KNOT Offshore Partners announces refinancing of Hilda Knutsen facility
KNOT Offshore Partners LP announced that its subsidiary, KNOT Shuttle Tankers 14 AS (“KST14”), which owns the vessel Hilda Knutsen, has entered into a binding term sheet for a new senior secured credit facility in order to refinance the existing bank loan associated with this vessel. The existing bank loan has an outstanding principal amount of $75.6 million with a balloon amount of $69.5 million due at maturity in August 2018.
The new senior secured credit facility (“UFJ Facility”) will consist of a $100 million term loan facility with Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (Hong Kong) Limited and will have a fixed tenor of seven years. Closing of the UFJ Facility is anticipated to occur in May 2017, subject to the execution of definitive documentation and satisfaction of customary closing conditions. KST14 will be the borrower under the UFJ Facility which will be guaranteed by the Partnership.
The UFJ Facility is repayable in twenty-eight (28) consecutive quarterly installments with a balloon payment of $58.5 million due at maturity. The UFJ Facility will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus a margin of 2.2% which is a 30 basis point reduction compared to the interest rate under the existing Hilda Knutsen facility. The refinancing will significantly decrease the Partnership’s balloon payments due in the second half of 2018.
“The refinancing of the Hilda Knutsen facility will make a significant liquidity contribution to the Partnership. We are securing long-term financing on attractive terms, addressing our refinancing risks and at the same time further diversifying our funding universe. This refinancing should enable the Partnership to pursue a ninth dropdown from its sponsor, Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS (“Knutsen NYK”) subject to approval by the Conflicts Committee and Partnership’s Board of Directors. We anticipate that Knutsen NYK will offer to us the opportunity to purchase the shuttle tanker Vigdis Knutsen when she commences her long-term charter with a subsidiary of Shell which is expected to occur in early April 2017. Vigdis Knutsen is a brand new shuttle tanker and the sister vessel of Tordis Knutsen which was acquired by the Partnership on March 1, 2017. A ninth dropdown would result in the Partnership’s growing its fleet to comprise thirteen advanced modern shuttle tankers, a 225% fleet growth since the Partnership was listed on NYSE in April 2013,” commented John Costain, CEO/CFO.
In addition, the Partnership announced today that the Partnership’s general partner appointed Mr. Richard Beyer to replace Mr. Hiroaki Nishiyama on the Partnership’s Board commencing April 1, 2017. Mr. Beyer has been a member of the board of directors of the Partnership’s general partner and KNOT Offshore Partners UK LLC since 2013 and is a director of NYK Group Europe Limited and NYK Energy Transport (Atlantic) Limited. Before joining NYK Group Europe Limited, Mr. Beyer was a Senior Legal Adviser to BP Shipping Limited. Mr. Beyer was admitted as an English solicitor in 1995.
About KNOT Offshore Partners LP
KNOT owns, operates and acquires shuttle tankers under long-term charters in the offshore oil production regions of the North Sea and Brazil. KNOT is structured as a master limited partnership. KNOT’s common units trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “KNOP.”