<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000919574-24-001710.txt : 20240510
<SEC-HEADER>0000919574-24-001710.hdr.sgml : 20240510
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20240226082215
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000919574-24-001710
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20240226

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Euronav NV
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001604481
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	DEEP SEA FOREIGN TRANSPORTATION OF FREIGHT [4412]
		ORGANIZATION NAME:           	01 Energy & Transportation
		IRS NUMBER:				000000000
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			C9
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		DE GERLACHEKAAI 20
		CITY:			ANTWERP
		STATE:			C9
		ZIP:			2000
		BUSINESS PHONE:		32-3-247-44-11

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		DE GERLACHEKAAI 20
		CITY:			ANTWERP
		STATE:			C9
		ZIP:			2000
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
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              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 22.8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman Bold', serif; font-size: 20pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Seward &amp; Kissel llp</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 11.4pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">ONE BATTERY PARK PLAZA</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 11.4pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">NEW YORK, NEW YORK&#160; 10004</div>
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              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 10.25pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;">TELEPHONE:&#160; (212)&#160; 574-1200</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 10.25pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;">FACSIMILE:&#160; (212) 480-8421</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 10.25pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;">WWW.SEWKIS.COM</div>
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              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 9.1pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 8pt;">901 K STREET, N.W.</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 9.1pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 8pt;">WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 9.1pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 8pt;">TELEPHONE:&#160; (202) 737-8833</div>
              <div style="text-align: center; line-height: 9.1pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 8pt;">FACSIMILE:&#160; (202) 737-5184</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">February 26, 2024</div>
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    <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Division of Corporation Finance</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">100 F Street N.E.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Washington, DC 20549</div>
    <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Attention: Tina Chalk and Blake Grady</div>
    <div style="line-height: 12.55pt;"><br style="line-height: 12.55pt;">
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Re:</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Euronav NV</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Schedule 14D-9 filed February 14, 2024</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">File No.: 005-89253</div>
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    <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dear Ms. Chalk and Mr. Grady:</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; margin-right: 2.15pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">This letter sets forth the response of Euronav NV (the &#8220;<u>Company</u>&#8221; or &#8220;<u>Euronav</u>&#8221;)

      to the comment letter dated February 22, 2024 (the &#8220;<u>Comment Letter</u>&#8221;) of the staff (the &#8220;<u>Staff</u>&#8221;) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#8220;<u>Commission</u>&#8221;) with respect to the Company&#8217;s Schedule 14D-9 (the &#8220;<u>Statement</u>&#8221;)


      filed February 14, 2024, via EDGAR. Capitalized terms used in this letter that are not otherwise defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Statement.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; margin-right: 2.15pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">The following numbered paragraph corresponds to the numbered paragraph in the
      Comment Letter.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;"><u>General</u></div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">1.</div>
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            <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Rule 14e-2(a) requires Euronav to express a position on the Offers by stating that it recommends acceptance or
              rejection, expresses no opinion and is remaining neutral or is unable to take a position with respect to the Offers. In each case, Euronav must explain the reasons for its position. We note your statement that the Supervisory Board &#8220;has
              unanimously recommended that holders of Ordinary Shares who are aligned with Euronav&#8217;s new strategy should not tender their Ordinary Shares in the Offers, and that holders of Ordinary Shares who do not embrace Euronav&#8217;s new strategy should
              tender their Ordinary Shares in the Offers.&#8221; Please revise this statement (and other similar statements throughout the Schedule 14D-9) to expressly state Euronav&#8217;s position with respect to the Offers and to explain the reasons for its
              position.</div>
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    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Under Rule 14e-2(a), a company is required to provide to security holders a statement disclosing
      that the subject company (1) recommends acceptance or rejection of the bidder&#8217;s tender offer, (2) expresses no opinion and is remaining neutral toward the bidder&#8217;s tender offer or (3) is unable to take a position with respect to the bidder&#8217;s tender
      offer. The subject company is also required to indicate the reason(s) for the position disclosed. Item 4 of Schedule 14D-9 requires that the subject company furnish the information required by Item 1012(a) through (c) of Regulation MA and paragraph
      (a) of such item requires a statement as to &#8220;whether the filing person is advising holders of the subject securities <font style="font-style: italic;">to accept or reject the tender offer or to take other action with respect to the tender offer </font>and,

      if so, describe the other action recommended.&#8221; (Emphasis added.)</div>
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    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Supervisory Board desired to provide a unanimous recommendation that would send a strong, clear
      message to the Company&#8217;s shareholders with regard to the Offers. It recommended that the Offers be accepted by investors that are aligned with Euronav&#8217;s new strategy and recommended that the Offers not be accepted by investors who do not embrace
      Euronav&#8217;s new strategy.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Supervisory Board stated in its unanimous recommendation that it considered, among other things,
      the Offer Price and CMB&#8217;s strategic plans for the Company. With respect to the Offer Price, in the Statement the Supervisory Board highlighted the fact that the Offer Price, of $17.86, was based on the price that CMB paid for Ordinary Shares in the
      Share Purchase (which was in turn based on the adjusted net asset value (&#8220;NAV&#8221;) of Euronav as of September 30, 2023). With respect to the strategic plans for the Company, in the Statement the Supervisory Board set forth CMB&#8217;s strategic plans for
      Euronav in detail, including making <font style="color: #000000;">Euronav the reference platform for sustainable shipping.</font></div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Supervisory Board&#8217;s recommendation to accept the offer under certain circumstances and to reject
      the offer under other circumstances is accepted as a recommendation for the purposes of compliance with the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (the &#8220;Belgian Code&#8221;).&#160; This form of recommendation was set forth in the Response Memorandum dated
      February 13, 2024, by the Supervisory Board, which was submitted to and approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority. In addition, Rule 14e-2 also would not necessarily prohibit a recommendation in the form provided by the
      Supervisory Board.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Supervisory Board believes that its recommendation is appropriate in light of the need to
      balance both U.S. and Belgian Code requirements and that its recommendation meets the disclosure based intent of Rule 14e-2. Accordingly, the Company believes that the recommendation meets the requirement of both Rule 14e-2 and the Belgian Code and
      that no revision of the recommendation in the Statement is required.</div>
    <div style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 12.55pt; margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you have any questions or comments concerning this letter, please feel free to contact the
      undersigned at (212) 574-1274.</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">Very truly yours,</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">SEWARD &amp; KISSEL LLP</div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">By:&#160; &#160; <u>/s/ Keith J. Billotti</u></div>
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            <div style="line-height: 12.55pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;">&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; &#160; Keith J. Billotti, Esq.</div>
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