Restructuring of rail tank business with sale of leasing subsidiary
02.02.2023
Globaltrans Investment PLC (the “Company” and together with its consolidated subsidiaries “Globaltrans” or the “Group”), (LSE/MOEX ticker: GLTR) today announces a restructuring of its rail tank car business in order to streamline operations and increase flexibility in its oil products and oil transportation segment (“Restructuring”). The Restructuring will unite Globaltrans’ rail tank car operating and leasing capabilities within OOO BaltTransServis (“BTS”), the Group’s 100% owned main rail tank car and locomotive operating subsidiary, and includes the following key transactions:
Intragroup acquisition of 5,800 rail tank cars by BTS from AS Spacecom[1] (“Spacecom”), a 65.25% owned leasing subsidiary of Globaltrans.
Sale of Globaltrans’ 65.25% shareholding in Spacecom (which includes the 680 rail tank cars that remain) to its minority shareholder.
The expected cash outflow at the Group level related to the above transactions amounts to approximately EUR 60 million[2]. The completion of the Restructuring is expected in February 2023.
ENQUIRIES
For investors
Mikhail Perestyuk / Daria Plotnikova
+357 25 328 860
For Russian media
Anna Vostrukhova
+357 25 328 863
For international media
Laura Gilbert, Lightship Consulting
+44 7799 413351
Laura.Gilbert@lightshipconsulting.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Globaltrans Investment PLC (“Company” and together with its consolidated subsidiaries “Globaltrans” or the “Group”) is a leading freight rail transportation group with subsidiary operations across Russia and the CIS countries.
The Company was founded in 2004 by a group of entrepreneurs who combined their freight rail businesses under the single brand Globaltrans. These founders remain key shareholders of the Group.
Throughout its years of operation, the Company has pursued a prudent approach to investment, expanding its fleet both by means of organic growth and through the acquisition of other rail operators. Globaltrans’ total fleet is currently almost three times larger than it was at the time of the Company’s IPO in 2008.
The Group’s dividend policy establishes a transparent and straightforward approach to the payment of dividends and is supported by a long history of delivering attractive shareholder remuneration.
Globaltrans global depositary receipts (GDRs) are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: GLTR) since May 2008[3] and on the Level One quotation list of the Moscow Exchange since October 2020 (ticker symbol: GLTR).
Due to its vast logistics capabilities, the Group is able to efficiently manage industrial cargo flows, transporting metallurgical cargoes, oil products and oil, coal and construction materials. The Group serves a broad range of clients in Russia and the CIS countries.
Globaltrans has a total fleet (including owned and leased in under finance and operating leases) of more than 67 thousand units as of the end of the first half of 2022, of which about 92% are owned by the Company. The core of the fleet is universal gondola cars used for a broad range of bulk cargoes (68% of total fleet) and tank cars for transporting oil products and oil (30% of total fleet). Globaltrans also manages its own fleet of mainline locomotives with 71 units that mostly provide traction for its block trains.
The Group’s logistics management principally aims to provide reliable services, responding promptly and flexibly to customer needs, while achieving a good level of profitability for the business. The main component of the Group’s centralised logistics system is its single dispatching centre that monitors every aspect of Globaltrans’ fleet operation. By effectively managing shipments and routes, Globaltrans ensures high utilisation of its fleet and achieves maximum productivity and quality of service.
Additional information on Globaltrans is available at www.globaltrans.com.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
The information in this announcement is subject to verification, completion and change. Accordingly, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made or given by or on behalf of the Company or any of its shareholders, directors, officers or employees or any other person as to the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions contained in this announcement. None of the Company nor any of its shareholders, directors, officers or any other person accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of the contents of this announcement or otherwise arising in connection therewith.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Globaltrans. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as “expect”, “believe”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “will”, “could”, “may”, or “might”, the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include matters that are not historical facts and statements regarding the Company’s intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, Globaltrans’ results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies, and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. The Company cautions you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that Globaltrans’ actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the development of the industry in which Globaltrans operates may differ materially from those described in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. In addition, even if Globaltrans’ results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth strategies and the development of the industry in which the Company operates are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. The Company does not intend to update this announcement or reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements of Globaltrans, including, among others, general economic conditions, the competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, market changes in the Russian freight rail market, as well as many of the risks specifically related to Globaltrans and its operations. No reliance may be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this announcement or on its completeness, accuracy or fairness.
[1] AS Spacecom including its 100% subsidiary AS Spacecom Trans (Estonia-registered companies engaged in rail tank car leasing in the CIS countries). Title to the relevant railcars was transferred on 2 December, 2022.
[2]The actual cash outflow will depend on FX rates at the settlement dates.
[3]Imposed suspension of GDRs trading on the London Stock Exchange continued as of the date of publication.