Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement with an unaffiliated third party to purchase a Capesize vessel (the “Vessel”).
The Vessel was built in 2012 at a reputable shipyard in Japan, has a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 181,000 deadweight tons (“dwt”) and will be renamed M/V Worldship. The Worldship is expected to be delivered within the third quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. Following her delivery, Seanergy’s fleet will increase to 16 Capesize vessels with an aggregate cargo capacity of approximately 2,800,000 dwt.
The Vessel is fitted with a scrubber and a ballast water treatment system, while the special survey will be completed by the current owner prior to the delivery and, therefore, the Company does not anticipate incurring any off-hire or capital expenditure for this Vessel at least for the next two years.
The purchase price of $33.7 million is expected to be funded with cash on hand and debt financing.
In addition, taking advantage of the current strong market conditions, Seanergy has fixed one of its Capesize vessels, the M/V Patriotship, at $31,000 per day for a period employment of 12-18 months with a major European cargo operator. The contract is expected to commence upon the Patriotship’s upcoming delivery to the Company, which is anticipated in the beginning of June 2021.
Stamatis Tsantanis, the Company’s Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, stated:
“I am very pleased to announce another timely acquisition of a high-quality Capesize vessel built by a renowned shipyard in Japan. The addition of the M/V Worldship to our fleet will further enhance our operating leverage as a leading pure-play Capesize company.
This should be a highly accretive transaction for our shareholders as it will be funded by Seanergy’s strong liquidity, consisting of cash on hand and loan facilities at competitive terms.
Our fleet is currently operating in a decade-high freight environment, where the Capesize forward freight contracts (“FFA”) for the second half of 2021 exceed $30,000 per day. Based on the anticipated delivery of the Vessel in the mid of the third quarter of 2021, the incremental gross revenue from this acquisition may exceed $4 million for the remainder of the year.”
