rongsheng heavy industries holdings limited for sale

Last October, the company entered into an agreementto sell 98.5% equity interest of Rongsheng Heavy Industries, the entire interest in Rongsheng Engineering Machinery, Rongsheng Power Machinery and Rongsheng Marine Engineering Petroleum Services, to Unique Orient, an investment holding company owned by Wang Mingqing, a creditor of Huarong Energy, for a nominal price of HK$1.

Once the largest private shipyard in China, Rongsheng ceased shipbuilding operations in 2014 after it was hit by a major financial crisis and the shipyard rebranded into Huarong Energy in 2015.

(Bloomberg) — China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd., the shipbuilder whose woes made it a symbol of the country’s credit binge, said it planned to sell assets to an unidentified Chinese acquirer.

The company intends to sell the core assets and liabilities of its onshore shipbuilding and offshore engineering businesses, according to a statement to the Hong Kong exchange Monday. Rongsheng’s shares, which were halted March 11, will resume trading on March 17.

Once China’s largest shipbuilder outside government control, Shanghai-based Rongsheng has been searching for funds after orders for new ships dried up and the company fell behind on principal and interest payments on 8.57 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) of bank loans. Rongsheng’s struggles illustrate the difficulties shipbuilders face in competing with state-owned yards that have government backing and easier access to funds.

Rongsheng and the proposed buyer have entered into an exclusivity period while assets and liabilities are valued, according to the statement. The agreement will expire on June 30, the company said.

Rongsheng said March 5 it wouldn’t proceed with a proposed warrant sale after Kingwin Victory Investment Ltd. owner Wang Ping — a potential investor who had pledged as much as HK$3.2 billion ($412 million) — was said to have been detained.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd. said previously it had been approached by China’s government about buying a stake in Rongsheng, and that no decision had been made. Yangzijiang Chief Financial Officer Liu Hua said today that the company isn’t involved in the agreement announced by Rongsheng, according to the company’s external representative.

Rongsheng has sought help from the government to benefit from a rebound in China’s shipbuilding industry — the world’s second biggest — after cutting its workforce and running up debts amid a global downturn in orders.

In September, the government responded by listing Rongsheng’s Jiangsu shipyard unit among 51 shipbuilding facilities in China deemed worthy of policy support as the industry grapples with overcapacity.

Some of Rongsheng’s subsidiaries, including Hefei Rong An Power Machinery Co. and Rongsheng Machinery Co., signed agreements with domestic lenders, led by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, to extend debt repayments to the end of 2015, the company said in October.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Shares in China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltdtumbled 16 percent on Monday after the U.S. securities regulator accused a company controlled by the shipbuilder"s chairman of insider trading ahead of China"s CNOOC Ltd"sbid for Canadian oil company Nexen Inc.Labourers work at a Rongsheng Heavy Industries shipyard in Nantong, Jiangsu province May 21, 2012. REUTERS/Aly Song

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in a U.S. court on Friday against a company controlled by Rongsheng Chairman Zhang Zhirong, and other traders, accusing them of making more than $13 million (8.2 million pounds) from insider trading ahead of CNOOC’s $15.1 billion bid for Nexen.

“The news around the chairman comes on the back of other operational and credibility issues,” Barclays said in a note to clients. “We think China Rongsheng presents significant company-specific risk.”

In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange, Rongsheng - which entered a strategic cooperation agreement with CNOOC in 2010 - said it did not expect the U.S. investigation to affect its operations. It said Zhang did not have an executive role in the company.

Rongsheng, controlled by Zhang, also issued a profit warning on Monday, saying first-half earnings would fall sharply as a result of the shipbuilding downturn.

Zhang was ranked the 22th richest Chinese person by Forbes Magazine in September 2011. But his net worth fell by more than half in the past year to $2.6 billion in March 2012 as shares of Rongsheng tumbled.

Shares of Glorious Property Holdings Ltd, a Chinese real-estate developer controlled by Zhang Zhirong, also fell sharply. The stock was down 12.9 percent as of 0304 GMT.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Shares in China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltdtumbled 18 percent on Monday after the U.S. securities regulator accused a company controlled by the shipbuilder"s chairman of insider trading ahead of China"s CNOOC Ltd"sbid for Canadian oil company Nexen Inc.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in a U.S. court on Friday against a company controlled by Rongsheng Chairman Zhang Zhirong, and other traders, accusing them of making more than $13 million from insider trading ahead of CNOOC’s $15.1 billion bid for Nexen.

On Monday, Rongsheng shares dropped as much as 18 percent to HK$1.15, a record low, leaving the company with a market capitalization of just over $1 billion. The company also issued a profit warning, saying first-half earnings would fall sharply as a result of a global shipbuilding downturn, a factor that has already pushed its shares down more than 75 percent in the past year.

Rongsheng - which entered a strategic cooperation agreement with CNOOC in 2010 - said in a Hong Kong filing that it did not expect the U.S. investigation to affect its operations. It said Zhang did not have an executive role in the company.

“The news around the chairman comes on the back of other operational and credibility issues,” Barclays said in a note to clients. “We think China Rongsheng presents significant company-specific risk.”

Zhang was ranked the 22th richest Chinese person by Forbes Magazine in September 2011. But his net worth fell by more than half in the past year to $2.6 billion in March 2012 as shares of Rongsheng tumbled.

Shares of Glorious Property Holdings Ltd, a Chinese real-estate developer in which Zhang has a 68 percent stake based on a December 2011 filing, also fell sharply. The stock fell as low as HK$1.12, down 15 percent from Friday.

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Limited has denied rumors that it"s planning of a private placement of new shares in Rongsheng to one or a group of new investors to raise $200 million.

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd, the private-sector shipbuilder that had sought financial assistance, has secured cash for restructuring and announced changing the company"s name as it shifts focus to energy.

Shifting its focus to oil will need a lot more funds, which Rongsheng already struggled to get as a shipbuilder, said Francis Lun, chief executive officer of Geo Securities Ltd.

Rongsheng said it has now received the results of an appraisal by an independent assessor, which will be used as the basis for the restructuring in which it also plans to change its name to China Huarong Energy Co to more accurately reflect its expansion and new business scope.

Some of Rongsheng"s subsidiaries, including Hefei Rong An Power Machinery Co and Rongsheng Machinery Co, signed agreements with domestic lenders, led by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, to extend debt repayments to the end of 2015.

Shares in the maker of bulk carriers and oil tankers had been suspended from trading since Aug 29 in Hong Kong, pending the restructuring details. Rongsheng had first-half net losses of 3.06 billion yuan ($501 million), more than double last year"s.

Rongsheng was overdue on principal and interest payments on 8.57 billion yuan of bank loans on June 30, according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing on Aug 29.

The shipyard of China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd in Rugao, Jiangsu province. The company will generate HK$2.55 billion ($326.4 million) in a share sale in the next six months and HK$3.23 billion thereafter. Li Junfeng / China Daily

The company said that the struggles of its shipbuilding arm, Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries, had been hampering efforts to expand in energy services

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Limited [1101.HK] has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding that will see its shipbuilding business, Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries, sold to an undisclosed potential purchaser.

According to the company, the depressed shipbuilding market had led to operational difficulties at Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries, while its highly-leveraged state was also interfering with the company"s efforts to expand in oil and gas exploration elsewhere.

It was reported in 2012 that in the face of market difficulties, China Rongsheng Heavy Industries had turned its focus to building containerships with a "green design" as one its key products.

The shipyard of China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd in Rugao, Jiangsu province. The company will generate HK$2.55 billion ($326.4 million) in a share sale in the next six months and HK$3.23 billion thereafter. (Li Junfeng / China Daily)

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd, the private-sector shipbuilder that had sought financial assistance, has secured cash for restructuring and announced changing the company"s name as it shifts focus to energy.

Shifting its focus to oil will need a lot more funds, which Rongsheng already struggled to get as a shipbuilder, said Francis Lun, chief executive officer of Geo Securities Ltd.

Rongsheng said it has now received the results of an appraisal by an independent assessor, which will be used as the basis for the restructuring in which it also plans to change its name to China Huarong Energy Co to more accurately reflect its expansion and new business scope.

Some of Rongsheng"s subsidiaries, including Hefei Rong An Power Machinery Co and Rongsheng Machinery Co, signed agreements with domestic lenders, led by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, to extend debt repayments to the end of 2015.

Shares in the maker of bulk carriers and oil tankers had been suspended from trading since Aug 29 in Hong Kong, pending the restructuring details. Rongsheng had first-half net losses of 3.06 billion yuan ($501 million), more than double last year"s.

Rongsheng was overdue on principal and interest payments on 8.57 billion yuan of bank loans on June 30, according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing on Aug 29.

HONG KONG—China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd., a privately owned Chinese shipbuilder that shelved listing plans during the global financial crisis, is planning to raise as much as US$2.28 billion in a initial public offering this month on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The Shanghai-based shipbuilder, controlled by Zhang Zhi Rong, chairman of Glorious Property Holdings Ltd., is beginning meetings with prospective investors Monday as it seeks to sell 1.75 billion shares at an indicative price range of 7.30 to 10.10 Hong Kong dollars (94 U.S. cents to US$1.30), the person said. There is an option to increase the offering size by 15% in the event of strong demand, which would boost the deal to US$2.62 billion.