SEACOR Marine Holdings, the U.S.-based provider of marine and support transportation services to the offshore energy sector, is the latest company in the sector to map growth plans based on the expectations for continuing strengthening in the industry. The company reports it has completed a refinancing and is also moving to strengthen its position in the platform supply vessel sector while exiting for anchor handling towing and supply.
“The new financing also allows us to retain financial flexibility and support our growth initiatives by financing up to 50% of our order of two PSVs,” said John Gellert, SEACOR Marine’s Chief Executive Officer. “These vessels expand and complement our PSV fleet as we implement our asset rotation strategy aimed at renewing our fleet with high-specification, environmentally efficient assets to replace older, lower specification assets.”
SECOR currently has a fleet of 21 PSVs as well as a range of Fast Support Vessels as well as eight liftboats. It provides cargo and personnel transportation to offshore installations, as well as supporting offshore operations for production and storage facilities, as well as installation and decommissioning support, and maintenance, inspection, and repair operations. Long a part of the operation, it has reduced to two remaining Anchor Handling Towing Supply (AHTS) vessels, which it reports are being sold for total proceeds of $22.5 million. It will exit from the AHTS asset class effective January 2025 using the proceeds to help fund the PSV constructions.
It has entered into agreements with China’s Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding to build two platform supply vessels for a contract price of $41 million per vessel. The PSVs will each be 4,650 dwt with a 1,000 square meter deck area. They will be equipped with medium-speed diesel engines and an integrated battery energy storage system for higher fuel efficiency and lower running costs.
“This order comes at a competitive price point and with an attractive delivery schedule of the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027 for each of the PSVs,” said Gellert.
Underpinning these moves is a refinancing of the company that will consolidate the company’s debt capital structure into a single credit facility maturing in the fourth quarter of 2029 and provide financing for the shipbuilding contracts. The Carlyle Group has been a lender to the group since 2015 along with an affiliate of EnTrust Globa which will be supplying a new senior secured term loan of up to $391 million.
SECOR plans to refinance $203.7 million of principal indebtedness under multiple secured debt facilities and $125.0 million of unsecured indebtedness due in 2026, inclusive of $35.0 million of convertible debt. The 2024 SMFH Credit Facility also provides up to $41.0 million in borrowings to finance up to 50 percent of the shipbuilding contracts. The borrowings will bear an annual interest at a rate of 10.30 percent and will be repaid in an initial quarterly installment of $5 million in March 2025, followed by quarterly installments of $7.5 million for the refinanced indebtedness and 2.13% of the principal amount borrowed to fund the Shipbuilding Contracts.
The company points out that it provides a strong opportunity for future growth, especially in the PSV sector which is seeing strong demand as the industry rebounds.
