DGAP-News: Far Eastern Shipping Company: Trading update for the three month period ended March 31, 2014


EquityStory.RS, LLC-News: Far Eastern Shipping Company / Key word(s):
Miscellaneous
Far Eastern Shipping Company: Trading update for the three month
period ended March 31, 2014

02.06.2014 / 09:25

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May 30, 2014

Trading update for the three month period ended March 31, 2014

FESCO Transportation Group (MOEX: FESH) provides a trading update with the
operational and consolidated financial results as per IFRS for the three
month period ended March 31, 2014.

Highlights:

  - In the short term, the slowdown of economy growth and overall volatile
    macroeconomic environment caused weakness in the sectors where the
    Group operates

  - The Group's revenue declined by 11.9% YoY mostly due to ruble
    devaluation, which contributed to more than half of the decrease, and
    continued rail market weakness

  - Significant increase in export volumes in 1Q2014 is seen as a sustained
    trend for the year

  - The Group's EBITDA was impacted by mixed divisional profitability and
    increase in export volumes. EBITDA growth in Port, Bunkering and
    Shipping Divisions was offset by the results of Rail Division and LLD

  - 1Q2014 Group's consolidated EBITDA excluding one-offs amounted to
    $34.5m

  - Despite the market volatility the Group continued to make selective
    capital investments, mostly in Ports Division, in line with its long
    term strategy

Group Financial Results

Group performance 

<pre>

$ millions                     1Q 2013           1Q 2014           Dynamics

Revenue                        275.3             242.5             -11.9%

EBITDA                         48.1              32.8              -31.7%

EBITDA margin                  17.5%             13.5%             -4.0 pt

Capital Expenditures           10.0              18.4              +84.0%



</pre>

Divisional Performance Highlights

Port Division

  - Growth of import container handling (+8% YoY) is above the market (+2%
    YoY)

  - Strong increase in general cargo throughput volumes (up 35% YoY)

  - Revenue declined by 5% YoY due to ruble devaluation. Excluding the
    impact of FX rate fluctuation, there was a single-digit revenue growth
    in 1Q2014

  - Ongoing focus on optimization of the cost structure in addition to a
    natural FX hedge on the cost side led to an improvement in EBITDA
    margin by 5 pt

Rail Division

  - Rail container transportation up 9.5% YoY to 70 thousand TEU due to the
    increased fleet of fitting platforms

  - Number of container block trains increased by 10% from 248 to 274

  - Single-digit decrease in non-container cargo load due to decline in
    coal transportation volumes

  - Revenue decreased by 40%, EBITDA decreased by 53% due to continued
    decrease in rates and ruble devaluation

Liner and Logistics Division

  - Strong growth of export-import sea lines container transportation
    volumes (up 11% YoY) and improving performance in domestic sea lines
    container transportation volumes (flat YoY)

  - Zero EBITDA is comparable to 1Q2012 result (historically low results in
    1Q due to seasonality factors). The decrease of EBITDA in 1Q2014 vs.
    1Q2013 was mainly driven by the reduction of freight rates

Shipping Division

  - Revenue and EBITDA growth due to acquisition of new fuel-efficient
    vessels earlier in 2013, positive result from icebreakers and
    profitable contract with the third party

Bunkering

  - Successful ramp up of the bunkering business launched in 2Q2013
    resulted in $29m contribution to the Group's revenue and $4m
    contribution to the Group's EBITDA with attractive further growth
    potential

<pre>

$ millions                   1Q 2013            1Q 2014            Dynamics

Port

Revenue                      46.8               44.4               -5.2%

EBITDA                       17.9               19.3               +7.8%

EBITDA margin                38.2%              43.5%              +5.3 pt

Rail

Revenue                      74.6               44.6               -40.3%

EBITDA                       28.4               13.3               -53.2%

EBITDA margin                38.1%              29.8%              -8.3 pt

Liner & Logistics

Revenue                      158.2              137.3              -13.2%

EBITDA                       8.8                0.0                -99.9%

EBITDA margin                5.6%               0.0%               -5.6 pt

Shipping

Revenue                      17.7               19.8               +11.8%

EBITDA                       0.2                4.4

EBITDA margin                1.1%               22.2%              +21.1 pt

Bunkering

Revenue                      -                  29.4               -

EBITDA                       -                  3.8                -

EBITDA margin                -                  12.9%              -



</pre>

FESCO Consolidated Group Financial Position

Pro-forma net debt decreased from $927m as of 31-Dec-2013 to $889m as of
31-Mar-2014:

  - Consolidated debt includes $550m of 8.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2018
    and $325m of 8.75% Senior Secured Notes due 2020, as well as RUB 5bn of
    bonds, the proceeds from which were used to refinance the Group's
    acquisition-related and pre-existing debt

  - As of March 31, 2014, Pro-forma Net Debt / LTM adjusted EBITDA ratio
    was 5.0x

<pre>

$ millions                                                At 31 March, 2014

Pro-forma total Debt(1)                                   1,236.4

Cash                                                      347.8

Pro-forma net Debt                                        888.6

Pro-forma net Debt/ LTM Adj. EBITDA                       5.0



</pre>

(1)Total borrowings include USD 550m 8.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2018
and USD 325m 8.75% Senior Secured Notes due 2020; RUB 5bln ruble bonds and
exclude the $150m REPO loan secured by shares of TransContainer

FESCO operational results for 1Q2014

<pre>

                                               1Q2013    1Q2014    Dynamics

Intermodal freight transportation* (TEU)         57,195    55,995     -2.1%

Export-import sea container trade (TEU)          85,318    94,475    +10.7%

Domestic sea container trade (TEU)               12,861    12,828     -0.3%

VMTP container  throughput(TEU)                 106,745   109,828     +2.9%

Import                                           45,987    49,565     +7.8%
Export                                           39,367    38,031     -3.4%
Cabotage                                         21,391    22,232     +3.9%
VMTP non-container cargo throughput (excluding      611       827    +35.3%
vehicles) (thousand tons)

Automobiles and transportation vehicles          21,543    15,329    -28.8%
throughput (units)

Rail container transportation                    64,129    70,219     +9.5%
(«RusskayaTroyka» and «Transgarant») (TEU)

Rail cargo load (million tons)                      5.1       4.9     -3.9%

Rail cargo turnover (billion ton-kilometers)        7.7       7.6     -1.3%



</pre>

* - excluding transportation of empty carrier owned containers (COC)

About FESCO

FESCO is one of the leading privately-owned transportation and logistics
companies in Russia with operations in ports, rail, integrated logistics
and shipping business. Diversified but integrated asset portfolio enables
FESCO to provide door-to-door logistics solutions and control almost all
steps of the intermodal transportation value chain. The majority of FESCO's
operations are located in the Russian Far East and the Group benefits from
growing trade volumes between Russia and Asian countries.

FESCO is the leader of container transportation through the Russian Far
East via international sea container lines to/from Asian countries,
domestic sea container lines and by rail. FESCO is the leading port
container operator in the Far East region.

FESCO controls the Commercial Port of Vladivostok which has throughput
capacity of 3.9 million tons of general cargo and oil products, 150,000
vehicles and over 600,000 TEU of containers. In 2013, total container
throughput at the Commercial Port of Vladivostok reached 477,000 TEU,
including 204,000 TEU of imported cargo.

FESCO is among the 10 largest Russian private rail operators, providing
services under "Transgarant" (100% subsidiary of FESCO) and "Russian
Troika" (50% joint venture with JSC Russian Railways) brands. "Transgarant"
operates a fleet of 16.1 thousand units of rolling stock, while "Russian
Troika" operates a fleet of 1.7 thousand container platforms. FESCO has a
fleet of 24 vessels, mostly deployed through own sea service lines, and 4
icebreakers leased under long-term contracts.

IR contacts:

Galina Shilina
Director, Corporate Communications
+7 (495) 926 80 00 ext.11007
gshilina@fesco.com

Ekaterina Semenova
IR manager
+7 (495) 926 80 00 ext.11058
esemenova@fesco.com


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