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Euronav to exit Belgium's blue-chip index 2 days after joining

Tanker company Euronav will exit Belgium's bluechip Bel20 index after simply two days of trading, as it no longer meets the subscription conditions after its takeover by Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), bourse operator Euronext said on Tuesday.

CMB, owned by the Saverys household, and affiliates together hold 88.61% of the exceptional shares in Euronav, which surpasses the optimum enabled the index.

The Bel 20 rulebook prescribes that need to the obtaining party own more than 85% of the shares, the company being acquired will leave the index, Euronext said.

Belgium's Euronav revealed in October that its 2 major investors, CMB and Frontline, had actually reached an offer that would see the Saverys family take control of the oil tanker company and buy its staying shares.

That deal in between CMB and peer Frontline came after the latter - managed by Norwegian-born shipping tycoon John Fredriksen - in January 2023 ditched a $4.2 billion merger plan with Euronav that would have developed the world's largest publicly-listed tanker business.

Euronav, which had actually debuted on the index on Monday, will leave it as of Wednesday morning, Euronext said.

The Belgian blue-chip index will end up being a Bel 19 until 21 June 2024, the date of the index's next quarterly review, Euronext said.