KNOT Offshore Partners LP (NYSE:KNOP) announced yesterday that its wholly owned subsidiary, KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS, has acquired all of the ownership interests in KNOT Shuttle Tankers 30 AS (KNOT 30), the company that owns and operates the shuttle tanker Anna Knutsen, from Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS (Knutsen NYK) for an aggregate purchase price of $120.0 million, less $106.8 million of outstanding indebtedness under the secured credit facility related to the vessel (the “Anna Facility”), plus approximately $1.4 millionfor certain capitalized fees related to the financing of the Anna Knutsen.
On the closing of the acquisition, KNOT 30 repaid approximately $32.4 million of the indebtedness, leaving an aggregate of approximately $74.4 million of debt outstanding under the secured credit facility related to the vessel. The purchase price was settled in cash and will be subject to certain post-closing adjustments for working capital and interest rate swaps.
The Anna Knutsen is DP2 Suezmax class shuttle tanker, delivered in March 2017 and is operating in Brazil under a time charter with Galp Sinopec Brazil Services B.V., which will expire in the second quarter of 2022. The charterer has options to extend the charter for two three-year periods.
The Board of Directors of the Partnership (the “Board”) and the Conflicts Committee of the Board approved the purchase price and terms of the Acquisition. The Conflicts Committee retained an outside financial advisor to assist with its evaluation of the Acquisition.
Including the Anna Knutsen, the Partnership now has a fleet of sixteen vessels with an average age of 4.6 years and a fixed average employment of 4.0 years.
Source: KNOT Offshore