PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been appointed as strategic adviser to Drake & Scull International (DSI) in a move sources said could lead to a range of options for the Dubai-based contractor including bringing in a minority investor or a debt restructuring.
DSI's board approved the choice of the consultancy firm as strategic and financial adviser to assist with "examining the company's capital structure and financial liabilities", DSI said in a bourse filing.
The company has been battling a depressed Gulf construction market, as governments rein in spending on infrastructure schemes after oil prices declined, reporting worsening earnings in nine of the last 11 quarters. DSI announced last month it was reviewing its business to address market challenges which could lead to a withdrawal from non-core markets, retrenching on civil works in Saudi Arabia and a more conservative stance on recovering certain receivables.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters PwC's remit could include a debt restructuring, with the possibility that a plan could be put to creditor banks as soon as early next year.
A note attached to DSI's third-quarter financial statement from PwC, which also audits the firm, warned that if the company failed to generate sufficient cash flow within the next year, it may not be able to meet upcoming obligations.
The sources said the company had also held talks with the Emirates Securities Authority about issuing mandatory convertible bonds, but any such issue could prove tricky because the company's share price was below the 1 dirham par value, their nominal value for accounting purposes.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.