Fitch Rates Navig8 Chemical Tankers (A-Ships) Inc.'s Guaranteed Notes 'AA-sf'

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings has assigned a rating of 'AA-sf' with a Stable Outlook to the following Navig8 Chemical Tankers (A-Ships) Inc. (the borrower and the issuer) notes:

--$93,029,972 fixed rate guaranteed global notes due 2027.

Proceeds of the notes will be used by the issuer to refinance outstanding KEXIM guaranteed bank notes, which closed under a financing in January 2015, with the issuance of the KEXIM guaranteed global notes. Along with other tranches in the original transaction, the proceeds of the bank notes were used to finance a portion of the contract price of 14 chemical tankers. Pursuant to the issuer's election to exchange the outstanding bank notes for the global notes, proceeds of the initial sale of the global notes will be used by the initial purchasers to acquire the bank notes, which will then be simultaneously exchanged by the issuer for the global notes.

The indenture trustee, Wilmington Trust, National Association (Issuer Default Rating [IDR] 'A/F1'/Outlook Stable) and KEXIM (IDR 'AA-/F1+'/Outlook Stable) entered into a guarantee agreement whereby KEXIM guarantees, in favor of the indenture trustee, principal, accrued and unpaid interest due on the outstanding notes, should the issuer miss a payment. KEXIM will also pay interest accrued on the amount due through the payment date, as there could be a delay of up to 14 business days between a missed payment and the date the payment is made. If KEXIM opts to accelerate its payment of the outstanding principal amount of the notes, it will also be obligated make any applicable make-whole payment.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

The rating of the notes is credit-linked to KEXIM's Long-Term IDR as guarantor. Fitch has not formed a credit opinion on the underlying borrowers, the issuer, or the parent guarantors.

The rating of the notes is credit-linked to the rating of KEXIM, as guarantor of the notes. The analysis does not rely on cash flows received from the underlying loans, nor does it rely on the mortgaged tankers, and therefore there is no reliance on the isolation of assets for the purposes of this analysis. Navig8 Chemical Tankers (A-Ships) Inc. is not deemed to be bankruptcy remote pursuant to Fitch's 'Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria'. Therefore, in Fitch's view the issuer is not structured to be isolated from bankruptcy risk. Fitch's analysis recognizes, however, that the transaction is structured so that any payments made by KEXIM to the trustee under the guarantee are isolated from the issuer and its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries, and are therefore de-linked from these entities.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

A downgrade of KEXIM's IDR would automatically result in a downgrade of the notes.

DUE DILIGENCE USAGE

No third-party due diligence was provided or reviewed in relation to this rating action.

Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com.

Applicable Criteria

Counterparty Criteria for Structured Finance and Covered Bonds (pub. 14 May 2014)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=744158

Global Rating Criteria for Single- and Multi-Name Credit-Linked Notes (pub. 08 Mar 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=878513

Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria (pub. 06 Jul 2015)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=867952

Additional Disclosures

Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1003840

Solicitation Status

https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1003840

Endorsement Policy

https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503006772/en/

Fitch Ratings
Primary Analyst
Shashi Srikantan
Director
+1-212-908-0393
Fitch Ratings, Inc.
33 Whitehall Street
New York, NY 10004
or
Secondary Analyst
Philip Chan
Director
+1-212-908-0745
or
Committee Chairperson
Kevin Corrigan
Senior Director
+1-212-908-0156
or
Media Relations:
Alyssa Castelli, +1-212-908-0540
[email protected]
Elizabeth Fogerty, +1-212-908-0526
[email protected]

Source: Fitch Ratings

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• Justice Department halts antitrust cooperation with Canada - report
• Starlo to acquire Mexico silver project in reverse takeover deal
• North Carolina Central University alumnus and retired University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor joins the Thurgood Marshall College Fund as distinguished faculty-in-residence