A subsidiary of Seacor Marine Holdings has entered into an agreement to sell Windcat Workboats Holdings and its crew transfer vessel (CTV) business to Belgian marine outfit Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB).
At the closing of the transaction, CMB will pay Seacor Marine £32.8m in cash, and assume all of the approximately £20.4m of debt outstanding under Windcat’s existing revolving credit facility.
The transaction is expected to close on or prior to 12 January 2021.
Windcat owns and operates, directly or through its joint ventures, a fleet of 46 CTVs in the European offshore wind sector.
It is headquartered at Lowestoft in the England and IJmuiden in the Netherlands and has joint ventures with local partners, FRS Windcat Offshore Logistics in Germany and TSM Windcat in France.
Windcat employs approximately 180 shore-based and sea-going personnel.
Seacor Marine chief executive John Gellert said: “I am pleased to announce this transaction as the capstone on our successful investment in Windcat and its team.
“I thank all the Windcat employees over the years for their exceptional work and dedication in building this business, including its founders Robbert van Rijk and Neil Clarkson and managing director Willem van der Wel, and I look forward to opportunities to work with them and the broader CMB team in the growing US offshore wind market.
“This sale represents another milestone in our strategy of optimising our regional footprint and reducing costs.
“The proceeds from this transaction will enhance our liquidity, further strengthen our position in a challenging environment, and allow us to continue developing other opportunities in our core markets, including with our hybrid battery powered platform supply vessels that we believe have significant potential.”
CMB chief executive Alexander Saverys said: “The acquisition of Windcat fits into CMB’s strategy to diversify its business portfolio into the fast-growing offshore wind market and scale up the deployment of hydrogen ships and engines.
“CMB wants to grow Windcat’s business by building on its strong market-leading European platform whilst expanding into new European and non-European markets, diversifying into the owning and operation of construction service operation vessels and service operation vessels, and deploying hydrogen engines developed by CMB.
“The first hydrogen powered CTV, the Hydrocat, is expected to be operational as early as June 2021.
“The construction of hydrogen refuelling stations in dedicated Windcat ports will be investigated as well.”
Windcat managing director Willem van der Wel said: “We have been working closely together with CMB over the past two years in the development of the Hydrocat, the world’s first Hydrogen driven CTV.
“This important step in Windcat’s history will allow us to further develop this cooperation and make further steps in the development of the company.
“We are excited and look forward to work closer with CMB and are confident that together we will be able to further develop our strong position in the rapidly growing offshore wind industry and successfully execute our ambitious plans for the future.
“With the global challenges to reduce the carbon footprint CMB and Windcat will continue the development of the fleet in order to make significant steps in providing clean fuel solutions to wind farm support vessels.
“We would like to thank Seacor Marine for the support during the last nine years in which they have allowed the company to grow and maintain our leading position in the industry.”
Clarksons Platou Securities acted as sole financial advisor and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner acted as legal advisor to Seacor Marine.