OMS Group secures financing to expand subsea cable-laying fleet
OMS Group has arranged a financing package totalling US$1.0315 billion to support its expansion plans, including investment in four new fibre-optic cable-laying vessels scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.
The financing comprises US$911.5 million in corporate, trade and export credit agency-backed facilities, alongside an additional US$120 million in trade facilities that remain subject to financial close. The package is intended to strengthen the group’s financial capacity as it expands its subsea cable installation and digital infrastructure operations.
The export credit agency-backed term loans are supported by Atradius Dutch State Business and Export Finance Norway (Eksfin). These facilities will support the acquisition of four modern, fuel-efficient cable-laying vessels, which OMS expects to deploy in response to growing demand for subsea telecommunications infrastructure.
The planned fleet expansion comes amid increasing investment in international connectivity, driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data centre development. Submarine fibre-optic cable networks remain a critical component of global communications infrastructure, creating demand for specialised vessels capable of installing and maintaining these systems.
HSBC Singapore and Standard Chartered Bank served as joint global coordinators, bookrunners and export credit agency coordinators for the financing, while KKR Capital Markets acted as corporate adviser. According to OMS, both the corporate and ECA-backed facilities attracted demand exceeding twice their respective sizes, with participation from existing banking partners and new lenders.
“This financing supports our long-term growth plans and continued investments in the Group’s end-to-end digital infrastructure capabilities,” said Ronnie Lim, Group Chief Executive Officer of OMS Group.
Lim said the four newbuild vessels would strengthen the company’s cable-laying capacity and support customers developing networks for expanding digital connectivity requirements.
The financing was structured to combine corporate funding with export credit agency support, allowing OMS to access different sources of capital for its investment programme. The company said the arrangements were designed around the requirements of its operations and planned expansion.
The announcement did not identify the shipyards constructing the four vessels or disclose their individual contract values. It also did not provide a detailed delivery schedule beyond the expected 2027–2028 timeframe.
The additional US$120 million in trade facilities remains pending financial close, meaning the full announced package has not yet reached that stage. OMS has not specified when those outstanding facilities are expected to be finalised.
