Sberbank and Sovcomflot have signed a new USD 106 million project financing agreement, with a term of up to 14 years. The funds will finance the construction of a high ice class Arctic shuttle tanker (Arc7) for the Novy Port project, under a long-term agreement with Gazprom Neft.
This is the third major transaction of its kind between Sberbank and Sovcomflot. The first joint project between the companies was in 2015, to finance the construction of three Arctic shuttle tankers to transport crude oil from the Novy Port field. That agreement set an important precedent for Russian domestic credit institutions and was named “Deal of the Year” by the international publication Marine Money.
Nikolay Kolesnikov, Executive Vice President and CFO of PAO Sovcomflot, noted: "We welcome the continuing development of our strategic partnership with Russia's leading banking group. Today, Sberbank is among the largest financial partners of Sovcomflot, which reflects the growing role of the Russian banking sector as a source of finance to the shipping industry. This financing agreement will enhance the Group's long-term liquidity position, and will enable us to meet the capital requirements of our current shipbuilding programme."
Igor Bulantsev, Senior Vice President of Sberbank, Head of Sberbank CIB, said: "We are delighted that the mutually beneficial cooperation between Sovcomflot Group and PAO Sberbank is growing consistently, across a broad range of banking services. Investment in significant projects that fund the development of a modern infrastructure continues to be a priority for the Bank. We are positive about the prospects for lending to the shipbuilding industry and look forward to the continuation and further development of the relationship between our companies."
PAO Sberbank is the largest bank in Russia and one of the leading global financial institutions. Sberbank accounts for about a third of total assets of the Russian banking sector. Sberbank is a key lender to the national economy and has the largest share of the market for deposits. The founder and principal shareholder of PAO Sberbank is the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which owns 50% of the share capital plus one voting share. The other 50% of the Bank's shares are owned by Russian and international investors. Sberbank's services are used by more than 145 million customers in 21 countries around the world. The Bank has the most extensive branch network in Russia with about 15 thousand points of service. The international network of the Bank consists of subsidiary banks, branches and representative offices in the UK, the USA, the CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, India, China, Turkey and other countries.
The Bank holds the general banking licence No. 1481 issued by the Bank of Russia.
Official websites of the Bank: www.sberbank.com (Sberbank Group's website), www.sberbank.ru
PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) is one of the world's leading shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, as well as servicing offshore upstream oil and gas installations and equipment. The Group’s fleet comprises 150 vessels with a total deadweight of over 13 million tonnes. The company is registered in St. Petersburg with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.
The Group offers a wide range of vessels in the market segments most demanded by major Russian oil and gas companies. With its own technical development and unique approach to advanced technologies, Sovcomflot can meet the most demanding customer requirements, providing effective transportation for oil & gas companies.
Source: Sovcomflot