Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Announces a Pioneering Green Loan to Finance the Retrofitting of 50 Scrubbers
October 09 2018 - 4:05PM
Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the "Company" or "Star Bulk") (Nasdaq:
SBLK, Oslo: SBLK-R), a global shipping company focusing on the
transportation of dry bulk cargoes announced today that it has
entered into a $310 million loan agreement, which includes a $70
million tranche (the “Green Loan Tranche”) that will exclusively
finance the procurement and retrofitting of scrubbers for up to
approx. 50 vessels in Star Bulk’s fleet. DNB Bank ASA
(“DNB”), acted as the Mandated Lead Arranger, Facility Agent and
Coordinator, along with ABN AMRO Bank N.V (“ABN”), BNP Paribas
(“BNP”), Danish Ship Finance A/S (“DSF”) and Skandinaviska Enskilda
Banken AB (“SEB”) as Mandated Lead Arrangers.
The remaining $240 million were drawn on
September 28, 2018 and refinanced in full a group of 26 vessels,
namely 4 Newcastlemax, 4 Capesize, 2 Post Panamax, 14 Kamsarmax and
2 Supramax vessels.
The Green Loan Tranche has been certified by DNV GL Business
Assurance Services Limited (“DNV GL”) to be aligned with the Green
Loan Principles. The completion of this financing is an important
milestone for Star Bulk and its lending partners, who are
pioneering sustainable Green Loans for dry bulk shipping
investments, which aim to promote maritime emission reductions and
compliance with the 2020 IMO regulations.
The Green Loan Tranche has a margin of 280 basis points over
LIBOR and an amortization profile of 4.5 years.
About Star Bulk
Star Bulk is a global shipping company providing
worldwide seaborne transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector.
Star Bulk’s vessels transport major bulks, which include iron ore,
coal and grain, and minor bulks, which include bauxite, fertilizers
and steel products. Star Bulk was incorporated in the Marshall
Islands on December 13, 2006 and maintains executive offices in
Athens, Greece. Its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select
Market under the symbol “SBLK” and on the Oslo Stock Exchange under
the ticker “SBLK R”. On a fully delivered basis, Star Bulk will
have a fleet of 111 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 12.67
million dwt, consisting of 17 Newcastlemax, 20 Capesize, 2 Mini
Capesize, 7 Post Panamax, 35 Kamsarmax, 2 Panamax, 16 Ultramax and
12 Supramax vessels with carrying capacities between 52,055 dwt and
209,537 dwt. The Company holds call options and has sold respective
put options on 4 Capesize vessels, with exercise dates in early
April 2019.
Forward-Looking Statements
Matters discussed in this press release may
constitute forward looking statements. The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for
forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to
provide prospective information about their business.
Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans,
objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and
underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than
statements of historical facts.
The Company desires to take advantage of the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in
connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe,”
“anticipate,” “intends,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,”
“potential,” “may,” “should,” “expect,” “pending” and similar
expressions identify forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements in this press
release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are
based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without
limitation, examination by the Company’s management of historical
operating trends, data contained in its records and other data
available from third parties. Although the Company believes that
these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these
assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and
contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are
beyond the Company’s control, the Company cannot assure you that it
will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or
projections.
In addition to these important factors, other
important factors that, in the Company’s view, could cause actual
results to differ materially from those discussed in the
forward-looking statements include general dry bulk shipping market
conditions, including fluctuations in charterhire rates and vessel
values; the strength of world economies; the stability of Europe
and the Euro; fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange
rates; changes in demand in the dry bulk shipping industry,
including the market for our vessels; changes in our operating
expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking and insurance costs;
changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by
regulatory authorities; potential liability from pending or future
litigation; general domestic and international political
conditions; potential disruption of shipping routes due to
accidents or political events; the availability of financing and
refinancing; our ability to meet requirements for additional
capital and financing to complete our newbuilding program and grow
our business; the impact of the level of our indebtedness and the
restrictions in our debt agreements; vessel breakdowns and
instances of off‐hire; risks associated with vessel construction;
potential exposure or loss from investment in derivative
instruments; potential conflicts of interest involving our Chief
Executive Officer, his family and other members of our senior
management and our ability to complete acquisition transactions as
planned. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks
and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as
of the date hereof, and the Company disclaims any intention or
obligation to update any forward‐looking statements as a result of
developments occurring after the date of this communication.
Contacts
Company:Simos Spyrou, Christos BeglerisCo ‐
Chief Financial Officers Star Bulk Carriers Corp.c/o Star Bulk
Management Inc.40 Ag. Konstantinou Av.Maroussi 15124Athens,
GreeceEmail: info@starbulk.comwww.starbulk.com
Investor Relations / Financial Media:Nicolas
BornozisPresidentCapital Link, Inc.230 Park Avenue, Suite 1536New
York, NY 10169Tel. (212) 661‐7566E‐mail:
starbulk@capitallink.comwww.capitallink.com
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