Press Releases
Euroseas Ltd. Takes Delivery of Two Container Ship Vessels - Completes Fleet of 13 Vessels
Maroussi, Athens, Greece - Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA), an owner and operator of drybulk and container carrier vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, announced today that it took delivery of the M/V Beauty River to be re-named Despina P and the M/V Honor River to be re-named Jonathan P, two handysize container ships it had previously agreed to acquire, each with a capacity of 33,667 dwt and 1,932 teu. The vessels are sister ships built in 1990 in South Korea.
The M/V Jonathan P and the Despina P were each acquired for $18.7 million. Both vessels have been fixed on short term charters until October 2007 at a rate of about $17,000 per day. Following these charter agreements, approximately 92% of Euroseas total fleet days in 2007 and approximately 33% in 2008 are fixed under period charters, already concluded spot charters, or, otherwise protected from market fluctuations.
Aristides Pittas, Chairman and CEO of Euroseas commented: "We are pleased to have taken delivery of these two container ship vessels well ahead of their initial schedule. The acquisition of these two vessels is within our strategy to further grow our fleet by investing in drybulk vessels and containerships while at the same time focusing on the age and size segments which we believe maximize our return on equity."
"Based on this strategy, we have been able to increase our dividends paid for each of the last three quarters enhancing the return to our shareholders. Our dividend yield continues to be the highest amongst our public peers while at the same time, we seek to aggressively repay our bank debt. Aiming at continued and prudent fleet expansion, we are actively looking for additional opportunities fitting our investment strategy and objectives."
Fleet Profile:
The Euroseas Ltd. fleet profile is as follows:
(*) "IRINI", is employed in the Baumarine pool that is managed by Klaveness, a major global charterer in the dry bulk area, and also participates in two "short" funds (contracts to carry cargo at agreed rates), minimizing its exposure to the spot market (covered at 77% for 2007 and 42% for 2008, approximately).
About Euroseas Ltd.
Euroseas Ltd. was formed on May 5, 2005 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to consolidate the ship owning interests of the Pittas family of Athens, Greece, which has been in the shipping business over the past 136 years. Euroseas trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker ESEA since January 31, 2006 (previously it traded on the Over The Counter Bulletin Board under the ticker symbol EUSEF.OB).
Euroseas operates in the dry cargo, drybulk and container shipping markets. Euroseas' operations are managed by Eurobulk Ltd., an ISO 9001:2000 certified affiliated ship management company, which is responsible for the day-to-day commercial and technical management and operations of the vessels. Euroseas employs its vessels on spot and period charters and through pool arrangements.
The Company has a fleet of 13 vessels, including 2 Panamax drybulk carriers, 2 Handysize drybulk carriers, 1 Intermediate container ship, 5 Handysize container ships, 2 Feeder container ships and a multipurpose dry cargo vessel. Euroseas' 4 drybulk carriers have a total cargo capacity of 212,443 dwt, its 8 container ships will have a cargo capacity of 13,093 teu and its 1 multipurpose vessel has a cargo capacity of 22,568 dwt or 950 teu.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events and the Company's growth strategy and measures to implement such strategy; including expected vessel acquisitions and entering into further time charters. Words such as "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "anticipates," "hopes," "estimates," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to changes in the demand for dry bulk vessels and container ships, competitive factors in the market in which the Company operates; risks associated with operations outside the United States; and other factors listed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.
Contact:
Visit our website www.euroseas.gr
Company Contact
Tasos Aslidis
Chief Financial Officer
Euroseas Ltd.
11 Canterbury Lane
Watchung, NJ 07069
Tel. (908) 301-9091
E-mail: aha@euroseas.gr
Investor Relations / Financial Media
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E-mail: nbornozis@capitallink.com