Poseidon Acquisition Corp., on behalf of a consortium composed
of David L. Sokol, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atlas
Corp. (NYSE: ATCO) (“Atlas” or the “Company”), certain affiliates
of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (collectively,
“Fairfax”)(TSX: FFH and FFH.U), the Washington Family, and Ocean
Network Express Pte. Ltd. (the “Consortium”), a global container,
transportation and shipping company, announced today it has
unilaterally increased its bid price to acquire all of the
outstanding common shares of Atlas that the Consortium does not
already own or control to $15.50 per share in cash. Poseidon
Chairman David L. Sokol stated that the increased bid price
represents Poseidon’s final and best offer. The non-binding
proposal was conveyed on September 26, 2022 in a letter to Atlas’
Special Committee. A copy of the letter is attached to this
release.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
An agreement in respect of the proposed transaction described in
this press release has not yet been executed, and this press
release is not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer
to sell any securities. Any solicitation or offer will only be made
through materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”). Atlas shareholders and other interested parties are
urged to read these materials if and when they become available
because they will contain important information. Atlas shareholders
will be able to obtain such documents (when available) free of
charge at the SEC’s web site, www.sec.gov.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements regarding the proposed
transaction that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of applicable securities laws and members of the
Consortium may make related oral, forward-looking statements on or
following the date hereof. Forward-looking statements, by their
nature, are subject to a variety of inherent risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from the results projected. Many of these risks and uncertainties
cannot be controlled by the Consortium and include the possibility
that discussions with the special committee of the Atlas board of
directors may not be successful and the possibility that the
proposed transaction may not be entered into or completed on the
terms described in this press release or at all, including as a
result of changes in the business or prospects of Atlas. Any
forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as
of the date of this press release. No member of the Consortium
assumes any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statements except as required by law. No information contained on
any website referenced in this press release is incorporated by
reference herein.
About Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is a holding company which,
through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in property and
casualty insurance and reinsurance and the associated investment
management.
Via Email
September 26, 2022
Atlas Corp. 23 Berkley Square London, United Kingdom WIJ 6HE
Attn: Special Committee
Re: August 4 “Go-Private” Proposal
To the Special Committee:
It has been more than seven weeks since the submission of our
offer to take Atlas Corp. (“Atlas”) private on August 4, 2022. In
an effort to reach a conclusion and bring certainty to Atlas and
its shareholders, we are hereby increasing our offer from $14.45 to
$15.50 per common share.
It is our hope that in light of this significant increase in
value, the Special Committee will conclude that this transaction
represents full, fair and certain value and is in the best interest
of Atlas shareholders. If the Special Committee concludes
otherwise, we will withdraw our proposal. We do believe that Atlas
shareholders are amenable to a transaction and would want the
opportunity to consider this proposal for themselves. It is our
hope and preference to work constructively with the Special
Committee to allow them to do as such.
As the Special Committee and its advisors consider our revised
proposal, we request that they do so in the context of the
continued pressure on the global macroeconomy, financial markets
and Atlas’ operating environment.
1. Weak Macroeconomic Environment and Rising Cost of
Capital
Inflation remains a key concern to major economies, with the US
Labor Department’s index reporting consumer price inflation of 8.3%
year-on-year for August 2022. The US Federal Reserve raised
interest rates on September 21, 2022 by 0.75% for the third
consecutive time, bringing the central bank’s benchmark rate to a
range of 3 - 3.25%, the highest level in 14 years.
Post-announcement, 2-year Treasury yields crossed 4% for the first
time since 2007. According to a study by the World Bank published
on September 15, 2022, as central banks across the world
simultaneously hike interest rates in response to inflation, the
world may be edging toward a global recession in 2023.
Since the time we made our proposal on August 4, 2022 and up to
September 23, 2022, the financial markets have deteriorated
significantly, with the S&P500 Index declining 11.0%. Share
prices of Atlas’ closest peers in the containership leasing sector,
Costamare, Global Ship Lease and Danaos, have also fallen by 15.9%,
17.4% and 21.8%, respectively, over the same period.
Atlas’ cost of capital has risen significantly alongside the
current rising interest rate environment. The 20-year US Treasury
bond is up approximately 210 basis points, while the 10-year LIBOR
swap rate is up approximately 225 basis points over the last twelve
months. We therefore urge the Special Committee to carefully
consider the implications of the prevailing macroeconomic weakness
and rising cost of capital on Atlas’ business, cash flows and
valuation.
2. Charter Rates Decline
Vessel charter rates continue to decline as the world recovers
from COVID-19 and recent supply chain disruptions. The Shanghai
Containerised Freight Index fell to 2,072 on September 23, 2022,
representing a 59% reduction from its peak of 5,110 on 7 January
2022 and 45% from August 5, 2022. Based on Clarksons Research’s
Shipping Intelligence Weekly on September 16, 2022, charter rates
are also dropping in the larger size ranges despite tight tonnage
availability, with the Clarksons’ index falling 26% week-on-week.
As container freight rates fall, liners and freight forwarders may
not be able to cover vessel charter commitments, which may in turn
result in re-negotiations or cancellations with containership
lessors, as experienced by one of Atlas’ peers in August 2022.
3. Record Vessel Deliveries in the Near-Term
Based on Alphaliner’s monthly report for August 2022, the
overall industry order book represents 28% of existing capacity on
the water, with over 5 million TEUs of capacity slated for delivery
in 2023 and 2024. Gross fleet capacity is expected to grow by a
record 8.2% in 2023, significantly outpacing forecasted throughput
growth at 2.7%. This implies a meaningful risk of a substantial
decline in re-contracted charter rates as existing charters roll
off schedule.
4. Substantial Recurring Capital Expenditure for Vessel
Refurbishment or Replacement
In Atlas’ annual report, the company estimates vessel useful
life of 30 years, as compared to many of Atlas’ key liner
customers, who generally assume a useful life of between 20 to 25
years.
In line with the International Maritime Organization’s strategic
initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vessels by at
least 70% from 2008 levels by 2050, we expect Atlas to continually
incur substantial capital expenditure in vessel refurbishment or
replacement. Atlas’ vessels may turn obsolete well ahead of the
currently envisaged useful lives, thereby adversely impacting
Atlas’ expected return on investment and value vis-à-vis the
company’s current business plan.
5. High Customer Concentration
Atlas operates in a highly competitive and concentrated customer
sector. The top eight liners account for approximately 80% of the
market share by TEU capacity as of August 2022, while Atlas’ top
three customers (COSCO, Yang Ming, ONE) have contributed over 60%
of its annual revenue since FY2019, based on Atlas’ annual reports.
Based on Alphaliner’s monthly report for August 2022, COSCO, Yang
Ming and ONE have in aggregate over 1 million TEU of capacity
across 68 on-order vessels. If demand continues to soften, Atlas’
liner customers may utilize their own vessels rather than
in-charter to manage capacity needs.
6. Turnaround of APR Energy Remains in Early Stage
APR Energy’s pivot strategy to longer-term energy capacity
solutions remains nascent and requires significant investment to
achieve its strategic goals. APR Energy’s contracts are generally
short-term in nature. With APR Energy’s modest US$61mm revenue
contribution for the half year ending June 30, 2022, we cannot rely
on APR Energy to hedge the impending downturn in Atlas’
containership leasing business.
In conclusion, we re-affirm our belief that Atlas would be able
to navigate the industry headwinds more nimbly as a private
platform, with greater stability and scale through the addition of
ONE as a strategic shareholder and partner. We look forward to a
favorable and timely response to our proposal.
This letter is subject to the conditions set forth in our August
4, 2022 letter, including with regards to the negotiation of a
merger agreement and completion to our satisfaction of limited due
diligence. We reserve the right to withdraw or modify our offer in
any manner. This letter does not include or constitute a binding
offer to acquire Atlas or any of its securities or assets, or a
proposal of definitive terms for any transaction.
Very truly yours,
POSEIDON ACQUISITION CORP.
/s/ David Sokol
David Sokol, Chairman
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220926005186/en/
Consortium: David L. Sokol sokol@poseidonacq.com
Fairfax: John Varnell, Vice President, Corporate Development -
+1-416-367-4941
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