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Oman's Asyad prepares to drift Asyad Shipping, employs consultants, sources say

Oman's stateowned logistics company Asyad Group is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its subsidiary Asyad Shipping Co by the end of the year and has selected Jefferies Group and EFG Hermes as advisers, sources acquainted with the matter said.

Asyad Group, EFG Hermes and Jefferies declined to comment when called on Thursday about the IPO strategies. Details on the size of the offering were not immediately offered.

Asyad Shipping focuses on carrying melted gas ( LNG) to the international market, with a fleet that includes huge crude carriers, product and chemical tankers, and dry bulk providers.

It notes Brazilian miner Vale and energy firms BP and Shell among its clients and partners.

Asyad Group, owned by Oman's wealth fund, has more than $4. billion of properties, focuses on logistics, transport, port. services, shipping and free zones.

Oman Financial Investment Authority did not instantly react to a. request for comment.

Oman, a small non-OPEC producer, is following its neighbours. the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in pushing state-led. noting programmes in a quote to advance privatisation techniques.

That technique, along with broad reforms that include fiscal. discipline, has helped Oman pay for debt and turn its big. financial deficit of current years into a surplus considering that 2022.

The reforms and a shake-up of state entities are being. driven by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, who took the throne. in early 2020 after the death of Sultan Qaboos, who ruled for. nearly 5 decades.

Ratings company Moody's raised Oman's credit ranking from Ba2. to Ba1 in December, one level below financial investment grade, which was. attributed to enhancements in debt cost metrics.

Oman has been pitching to upgrade its classification to. 'em erging market' from its frontier market status, which would. put it on the radar of international asset supervisors and bring in. foreign financial investment through passive funds.

Oman and Bahrain are the only countries within the six-. member Gulf Cooperation Council that are not categorized as an. emerging market by index service provider MSCI.

reported in 2021 that Asyad was weighing the sale of. a strategic stake in its subsidiary Oman Shipping, which was. re-branded as Asyad Shipping in 2022.

Asyad had actually asked banks to pitch for a mandate to help it. review a potential deal in which Asyad could divest as much as 40% of. its ownership, reported at the time.

(source: Reuters)