Genting HK sells US$321 mln of Norwegian cruise co shares

Mar 09, 2015 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Selling shareholders – including a unit of casino cruise ship operator and Philippine casino investor Genting Hong Kong Ltd – have arranged the disposal of 12.5 million shares in Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd (NCLH), a business listed on Nasdaq in New York.

The exercise – described by Genting HK as a secondary public offering – also involves shares in NCLH held by private investment firm TPG Global LLC.

A Genting HK unit called Star NCLC Holdings Ltd is proposing to sell 6,250,000 NCLH shares representing approximately 2.7 percent of the total issued and outstanding NCLH shares.

“The board considers the offering as a good opportunity for the group to realise profits with cash inflow from partial realisation of its investment in NCLH,” said Genting HK of its portion of the shares.

Based on the closing price of the NCLH shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on March 5 – the date of the underwriting agreement – the aggregate market value of the Genting HK disposal shares is approximately US$320.8 million, the firm said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday. Genting HK’s own shares had been suspended on Friday in Hong Kong pending the announcement.

Genting Hong Kong added on Monday that its net gain from the exercise would be approximately US$218.2 million.

In January 2013, the firm diluted its equity stake in NCLH as a result of an initial public offering of ordinary shares in the entity.

Genting HK operates casino facilities in its Star Cruises-branded vessels (pictured) and is a joint venture partner in two Philippine casino resorts.

On March 4, Genting HK said it had reached a deal to acquire the entire equity interest in Crystal Cruises Inc, a Los Angeles, California-based operator of luxury ships, for US$550 million.

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