to "Affordable and clean energy" and "Climate action"."This deal is a further step in our commitment to being one of the main drivers of sustainable development.
Dream Cruises Wins $2.9Bln from KfW IPEX-Bank
KfW IPEX-Bank, leading a consortium consisting of six international banks, is structuring the financing of two cruise ships for Genting Hong Kong Ltd. and its brand Dream Cruises.The Global Class I and II ships are currently being built in the three shipyards of MV Werften located on the Baltic Coast in the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.The financing package comprises around EUR 2.6 billion with a total investment volume of just under EUR 3.1 billion.The structure will be backed by export credit guarantees of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, as well as by a guarantee from the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Epic Gas Acquires Four Vessels
Epic Gas, the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) shipping solutions company, announced that it has completed the acquisition of two of the four ships that it previously referenced in April 2019.The vessels, the Kahyasi and Kris Kin, , are all modern second-hand 11,000cbm Japanese-built pressurised LPG carriers that were built in 2015.The remaining ships, the Kingcraft and Kisber, also both 11,000cbm Japanese-built pressurized LPG carriers built in 2015, are due to complete in July and August.Two of the four vessels immediately enter a two-year time charter with a leading LPG commodity trading and shipping company, said a press release from the Oslo-listed company.The four vessels will sit alongside six sister vessels already in the Company fleet…
Okeanis Gets Funds for Scrubber Retrofit
The Piraeus-based shipping company Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp announced that it has secured commitment to a $11 million secured loan facility for its scrubber retrofit project from BNP Paribas.The tankers company, owned by the Alafouzos family, said in a press release that the facility carries an interest rate over Libor of 2.00%, a 5-year tenor, and a 4-year repayment profile beginning one year after drawdown.The funds are available immediately, and the company expects to draw on it shortly to partly finance the capital expenditure required to retrofit scrubbers on six of its vessels (two Aframax/LR2s and four Suezmaxes).In May 2019…
Credit Agricole Finances Landbridge VLCCs
London-based international law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised Credit Agricole Asia Shipfinance Limited as facility agent on a US$91m term loan facility to a subsidiary of investment firm Sole Shipping Group (advised by Nordisk Legal Services) for the financing of two VLCCs (and scrubbers).According to WFW, the ships will be bareboat chartered to Hong Kong-based Landbridge group, with the leases arranged by Pareto Securities.The lenders were Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and BNP Paribas, it said.The WFW Hong Kong Maritime team advising on the transaction was led by Partner and Office Head Madeline Leong…
Oil Prices Jump 2% After Tanker Attacks
Oil prices settled 2.2% higher on Thursday after attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman stoked concerns of reduced crude trade flows through one of the world's key shipping routes.The attacks near Iran and the Strait of Hormuz reignited worries about an impact to flows from the Middle East if insurance companies begin to reduce coverage for voyages through the region and additional shipping companies suspend new bookings, analysts said.Such a disruption "could further exacerbate the supply problem…
Polsteam Gets $175mln for 34 Bulkers
Bank syndicate led by DVB Bank SE completed a $175 million financing of a 34 Bulk Carrier portfolio for Polsteam Group.Polska Żegluga Morska known as Polsteam or PŻM, is a cargo ship operator based in Szczecin, Poland. It has one of the largest route networks in the world, offering services to around 60 countries.The syndicate consisted of DVB Bank, CIT Group, Société Générale, BNP Paribas, Siemens Bank, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank and Crédit Agricole Bank Polsk.No further details on the transaction have been revealed.DVB Bank SE, headquartered in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, specialises on the international Transport Finance business.