Singapore, December 10, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed Soechi Lines Tbk.
(P.T.)'s B2 corporate family rating (CFR).
At the same time, Moody's has downgraded to B3 from B2 the
senior unsecured rating on the $200 million notes issued by Soechi
Capital Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Soechi.
The outlook has been changed to stable from negative.
The rating actions follow Soechi's announcement on 9 December 2020
that it will buy back $123 million of its $200 million US
dollar notes due January 2023 at a price of $700 per $1,000
principal issued. The buyback will be funded by a new $180
million 7-year amortizing secured term loan, which will also
be used to fully repay its $77 million term loan due August 2021.
"The rating affirmation reflects Soechi's improved liquidity
profile and slightly lower debt levels following its successful refinancing
exercise, as well as the earnings stability provided by its shipping
business thanks to the use of time charters," says Stephanie
Cheong, a Moody's Analyst.
"The downgrade of the bond rating to B3 reflects the subordination
of the remaining $78 million of its unsecured 2023 bonds relative
to around $220 million of secured debt in Soechi's capital
structure," adds Cheong, who is also Moody's Lead
Analyst for Soechi.
RATINGS RATIONALE
Soechi's bond tender will reduce its overall debt levels by $37
million, thereby improving leverage, as measured by debt/EBITDA,
to 5.1x from 5.7x as at 30 September 2020. Moody's
expects Soechi's leverage will be elevated at 4.8x-5.3x
over the next 12-18 months due to weaker earnings, but remain
within its B2 rating threshold.
Moody's expects Soechi's shipyard business to continue generating operating
losses through 2020-21, weighing on overall profitability,
as the company struggles to replenish its order book with profitable orders
amid the coronavirus outbreak. However, Moody's does
not expect operating losses to widen beyond 2020 as the company continues
to execute cost cutting measures at its shipyard.
Soechi Lines's B2 rating is underpinned by its relatively high degree
of revenue visibility, with around 90% of shipping revenue
supported by time charter contracts, the majority of which are with
Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company, Pertamina (Persero)
(P.T.) (Baa2 stable). The rating also reflects the
high barriers to entry created by cabotage laws in Indonesia, which
mandate the use of Indonesian-flagged vessels for domestic sea
freight transportation.
Moody's expects shipping revenues to remain muted over the next
12-18 months, as higher dry docking days will reduce revenues
slightly in 2020 and poor domestic demand for fuel could potentially hinder
the timely renewal of Soechi's time charter contracts.
The rating also remains constrained by the relatively small scale of Soechi's
operations compared to its global peers, and by its significant
reliance on two very large crude carriers (VLCC), which account
for 40% of the fleet's dead weight tonnage.
Moody's expects the company's liquidity to be adequate over
the next 12-18 months, with its cash balance and estimated
positive free cash flows sufficient to cover its debt amortization payments.
Soechi's successful refinancing has extended its debt maturity profile
and alleviated near-term refinancing risk, with the next
major maturity being the remaining $78 million bonds in January
2023. However, Soechi's financial flexibility will
henceforth be limited as its entire vessel fleet will become encumbered
under its secured bank loans.
The remaining $78 million of Soechi's unsecured 2023 bonds
are rated one notch below the CFR because they will make up around 25%
of Soechi's new capital structure and will have to contend with secured
bank debt, which has a priority claim and ranks ahead of the bonds,
thereby reducing recoveries in the event of a potential default.
The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Soechi will maintain
its longstanding relationship with Pertamina and preserve its good revenue
visibility through its continued use of time charter contracts.
The outlook also takes into account the risks arising from the formative
stage of its shipbuilding business and expectations that operating losses
will not widen materially beyond 2020.
In terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors,
Moody's has considered the governance risk stemming from Soechi's concentrated
ownership by the Utomo family, who own around 85% of the
company. These governance concerns are partially balanced by Soechi's
listed status and improving financial policies, including a reduction
in debt-funded growth since last year.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
The rating could be upgraded if management continues to successfully grow
the shipping business and increase the profit contribution from its shipyard
business while lowering leverage. Given Soechi's small scale and
customer and vessel concentration, Moody's would expect leverage,
as measured by debt-to-EBITDA, to be around 4.0x
on a sustained basis and interest coverage above 2.25x.
Furthermore, an upgrade is unlikely before its shipyard business
develops a track record of executing orders in a timely and profitable
manner while sustaining a modest order backlog.
The rating could be downgraded if (1) industry fundamentals weaken,
resulting in lower charter rates or an inability to renew expiring charter
contracts; (2) operating losses at Soechi's shipyard do not
moderate as expected over the next 12-18 months; (3) we believe
that Soechi does not have ample liquidity to fund its operations and meet
debt amortization payments; (4) there are adverse changes in cabotage
laws; (5) Pertamina shifts management of its fleet, such that
it materially reduces its exposure to Soechi; or (6) Soechi undertakes
material debt-funded capital spending or shareholder returns.
Specific indicators Moody's would consider for a downgrade include adjusted
debt/EBITDA above 5.5x or adjusted (FFO + interest expense)/interest
expense below 2.0x.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Shipping Methodology
published in December 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1243200.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
Headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, Soechi Lines Tbk.
(P.T.) provides shipping services primarily to oil and gas
companies, including Pertamina (Persero) (P.T.) and
its associates. Soechi also operates a ship-building and
maintenance business through its 99.99% subsidiary PT Multi
Ocean Shipyard.
Soechi is a family owned business with the members of the Utomo family
holding an approximate 85% stake and the public the remaining 15%.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and
sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and
Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's
Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.
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Stephanie Cheong
Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd.
50 Raffles Place #23-06
Singapore Land Tower
Singapore 48623
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Ian Lewis
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
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Releasing Office:
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