Ship Finance in Asia Kevin Oates Managing Director Marine Money Asia Pte. Ltd 27 th Marine Money Week June 2014Oates
Today s Topics 1. The Growth of Ship Finance in Asia 2. What caused Asian Ship Finance to Expand? 3. The Rise of Export Credit Finance 4. Leasing: the next big thing in Asian Ship Finance 5. Some words of Warning
1. The Growth of Ship Finance in Asia
Typically Asian banks supported local owners. This is still predominant in Singapore, Japan and Taiwan and common in China. Terms offered cannot be matched by international shipping finance. But Asian banks were not active on the global scene - until after 2009.
2. What caused Asian Ship Finance to Expand?
The Shipping Market Cycle Excess of shipbuilding capacity Ship prices drop Over-ordering by speculators/bargain hunters Yards reopened or new yards created Over tonnaging Demand for new-buildings increases Freight rates drop Freight rates recover Demand for new-buildings drops Fleet shrinks Demolition increases Source: DVB
A normal shipping cycle has one or two high years and six or seven year lows. But the 2003/4 2007/8 boom cycle was different.
Prolonged Shipping Cycle led to Irrational Exuberance and Escalated Asset Values The 2003 to 2008 shipping cycle had a peak of four years for the following reasons: 1. Inadequate shipbuilding capacity. The upswing started with too little yard capacity needed for normal fleet renewal process Then the LNG wave came where people started to build ships for projects and the offshore boom came The yards found themselves lacking capacity a longer period of time 2. The rise of China after entry to the WTO in 2001 and massive investment in infrastruture in the years to follow3
Prolonged Shipping Cycle led to Irrational Exuberance and Escalated Asset Values But over the four year boom Global shipyard capacity increased tremendously, especially in China The fleet of ships in all sectors more than doubled because of low scrapping and massive newbuilding Huge orders were placed even in 2009 Owners and bankers alike were behaving as if the good times were here forever.
And then the Global Financial Crisis Struck (unavailability of trade finance accelerated the shipping crisis)
Source: BBC Financial Institutions failed or were bailed out by governments
70 Shipping Portfolio of Selected European Banks Material Contraction in Ship lending capacity among major shipping banks 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Source: Marine Money 2008 2009 Distressed exposures to non-core names and excessive lending at the cycle peak caused a retreat to narrower target market and greater focus on existing clients Some prominent shipping banks were nationalized and some faced over-exposure to unique ship finance conditions in home markets
Those banks which WERE lending increased pricing and severely tightened covenants
And the Shipping Markets Plunged into Crisis Unprecedented collapses in both shipping and financial markets
Pain Across The Entire Shipping Value Chain Key Shipping Value Chain Participants Asset Financiers Asset Owners Asset Operators Overextended balance sheets Challenging overall liquidity situation Loans secured through insufficient collaterals Loan-to-value covenants inadequate Challenging operating environment is enhancing the execution risk of repossessions Material decline in asset values Breach of loan-to value covenants Declining rate environment Potential charter renegotiations Substantial orderbook Material outstanding finance commitments New funding, if at all possible, prohibitively expensive Rapidly deteriorating macroeconomic environment Pronounced decline in demand Potential long-term contractual commitment to use assets High cost assets in declining rate environment puts margins under pressure New funding, if at all possible, prohibitively expensive Source: Citibank
Who was to become the white knight?
3. The Rise of Export Credit Finance China Exim. Sinosure. JBIC. NEXI. KEXIM. KEIC
Q: What is an Export Finance Agency? A: Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) are public institutions that facilitate financing for home country exporters and investors doing business overseas, particularly in developing countries and emerging market economies.
Advantages of ECAs Availability When commercial financing is limited/not available Long-term The total loan horizons are longer than those available on a purely commercial basis High loan amounts can be 70/80% of value As the Seller s Credit is a loan, the Seller may even receive interest accrued on the principal Source: Marine Money, HSBC
Types of ECA Products Buyer s Credit A financial arrangement in which a bank or an export credit agency extends a loan directly to a foreign buyer in the importing country to pay for the purchase of goods and services from the exporting country Seller s Credit A financial arrangement in which the seller provides credit to the buyer in respect of part of the purchase price of the good Export Credit Insurance An insurance policy provided by an ECA that protects an exporter of products and services against the risk of non-payment by a foreign buyer Source: Marine Money, HSBC
Typical Buyer s Credit Structure Refund Guarantor Shipowner Shipbuilder Classification Society Management Company SPV Buyer s Credit Loan Repayment/ Mortgage Export Credit Agency Insurance Company Bareboat Charter/ Time Charter Charter Hire Source: Marine Money Charterer
Typical Buyer s Credit Structure - II Refund Guarantor Shipbuilder Classification Society Management Company Insurance Company SPV Bareboat Charter/ Time Charter Shipowner Charter Hire Buyer s Credit Loan Repayment/ Mortgage ECA financing provides credit enhancement to lenders, facilitating greater appetite, longer tenors and cheaper pricing than wholly commercial sources of funding Commercial Bank Buyer s Credit Insurance Export Credit Agency Source: Marine Money Charterer
Important ECAs in Shipbuilding Nations in Asia China: The Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank) China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sino-sure) China Development Bank (CDB) Japan: Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) Korea: The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-sure)
The Rise of Export Credit Finance China Exim Flexes Financial Muscle Since its establishment in 1994, China Exim Bank has played an instrumental role in supporting China s maritime industry, having granted shipping/shipbuilding related loans of over RMB 116.8 billion (USD 17.1 billion) in the domestic currency and USD 8.5 billion in greenback at the end of 2009 Financed over 3,700 Chinese built vessels of over 120 million dwt Adopts a two-pronged strategy to support Chinese Shipbuilders by: a) Encouraging foreign ship owners to build ships in China through attractive financing packages. b) Providing shipbuilders bank guarantees required in their business which include refund guarantees, tender bonds, performance bonds, payment guarantees and seller s credit The objective is to nurture and provide financial support to a selected group of Chinese shipbuilders including state-owned CSSC and CSIC, as well as privately held Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries, Sino-Pacific Shipbuilding and Jiangsu New Century
China Exim Takes Bold Steps to Help Greek and Italian Owners In October 2010 during his visit to Athens Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gave his backing to Greek shipowners with the establishment of a massive USD 5 billion shipping fund to facilitate the sale of Chinese built ships to Greek shipping companies. This amount is reportedly said to have doubled to USD 10 billion In the same month, China Exim signed an agreement with Confitarma (the Italian Shipowner s Association) to promote the availability of Chinese finance for Italian shipowners placing orders at Chinese shipyards Source: Marine Money, Lloyd s List
Some CEXIM transactions THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF CHINA page 28
More CEXIM transactions THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF CHINA page 29
Korea EXIM Bank The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) is an official export credit agency providing comprehensive export credit and guarantee programs to support Korean enterprises in conducting overseas business. Established in 1976, the bank actively supports Korea's export-led economy and facilitated economic cooperation with foreign countries. Korea Eximbank's primary services include export loans, trade finance, and guarantee programs structured to meet the needs of clients in a direct effort to both complement and strengthen the clients' competitiveness in global markets SHIPPING LOANS AND FACILITIES TOTAL OVER USD 30 BILLION
ECA Ship Financing in General KEXIM s ship financing feature Record of KEXIM S/F Credit Commitment 2008 Buyer's Credit Bn($) 35.0 30.0 25.0 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0-3.0bn 14.0bn 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013(e) Bn($) 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5-70% 30% 25% 75% Builder's Credit 30% 70% Total Buyer's Credit Offshore Ship Record of KEXIM S/F Credit Balance 2012 Buyer's Credit Bn($) 50.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0-10.6bn 30.3bn 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013(e) Bn($) 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0-48% 52% 28% 72% Builder's Credit 30% 70% Total Buyer's Credit Offshore Ship
For Better Support of ECA Filling gap of liquidity Deals going bigger Vessel Type Contract Price (1 vessel, million) Deal Value* (million) Bulker ~ 50 Container ~ 150 Tanker ~ 100 300 ~ 800 A.P. Moller 18 Containers 3,663mil Ichthys LNG CPF, FPSO 4,590mil LNGC ~ 200 Drillship 500 ~ 800 400 ~??? FPSO/CPF 600 ~ 2000 ($mil) 1,500 ($mil) 600 1,204 Seadrill 3 Drillships 1,573mil Ocean Rig 3 Drillships 1,864mil 1,000 402 400 500 200 - - 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Contract price (by project) KEXIM's commitment (by project) BGT 6 LNGCs 1,337mil Golar LNG 2 FSRUs, 6 LNGCs 1,730mil * KEXIM s previous deals
4. Leasing The next big thing in Asian Ship Finance
Q: What is Leasing? A: Leasing is a process by which a firm can obtain the use of a certain fixed assets for which it must pay a series of contractual, periodic, tax deductible payments. Source: Wikipedia
Typical Leasing Structure Equity Investors Equity Investment Lessor (Shipowner) Loan Loan Repayment/ Mortgage Lender Lease Leasing Income Lessee Source: Marine Money
When Banks Become Ship Owners Chinese banks moves into owning vessels through the establishment of ship leasing divisions ICBC Leasing Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Minsheng Financial Leasing China Development Bank ( CDB ) Leasing China Construction Bank ( CCB ) Leasing Agricultural Bank of China China Everbright Bank And more to come, as other Chinese banks are applying to set up leasing their own subsidiaries State-owned chemical group Sinochem has its own ship-leasing division, that targets small and medium size Chinese shipowners International Far Eastern Leasing Standard Chartered Bank has a ship leasing division to provide clients bareboat charters, on long term lease tenors of 5 to 12 years
Ship Leasing in China In 2007 the China Banking Regulatory Commission ( CBRC ) launched its pilot project and granted the first batch of twelve licenses for financial institutions to venture into leasing including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ( ICBC ), Bank of Construction, Bank of Communications, Minsheng Bank, China Development Bank and China Merchants Bank Among the real pioneers was ICBC Leasing which has become a powerhouse since the landmark RMB 5.3 billion (USD 780 million) leasing facility for Chinese state owned power generation enterprise China Huaneng for 12 supramax dry bulkers constructed by China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and other yards In 2013 ICBC Leasing supported a excess USD1 billion deal sale and leaseback deal with French offshore group Bourbon
Chinese leasing companies are well supported by local banks who have Liquidity Encouragement from central authorities (Government) to support shipping Leasing expertise Ability to do massive deals even excess $1 billion But have not YET attracted many foreign clients
Finally, 5. Some words of warning
Traditional shipping banks Are mending their balance sheets and are lending again For top clients competition amongst the banks is fierce with pricing down 100 bps in 12 months and covenants weakening This may price the ECAs out of the market or render the ECAs less desirable in a transaction Source: Marine Money, HSBC
The Asian banks have had their own distress situations even the ECAs BLT Torm Korea Lines TMT STX Nanjing Tankers. Source: Marine Money, HSBC
Final Point Will Asian banks (ECA and non-eca) continue to play the role they have played in the past five years in shipping? Or will the European and US shipping banks take the lion s share once again? Will leasing be the next big thing in ship finance in Asia?