Seplat Cuts Down on Its Indebtedness by $365 million

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc on Monday announced one-year extension of its Revolving Credit Facility, RCF, to December 31, 2018.

The company in a statement posted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, website on Monday said that the present three-year RCF due to expire at the end of 2017 would now expire on December 31, 2018.

It said that the facility had been successfully amended to amortise the remaining outstanding principal balance of $150 million in equal instalments over five quarters commencing from fourth quarter of 2017.

The statement added that Seplat’s aggregate indebtedness under its term loan and RCF had reduced by $365 million from its peak of $1 billion in the first quarter of 2015 to the current balance of $635 million as of June 30.

The company stated that the reduction was a significant deleveraging of the balance sheet particularly in exceptionally difficult trading conditions over the past 18 months.

It added that the amended facility had been provided by Citibank N.A.
London Branch, Citibank Nigeria Ltd., the Mauritius Commercial Bank Plc, Natixis and Nedbank Ltd London branch.

Others are Nomura International Plc, First Rand Bank Ltd., acting through its Rand Merchant Bank Division, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, The Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd., and Standard Chartered Bank.

Roger Brown, Seplat’s Chief Financial Officer, was quoted by the statement as saying the “company was pleased to announce the extension of the RCF.’’

Roger said that the extension approval demonstrated the company’s underlying business fundamentals and the strength of its relationship with continuing and new lenders.

“The amended facility and recent resumption of exports via the Forcados terminal will enable the business to rebuild cash on its balance sheet as we seek to strengthen our capital structure to ensure a strong platform for future growth,” he said.

(NAN)