NCL Corporation Ltd. Announces Closing of $600,000,000 of Senior Secured Notes

Rhea-AI Summary

NCL Corporation Ltd. has completed a private offering of $600 million in 8.375% senior secured notes due 2028. The proceeds will be used to settle term loans under its senior secured credit facility, which are due in January 2024, including accrued interest and related expenses. The notes are secured by first-priority interests in thirteen vessels and will be guaranteed by subsidiaries owning these vessels. This offering was limited to qualified institutional buyers and will not be registered under the Securities Act, meaning it cannot be sold in the U.S. without registration or an exemption.

Positive

• Successfully raised $600 million through the private offering of senior secured notes.
• Proceeds will be used to repay impending term loans, improving liquidity.

Negative

• The offering means ongoing dependence on debt financing, increasing leverage risk.
• Notes were offered without registration, limiting future flexibility in securities markets.

MIAMI, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCLC”), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH), announced today that it has closed its previously announced private offering (the “Notes Offering”) of $600.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 8.375% senior secured notes due 2028 (the “Notes”).

We used the net proceeds from the Notes Offering to repay the term loans outstanding under our senior secured credit facility that would have become due in January 2024, including to pay any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, as well as related premiums, fees and expenses.

The Notes and the related guarantees will be secured by first-priority interests in, among other things and subject to certain agreed security principles, thirteen of our vessels that also secure our senior secured credit facility. The Notes will be guaranteed by our subsidiaries that own the vessels that will secure the Notes.

The Notes were offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and outside the United States, only to non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S. The Notes and the related guarantees will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding our business strategy, financial position, results of operations, plans, prospects, actions taken or strategies being considered with respect to our liquidity position, valuation and appraisals of our assets and objectives of management for future operations (including those regarding expected fleet additions, our expectations regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and general macroeconomic conditions, our expectations regarding cruise voyage occupancy, the implementation of and effectiveness of our health and safety protocols, operational position, demand for voyages, plans or goals for our sustainability program and decarbonization efforts, our expectations for future cash flows and profitability, financing opportunities and extensions, and future cost mitigation and cash conservation efforts and efforts to reduce operating expenses and capital expenditures) are forward-looking statements. Many, but not all, of these statements can be found by looking for words like “expect,” “anticipate,” “goal,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “will,” “may,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “intend,” “future” and similar words. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance and may involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Examples of these risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to the impact of:

• the spread of epidemics, pandemics and viral outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and their effect on the ability or desire of people to travel (including on cruises), which is expected to continue to adversely impact our results, operations, outlook, plans, goals, growth, reputation, cash flows, liquidity, demand for voyages and share price;
• implementing precautions in coordination with regulators and global public health authorities to protect the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the communities we visit and to comply with regulatory restrictions related to the pandemic;
• our indebtedness and restrictions in the agreements governing our indebtedness that require us to maintain minimum levels of liquidity and be in compliance with maintenance covenants and otherwise limit our flexibility in operating our business, including the significant portion of assets that are collateral under these agreements;
• our ability to work with lenders and others or otherwise pursue options to defer, renegotiate, refinance or restructure our existing debt profile, near-term debt amortization, newbuild related payments and other obligations and to work with credit card processors to satisfy current or potential future demands for collateral on cash advanced from customers relating to future cruises;
• our need for additional financing or financing to optimize our balance sheet, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, and our outstanding exchangeable notes and any future financing which may be dilutive to existing shareholders;
• the unavailability of ports of call;
• future increases in the price of, or major changes or reduction in, commercial airline services;
• changes involving the tax and environmental regulatory regimes in which we operate, including new regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
• the accuracy of any appraisals of our assets as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise;
• our success in controlling operating expenses and capital expenditures;
• trends in, or changes to, future bookings and our ability to take future reservations and receive deposits related thereto;
• adverse events impacting the security of travel, such as terrorist acts, armed conflict, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and threats thereof, acts of piracy, and other international events;
• adverse incidents involving cruise ships;
• adverse general economic and related factors, including as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or otherwise, such as fluctuating or increasing levels of interest rates, inflation, unemployment, underemployment and the volatility of fuel prices, declines in the securities and real estate markets, and perceptions of these conditions that decrease the level of disposable income of consumers or consumer confidence;
• breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology and other networks or our actual or perceived failure to comply with requirements regarding data privacy and protection;
• changes in fuel prices and the type of fuel we are permitted to use and/or other cruise operating costs;
• mechanical malfunctions and repairs, delays in our shipbuilding program, maintenance and refurbishments and the consolidation of qualified shipyard facilities;
• the risks and increased costs associated with operating internationally;
• our inability to recruit or retain qualified personnel or the loss of key personnel or employee relations issues;
• our inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage;
• pending or threatened litigation, investigations and enforcement actions;
• any further impairment of our trademarks, trade names or goodwill;
• volatility and disruptions in the global credit and financial markets, which may adversely affect our ability to borrow and could increase our counterparty credit risks, including those under our credit facilities, derivatives, contingent obligations, insurance contracts and new ship progress payment guarantees;
• our reliance on third parties to provide hotel management services for certain ships and certain other services;
• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
• our expansion into new markets and investments in new markets and land-based destination projects;
• overcapacity in key markets or globally; and
• other factors set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022.

Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and will continue to be amplified by, or in the future may be amplified by, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact of general macroeconomic conditions. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown.

The above examples are not exhaustive and new risks emerge from time to time. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections regarding our present and future business strategies and the environment in which we expect to operate in the future. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change of events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement was based, except as required by law.

Investor Relations & Media Contact

Jessica John
(305) 468-2339
InvestorRelations@nclcorp.com
NCLHmedia@nclcorp.com

FAQ

What is the recent announcement by NCLH regarding their notes offering?

NCLH announced the closing of a $600 million private offering of 8.375% senior secured notes due 2028 to repay term loans due in January 2024.

How will NCLH use the proceeds from the notes offering?

The proceeds will be used to repay outstanding term loans and cover related interest and expenses.

What is the maturity date of the senior secured notes issued by NCLH?

The senior secured notes issued by NCLH are due in 2028.

What type of buyers were targeted in NCLH's notes offering?

The notes were offered only to qualified institutional buyers as per Rule 144A.

Why is the notes offering significant for NCLH?

It helps NCLH manage its debt obligations by repaying loans due in January 2024, thus improving its liquidity position.