McDermott files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to eliminate $4.6 billion of debt

U.S. engineering and construction services company McDermott has informed that it has the support of more than two-thirds of all its funded debt creditors for a restructuring transaction that will equitize nearly all the company’s funded debt, eliminating over $4.6 billion of debt.

Offshore Energy Today reported on Monday that McDermott could be filing for bankruptcy over the course of this week.

McDermott said on Tuesday that the restructuring transaction would be implemented through a prepackaged Chapter 11 process that will be financed by a debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing facility of $2.81 billion.

Subject to court approval, McDermott expects the DIP financing, combined with cash generated by McDermott, to enable the company to stabilize its cash flows, continue operating in the normal course and fulfill its commitments to key stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, joint-venture partners, business partners and employees.

The company also has secured committed exit financing of over $2.4 billion in letter of credit facility capacity and will emerge from Chapter 11 with approximately $500 million in funded debt. The restructuring transaction will strengthen the company’s balance sheet, normalize its trade debt and position the company for long-term growth, McDermott said.

All of McDermott’s businesses are expected to continue to operate as normal for the duration of the restructuring. McDermott expects to continue to pay employee wages and health and welfare benefits, and to pay all suppliers in full. All customer projects are expected to continue uninterrupted on a global basis.

This morning, the company started solicitation of votes from its lenders and bondholders in support of a prepackaged Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization. The company intends to begin the prepackaged Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas  later on Tuesday.

The company’s support from all of its creditor constituencies is memorialized in a Restructuring Support Agreement. The company plans to move swiftly toward court approval of the plan, with confirmation expected within approximately two months from filing.

Lummus Technology sale

As part of the restructuring transaction, subsidiaries of McDermott have entered into a share and asset purchase agreement with a joint partnership between The Chatterjee Group and Rhône Group pursuant to which the joint partnership will serve as the “stalking-horse bidder” in a court-supervised sale process for Lummus Technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, the joint partnership has agreed, and is committed, to acquire Lummus Technology for a base purchase price of $2.725 billion. McDermott will have the option to retain or purchase, as applicable, a 10 percent common equity ownership interest in the entity purchasing Lummus Technology.

McDermott expects to hold an auction in approximately 45 days to solicit higher or better bids for the Lummus Technology business. Either the joint partnership or the winning bidder at the auction will purchase Lummus Technology as part of the Chapter 11 process, subject to regulatory and court approval.

Proceeds from the sale of Lummus Technology are expected to repay the DIP financing in full, as well as fund emergence costs and provide cash to the balance sheet for long-term liquidity.

David Dickson, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDermott, said: “This financial restructuring will create a sustainable capital structure that matches the strength of our operating business. As a result of the transaction, we are eliminating over $4.6 billion in debt from our balance sheet and we will emerge with robust liquidity and significant financing to execute on customer projects in our backlog.

“Throughout this process, which we expect to complete expeditiously, McDermott will continue all business operations as normal and deliver on our commitments to our customers.”

As a result of the upcoming Chapter 11 filing, McDermott expects to be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange within the next 10 days. McDermott common stock will continue to trade in the over-the-counter marketplace throughout the pendency of the Chapter 11 process. The shares are proposed to be cancelled as part of McDermott’s restructuring.