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Marel has reached an agreement with Arion Bank, Íslandsbanki and NBI to change the currency composition of the club loan facility that the banks provided the company with in May 2009. According to the agreement, the entire ISK denominated portion of the syndicated loan is changed to EUR, the company’s main revenue currency. The amount concerned is today equivalent to EUR 66 mln.

More than 99% of Marel’s revenues originate outside of Iceland and there is a good currency balance between the company’s revenues and costs. The company’s policy has been to finance its operations in its revenue currencies to the maximum extent possible. Efforts have been made to systematically reduce currency risk in the company’s financing and to reduce interest cost.

At the end of the third quarter of 2009, Marel’s debts denominated in ISK totalled EUR 130 mln. In the fourth quarter, new share capital totalling EUR 41 mln was issued, and investors were offered the possibility of paying for new shares with bonds issued by Marel. Consequently, Marel was able to liquidate 61.8% of the bond class MARL 06 1 and 17.6% of bond class MARL 09 1, reducing exposure to currency risk related to the ISK. Now, ISK-denominated debt equivalent to EUR 66 mln has been changed to EUR. As a result, Marel’s ISK-denominated debt now stands at approximately EUR 34 mln and the company’s interest cost and currency risk have been greatly reduced.

Erik Kaman, CFO of Marel:
“This is a very important step for Marel. This past year, we have systematically worked to reduce the company’s overall debt level through the sale of non-core assets, improved operating cash flow and an increase in share capital. Most of the new share capital has been used to reduce the company’s ISK-denominated debt. Following the agreement with the Icelandic banks to change the currency of loans from ISK to EUR, the greater part of Marel’s financing is now in the company’s revenue currencies, in accordance with our goals.”

About Marel

Marel is the leading global provider of advanced equipment and systems for the fish, meat and chicken processing industry. The company employs more than 3,500 people worldwide, and has offices and subsidiaries in over 30 countries, as well as a global network of 60 agents and distributors.