Business

Sembcorp Marine cinches SGD 500 million DBS Bank sustainability-linked loan

Loan features interest rate discounts linked to pre-determined ESG targets where Sembcorp Marine will enjoy savings in borrowing costs as these targets are met.

Published

5 years ago

March 5, 2021

Admin

DBS Bank on Thursday (4 March) said offshore, marine, and energy solutions company Sembcorp Marine Ltd has secured a sustainability-linked financing facility which references the Singapore Overnight Rate Average (SORA) from DBS Bank, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Sembcorp Marine Financial Services Pte. Ltd.

This SGD 500 million (USD 373.4 million) facility is believed to be the first SORA-based sustainability-linked loan for the maritime industry. The loan’s interest rate comprises two components: (1) a compounded daily SORA rate calculated in arrears, and (2) an applicable margin.

The loan features interest rate discounts linked to pre-determined Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. As these ESG targets are achieved, Sembcorp Marine will enjoy savings in borrowing costs.

“The inclusion of green financing dovetails with our strategic transformation and pivot since 2015 to provide innovative engineering solutions to the global offshore & marine and energy industries, with a keen focus on cleaner, greener and renewable energy solutions,” said William Goh, Sembcorp Marine’s Group Finance Director.

“This sustainability-linked financing complements our ongoing efforts to proactively manage the environmental impact of our business.”

“As a purpose-driven bank, we believe financial institutions have a strategic and pivotal role to play in proactively supporting industries working towards a lower-carbon future. We remain dedicated and committed in helping our clients navigate and structure their sustainability roadmaps – as the journey is different from corporate to corporate, and from industry to industry,” added Dorian Delteil, DBS’ Head of Oil and Gas.

“Every transitional step will contribute to making an important difference, and we strive to continue engaging with like-minded clients, such as Sembcorp Marine, in making the shift towards more sustainable operations and working towards achieving a net zero emissions economy.”

In 2019, approximately SGD 530 million of Sembcorp Marine’s projects were related to green solutions including scrubber and ballast water management system retrofits, and gas and renewable energy projects.

Sembcorp Marine also introduced more green features in its operations and replaced its grid-supplied electricity with clean energy harnessed from the solar-roof installed at its steel fabrication facility at its Tuas Boulevard Yard.

To increase its support for businesses seeking to achieve their sustainability ambitions, DBS said it has committed to finance SGD 50 billion in renewable, clean-energy and green projects by 2024, more than doubling its earlier target of SGD 20 billion.

With the impending discontinuation of interest rate benchmarks such as the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and Swap Offer Rate (SOR), DBS has been partnering its clients to achieve a smooth and seamless transition to alternative Risk Free Benchmark Rates (RFRs).

DBS has closed more than SGD 1 billion in loans referencing the RFRs in 2020 and along the way, broke new grounds such as the first SORA club loan coupled with a cross currency swap and Singapore’s first business property mortgage loan referencing SORA.

“We are glad to play our part in supporting the transition of the industry benchmark from SOR to SORA. Receiving interest cost savings through meeting our ESG targets is a practical and tangible way by the financial community to acknowledge the efforts and milestones of our sustainability journey,” added Goh.

The ESG targets in this facility are aligned with Sembcorp Marine’s performance targets set out in the Group’s Sustainability Report, noted the company.

Photo credit: Sembcorp Marine
Published: 5 March, 2021

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026