SEACOR Announces Increase in Securities Repurchase Authority
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL--(Marketwire - June 6, 2008) - SEACOR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CKH) today announced that its Board of Directors has increased its authorization for repurchases of SEACOR's common stock and its 2.875% convertible senior debentures due 2024 by $75.5 million for a total authorized expenditure of up to $150 million for the purchase of such securities. In addition, SEACOR may purchase, separate from such authorization, any or all of its 7.2% senior notes due 2009, its 5 7/8% senior notes due 2012, and the 9 1/2% senior notes due 2013 of Seabulk International, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary. The repurchase of securities may be conducted from time to time through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise depending on market conditions.
SEACOR is a global provider of marine support and transportation service, primarily to the energy and chemical industries. SEACOR and its subsidiaries provide customers with a full suite of marine-related services including offshore services, U.S. coastwise shipping, inland river services, aviation services, environmental services, and offshore and harbor towing services. SEACOR is focused on providing highly responsive local service, combined with the highest safety standards, innovative technology, modern efficient equipment, and dedicated, professional employees.
This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements concerning management's expectations, strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated economic performance and financial condition and other similar matters involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements discussed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others: the conditions in the global financial markets and international economic conditions including, interest rate fluctuations, availability of credit, inflation rates, change in laws, trade barriers, commodity prices and currency exchange fluctuations, the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry, loss of U.S. coastwise endorsement for the Seabulk Trader, a retrofitted double-hull tanker, if the company is unsuccessful in appealing a district court opinion instructing the U.S. Coast Guard to revoke its coastwise charter, activity in foreign countries and changes in foreign political, military and economic conditions, changes in foreign and domestic oil and gas exploration and production activity, safety record requirements related to Offshore Marine Services, Marine Transportation Services and Aviation Services, decreased demand for Marine Transportation Services and Harbor and Offshore Towing Services due to construction of additional refined petroleum product, natural gas or crude oil pipelines or due to decreased demand for refined petroleum products, crude oil or chemical products or a change in existing methods of delivery, compliance with U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations, the dependence of Offshore Marine Services, Marine Transportation Services and Aviation Services on several customers, consolidation of the Company's customer base, the ongoing need to replace aging vessels and aircraft, industry fleet capacity, restrictions imposed by the Shipping Acts and Aviation Acts on the amount of foreign ownership of the Company's Common Stock, increased competition if the Jones Act is repealed, operational risks of Offshore Marine Services, Marine Transportation Services, Harbor and Offshore Towing Services and Aviation Services, effects of adverse weather conditions and seasonality on Aviation Services, future phase-out of Marine Transportation Services' double-bottom tanker, dependence of spill response revenue on the number and size of spills and upon continuing government regulation in this area and Environmental Services' ability to comply with such regulation and other governmental regulation, changes in National Response Corporations' Oil Spill Removal Organization classification, liability in connection with providing spill response services, effects of adverse weather and river conditions and seasonality on Inland River Services, the level of grain export volume, the effect of fuel prices on barge towing costs, variability in freight rates for inland river barges, the effect of international economic and political factors in Inland River Services' operations, adequacy of insurance coverage, the attraction and retention of qualified personnel by the Company and various other matters and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, these statements constitute the Company's cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, the following should not be considered a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties. The words "estimate," "project," "intend," "believe," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based. The forward-looking statements in this release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the Company's businesses, particularly those mentioned under "Forward-Looking Statements" in Item 7 on the Company's Form 10-K and SEACOR's periodic reporting on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K (if any), which is incorporated by reference.