ATHENS, GREECE, February 1, 2024: Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp. (“we”, the “Company”, “OET” or “Okeanis”) (NYSE:ECO / OSE:OET) is pleased to announce the following financings update relating to its fleet.
On January 31, 2024, we executed an agreement for a new $34.7 million senior secured credit facility to finance the option to purchase back the Suezmax vessel Milos from its current sale and lease back financier (the “Milos Facility”). The Milos Facility is provided by a syndicate led by Kexim Asia Limited and the transaction is expected to close in February. It is priced at 175 bps over the applicable Term SOFR, matures in six years, will be repaid in quarterly instalments of $0.725 million each, together with a balloon instalment of $17.3 million payable at maturity, will be secured by, among other things, security over the Milos and is guaranteed by the Company.
On January 26 and 29, 2024, we executed amendments to the existing sale and leaseback agreements on the VLCC vessels Nissos Kea and Nissos Nikouria (the “Existing Leases Amendments”) and a new sale and leaseback agreement on the VLCC vessel Nissos Anafi (the “Anafi Lease”), respectively, both with CMB Financial Leasing.
• The Anafi Lease, in the amount of approximately $73.5 million, will be used to refinance the existing indebtedness of the Nissos Anafi and other general corporate purposes, and is expected to close in February. The agreement provides for a bareboat charter with charterhire being paid quarterly, and which matures in seven years. Charterhire will be paid in quarterly installments each consisting of a fixed amount of approximately $1.180 million and a variable amount priced at 190 bps over the applicable Term SOFR. The Anafi Lease includes purchase options for the Company after the first year and throughout the tenor of the lease, and is guaranteed by the Company.
• The Existing Leases Amendments, which are expected to become effective within the first quarter of 2024, provide for a reduction of the pricing of the variable amount of charterhire payable thereunder to 200 bps over the applicable Term SOFR on both vessels, extend maturities to December 2030 for the Nissos Kea and March 2031 for the Nissos Nikouria, and eliminate the previously stipulated early prepayment fees in the case of exercise of the purchase options by the Company after the first year.
Iraklis Sbarounis, CFO of the Company, commented:
“We are pleased to announce our most recent financings, in line with our effort to continuously optimize our capital structure. We take advantage of our strong relationships with both existing and potential new financiers, stemming from Okeanis’ established position as well as their decades-long successful cooperation with the Alafouzos family, to source deals with accretive value for our shareholders. Executing the purchase option of the Milos is a milestone transaction for us as it significantly improves our interest expense. Furthermore, we have added the Nissos Anafi to our portfolio of sale and leaseback transactions with CMB Financial Leasing, improving overall pricing across all three vessels, extending maturities, and adding flexibility for the future. We look forward to utilizing the momentum from our most recent transactions to seek favorable terms for financing the purchase-back of our other legacy leased Suezmax vessel Poliegos in June 2024, the second in a series of four transactions which we expect may further improve our position.”
Contacts
Company
Iraklis Sbarounis, CFO
Tel: +30 210 480 4200
ir@okeanisecotankers.com
Investor Relations / Media Contact
Nicolas Bornozis, President
Capital Link, Inc.
230 Park Avenue, Suite 1540, New York, N.Y. 10169
Tel: +1 (212) 661-7566
okeanisecotankers@capitallink.com
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
About OET
OET is a leading international tanker company providing seaborne transportation of crude oil and refined products. The Company was incorporated on April 30, 2018 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and is listed on Oslo Børs under the symbol OET and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ECO. The sailing fleet consists of six modern scrubber-fitted Suezmax tankers and eight modern scrubber-fitted VLCC tankers.
Forward-Looking Statements
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