(S&P Global, Tokyo, 1 March 2022) Pressure is mounting for Japanese companies to review their energy business connections with Russia in the wake of Shell’s withdrawal from the Sakhalin 2 project, which accounts for close to 9% of Japan’s LNG imports, industry sources said. Shell’s Feb. 28 announcement that it was withdrawing from its partnerships with Russian energy giant Gazprom, including the Sakhalin 2 crude oil and LNG project in the Russian Far East, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jogmec provides an equity financing and loan guarantee to Japan Arctic LNG, a subsidiary of Mitsui, which has a 10% stake in the Arctic LNG 2 project. NEXI provides export credit insurance and export credit guarantees for Japanese companies’ energy businesses including LNG in Russia.
Russia
SACE freezes loan for Russian Arctic LNG 2 plant
(Reuters, Rome, 1 March 2022) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Italy to put on hold its share of financing for the $21 billion Arctic LNG 2 project led by privately-owned Russian gas producer Novatek (NVTK.MM), two sources close to the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. Italian state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and the Russian arm of Italy’s biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) had agreed in recent weeks to help finance Novatek’s project. The loan was set to be guaranteed by SACE, Italy’s export credit agency, which has already insured nearly 5 billion euros worth of projects and investments relating to Russia. SACE also notes that it is temporarily suspending the evaluation and acceptance of new risks for export credit activities in Russia and in Belarus.
Indian Exporters Find Themselves Caught In Russia/Ukraine Crossfire
(Bloomberg Quint, New Delhi, 1 March 2022) Even before the harshest of sanctions hit, trouble had started to build for those in India doing business with Russia. On Friday evening, two days after Russia began attacking sites in Ukraine, Rakesh Shah, director at Nipha Exports in Kolkata, received an email from the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India stating that export credit guarantees for exports to Russia would now be approved only on a case-by-case basis and not as freely as it was before. This was done to account for the rising risk in the region, the government said in a release while clarifying that the cover has not been completely withdrawn. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that India’s largest bank State Bank of India has stopped transactions with Russian entities under sanctions to avoid being in breach of them. Nipha Exports has €1,00,000 worth of material to be shipped to Russia and unfulfilled orders worth €3,00,000 up to May this year. With impediments to trade rising, how quickly it will be able to resume shipments and get payments is anybody’s guess.
Korea Wins US Export Ban Exemption, Shores Up Exporters to Russia
(Asia Financial, London & Hong Kong, 4 March 2022) South Korea said on Friday that it had won an exemption from expanded US export restrictions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Seoul’s trade ministry said on Friday. The exemption means Korean companies won’t have to secure licences from Washington for exports using US technology before they can be shipped to Russia. The US rule, part of Washington’s sanctions on Moscow, was feared to affect major South Korean exporters, as they make heavy use of US technology and software. The move followed meetings between Yeo Han-koo, South Korea’s trade minister, and senior US officials in Washington on Thursday. Seoul unveiled a list of measures to help companies with export records to Russia or Ukraine in the previous year. They include export credit guarantees and short-term export insurance.
EDC backed loan to primarily Russian-owned Buhler Industries
(CBC, Winnipeg, 9 March 2022) In December 2020 Export Development Canada — a federal Crown credit corporation — signed a guarantee to back half of a $14-million loan to Winnipeg’s 97% Russian owned Buhler Industries to support the company’s ongoing operations. The manufacturer of farming equipment, including Versatile tractors, has been under scrutiny since Konstantin Babkin, who resigned as a Buhler director on March 2, made at least two public statements in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Babkin leads the Action Party, a Russian political party that has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Feb. 21, Babkin tweeted out the party’s support of Putin’s decision “to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” in Ukraine. Buhler Industries has repeatedly denounced Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Babkin’s resignation did not impact his ownership stake in Buhler Industries, which is 97% owned by Combine Factory Rostselmash. That company is a subsidiary of Novoe Sodrugestvo CJSC, a Russian conglomerate co-owned by Babkin, current Buhler director Dmitry Udras and Buhler CEO Yury Ryazanov. EDC has not purrsued business related to Russian contracts or Russian borrowers since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, Buhler Industries says pulling out of the loan could have a huge impact on Canadian workers, farm equipment dealers and farmers who count on the company for spare parts.
Ukraine: TFX Trade Risk Briefing – What might be the impact of sanctions?
(TFX News, London, 25 February 2022) In a 20 minute TFX video, Rebecca Harding, CEO of Coriolis Technologies discusses the practical impact of sanctions on commodity trade and oil and gas prices, the shift surrounding Nord Stream 2, second the involvement of international payments mechanisms, specifically SWIFT in the fast-moving situation and third the potentials for rebalancing trade power relationships – specifically around Russia’s relationship with China and a pivot from East West to East East – and its limitations.
Germany suspends Russian export credit guarantees
(Wall Street Journal, Berlin, 25 February 2022) Berlin has stopped the approval of export credit and investment guarantees for Russia, the Economy Ministry said. With the so-called Hermes cover credit export guarantees, the German government protects companies against the insolvency of foreign customers. Germany issued such guarantees for trade with Russia to the tune of 1.49 billion euros, equivalent to $1.67 billion, in 2021, the ministry said. The instrument has been in use since 1949. ECA Watch Italian member ReCommon has asked SACE to clarify its position given its EUR 4.3 billion exposure in Russia. Numberous other international sanctions have been imposed on Russa.
Efforts Aim to Boost Arab Exports to Russia
(Asharq Al-Awsat, London, 27 January 2022) The Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman) said it is ready to boost trade and investment cooperation between Arab states and Russia through its diverse insurance, information and research services. This came in a worksheet presented by Head of Research and Publishing Unit Ahmed Eldabaa on behalf of Dhaman’s Director-General Abdullah Ahmad al-Sabeeh in the opening session of the Russian-Arab Business Council, which kicked off on Tuesday at the Dubai EXPO Exhibition Center. The sheet revealed that the value of Russian-Arab trade ties stood at $14.7 billion, according to UNCTAD data, during the period between 2011 and 2020. This represents 2.1% of Russia’s foreign trade volume and 0.8% of the Arab countries’ foreign trade volume in the Mediterranean.
Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex secures $9.1 bln in ECA & bank loans
(Reuters, Moscow, 8 December 2021) Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex (Amur GCC) has secured $9.1 billion in loans maturing in 2035, Sibur, which co-owns the plant with China’s Sinopec, said in a statement on Wednesday. International banks will provide $2.6 billion for the Amur GCC with coverage from export credit agencies SACE of Italy and Germany’s Euler Hermes, Sibur said, while Chinese and Russian banks will issue the remaining $6.5 billion.
Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 agrees loans worth 9.5 bln euros
(Reuters, Moscow, 30 November 2021) Russian gas producer Novatek (NVTK.MM) said on Tuesday its Arctic LNG 2 plant has signed loan agreements with foreign and Russian banks worth 9.5 billion euros ($10.8 billion), securing necessary external financing for the project. Earlier this year, Novatek shareholders approved external financing of $11 billion for the $21 billion Arctic project, which is expected to start production of liquefied natural gas in 2023. Novatek has had difficulty in securing funds from Europe, wary of political standoff with Russia as well as calls against tapping hydrocarbons in the Arctic amid efforts to tackle climate change. Chinese financial institutions, including the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, signed credit facility agreements totalling 2.5 billion eurosfor up to 15 years. Financial institutions from the OECD member countries signed credit facility agreements totaling up to 2.5 billion euro. This includes the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and other lenders insured by export credit agencies. Sources told Reuters earlier this month that Italy’s SACE may insure a loan of around 500 million euros for Arctic LNG 2.
