Global Ship Lease announces agreement to acquire two Post-Panamax containerships on long term charters
Global Ship Lease, Inc. has agreed to acquire two 2004-built, 6,080 TEU Post-Panamax containerships for an aggregate purchase price of $24.5 million and with charters in place to a leading liner operator for minimum 52 months / maximum 60 months. The vessels, which have bows optimized for fuel efficiency at lower operating speeds, are scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. The vessels are expected to generate aggregate Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $21 million over the term of the contracted charters, assuming the median expiry dates. With these additions, the Company’s fleet will comprise 45 vessels with a total capacity of 249,622 TEU.
The vessels are being acquired from Black Pearl Containers LLC, a company controlled by the former shareholders of Poseidon Containers, with which the Company merged in November 2018, and pursuant to the Company’s Right of First Refusal on all such containership purchase opportunities and divestments. The Company has agreed debt finance in connection with the acquisition of these ships.
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. On November 15, 2018, it completed a strategic combination with Poseidon Containers.
Including two 6,650 TEU containerships that the Company has contracted to purchase, together with the two ships in this announcement, Global Ship Lease owns 45 ships, ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, of which nine are fuel efficient new-design wide beam, with a total capacity of 249,622 TEU and an average age, weighted by TEU capacity, of 12.6 years as at September 30, 2019.
Including the four containerships that the Company has contracted to purchase, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters at September 30, 2019, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under owner’s control, was 2.7 years on a TEU-weighted basis.
Contracted revenue on the same basis was $826 million. Contracted revenue was $913 million, including options under charterers’ control and with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 3.0 years.
