Capital/Financing Update • Sep 16, 2022
Capital/Financing Update
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Denne melding til obligasjonseierne er kun utarbeidet på engelsk. For informasjon vennligst kontakt Nordic Trustee AS
ISIN NO 001 0836810 - DOF Subsea AS FRN Senior Unsecured NOK 1,000,000,000 Bond Issue 2018/2023 ("DOFSUB09")
Oslo, 16 September 2022
Nordic Trustee AS acts as bond trustee (the "Bond Trustee") for the Bondholders in each of the abovementioned bond issues DOFSUB07, DOFSUB08 and DOFSUB09 (each a "Bond Issue", and collectively the "Bond Issues" or the "Bonds"), all issued by DOF Subsea AS (the "Issuer" or the "Company").
All capitalised terms used herein shall have the meaning assigned to them in the bond agreement for DOFSUB07 dated 16 January 2013 (as amended on 19 December 2017, 6 September 2019 and 25 November 2019), the bond terms for DOFSUB08 dated 13 March 2017 (as amended on 6 September 2019) and the bond terms for DOFSUB09 dated 26 November 2018 (as amended on 6 September 2019), and made between the Bond Trustee and the Issuer (each, the "Bond Terms"), unless otherwise set out herein or required by the context, and the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"Ad-Hoc Group" means those Bondholders, from time to time, organised in an ad-hoc group, as determined by the Bond Trustee in consultation with the advisers of the Bond Trustee in each of the Bond Issues (together, the "Advisers").
"Existing Lenders" means (A) the Group's secured lenders, other than the secured lenders to DOF Subsea Brasil Servicos Ltda, creditors under any ROV financing and the lenders under the working capital facility of the Group dated 27 March 2020 (as it may be amended from time to time); and (B) the Group's unsecured financial creditors (other than the Bondholders).
"Majority Existing Lenders" means, at any time, Existing Lenders representing at that time in aggregate more than 2/3 of the aggregate amount of the debt owed by the Group to all the Existing Lenders.
"Senior Standstill Agreement" shall mean either:
alia (i) will suspend payment of principal and interest to the Majority Existing Lenders for a period of time, and (ii) will include undertakings from the Majority Existing Lenders not to accelerate or enforce any of the debt owing to them from the Group as a result of non-payment of principal and interest, breach of financial covenants or any material adverse change, for the tenor of such agreement and subject to the terms of such agreement.
References to Clauses and paragraphs are references to Clauses and paragraphs of the relevant Bond Terms.
The Issuer has requested that the Bond Trustee issues this request for a Bondholders' Meeting in each of the Bond Issues pursuant to Clause 16 (Bondholders' Meeting) for DOFSUB07 and Clause 15 (Bondholders' Decisions) for DOFSUB08 and DOFSUB09, of the respective Bond Terms, to consider approval of the Proposal (as defined in section 2 below). The Proposal is, in short, to extend the current suspension, deferral and standstill arrangement that were initially approved in the Bondholders' Meeting on 22 April 2020 and subsequently extended in the Bondholders' Meetings held on 30 September 2020, 1 February 2021, 30 June 2021, 30 September 2021,28 February 2022 and 29 April 2022.
The information in this summons regarding the Issuer and market conditions are provided by the Issuer, and the Bond Trustee expressly disclaims all liability whatsoever related to such information.
In the Bondholders' Meetings in the Bond Issues held on 29 April 2022, the Bondholders on certain conditions approved to further extend the waiver from and suspension of all payment obligations under each of the Bond Terms until 22 June 2022. The Bondholders' Meetings also granted the Ad-Hoc Group the authority to extend such waiver on one or more occasions until 30 September 2022, pursuant to which the Ad-Hoc Group has extended the waiver until 30 September 2022.
On 21 June 2022, the Company entered into a restructuring agreement with, amongst others, DOF ASA, Iceman AS, and the Senior Finance Parties (the "Restructuring Agreement"), which sets out the terms and conditions of the planned restructuring of the Company's outstanding debt (the "Restructuring"). In addition each of the members of the Ad-Hoc Group, holding in aggregate approximately 40% of the total outstanding principal amount of the Bonds, have signed the Restructuring Agreement and committed to procure that all of its bonds under the Bond Issues will be voted in support of the Restructuring and any extension of the existing bondholder standstill insofar as required to complete the Restructuring in all and any Bondholders' Meeting. The completion of the Restructuring will be subject to approvals by the shareholders of DOF ASA, the Senior Lenders, the Bondholders and the other stakeholders of the Group.
Furthermore, the completion of the Restructuring is dependent on the Bondholders agreeing to further extend the Standstill Period (as defined below) insofar as required to implement the Restructuring. Pursuant to the Restructuring Agreement it may be terminated by a Consenting Creditor (as defined therein) if the Standstill Period (as defined below) is terminated or not extended by the Bondholders.
The Issuer has approached the Bond Trustee to request that a Bondholders' Meeting be summoned in each of the Bond Issues in order to obtain approval to continue to temporarily suspend and defer payment of principal and interest (as may be applicable) under the Bond Terms until and including 31 October 2022, and to grant the Ad-Hoc Group authority to extend such suspension on one or more occasions until 30 November 2022 to facilitate the finalisation of the negotiation, the documentation and the implementation of the proposed consensual Restructuring.
The Majority Existing Lenders have pursuant to the terms of the Restructuring Agreement, approved corresponding extensions of the Senior Standstill Agreement as necessary to finalise the Restructuring.
The Issuer believes that a continued suspension of the relevant payments during the Standstill Period (as defined below) will facilitate the restructuring process to the benefit of all stakeholders in the Issuer. The Group will, during the Standstill Period, continue to operate its business in the ordinary course.
The Proposal will only have temporary effect and any future proposal for restructuring of the Issuer and the Group will be subject to the consent of the Bondholders.
The Issuer proposes that the Bondholders of each of the Bond Issues resolve (as applicable) the following (the proposal set out in sections 2.1 and 2.2 referred to as the "Proposal"):
The Bondholders agree and confirm that for the duration of the Standstill Period they shall not, nor shall they instruct the Bond Trustee to, accelerate the Outstanding Bonds, including accrued interest and default interest, or make any declaration that the Outstanding Bonds or any accrued interest, are due and payable as a result of non-payment of principal and interest, breach of financial covenants or any material adverse change.
"Standstill Period" means the period from (and including) 30 September 2022 and ending on (and including) the earlier to occur of:
Company, or (B) any Group Company is declared bankrupt, files for bankruptcy or similar proceedings under any other jurisdiction, in each case without the prior consent of the Ad-Hoc Group;
The Ad-Hoc Group shall be given authority to:
The Issuer shall, and, where relevant, shall ensure that each member of the Group, during the Standstill Period will, unless the Ad-Hoc Group otherwise agree:
arrangements agreed between the Issuer and the Bond Trustee and the respective Advisers; and/or
(g) not agree to, or make, any material amendments to the finance documents between a member of the Group and the Existing Lenders which materially improve the position of the group of Existing Lenders party to that finance document to the detriment of the Bondholders (it being acknowledged that the replacement of existing security held by the Existing Lenders over certain assets with security over other assets of equivalent value would not be considered to improve their position).
The Issuer believes that the Proposal represents the best alternative for the Bondholders and its other stakeholders, given the current circumstances.
The request is put forward to the Bondholders without further evaluation or recommendations from the Bond Trustee. Nothing herein shall constitute a recommendation to the Bondholders from the Bond Trustee. The Bondholders must independently evaluate whether the Proposal is acceptable and vote accordingly.
For further information about the Issuer, please visit the Issuer's website www.dofsubsea.com.
Bondholders are also invited to contact either of the Company's financial advisers, ABG Sundal Collier ASA and Pareto Securities AS (the "Financial Advisers") for further information:
Ola Nygård Telephone: +47 22 01 61 86 +47 41 21 34 10 [email protected]
Pareto Securities AS: Rolf Kristiansen +47 22 87 87 46/+47 908 56 712 [email protected]
Magnus Drageset Telephone: +47 22 01 61 41 +4748 01 61 41 [email protected]
Christian Ramm + 47 24 13 21 33/+47 917 85 107 [email protected]
Each of the Financial Advisers acts solely for the Issuer and no-one else in connection herewith. No due diligence investigations have been carried out by the Financial Advisers with respect to the Issuer, and each of the Financial Advisers expressly disclaims any and all liability whatsoever in connection with the Proposal (including but not limited to the information contained herein).
Bondholders are hereby summoned to Bondholders' Meetings in each of the Bond Issues:
Time: 30 September 2022 at 13.00 hours (Oslo time), Place: The premises of Nordic Trustee AS, Kronprinsesse Märthas Plass 1, 0161 Oslo - 7th floor
"The Proposal (as defined in section 2 of the summons to the Bondholders' Meetings in each Bond Issue) is approved by the Bondholders' Meeting.
The Bond Trustee is authorised to enter into the necessary amendment agreements in the relevant Bond Issue in connection with decisions made by the Bondholders' Meeting as well as to take any other action as may be required in relation thereto."
To approve the above resolution in each Bond Issue, Bondholders representing at least 2/3 of the Voting Bonds in each Bond Issue represented in person or by proxy at the relevant Bondholders' Meeting must vote in favour of the resolution. In order to form a quorum, at least 5/10 of the Voting Bonds in each Bond Issue must be represented at the relevant Bondholders' Meeting.
Please find attached a Bondholder's Form from the Securities Depository (VPS), indicating your bondholding at the printing date. The Bondholder's Form will serve as proof of ownership of the Bonds and of the voting rights at the bondholders' meeting. (If the bonds are held in custody - i.e. the owner is not registered directly in the VPS - the custodian must confirm; (i) the owner of the bonds, (ii) the aggregate nominal amount of the bonds and (iii) the account number in VPS on which the bonds are registered.)
The individual bondholder may authorise Nordic Trustee AS to vote on its behalf, in which case the Bondholder's Form also serves as a proxy. A duly signed Bondholder's Form, authorising Nordic Trustee AS to vote, must then be returned to the Bond Trustee in due time before the meeting is scheduled (by scanned e-mail or post – please see the first page of this letter for further details).
At the Bondholders' Meeting votes may be cast based on Bonds in the relevant Bond Issue held at close of business on the day prior to the date of the Bondholders' Meeting. In the event that Bonds have been transferred to a new owner after the Bondholder's Form was made, the new Bondholder must bring to the Bondholders' Meeting or enclose with the proxy, as the case may be, evidence which the Bond Trustee accepts as sufficient proof of the ownership of the Bonds.
For practical purposes, we request those who intend to attend the Bondholders' Meeting, either in person or by proxy other than to Nordic Trustee AS, to notify the Bond Trustee by telephone or by e-mail ([email protected]) within 16:00 hours (4 pm) (Oslo time) the Business Day before the relevant meeting takes place. Please note that those who intend to register their proxies electronically with VPS must do so within 20:00 hours (8 pm) (Oslo time) the Business Day before the meeting takes place.
Yours sincerely Nordic Trustee AS
Enclosed: Bondholder's Form
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