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Contracted revenue of $1.81 billion, interest rate risk fully hedged, sustainable quarterly dividend of $0.375 per common share
London - Nov 09, 2023
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Third Quarter 2023 and Year to Date Highlights
• Reported operating revenue of $174.5 million for the third quarter 2023, up 1.2% from $172.5 million for the prior year period. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, operating revenue was $495.9 million, up 3.2% from $480.6 million in the prior year period.
• Reported net income available to common shareholders of $82.7 million for the third quarter 2023, a decrease of 7.7% on net income of $89.6 million for the prior year period. Normalized net income (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the same period was $82.4 million, down 5.8% on Normalized net income of $87.5 million for the prior year period. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, net income available to common shareholders was $230.3 million, an increase of 9.3% on net income of $210.8 million for the prior year period. Normalized net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $231.9 million, up 4.9% on Normalized net income for the prior year period of $221.0 million.
• Generated $121.9 million of Adjusted EBITDA (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the third quarter 2023, up 9.4% on Adjusted EBITDA of $111.4 million for the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $334.9 million, up 12.2% on Adjusted EBITDA of $298.4 million for the prior year period.
• Earnings per share for the third quarter 2023 was $2.34, down 4.1% on the earnings per share of $2.44 for the prior year period. Normalized earnings per share (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the third quarter 2023 was $2.33, down 2.1% on the Normalized earnings per share of $2.38 for the prior year period. Earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $6.49, up 12.9% on the earnings per share of $5.75 for the prior year period. Normalized earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $6.54, up 8.5% on the Normalized earnings per share of $6.03 for the prior year period.
• Declared a dividend of $0.375 per Class A common share for the third quarter 2023 to be paid on December 4, 2023 to common shareholders of record as of November 24, 2023. Paid a dividend of $0.375 per Class A common share for the second quarter 2023 on September 5, 2023.
• Between January 1, 2023 and September 30, 2023, added $224.7 million of contracted revenues to forward charter cover, calculated on the basis of the median firm periods of the respective charters. 18 new charter fixtures (including short re-charters of the same vessel) or extensions were agreed on eight ships between 2,200 and 3,500 TEU, charter extensions were exercised for two 7,800 TEU ships, a forward fixture was agreed for one ECO 9,100 TEU ship, and four 8,544 TEU vessels were purchased with charters attached; with the exception of one very short re-positioning charter, firm charter terms range from a few months to two years. Contracted revenue as of September 30, 2023, calculated on the same basis, was $1.81 billion.
• Expanded our relationship with Ascenz Marorka to accelerate the implementation of their Smart Shipping solutions across our containership fleet, in collaboration with our liner customers, to provide real-time data and AI-supported live performance management capabilities, facilitating operational optimization, pro-active maintenance, and increasingly automated fuel consumption and emissions monitoring, giving rise to expected fleet-wide cost savings.
• Continued to opportunistically repurchase Class A common shares under the $40.0 million buy-back authorization approved by our Board of Directors, which was established in March 2022 and replenished in July 2023 (the "Buy-back Authorization". During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we repurchased an aggregate of 1,154,721 Class A common shares, at repurchase prices ranging from between $16.12 and $18.69 per share, with an average price of $17.68. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we repurchased an aggregate of 187,479 Class A common shares, at repurchase prices ranging from between $17.98 and $18.49, with an average price of $18.31. Since its inception, a total of 2,303,303 Class A common shares have been repurchased under the Buy-back Authorization, for approximately $42.0 million, with approximately $38.0 million of authorized capacity remaining.
George Youroukos, Executive Chairman of Global Ship Lease, stated: "With over two years of forward contract cover, and only a small number of ships coming open through end 2024, we remained focused throughout the third quarter on optimizing our operating performance and maintaining our disciplined approach to capital allocation. Macro headwinds, geopolitical uncertainty, and the size of the orderbook remain areas of concern for the overall industry, but the GSL fleet continues to operate efficiently, servicing fixed-rate term charters contracted to liner operators that have built considerable financial resilience during the all-time market highs of recent years. The combination of our strong balance sheet and the continued normalization of asset prices is making the prospect of selective, and increasingly countercyclical, vessel acquisitions more interesting, with any eventual purchase activity guided by our established strict investment criteria focused on creating shareholder value.
"Moving forward, our fleet of well-specified, mid-sized and smaller containerships is well supported by the combination of a relatively modest orderbook for ships of a similar size, the advanced age profile of the peer group against which our ships compete, and the practical needs of the non-mainlane trades for which our ship types remain the workhorses. By maintaining our high level of operational performance, together with our disciplined and dynamic approach to capital allocation, GSL is well positioned to maintain our track record of success while simultaneously providing our shareholders with an attractive dividend, opportunistically buying back shares, and remaining vigilant for accretive opportunities."
Ian Webber, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "On a firm foundation of attractive, fixed-rate time charters, we continue to successfully execute our long-term strategy of de-levering and de-risking GSL. Our prudent financial leverage of below 2x, and highly competitive cost of debt at 4.55%, which benefits from fully hedged interest rate risk through 2026, speak to the extent of our continuing progress in that regard. Moreover, our acquisition strategy over the last several years has consistently focused on containerships that would re-enter the charter market on the expiration of their initial GSL charters with little or no remaining leverage, limiting downside exposure and weighting their return profile to the upside. We have also continued to make value-enhancing investments to maintain the commercial attractiveness of our existing fleet, most recently with the accelerated implementation of Ascenz Marorka’s real-time, AI-supported Smart Shipping solution to help optimize vessel performance, monitor fuel consumption and emissions, and facilitate additional cost savings through pro-active maintenance. Our industry has always been cyclical, and we believe that we have taken good advantage of the 2021 - 2022 super upcycle to ensure that we are well positioned to act prudently and countercyclically moving forward for the long-term benefit of our shareholders."
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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. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange in August 2008.
As of September 30, 2023, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36 ships are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As of September 30, 2023, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 2.1 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.81 billion. Contracted revenue was $2.23 billion, including options under charterers’ control and with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 2.8 years.
Global Ship Lease press release
