UPDATE 1-SBM Offshore offers news shares, sales fall

* Share issue up to 9.2 pct of capital

* To close on Wednesday, proceeds to fund fleet growth

* Revenue drops 4.5 pct to $2.13 bln

AMSTERDAM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Dutch maritime engineering group SBM Offshore NV (SBMO.AS) said on Tuesday it would offer new shares for up to 9.2 percent of its existing share capital as it posted a 4.5 percent drop in nine-month revenue.

SBM, which builds and operates floating production, storage and offloading platforms (FPSOs) for oil companies, kept its 2009 outlook, expecting net profit to be in the range of the $228 million net profit it reported in 2008.

The company is launching an accelerated bookbuilding process without presetting the placement price and with the close expected on Wednesday. The settlement of the offering is expected to occur three days after allocation, the company said.

Revenues for the first nine months of 2009 were $2.13 billion, lower than the average forecast of $2.18 billion expected by seven analysts in a Reuters poll.

The group, whose rivals include Italy's Saipem (SPMI.MI), Tokyo-based Modec (6269.T) and Prosafe Production (PRODP.OL), an offshot of Norway's Prosafe (PRSO.OL), spent more than a year without winning a new FPSO project before winning two contracts in the third quarter of the year.

SBM won an FPSO lease contract from Noble Energy (NBL.N) with a value of $1.2 billion and also inked a framework agreement with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) for supply of turrets for Shell's floating LNG projects for up to 15 years.

The firm said it would use the equity issue to fund growth of the lease fleet. ING is its sole global coordinator and also joint bookrunner together with Fortis Bank Nederland/MeesPierson CFCM. Kempen is advising SBM on the offering. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)