UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
(Mark One)
☐ |
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF1934
|
OR
☒ |
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
|
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015
OR
☐ |
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from____________to____________
|
OR
☐ |
SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
|
Date of event requiring this shell company report : Not applicable
Commission file number 001-32458
DIANA SHIPPING INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Diana Shipping Inc.
(Translation of Registrant's name into English)
Republic of The Marshall Islands
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
Pendelis 16, 175 64 Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece
(Address of principal executive offices)
Mr. Ioannis Zafirakis
Tel: + 30-210-9470-100, Fax: + 30-210-9470-101
E-mail: izafirakis@dianashippinginc.com
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
Title of each class
|
Name of each exchange on which registered
|
Common Stock, $0.01 par value
|
New York Stock Exchange
|
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights
|
New York Stock Exchange
|
8.875% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, $0.01 par value
|
New York Stock Exchange
|
8.500% Senior Notes due 2020
|
New York Stock Exchange
|
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.
As of December 31, 2015, there were 82,546,017 shares of the registrant's common stock outstanding
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well‑known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Note-Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of "accelerated filer and large accelerated filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer ☐
|
Accelerated filer ☒
|
Non-accelerated filer ☐
|
|
|
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
U.S. GAAP ☒
|
|
International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐
|
|
Other ☐
|
|
|
|
If "Other" has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.
|
☐ |
Item 17
|
☐ |
Item 18
|
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
|
☐ |
Yes
|
☒ |
No
|
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
|
☐ |
Yes
|
☐ |
No
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
|
4
|
PART I
|
|
|
Item 1.
|
Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers
|
5
|
Item 2.
|
Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable
|
5
|
Item 3.
|
Key Information
|
5
|
Item 4.
|
Information on the Company
|
36
|
Item 4A.
|
Unresolved Staff Comments
|
60
|
Item 5.
|
Operating and Financial Review and Prospects
|
60
|
Item 6.
|
Directors, Senior Management and Employees
|
81
|
Item 7.
|
Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions
|
86
|
Item 8.
|
Financial Information
|
89
|
Item 9.
|
The Offer and Listing
|
90
|
Item 10.
|
Additional Information
|
91
|
Item 11.
|
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
101
|
Item 12.
|
Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities
|
101
|
|
|
PART II
|
|
Item 13.
|
Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies
|
102
|
Item 14.
|
Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds
|
102
|
Item 15.
|
Controls and Procedures
|
102
|
Item 16A.
|
Audit Committee Financial Expert
|
103
|
Item 16B.
|
Code of Ethics
|
103
|
Item 16C.
|
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
|
103
|
Item 16D.
|
Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees
|
104
|
Item 16E.
|
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
|
104
|
Item 16F.
|
Change in Registrant's Certifying Accountant
|
105
|
Item 16G.
|
Corporate Governance
|
105
|
Item 16H. |
Mine Safety Disclosure
|
105 |
|
|
PART III
|
|
Item 17.
|
Financial Statements
|
106
|
Item 18.
|
Financial Statements
|
106
|
Item 19.
|
Exhibits
|
106
|
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Diana Shipping Inc., or the Company, desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. This document and any other written or oral statements made by us or on our behalf may include forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. The words "believe", "except," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.
Please note in this annual report, "we", "us", "our" and "the Company" all refer to Diana Shipping Inc. and its subsidiaries.
The forward-looking statements in this document are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.
In addition to these important factors and matters discussed elsewhere herein, including under the heading "Item 3.D.—Risk Factors," important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies, fluctuations in currencies and interest rates, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the dry-bulk shipping industry, changes in the supply of vessels, changes in the Company's operating expenses, including bunker prices, crew costs, drydocking and insurance costs, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions or labor disruptions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE. We caution readers of this annual report not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
PART I
Item 1. |
Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers |
Not Applicable.
Item 2. |
Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable |
Not Applicable.
|
A. |
Selected Financial Data |
The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial data and other operating data. The selected consolidated financial data in the table as of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. The following data should be read in conjunction with Item 5. "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects", the consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this annual report.
|
|
As of and for the
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for share and per share data, fleet data and average daily results)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statement of Operations Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Time charter revenues
|
|
$
|
157,712
|
|
|
$
|
175,576
|
|
|
$
|
164,005
|
|
|
$
|
220,785
|
|
|
$
|
255,669
|
|
Other revenues
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
447
|
|
|
|
2,447
|
|
|
|
1,117
|
|
Voyage expenses
|
|
|
15,528
|
|
|
|
10,665
|
|
|
|
8,119
|
|
|
|
8,274
|
|
|
|
10,597
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
|
|
88,272
|
|
|
|
86,923
|
|
|
|
77,211
|
|
|
|
66,293
|
|
|
|
55,375
|
|
Depreciation and amortization of deferred charges
|
|
|
76,333
|
|
|
|
70,503
|
|
|
|
64,741
|
|
|
|
62,010
|
|
|
|
55,278
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
25,335
|
|
|
|
26,217
|
|
|
|
23,724
|
|
|
|
24,913
|
|
|
|
25,123
|
|
Management fees to related party
|
|
|
405
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Foreign currency gain
|
|
|
(984
|
)
|
|
|
(528
|
)
|
|
|
(690
|
)
|
|
|
(1,374
|
)
|
|
|
(503
|
)
|
Operating income / (loss)
|
|
|
(47,177
|
)
|
|
|
(18,204
|
)
|
|
|
(8,653
|
)
|
|
|
63,116
|
|
|
|
110,916
|
|
Interest and finance costs
|
|
|
(15,555
|
)
|
|
|
(8,427
|
)
|
|
|
(8,140
|
)
|
|
|
(7,618
|
)
|
|
|
(4,924
|
)
|
Interest and other income
|
|
|
3,152
|
|
|
|
3,627
|
|
|
|
1,800
|
|
|
|
1,432
|
|
|
|
1,033
|
|
|
|
As of and for the
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars,
|
|
|
|
except for share and per share data, fleet data and average daily results)
|
|
Income / (loss) from derivative instruments
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
(118
|
)
|
|
|
(518
|
)
|
|
|
(737
|
)
|
Income / (loss) from equity method investments
|
|
|
(5,133
|
)
|
|
|
12,668
|
|
|
|
(6,094
|
)
|
|
|
(1,773
|
)
|
|
|
1,207
|
|
Net income / (loss)
|
|
$
|
(64,713
|
)
|
|
$
|
(10,268
|
)
|
|
$
|
(21,205
|
)
|
|
$
|
54,639
|
|
|
$
|
107,495
|
|
Loss assumed by non-controlling interests
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
2
|
|
Dividends on series B preferred shares
|
|
$
|
(5,769
|
)
|
|
$
|
(5,080
|
)
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Net income / (loss) attributed to common stockholders
|
|
$
|
(70,482
|
)
|
|
$
|
(15,348
|
)
|
|
$
|
(21,205
|
)
|
|
$
|
54,639
|
|
|
$
|
107,497
|
|
Earnings / (loss) per common share, basic and diluted
|
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.19
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.26
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.67
|
|
|
$
|
1.33
|
|
Weighted average number of common shares, basic and diluted
|
|
|
79,518,009
|
|
|
|
81,292,290
|
|
|
|
81,328,390
|
|
|
|
81,083,485
|
|
|
|
81,081,774
|
|
Balance Sheet Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
193,218
|
|
|
$
|
218,901
|
|
|
$
|
240,633
|
|
|
$
|
446,624
|
|
|
$
|
416,674
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
215,013
|
|
|
|
238,234
|
|
|
|
251,868
|
|
|
|
466,986
|
|
|
|
432,691
|
|
Vessels' net book value
|
|
|
1,440,803
|
|
|
|
1,373,133
|
|
|
|
1,320,375
|
|
|
|
1,211,138
|
|
|
|
1,046,719
|
|
Property and equipment, net
|
|
|
23,489
|
|
|
|
23,887
|
|
|
|
22,826
|
|
|
|
22,774
|
|
|
|
21,659
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
1,836,965
|
|
|
|
1,787,122
|
|
|
|
1,701,981
|
|
|
|
1,742,802
|
|
|
|
1,604,471
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
58,889
|
|
|
|
98,092
|
|
|
|
62,297
|
|
|
|
61,477
|
|
|
|
48,095
|
|
Long-term debt (including current portion), net of deferred financing costs
|
|
|
600,071
|
|
|
|
484,256
|
|
|
|
431,557
|
|
|
|
459,112
|
|
|
|
373,338
|
|
Total stockholders' equity
|
|
|
1,218,366
|
|
|
|
1,282,226
|
|
|
|
1,253,392
|
|
|
|
1,266,424
|
|
|
|
1,208,878
|
|
Cash Flow Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
$
|
23,945
|
|
|
$
|
44,910
|
|
|
$
|
67,400
|
|
|
$
|
119,886
|
|
|
$
|
154,230
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(155,637
|
)
|
|
|
(152,513
|
)
|
|
|
(245,156
|
)
|
|
|
(169,913
|
)
|
|
|
(90,428
|
)
|
Net cash provided by / (used in) financing activities
|
|
|
106,009
|
|
|
|
85,871
|
|
|
|
(28,235
|
)
|
|
|
79,977
|
|
|
|
7,458
|
|
Fleet Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average number of vessels (1)
|
|
|
40.8
|
|
|
|
37.9
|
|
|
|
33.0
|
|
|
|
27.6
|
|
|
|
23.6
|
|
Number of vessels at year-end
|
|
|
43.0
|
|
|
|
39.0
|
|
|
|
36.0
|
|
|
|
30.0
|
|
|
|
24.0
|
|
Weighted average age of vessels at year-end (in years)
|
|
|
7.4
|
|
|
|
7.1
|
|
|
|
6.6
|
|
|
|
6.0
|
|
|
|
6.3
|
|
|
As of and for the
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
Ownership days (2)
|
|
|
14,900
|
|
|
|
13,822
|
|
|
|
12,049
|
|
|
|
10,119
|
|
|
|
8,609
|
|
Available days (3)
|
|
|
14,600
|
|
|
|
13,650
|
|
|
|
12,029
|
|
|
|
9,998
|
|
|
|
8,474
|
|
Operating days (4)
|
|
|
14,492
|
|
|
|
13,564
|
|
|
|
11,944
|
|
|
|
9,865
|
|
|
|
8,418
|
|
Fleet utilization (5)
|
|
|
99.3
|
%
|
|
|
99.4
|
%
|
|
|
99.3
|
%
|
|
|
98.7
|
%
|
|
|
99.3
|
%
|
Average Daily Results:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Time charter equivalent (TCE) rate (6)
|
|
$
|
9,739
|
|
|
$
|
12,081
|
|
|
$
|
12,959
|
|
|
$
|
21,255
|
|
|
$
|
28,920
|
|
Daily vessel operating expenses (7)
|
|
|
5,924
|
|
|
|
6,289
|
|
|
|
6,408
|
|
|
|
6,551
|
|
|
|
6,432
|
|
|
(1) |
Average number of vessels is the number of vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in the period. |
|
(2) |
Ownership days are the aggregate number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet has been owned by us. Ownership days are an indicator of the size of our fleet over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the amount of expenses that we record during a period. |
|
(3) |
Available days are the number of our ownership days less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades or special surveys and the aggregate amount of time that we spend positioning our vessels for such events. The shipping industry uses available days to measure the number of days in a period during which vessels should be capable of generating revenues. |
|
(4) |
Operating days are the number of available days in a period less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to any reason, including unforeseen circumstances. The shipping industry uses operating days to measure the aggregate number of days in a period during which vessels actually generate revenues. |
|
(5) |
We calculate fleet utilization by dividing the number of our operating days during a period by the number of our available days during the period. The shipping industry uses fleet utilization to measure a company's efficiency in finding suitable employment for its vessels and minimizing the amount of days that its vessels are off-hire for reasons other than scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades, special surveys or vessel positioning for such events. |
|
(6) |
Time charter equivalent rates, or TCE rates, are defined as our time charter revenues less voyage expenses during a period divided by the number of our available days during the period, which is consistent with industry standards. Voyage expenses include port charges, bunker (fuel) expenses, canal charges and commissions. TCE rate is a non-GAAP measure, and management believes it is useful to investors because it is a standard shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare daily earnings generated by vessels on time charters with daily earnings generated by vessels on voyage charters, because charter hire rates for vessels on voyage charters are generally not expressed in per day amounts while charter hire rates for vessels on time charters are generally expressed in such amounts. The following table reflects the calculation of our TCE rates for the periods presented. |
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for TCE rates, which are expressed in U.S. dollars, and available days)
|
|
Time charter revenues
|
|
$
|
157,712
|
|
|
$
|
175,576
|
|
|
$
|
164,005
|
|
|
$
|
220,785
|
|
|
$
|
255,669
|
|
Less: voyage expenses
|
|
|
(15,528
|
)
|
|
|
(10,665
|
)
|
|
|
(8,119
|
)
|
|
|
(8,274
|
)
|
|
|
(10,597
|
)
|
Time charter equivalent revenues
|
|
$
|
142,184
|
|
|
$
|
164,911
|
|
|
$
|
155,886
|
|
|
$
|
212,511
|
|
|
$
|
245,072
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available days
|
|
|
14,600
|
|
|
|
13,650
|
|
|
|
12,029
|
|
|
|
9,998
|
|
|
|
8,474
|
|
Time charter equivalent (TCE) rate
|
|
$
|
9,739
|
|
|
$
|
12,081
|
|
|
$
|
12,959
|
|
|
$
|
21,255
|
|
|
$
|
28,920
|
|
|
(7) |
Daily vessel operating expenses, which include crew wages and related costs, the cost of insurance, expenses relating to repairs and maintenance, the costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other miscellaneous expenses, are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses by ownership days for the relevant period. |
|
B. |
Capitalization and Indebtedness |
Not Applicable.
|
C. |
Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds |
Not Applicable.
Some of the following risks relate principally to the industry in which we operate and our business in general. Other risks relate principally to the securities market and ownership of our securities, including our common stock, Series B Preferred Shares, and 8.5% Senior Notes due 2020, which we refer to as our Notes. The occurrence of any of the events described in this section could significantly and negatively affect our business, financial condition, operating results, cash available for the payment of dividends on our shares and interest on our Notes, or the trading price of our securities.
Industry Specific Risk Factors
Charter hire rates for dry bulk carriers may remain at low levels or decrease in the future, which may adversely affect our earnings.
The dry bulk shipping industry is cyclical with attendant volatility in charter hire rates and profitability. The degree of charter hire rate volatility among different types of dry bulk carriers has varied widely, and charter hire rates for Panamax and Capesize dry bulk carriers have reached near historically low levels. Because we charter some of our vessels pursuant to short-term time charters, we are exposed to changes in spot market and short-term charter rates for dry bulk carriers and such changes may affect our earnings and the value of our dry bulk carriers at any given time. In addition, more than half of our vessels are scheduled to come off of their current charters in 2016, based on their earliest redelivery date, for which we may be seeking new employment. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully charter our vessels in the future or renew existing charters at rates sufficient to allow us to meet our obligations or pay any dividends in the future. Fluctuations in charter rates result from changes in the supply and demand for vessel capacity and changes in the supply and demand for the major commodities carried by water internationally. Because the factors affecting the supply of and demand for vessels are outside of our control and are unpredictable, the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are also unpredictable.
Factors that influence demand for vessel capacity include:
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· |
supply and demand for energy resources, commodities, semi-finished and finished consumer and industrial products; |
|
· |
changes in the exploration or production of energy resources, commodities, semi-finished and finished consumer and industrial products; |
|
· |
the location of regional and global exploration, production and manufacturing facilities; |
|
· |
the location of consuming regions for energy resources, commodities, semi-finished and finished consumer and industrial products; |
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· |
the globalization of production and manufacturing; |
|
· |
global and regional economic and political conditions, including armed conflicts and terrorist activities; embargoes and strikes; |
|
· |
natural disasters and other disruptions in international trade; |
|
· |
developments in international trade; |
|
· |
changes in seaborne and other transportation patterns, including the distance cargo is transported by sea; |
|
· |
environmental and other regulatory developments; |
|
· |
currency exchange rates; and |
Factors that influence the supply of vessel capacity include:
|
· |
the number of newbuilding orders and deliveries, including slippage in deliveries; |
|
· |
the number of shipyards and ability of shipyards to deliver vessels; |
|
· |
port and canal congestion; |
|
· |
the scrapping rate of older vessels; |
|
· |
the number of vessels that are out of service, namely those that are laid-up, drydocked, awaiting repairs or otherwise not available for hire. |
In addition to the prevailing and anticipated freight rates, factors that affect the rate of newbuilding, scrapping and laying-up include newbuilding prices, secondhand vessel values in relation to scrap prices, costs of bunkers and other operating costs, costs associated with classification society surveys, normal maintenance and insurance coverage, the efficiency and age profile of the existing dry bulk fleet in the market and government and industry regulation of maritime transportation practices, particularly environmental protection laws and regulations. These factors influencing the supply of and demand for shipping capacity are outside of our control, and we may not be able to correctly assess the nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions.
Demand for our dry bulk carriers is dependent upon economic growth in the world's economies, including China and India, seasonal and regional changes in demand, changes in the capacity of the global dry bulk carrier fleet and the sources and supply of dry bulk cargo transported by sea. Given the seemingly large number of new dry bulk carriers currently on order with shipyards, the capacity of the global dry bulk carrier fleet could increase and economic growth may not resume in areas that have experienced a recession or continue in other areas. Adverse economic, political, social or other developments could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.
The dry bulk carrier charter market remains significantly below its high in 2008, which has had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our revenues, earnings and profitability, and may affect our ability to comply with our loan covenants.
The abrupt and dramatic downturn in the dry bulk charter market, from which we derive substantially all of our revenues, has severely affected the dry bulk shipping industry and has adversely affected our business. The Baltic Dry Index, or the BDI, a daily average of charter rates for key drybulk routes published by the Baltic Exchange Limited, has long been viewed as the main benchmark to monitor the movements of the dry bulk vessel charter market and the performance of the entire dry bulk shipping market. The BDI declined 94% in 2008 from a peak of 11,793 in May 2008 to a low of 663 in December 2008 and has remained volatile since then. During 2015, the BDI remained volatile, ranging from a high of 1,222 to a low of 471. The BDI recorded a record low of 290 in February 2016. There can be no assurance that the dry bulk charter market will not decrease further. The decline and volatility in charter rates is due to various factors, including the lack of trade financing for purchases of commodities carried by sea, which has resulted in a significant decline in cargo shipments, and the excess supply of iron ore in China, which has resulted in falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles in Chinese ports. The decline and volatility in charter rates in the dry bulk market also affects the value of our dry bulk vessels, which follows the trends of dry bulk charter rates, and earnings on our charters, and similarly, affects our cash flows, liquidity and compliance with the covenants contained in our loan agreements.
The decline in the dry bulk carrier charter market has had and may continue to have additional adverse consequences for our industry, including an absence of financing for vessels, no active secondhand market for the sale of vessels, charterers seeking to renegotiate the rates for existing time charters, and widespread loan covenant defaults in the dry bulk shipping industry. Accordingly, the value of our common shares could be substantially reduced or eliminated.
Weak economic conditions throughout the world could negatively affect our earnings, financial condition and cash flows and may adversely affect the market price of our common shares.
Negative trends in the global economy continue to adversely affect global economic conditions. In addition, the world economy continues to face a number of new challenges, including recent turmoil and hostilities in the Middle East and other geographic areas and countries and continuing economic weakness in the European Union and Asia Pacific Region. The weakness in the global economy has caused, and may continue to cause, a decrease in worldwide demand for certain goods and, thus, shipping. We cannot predict how long the current market conditions will last. However, recent and developing economic and governmental factors, together with the concurrent decline in charter rates and vessel values, have had a material adverse effect on our earnings, financial condition and cash flows, have caused the price of our common shares to decline and could cause the price of our common shares to decline further.
The economies of the United States, the European Union and other parts of the world continue to experience relatively slow growth or remain in recession and exhibit weak economic trends. Securities and futures markets and the credit markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations and other requirements. The SEC, other regulators, self-regulatory organizations and exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of market emergencies, and may effect changes in law or interpretations of existing laws.
A significant economic slowdown in the Asia Pacific region could exacerbate the effect of recent slowdowns in the economies of the United States and the European Union and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and earnings.
Continued economic slowdown in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in China, may exacerbate the effect on us of continued weakness in the rest of the world, as we anticipate a significant number of the port calls made by our vessels will continue to involve the loading or discharging of dry bulk commodities in ports in the Asia Pacific region. Before the global economic financial crisis that began in 2008, China had one of the world's fastest growing economies in terms of gross domestic product, or GDP, which had a significant impact on shipping demand. The growth rate of China's GDP is estimated to be around 6.9% for the year ended December 31, 2015, which is China's slowest growth rate in 25 years. China and other countries in the Asia Pacific region may continue to experience slowed or even negative economic growth in the future. Moreover, the current economic slowdown in the economies of the United States, the European Union and other Asian countries may further adversely affect economic growth in China and elsewhere. Our earnings and ability to grow our fleet would be impeded by a continuing or worsening economic downturn in any of these countries.
A decrease in the level of China's export of goods or an increase in trade protectionism could have a material adverse impact on our charterers' business and, in turn, could cause a material adverse impact on our earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
Our vessels may be deployed on routes involving trade in and out of emerging markets, and our charterers' shipping and business revenue may be derived from the shipment of goods from the Asia Pacific region to various overseas export markets including the United States and Europe. Any reduction in or hindrance to the output of China-based exporters could have a material adverse effect on the growth rate of China's exports and on our charterers' business.
For instance, the government of China has implemented economic policies aimed at increasing domestic consumption of Chinese-made goods and restricting currency exchanges within China. This may have the effect of reducing the supply of goods available for export and may, in turn, result in a decrease of demand for shipping. Additionally, though in China there is an increasing level of autonomy and a gradual shift in emphasis to a "market economy" and enterprise reform, many of the reforms, particularly some limited price reforms that result in the prices for certain commodities being principally determined by market forces, are unprecedented or experimental and may be subject to revision, change or abolition. The level of imports to and exports from China could be adversely affected by changes to these economic reforms by the Chinese government, as well as by changes in political, economic and social conditions or other relevant policies of the Chinese government.
Our operations expose us to the risk that increased trade protectionism will adversely affect our business. If the continuing global recovery is undermined by downside risks and the recent economic downturn is prolonged, governments may turn to trade barriers to protect their domestic industries against foreign imports, thereby depressing the demand for shipping. Specifically, increasing trade protectionism in the markets that our charterers serve has caused and may continue to cause an increase in: (i) the cost of goods exported from China, (ii) the length of time required to deliver goods from China and (iii) the risks associated with exporting goods from China, as well as a decrease in the quantity of goods to be shipped.
Any increased trade barriers or restrictions on trade, especially trade with China, would have an adverse impact on our charterers' business, operating results and financial condition and could thereby affect their ability to make timely charter hire payments to us and to renew and increase the number of their time charters with us. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, earnings and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and interest on our Notes.
The current state of global financial markets and current economic conditions may adversely impact our ability to obtain additional financing or refinance our existing loan and credit facilities on acceptable terms which may hinder or prevent us from expanding our business.
Global financial markets and economic conditions continue to be volatile. This volatility has negatively affected the general willingness of banks and other financial institutions to extend credit, particularly in the shipping industry, due to the historically volatile asset values of vessels. As the shipping industry is highly dependent on the availability of credit to finance and expand operations, it has been and may continue to be negatively affected by this decline in lending. The current state of global financial markets might adversely impact our ability to issue additional equity at prices which will not be dilutive to our existing shareholders or preclude us from issuing equity at all.
Also, as a result of concerns about the stability of financial markets generally and the solvency of counterparties specifically, the cost of obtaining money from the credit markets has increased as many lenders have increased interest rates, enacted tighter lending standards, refused to refinance existing debt at all or on terms similar to current debt and reduced, and in some cases ceased, to provide funding to borrowers. Due to these factors, we cannot be certain that additional financing will be available if needed and to the extent required, or that we will be able to refinance our existing loan and credit facilities, on acceptable terms or at all. If additional financing or refinancing is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our obligations as they come due or we may be unable to enhance our existing business, complete additional vessel acquisitions or otherwise take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.
The instability of the euro or the inability of countries to refinance their debts could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, profitability and financial position.
As a result of the credit crisis in Europe, the European Commission created the European Financial Stability Facility, or the EFSF, and the European Financial Stability Mechanism, or the EFSM, to provide funding to Eurozone countries in financial difficulties that seek such support. In September 2012, the European Council established a permanent stability mechanism, the European Stability Mechanism, or the ESM, to assume the role of the EFSF and the EFSM in providing external financial assistance to Eurozone countries. Despite these measures, concerns persist regarding the debt burden of certain Eurozone countries and their ability to meet future financial obligations and the overall stability of the euro. An extended period of adverse development in the outlook for European countries could reduce the overall demand for dry bulk cargoes and for our services. These potential developments, or market perceptions concerning these and related issues, could affect our financial position, earnings and cash flow.
An over-supply of dry bulk carrier capacity may prolong or further depress the current low charter rates and, in turn, adversely affect our profitability.
The market supply of dry bulk carriers has been increasing due to the high level of new deliveries in the last few years. Dry bulk newbuildings were delivered in significant numbers starting at the beginning of 2006 and continued to be delivered in significant numbers through the end of 2015. While vessel supply will continue to be affected by the delivery of new vessels and the removal of vessels from the global fleet, either through scrapping or accidental losses, an over-supply of dry bulk carrier capacity could prolong the period during which low charter rates prevail. Currently, more than half of our vessels are scheduled to come off of their current charters in 2016, based on their earliest redelivery date, for which we may be seeking new employment.
World events could affect our earnings and financial condition.
Continuing conflicts and recent developments in the Middle East, North Africa and Ukraine, and the presence of U.S. and other armed forces in the Middle East, may lead to additional acts of terrorism and armed conflict around the world, which may contribute to further economic instability in the global financial markets. These uncertainties could also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. In the past, political conflicts have also resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt international shipping, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea, the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our operating results.
Acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels have recently increased in frequency, which could adversely affect our business.
Acts of piracy have historically affected ocean-going vessels trading in regions of the world such as the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Although the frequency of sea piracy worldwide has generally decreased since 2013, sea piracy incidents continue to occur, particularly in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and increasingly in the Gulf of Guinea, with dry bulk vessels and tankers particularly vulnerable to such attacks. Acts of piracy could result in harm or danger to the crews that man our vessels. In addition, if these piracy attacks occur in regions in which our vessels are deployed that insurers characterized as "war risk" zones or Joint War Committee "war and strikes" listed areas, premiums payable for such coverage could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. In addition, crew costs, including due to employing onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. Furthermore, while we believe the charterer remains liable for charter payments when a vessel is seized by pirates, the charterer may dispute this and withhold charterhire until the vessel is released. A charterer may also claim that a vessel seized by pirates was not "on-hire" for a certain number of days and is therefore entitled to cancel the charter party, a claim that we would dispute. We may not be adequately insured to cover losses from these incidents, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, any detention hijacking as a result of an act of piracy against our vessels, or an increase in cost, or unavailability, of insurance for our vessels, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and earnings.
Our operating results are subject to seasonal fluctuations, which could affect our operating results.
We operate our vessels in markets that have historically exhibited seasonal variations in demand and, as a result, in charter hire rates. This seasonality may result in quarter-to-quarter volatility in our operating results. The dry bulk carrier market is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in anticipation of increased consumption of coal and other raw materials in the northern hemisphere during the winter months. In addition, unpredictable weather patterns in these months tend to disrupt vessel scheduling and supplies of certain commodities. As a result, our revenues may be weaker during the fiscal quarters ended June 30 and September 30, and, conversely, our revenues may be stronger in fiscal quarters ended December 31 and March 31. While this seasonality will not directly affect our operating results, it could materially affect our operating results to the extent our vessels are employed in the spot market in the future.
Fuel, or bunker prices, may adversely affect profits.
While we generally will not bear the cost of fuel, or bunkers for vessels operating on time charters, fuel is a significant factor in negotiating charter rates. As a result, an increase in the price of fuel beyond our expectations may adversely affect our profitability at the time of charter negotiation. Fuel is also a significant, if not the largest, expense in our shipping operations when vessels are under voyage charter. While the price of fuel is currently at very low levels due to the price of oil, the price and supply of fuel is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns. Further, fuel may become much more expensive in the future, which may reduce the profitability and competitiveness of our business versus other forms of transportation, such as truck or rail.
We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental regulations that can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.
Our operations are subject to numerous laws and regulations in the form of international conventions and treaties, national, state and local laws and national and international regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which our vessels operate or are registered, which can significantly affect the ownership and operation of our vessels. These requirements include, but are not limited to, European Union Regulations, the United Nation's International Maritime Organization, or IMO, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973, or MARPOL, including the designation of Emission Control Areas, or ECAs, thereunder, the IMO International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974, the International Convention on Load Lines of 1966, the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or OPA, requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA, the U.S. Clean Air Act, U.S. Clean Water Act and the U.S. Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002. Compliance with such laws, regulations and standards, where applicable, may require installation of costly equipment or operational changes and may affect the resale value or useful lives of our vessels. We may also incur additional costs in order to comply with other existing and future regulatory obligations, including, but not limited to, costs relating to air emissions including greenhouse gases, the management of ballast and bilge waters, maintenance and inspection, development and implementation of emergency procedures and insurance coverage or other financial assurance of our ability to address pollution incidents. These costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, earnings, cash flows and financial condition. A failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of our operations. Environmental laws often impose strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of oil and hazardous substances, which could subject us to liability without regard to whether we were negligent or at fault. Under OPA, for example, owners, operators and bareboat charterers are jointly and severally strictly liable for the discharge of oil within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone around the United States. Furthermore, the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and the subsequent release of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, or other events, may result in further regulation of the shipping industry, and modifications to statutory liability schemes, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, earnings and cash flows. For example, in April 2015, it was announced that new regulations are expected to be imposed in the United States regarding offshore oil and gas drilling. An oil spill could result in significant liability, including fines, penalties and criminal liability and remediation costs for natural resource damages under other federal, state and local laws, as well as third-party damages. We are required to satisfy insurance and financial responsibility requirements for potential oil (including marine fuel) spills and other pollution incidents. Although we have arranged insurance to cover certain environmental risks, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be sufficient to cover all such risks or that any claims will not have a material adverse effect on our business, earnings, cash flows and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and interest on our Notes.
We are subject to international safety regulations and requirements imposed by our classification societies and the failure to comply with these regulations and requirements may subject us to increased liability, may adversely affect our insurance coverage and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.
The operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set forth in the IMO's International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, or ISM Code. The ISM Code requires ship owners, ship managers and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive "Safety Management System" that includes the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. The failure of a shipowner or bareboat charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject it to increased liability, may invalidate existing insurance or decrease available insurance coverage for the affected vessels and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports. Each of the vessels that has been delivered to us is ISM Code-certified and we expect that each other vessel that we have agreed to purchase will be ISM Code-certified when delivered to us.
In addition, vessel classification societies also impose significant safety and other requirements on our vessels. In complying with current and future environmental requirements, vessel-owners and operators may also incur significant additional costs in meeting new maintenance and inspection requirements, in developing contingency arrangements for potential spills and in obtaining insurance coverage. Government regulation of vessels, particularly in the areas of safety and environmental requirements, can be expected to become stricter in the future and require us to incur significant capital expenditures on our vessels to keep them in compliance.
The operation of our vessels is also affected by other government regulation in the form of international conventions, national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which the vessels operate, as well as in the country or countries of their registration. We are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses, certificates, and financial assurances with respect to our operations. Because such conventions, laws, and regulations are often revised, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with such conventions, laws and regulations or the impact thereof on the resale prices or useful lives of our vessels. Additional conventions, laws and regulations may be adopted that could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of our doing business and which may materially adversely affect our operations.
Increased inspection procedures, tighter import and export controls and new security regulations could increase costs and disrupt our business.
International shipping is subject to various security and customs inspection and related procedures in countries of origin, destination and trans-shipment points. These security procedures can result in cargo seizure, delays in the loading, offloading, trans-shipment or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us.
It is possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us. Changes to inspection procedures could also impose additional costs and obligations on our customers and may, in certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or impractical. Any such changes or developments may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and earnings.
The operation of dry bulk carriers has certain unique operational risks which could affect our earnings and cash flow.
The operation of vessels, such as dry bulk carriers, has certain unique risks. With a dry bulk carrier, the cargo itself and its interaction with the vessel can be an operational risk. By their nature, dry bulk cargoes are often heavy, dense, easily shifted, and react badly to water exposure. In addition, dry bulk carriers are often subjected to battering treatment during unloading operations with grabs, jackhammers (to pry encrusted cargoes out of the hold) and small bulldozers. This treatment may cause damage to the vessel. Vessels damaged due to treatment during unloading procedures may be more susceptible to breach to the sea. Hull breaches in dry bulk carriers may lead to the flooding of the vessels' holds. If a dry bulk carrier suffers flooding in its forward holds, the bulk cargo may become so dense and waterlogged that its pressure may buckle the vessel's bulkheads leading to the loss of a vessel. If we are unable to adequately repair our vessels after such damages, we may be unable to prevent these events. Any of these circumstances or events could negatively impact our business, financial condition, earnings, and ability to pay dividends, if any, in the future, and interest on our Notes. In addition, the loss of any of our vessels could harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator.
If our vessels call on ports located in countries that are subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. or other governments, that could adversely affect our reputation and the market for our common stock.
From time to time on charterers' instructions, our vessels may call on ports located in countries subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the United States government and countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, Sudan and Syria. Since July 11, 2011, none of our vessels have called on ports in Sudan or Syria. The U.S. sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or strengthened over time. In 2010, the U.S. enacted the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act, or CISADA, which expanded the scope of the Iran Sanctions Act. Among other things, CISADA expands the application of the prohibitions to companies such as ours and introduces limits on the ability of companies and persons to do business or trade with Iran when such activities relate to the investment, supply or export of refined petroleum or petroleum products. In addition, in 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order 13608 which prohibits foreign persons from violating or attempting to violate, or causing a violation of any sanctions in effect against Iran or facilitating any deceptive transactions for or on behalf of any person subject to U.S. sanctions. Any persons found to be in violation of Executive Order 13608 will be deemed a foreign sanctions evader and will be banned from all contacts with the United States, including conducting business in U.S. dollars. Also in 2012, President Obama signed into law the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, or the Iran Threat Reduction Act, which created new sanctions and strengthened existing sanctions. Among other things, the Iran Threat Reduction Act intensifies existing sanctions regarding the provision of goods, services, infrastructure or technology to Iran's petroleum or petrochemical sector. The Iran Threat Reduction Act also includes a provision requiring the President of the United States to impose five or more sanctions from Section 6(a) of the Iran Sanctions Act, as amended, on a person the President determines is a controlling beneficial owner of, or otherwise owns, operates, or controls or insures a vessel that was used to transport crude oil from Iran to another country and (1) if the person is a controlling beneficial owner of the vessel, the person had actual knowledge the vessel was so used or (2) if the person otherwise owns, operates, or controls, or insures the vessel, the person knew or should have known the vessel was so used. Such a person could be subject to a variety of sanctions, including exclusion from U.S. capital markets, exclusion from financial transactions subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and exclusion of that person's vessels from U.S. ports for up to two years. In addition, the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCA) and Executive Order 13645 went into effect on July 1, 2013. Pursuant to the IFCA, as implemented by Executive Order 13645, a person is subject to sanctions for the provision of material support to Iranian Specially Designated Nationals, members of the Iranian energy, shipping and shipbuilding sectors and Iranian port operators. The foregoing also expanded existing Iran sanctions against persons or foreign financial institutions relating to, among other things, the sale and transport of Iranian petroleum, petroleum products and petrochemicals.
On November 24, 2013, the P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia and China) entered into an interim agreement with Iran entitled the "Joint Plan of Action", or JPOA. Under the JPOA it was agreed that, in exchange for Iran taking certain voluntary measures to ensure that its nuclear program is used only for peaceful purposes, the U.S. and E.U. would voluntarily suspend certain sanctions for a period of six months.
On January 20, 2014, the U.S. and E.U. indicated that they would begin implementing the temporary relief measures provided for under the JPOA. These measures include, among other things, the suspension of certain sanctions on the Iranian petrochemicals, precious metals, and automotive industries from January 20, 2014 until July 20, 2014. The JPOA was extended twice.
On July 14, 2015, the P5+1 and the EU announced that they reached a landmark agreement with Iran titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program, or the JCPOA, which is intended to significantly restrict Iran's ability to develop and produce nuclear weapons for 10 years while simultaneously easing sanctions directed toward non-U.S. persons for conduct involving Iran, but taking place outside of U.S. jurisdiction and does not involve U.S. persons. On January 16, 2016, or Implementation Day, the United States joined the EU and the UN in lifting a significant number of their nuclear-related sanctions on Iran following an announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, that Iran had satisfied its respective obligations under the JCPOA.
U.S. sanctions prohibiting certain conduct that is now permitted under the JCPOA have not actually been repealed or permanently terminated at this time. Rather, the U.S. government has implemented changes to the sanctions regime by: (1) issuing waivers of certain statutory sanctions provisions; (2) committing to refrain from exercising certain discretionary sanctions authorities; (3) removing certain individuals and entities from OFAC's sanctions lists; and (4) revoking certain Executive Orders and specified sections of Executive Orders. These sanctions will not be permanently "lifted" until the earlier of "Transition Day," set to occur on October 20, 2023, or upon a report from the IAEA stating that all nuclear material in Iran is being used for peaceful activities.
Although it is our intention to comply with the provisions of the JCPOA, there can be no assurance that we will be in compliance in the future as such regulations and U.S. Sanctions may be amended over time, and the U.S. retains the authority to revoke the aforementioned relief if Iran fails to meet its commitments under the JCPOA.
Certain of our charterers or other parties that we have entered into contracts with may be affiliated with persons or entities that are the subject of sanctions imposed by the Obama administration, and European Union and/or other international bodies as a result of the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014. If we determine that such sanctions require us to terminate existing contracts or if we are found to be in violation of such applicable sanctions, our results of operations may be adversely affected or we may suffer reputational harm.
Although we believe that we have been in compliance with all applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations, and intend to maintain such compliance, there can be no assurance that we will be in compliance in the future, particularly as the scope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations. Any such violation could result in fines, penalties or other sanctions that could severely impact our ability to access U.S. capital markets and conduct our business, and could result in some investors deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or not to invest, in us. In addition, certain institutional investors may have investment policies or restrictions that prevent them from holding securities of companies that have contracts with countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. The determination by these investors not to invest in, or to divest from, our common stock may adversely affect the price at which our common stock trades. Moreover, our charterers may violate applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations as a result of actions that do not involve us or our vessels, and those violations could in turn negatively affect our reputation. In addition, our reputation and the market for our securities may be adversely affected if we engage in certain other activities, such as entering into charters with individuals or entities in countries subject to U.S. sanctions and embargo laws that are not controlled by the governments of those countries, or engaging in operations associated with those countries pursuant to contracts with third parties that are unrelated to those countries or entities controlled by their governments. Investor perception of the value of our common stock may be adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in these and surrounding countries.
Maritime claimants could arrest or attach one or more of our vessels, which could interrupt our cash flows.
Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo, lenders, and other parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lien holder may enforce its lien by arresting or attaching a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could interrupt our cash flows and require us to pay large sums of money to have the arrest or attachment lifted. In addition, in some jurisdictions, such as South Africa, under the "sister ship" theory of liability, a claimant may arrest both the vessel that is subject to the claimant's maritime lien and any "associated" vessel, which is any vessel owned or controlled by the same owner. Claimants could attempt to assert "sister ship" liability against one vessel in our fleet for claims relating to another of our vessels.
We conduct business in China, where the legal system is not fully developed and has inherent uncertainties that could limit the legal protections available to us.
Some of our vessels may be chartered to Chinese customers and from time to time on our charterers' instructions, our vessels may call on Chinese ports. Such charters and voyages may be subject to regulations in China that may require us to incur new or additional compliance or other administrative costs and may require that we pay to the Chinese government new taxes or other fees. Applicable laws and regulations in China may not be well publicized and may not be known to us or to our charterers in advance of us or our charterers becoming subject to them, and the implementation of such laws and regulations may be inconsistent. Changes in Chinese laws and regulations, including with regards to tax matters, or changes in their implementation by local authorities could affect our vessels if chartered to Chinese customers as well as our vessels calling to Chinese ports and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency, resulting in a loss of earnings.
A government could requisition one or more of our vessels for title or for hire. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes her owner, while requisition for hire occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes her charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during periods of war or emergency, although governments may elect to requisition vessels in other circumstances. Although we would be entitled to compensation in the event of a requisition of one or more of our vessels, the amount and timing of payment would be uncertain. Government requisition of one or more of our vessels may negatively impact our revenues and reduce the amount of cash we may have available for distribution as dividends to our shareholders, if any such dividends are declared.
Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could result in fines, criminal penalties and an adverse effect on our business.
We may operate in a number of countries throughout the world, including countries known to have a reputation for corruption. We are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics which is consistent and in full compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or the FCPA. We are subject, however, to the risk that we, our affiliated entities or our or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents may take actions determined to be in violation of such anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties, curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our business, earnings or financial condition. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business. Furthermore, detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management.
Company Specific Risk Factors
The market values of our vessels have decreased, which could limit the amount of funds that we can borrow under our loan facilities.
The fair market values of our vessels are related to prevailing freight charter rates. While the fair market value of vessels and the freight charter market have a very close relationship as the charter market moves from trough to peak, the time lag between the effect of charter rates on market values of ships can vary.
The fair market values of our vessels have generally experienced high volatility, and you should expect the market value of our vessels to fluctuate depending on a number of factors including:
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the prevailing level of charter hire rates; |
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general economic and market conditions affecting the shipping industry; |
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competition from other shipping companies and other modes of transportation; |
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the types, sizes and ages of vessels; |
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the supply and demand for vessels; |
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applicable governmental regulations; |
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technological advances; and |
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the cost of newbuildings. |
As a result of the decline in the market value of our fleet, we may not be able to obtain other financing or incur debt on terms that are acceptable to us or at all.
A decrease in the market values of our vessels could cause us to breach covenants in our loan facilities and adversely affect our operating results.
The market values of our vessels are at very low levels compared to historical averages. As at December 31, 2015, we believe we were in compliance with all of the covenants of our loan facilities, however we obtained a waiver from the applicable lender under one of our loan facilities with regard to the minimum hull cover ratio requirement contained in the facility. If we are not in compliance with our loan facilities or are unable to obtain waivers, our lenders could accelerate our debt and foreclose on our fleet. In addition, if the book value of a vessel is impaired due to unfavorable market conditions or a vessel is sold at a price below its book value, we would incur a loss that could adversely affect our operating results.
We charter some of our vessels on short-term time charters in a volatile shipping industry and the decline in charter hire rates could affect our results of operations and our ability to pay dividends.
We charter certain of our vessels pursuant to short-term time charters, although we have also entered in the past into long-term time charters of up to 61 months. Although significant exposure to short-term time charters is not unusual in the dry bulk shipping industry, the short-term time charter market is highly competitive and spot market charter hire rates (which affect time charter rates) may fluctuate significantly based upon available charters and the supply of, and demand for, seaborne shipping capacity. While the short-term time charter market may enable us to benefit in periods of increasing charter hire rates, we must consistently renew our charters and this dependence makes us vulnerable to declining charter rates. As a result of the volatility in the dry bulk carrier charter market, we may not be able to employ our vessels upon the termination of their existing charters at their current charter hire rates. The dry bulk carrier charter market is volatile, and in the recent past, short-term time charter and spot market charter rates for some dry bulk carriers declined below the operating costs of those vessels before rising. We cannot assure you that future charter hire rates will enable us to operate our vessels profitably, or to pay dividends.
Rising crew costs could adversely affect our results of operations.
Due to an increase in the size of the global shipping fleet, the limited supply of and increased demand for crew has created upward pressure on crew costs. Continued higher crew costs or further increases in crew costs could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our investment in Diana Containerships Inc. exposes us to the risks of the containership market and the value of our investment may be adversely affected.
As at December 31, 2015 we had a $48.8 million outstanding balance of a loan facility and owned approximately 26.08% of Diana Containerships Inc. (NASDAQ:DCIX), or Diana Containerships, which operates in the containership market. Through this investment, we are partially exposed to containership market risks such as the cyclicality and volatility of charterhire rates, the reduction in demand for container shipping due to the recent global economic recession, increased risk of charter counterparty risk due to financial pressure on liner companies as a result of a decline in global trade, and the risk of over-supply of containership capacity. Containership market risks may reduce the value of our investment in Diana Containerships and could adversely affect our financial condition. Additionally, on January 14, 2016, Diana Containerships received written notification from The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC indicating that because the closing bid price of their common stock for the 30 consecutive business days following the notice was below US$1.00 per share, they no longer meet the minimum bid price requirement for The Nasdaq Global Select Market set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1). Pursuant to The Nasdaq Listing Rules, the applicable grace period to regain compliance is 180 calendar days, or until July 12, 2016. According to Diana Containerships, the notification letter has no effect at this time on the listing of their common stock, which continues to trade on The Nasdaq Global Select Market. In February of 2016 their shareholders approved a reverse stock split, to be implemented at the discretion of the Board. If they do effect a reverse stock split, the liquidity of Diana Containerships' common shares may be adversely affected given the reduced number of shares that will be outstanding following the reverse stock split. In the event they do not regain compliance within the 180-day grace period and they meet all other listing standards and requirements, they may be eligible for an additional 180-day grace period if they transfer to The Nasdaq Capital Market.
Our investment in Diana Wilhelmsen Management Limited may expose us to additional risks.
During 2015 we invested in a 50/50 joint venture with Wilhelmsen Ship Management to provide management services to a limited number of vessels in our fleet, but our eventual goal is to provide fleet management services to unaffiliated third party vessel operators. While this joint venture may provide us in the future with a potential revenue source, it may also expose us to risks such as low customer satisfaction, increased operating costs compared to those we would achieve for our vessels, and inability to adequately staff our vessels with crew that meets our expectations or to maintain our vessels according to our standards, which would adversely affect our financial condition.
The Greek crisis could adversely affect the operations of our fleet manager, which has offices in Greece.
As a result of the ongoing economic slump in Greece and the capital controls imposed by the government in June 2015, Diana Shipping Services S.A., our manager which has offices in Greece, may be subjected to new regulations that may require us to incur new or additional compliance or other administrative costs and may require that we pay to the Greek government new taxes or other fees. Furthermore, renewed political uncertainty and social unrest due to the worsening economic conditions and the growing refugee population in the country may undermine Greece's political and economic stability and may lead it to exit the Eurozone, which may adversely affect the operations of our manager located in Greece. We also face the risk that enhanced capital controls, strikes, work stoppages, civil unrest and violence within Greece may disrupt the operations of our manager located in Greece.
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board inspection of our independent accounting firm, could lead to findings in our auditors' reports and challenge the accuracy of our published audited consolidated financial statements.
Auditors of U.S. public companies are required by law to undergo periodic Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, inspections that assess their compliance with U.S. law and professional standards in connection with performance of audits of financial statements filed with the SEC. For several years certain European Union countries, including Greece, did not permit the PCAOB to conduct inspections of accounting firms established and operating in such European Union countries, even if they were part of major international firms. Accordingly, unlike for most U.S. public companies, the PCAOB was prevented from evaluating our auditor's performance of audits and its quality control procedures, and, unlike stockholders of most U.S. public companies, we and our stockholders were deprived of the possible benefits of such inspections. During 2015, Greece agreed to allow the PCAOB to conduct inspections of accounting firms operating in Greece. In the future, such PCAOB inspections could result in findings in our auditors' quality control procedures, question the validity of the auditor's reports on our published consolidated financial statements and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and cast doubt upon the accuracy of our published audited financial statements.
Our earnings may be adversely affected if we are not able to take advantage of favorable charter rates.
We charter certain of our dry bulk carriers to customers pursuant to short term time charters. However, as part of our business strategy, the majority of our vessels are currently fixed on short term time charters. We may extend the charter periods for additional vessels in our fleet, including additional dry bulk carriers that we may purchase in the future, to take advantage of the relatively stable cash flow and high utilization rates that are associated with long-term time charters. While we believe that long-term charters provide us with relatively stable cash flows and higher utilization rates than shorter-term charters, our vessels that are committed to long-term charters may not be available for employment on short-term charters during periods of increasing short-term charter hire rates when these charters may be more profitable than long-term charters.
Investment in derivative instruments such as forward freight agreements could result in losses.
From time to time, we may take positions in derivative instruments including forward freight agreements, or FFAs. FFAs and other derivative instruments may be used to hedge a vessel owner's exposure to the charter market by providing for the sale of a contracted charter rate along a specified route and period of time. Upon settlement, if the contracted charter rate is less than the average of the rates, as reported by an identified index, for the specified route and period, the seller of the FFA is required to pay the buyer an amount equal to the difference between the contracted rate and the settlement rate, multiplied by the number of days in the specified period. Conversely, if the contracted rate is greater than the settlement rate, the buyer is required to pay the seller the settlement sum. If we take positions in FFAs or other derivative instruments and do not correctly anticipate charter rate movements over the specified route and time period, we could suffer losses in the settling or termination of the FFA. This could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
We may have difficulty effectively managing our planned growth, which may adversely affect our earnings.
Since the completion of our initial public offering in March 2005, we have increased our fleet to 45 vessels in operation, and we expect to take delivery in 2016 of three newbuilding vessels and one secondhand Panamax vessel. The significant increase in the size of our fleet has imposed significant additional responsibilities on our management and staff. While we expect our fleet to grow further, this may require us to increase the number of our personnel. We will also have to increase our customer base to provide continued employment for the new vessels.
Our future growth will primarily depend on our ability to:
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locate and acquire suitable vessels; |
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identify and consummate acquisitions or joint ventures; |
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enhance our customer base; |
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manage our expansion; and |
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obtain required financing on acceptable terms. |
Growing any business by acquisition presents numerous risks, such as undisclosed liabilities and obligations, the possibility that indemnification agreements will be unenforceable or insufficient to cover potential losses and difficulties associated with imposing common standards, controls, procedures and policies, obtaining additional qualified personnel, managing relationships with customers and integrating newly acquired assets and operations into existing infrastructure. We cannot give any assurance that we will be successful in executing our growth plans or that we will not incur significant expenses and losses in connection with our future growth.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to borrow amounts under our loan facilities and restrictive covenants in our loan facilities may impose financial and other restrictions on us.
Since February 2005 we have entered into several loan agreements to finance vessel acquisitions and the construction of newbuildings. As of December 31, 2015, we had $605.9 million outstanding under our facilities and our Notes. Our ability to borrow amounts under our facilities is subject to the execution of customary documentation relating to the facility, including security documents, satisfaction of certain customary conditions precedent and compliance with terms and conditions included in the loan documents. Prior to each drawdown, we are required, among other things, to provide the lender with acceptable valuations of the vessels in our fleet confirming that the vessels in our fleet have a minimum value and that the vessels in our fleet that secure our obligations under the facilities are sufficient to satisfy minimum security requirements. To the extent that we are not able to satisfy these requirements, including as a result of a decline in the value of our vessels, we may not be able to draw down the full amount under the facilities without obtaining a waiver or consent from the lender. We will also not be permitted to borrow amounts under the facilities if we experience a change of control.
The loan facilities also impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions may limit our ability to, among other things:
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pay dividends if we do not repay amounts drawn under our loan facilities, if there is a default under the loan facilities or if the payment of the dividend would result in a default or breach of a loan covenant; |
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incur additional indebtedness, including through the issuance of guarantees; |
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change the flag, class or management of our vessels; |
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create liens on our assets; |
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enter into a time charter or consecutive voyage charters that have a term that exceeds, or which by virtue of any optional extensions may exceed a certain period; |
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merge or consolidate with, or transfer all or substantially all our assets to, another person; and |
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enter into a new line of business. |
Therefore, we may need to seek permission from our lenders in order to engage in some corporate actions. Our lenders' interests may be different from ours and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain our lenders' permission when needed. This may limit our ability to finance our future operations, make acquisitions or pursue business opportunities.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance indebtedness incurred under our loan facilities.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance indebtedness with equity offerings on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. If we are not able to refinance these amounts with the net proceeds of equity offerings on terms acceptable to us or at all, we will have to dedicate a greater portion of our cash flow from operations to pay the principal and interest of this indebtedness than if we were able to refinance such amounts. If we are not able to satisfy these obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans. The actual or perceived credit quality of our charterers, any defaults by them, and the market value of our fleet, among other things, may materially affect our ability to obtain alternative financing. In addition, debt service payments under our loan facilities or alternative financing may limit funds otherwise available for working capital, capital expenditures and other purposes. If we are unable to meet our debt obligations, or if we otherwise default under our loan facilities or an alternative financing arrangement, our lenders could declare the debt, together with accrued interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable and foreclose on our fleet, which could result in the acceleration of other indebtedness that we may have at such time and the commencement of similar foreclosure proceedings by other lenders.
Purchasing and operating secondhand vessels may result in increased operating costs and reduced operating days.
While we have the right to inspect previously owned vessels prior to our purchase of them and we usually inspect secondhand vessels that we acquire, such inspections do not provide us with the same knowledge about their condition that we would have if these vessels had been built for, and operated exclusively by, us. A secondhand vessel may have conditions or defects that we were not aware of when we bought the vessel and which may require us to incur costly repairs to the vessel. These repairs may require us to put a vessel into drydock, which would reduce our operating days. Furthermore, we usually do not receive the benefit of warranties on secondhand vessels.
We are subject to certain risks with respect to our counterparties on contracts, and failure of such counterparties to meet their obligations could cause us to suffer losses or otherwise adversely affect our business.
We enter into, among other things, charter parties with our customers. Such agreements subject us to counterparty risks. The ability and willingness of each of our counterparties to perform its obligations under a contract with us will depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the maritime and offshore industries, the overall financial condition of the counterparty, charter rates received for specific types of vessels, and various expenses. Should a counterparty fail to honor its obligations under agreements with us, we could sustain significant losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In addition, in depressed market conditions, our charterers may no longer need a vessel that is currently under charter or may be able to obtain a comparable vessel at lower rates. As a result, charterers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their existing charter agreements or avoid their obligations under those contracts. If our charterers fail to meet their obligations to us or attempt to renegotiate our charter agreements, it may be difficult to secure substitute employment for such vessels, and any new charter arrangements we secure may be at lower rates given currently decreased drybulk carrier charter rate levels. As a result, we could sustain significant losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In the highly competitive international shipping industry, we may not be able to compete for charters with new entrants or established companies with greater resources, and as a result, we may be unable to employ our vessels profitably.
We employ our vessels in a highly competitive market that is capital intensive and highly fragmented. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners, some of whom have substantially greater resources than we do. Competition for the transportation of dry bulk cargo by sea is intense and depends on price, location, size, age, condition and the acceptability of the vessel and its operators to the charterers. Due in part to the highly fragmented market, competitors with greater resources than us could enter the dry bulk shipping industry and operate larger fleets through consolidations or acquisitions and may be able to offer lower charter rates and higher quality vessels than we are able to offer. If we are unable to successfully compete with other dry bulk shipping companies, our results of operations may be adversely impacted.
We may be unable to attract and retain key management personnel and other employees in the shipping industry, which may negatively impact the effectiveness of our management and results of operations.
Our success depends to a significant extent upon the abilities and efforts of our management team. We have entered into employment contracts with our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Simeon Palios; our President, Mr. Anastasios Margaronis; our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Andreas Michalopoulos; and our Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Ioannis Zafirakis. Our success will depend upon our ability to retain key members of our management team and to hire new members as may be necessary. The loss of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business prospects and financial condition. Difficulty in hiring and retaining replacement personnel could have a similar effect. We do not currently, nor do we intend to, maintain "key man" life insurance on any of our officers or other members of our management team.
The fiduciary duties of our officers and directors may conflict with those of the officers and directors of Diana Containerships.
Certain of our officers and directors are officers and directors of Diana Containerships and have fiduciary duties to manage our business in a manner beneficial to us and our shareholders, as well as a duty to the shareholders of Diana Containerships. Consequently, these officers and directors may encounter situations in which their fiduciary obligations to Diana Containerships and to us are in conflict. The resolution of these conflicts may not always be in our best interest or that of our shareholders and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Risks associated with operating ocean-going vessels could affect our business and reputation, which could adversely affect our revenues and stock price.
The operation of ocean-going vessels carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of:
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environmental accidents; |
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cargo and property losses or damage; |
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business interruptions caused by mechanical failure, human error, war, terrorism, political action in various countries, labor strikes or adverse weather conditions; and |
These hazards may result in death or injury to persons, loss of revenues or property, environmental damage, higher insurance rates, damage to our customer relationships, delay or rerouting. If our vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking facility. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and may be substantial. We may have to pay drydocking costs that our insurance does not cover in full. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, would decrease our earnings. In addition, space at drydocking facilities is sometimes limited and not all drydocking facilities are conveniently located. We may be unable to find space at a suitable drydocking facility or our vessels may be forced to travel to a drydocking facility that is not conveniently located to our vessels' positions. The loss of earnings while these vessels are forced to wait for space or to steam to more distant drydocking facilities would decrease our earnings. The involvement of our vessels in an environmental disaster may also harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator.
We may not have adequate insurance to compensate us if we lose our vessels or to compensate third parties.
We procure insurance for our fleet against risks commonly insured against by vessel owners and operators. Our current insurance includes hull and machinery insurance, war risks insurance and protection and indemnity insurance (which includes environmental damage and pollution insurance). We can give no assurance that we are adequately insured against all risks or that our insurers will pay a particular claim. Even if our insurance coverage is adequate to cover our losses, we may not be able to timely obtain a replacement vessel in the event of a loss. Furthermore, in the future, we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates for our fleet. We may also be subject to calls, or premiums, in amounts based not only on our own claim records but also the claim records of all other members of the protection and indemnity associations through which we receive indemnity insurance coverage for tort liability. Our insurance policies also contain deductibles, limitations and exclusions which, although we believe are standard in the shipping industry, may nevertheless increase our costs.
Our vessels may suffer damage and we may face unexpected drydocking costs, which could adversely affect our cash flow and financial condition.
If our vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking facility. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and can be substantial. The loss of earnings while a vessel is being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs not covered by our insurance, would decrease our earnings and cash available for dividends, if declared. We may not have insurance that is sufficient to cover all or any of the costs or losses for damages to our vessels and may have to pay drydocking costs not covered by our insurance.
The aging of our fleet may result in increased operating costs in the future, which could adversely affect our earnings.
In general, the cost of maintaining a vessel in good operating condition increases with the age of the vessel. Currently, our fleet consists of 45 vessels in operation, having a combined carrying capacity of 5.2 million dead weight tons, or dwt, and a weighted average age of 7.5 years as of March 28, 2016. Additionally, we have shipbuilding contracts for the construction of three additional vessels and expect to take delivery of one secondhand vessel in April 2016. As our fleet ages, we will incur increased costs. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient and more costly to maintain than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. Cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers. Governmental regulations and safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may also require expenditures for alterations or the addition of new equipment to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which our vessels may engage. We cannot assure you that, as our vessels age, market conditions will justify those expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives.
We are exposed to U.S. dollar and foreign currency fluctuations and devaluations that could harm our reported revenue and results of operations.
We generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars but incur around half of our operating expenses and our general and administrative expenses in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, primarily the Euro. Because a significant portion of our expenses is incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, our expenses may from time to time increase relative to our revenues as a result of fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly between the U.S. dollar and the Euro, which could affect the amount of net income that we report in future periods. While we historically have not mitigated the risk associated with exchange rate fluctuations through the use of financial derivatives, we may employ such instruments from time to time in the future in order to minimize this risk. Our use of financial derivatives would involve certain risks, including the risk that losses on a hedged position could exceed the nominal amount invested in the instrument and the risk that the counterparty to the derivative transaction may be unable or unwilling to satisfy its contractual obligations, which could have an adverse effect on our results.
Volatility in LIBOR could affect our profitability, earnings and cash flow.
LIBOR may be volatile, with the spread between LIBOR and the prime lending rate widening significantly at times. These conditions are the result of disruptions in the international markets. Because the interest rates borne by our outstanding loan facilities fluctuate with changes in LIBOR, it would affect the amount of interest payable on our debt, which, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our profitability, earnings and cash flow.
We depend upon a few significant customers for a large part of our revenues and the loss of one or more of these customers could adversely affect our financial performance.
We have historically derived a significant part of our revenues from a small number of charterers. During 2015, 2014, and 2013, approximately 66%, 55% and 58%, respectively, of our revenues derived from four charterers. If one or more of our charterers chooses not to charter our vessels or is unable to perform under one or more charters with us and we are not able to find a replacement charter, we could suffer a loss of revenues that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are a holding company, and we depend on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute funds to us in order to satisfy our financial obligations.
We are a holding company and our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no significant assets other than the equity interests in our subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to satisfy our financial obligations depends on our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute funds to us. If we are unable to obtain funds from our subsidiaries, we may not be able to satisfy our financial obligations.
Because we are organized under the laws of the Marshall Islands, it may be difficult to serve us with legal process or enforce judgments against us, our directors or our management.
We are organized under the laws of the Marshall Islands, and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, the majority of our directors and officers are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of the assets of these non-residents are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for someone to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States if they believe that their rights have been infringed under securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Marshall Islands and of other jurisdictions may prevent or restrict them from enforcing a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors or officers.
The international nature of our operations may make the outcome of any bankruptcy proceedings difficult to predict.
We are incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and we conduct operations in countries around the world. Consequently, in the event of any bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or similar proceeding involving us or any of our subsidiaries, bankruptcy laws other than those of the United States could apply. If we become a debtor under U.S. bankruptcy law, bankruptcy courts in the United States may seek to assert jurisdiction over all of our assets, wherever located, including property situated in other countries. There can be no assurance, however, that we would become a debtor in the United States, or that a U.S. bankruptcy court would be entitled to, or accept, jurisdiction over such a bankruptcy case, or that courts in other countries that have jurisdiction over us and our operations would recognize a U.S. bankruptcy court's jurisdiction if any other bankruptcy court would determine it had jurisdiction.
As we expand our business, we may need to improve our operating and financial systems and will need to recruit suitable employees and crew for our vessels.
Our current operating and financial systems may not be adequate as we expand the size of our fleet and our attempts to improve those systems may be ineffective. In addition, as we expand our fleet, we will need to recruit suitable additional seafarers and shoreside administrative and management personnel. While we have not experienced any difficulty in recruiting to date, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to continue to hire suitable employees as we expand our fleet. If we or our crewing agents encounter business or financial difficulties, we may not be able to adequately staff our vessels. If we are unable to grow our financial and operating systems or to recruit suitable employees as we expand our fleet, our financial performance may be adversely affected, among other things.
We may have to pay tax on U.S. source income, which would reduce our earnings.
Under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel-owning or chartering corporation, such as ourselves and our subsidiaries, that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the United States is characterized as U.S. source shipping income and such income is generally subject to a 4% U.S. federal income tax without allowance for deductions, unless that corporation qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
We expect that we and each of our subsidiaries qualify for this statutory tax exemption for the 2015 taxable year and we will take this position for U.S. federal income tax return reporting purposes. However, there are factual circumstances beyond our control that could cause us to lose the benefit of this tax exemption in future years and thereby become subject to U.S. federal income tax on our U.S. source shipping income. For example, in certain circumstances we may no longer qualify for exemption under Code Section 883 for a particular taxable year if shareholders, other than "qualified shareholders", with a five percent or greater interest in our common shares owned, in the aggregate, 50% or more of our outstanding common shares for more than half the days during the taxable year. Due to the factual nature of the issues involved, we can give no assurances on our tax-exempt status or that of any of our subsidiaries.
If we or our subsidiaries are not entitled to this exemption under Section 883 of the Code for any taxable year, we or our subsidiaries would be subject for those years to a 4% U.S. federal income tax on our gross U.S.-source shipping income. The imposition of this taxation could have a negative effect on our business and would result in decreased earnings available for distribution to our shareholders, although, for the 2015 taxable year, we estimate our maximum U.S. federal income tax liability to be immaterial if we were subject to this U.S. federal income tax. See Item 10.E "Taxation" for a more comprehensive discussion of U.S. federal income tax considerations.
U.S. federal tax authorities could treat us as a "passive foreign investment company", which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. shareholders.
A foreign corporation will be treated as a "passive foreign investment company", or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of "passive income" or (2) at least 50% of the average value of the corporation's assets produce or are held for the production of those types of "passive income." For purposes of these tests, "passive income" includes dividends, interest, gains from the sale or exchange of investment property, and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. For purposes of these tests, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute "passive income." U.S. shareholders of a PFIC are subject to a disadvantageous U.S. federal income tax regime with respect to the income derived by the PFIC, the distributions they receive from the PFIC and the gain, if any, they derive from the sale or other disposition of their shares in the PFIC.
Based on our current and proposed method of operation, we do not believe that we will be a PFIC with respect to any taxable year. In this regard, we intend to treat the gross income we derive or are deemed to derive from our time chartering activities as services income, rather than rental income. Accordingly, we believe that our income from our time chartering activities does not constitute "passive income," and the assets that we own and operate in connection with the production of that income do not constitute assets that produce or are held for the production of "passive income".
There is substantial legal authority supporting this position consisting of case law and U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or "IRS", pronouncements concerning the characterization of income derived from time charters and voyage charters as services income for other tax purposes. However, it should be noted that there is also authority which characterizes time charter income as rental income rather than services income for other tax purposes. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the IRS or a court of law will accept this position, and there is a risk that the IRS or a court of law could determine that we are a PFIC. Moreover, no assurance can be given that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if the nature and extent of our operations changed.
If the IRS or a court of law were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, our U.S. shareholders would face adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. Under the PFIC rules, unless those shareholders make an election available under the Code (which election could itself have adverse consequences for such shareholders), such shareholders would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the then prevailing U.S. federal income tax rates on ordinary income plus interest upon excess distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common stock, as if the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the shareholder's holding period of our common stock. See Item 10.E "Taxation – United States Taxation of U.S. Holders – PFIC Status and Significant Tax Consequences" for a more comprehensive discussion of the U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of our common stock if we are or were to be treated as a PFIC.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
Our board of directors decided to suspend the payment of cash dividends on our common stock. We cannot assure you that our board of directors will reinstate dividend payments in the future, or when such reinstatement might occur.
In order to position us to take advantage of market opportunities in a deteriorating market, our board of directors, beginning with the fourth quarter of 2008, has suspended our common stock dividend. Our dividend policy will be assessed by the board of directors from time to time. We believe that this suspension has enhanced our flexibility by permitting cash flow that would have been devoted to dividends to be used for opportunities that arise in the current marketplace, such as funding our operations, acquiring vessels or servicing our debt.
Our policy, historically, was to declare quarterly distributions to shareholders by each February, May, August and November substantially equal to our available cash from operations during the previous quarter after accounting for cash expenses and reserves for scheduled drydockings, intermediate and special surveys and other purposes as our board of directors may from time to time determine are required, and after taking into account contingent liabilities, the terms of our loan facilities, our growth strategy and other cash needs and the requirements of Marshall Islands law. The declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will always be subject to the discretion of our board of directors. The timing and amount of any dividends declared will depend on, among other things, our earnings, financial condition and cash requirements and availability, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing on acceptable terms as contemplated by our growth strategy and provisions of Marshall Islands law affecting the payment of dividends. In addition, other external factors, such as our lenders imposing restrictions on our ability to pay dividends under the terms of our loan facilities, may limit our ability to pay dividends. Further, under the terms of our loan agreements, we may not be permitted to pay dividends that would result in an event of default or if an event of default has occurred and is continuing.
Our growth strategy contemplates that we will finance the acquisition of additional vessels through a combination of debt and equity financing on terms acceptable to us. If financing is not available to us on acceptable terms, our board of directors may determine to finance or refinance acquisitions with cash from operations, which could also reduce or even eliminate the amount of cash available for the payment of dividends.
Marshall Islands law generally prohibits the payment of dividends other than from surplus (retained earnings and the excess of consideration received for the sale of shares above the par value of the shares) or while a company is insolvent or would be rendered insolvent by the payment of such a dividend. We may not have sufficient surplus in the future to pay dividends. We can give no assurance that we will reinstate our dividends in the future or when such reinstatement might occur.
In addition, our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common shares will be subject to the rights of holders of our Series B Preferred Shares, which rank prior to our common shares with respect to dividends, distributions and payments upon liquidation. No cash dividend may be paid on our common stock unless full cumulative dividends have been or contemporaneously are being paid or provided for on all outstanding Series B Preferred Shares for all prior and the then-ending dividend periods. Cumulative dividends on our Series B Preferred Shares accrue at a rate of 8.875% per annum per $25.00 stated liquidation preference per Series B Preferred Share, subject to increase upon the occurrence of certain events, and are payable, as and if declared by our board of directors, on January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15 of each year, or, if any such dividend payment date otherwise would fall on a date that is not a business day, the immediately succeeding business day. For additional information about our Series B Preferred Shares, please see the section entitled "Description of Registrant's Securities to be Registered" of our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2014 and incorporated by reference herein.
There is no guarantee that there will continue to be an active and liquid public market for you to resell our common stock in the future.
The price of our common stock may be volatile and may fluctuate due to factors such as:
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results and those of other public companies in our industry; |
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mergers and strategic alliances in the dry bulk shipping industry; |
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market conditions in the dry bulk shipping industry; |
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changes in government regulation; |
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shortfalls in our operating results from levels forecast by securities analysts; |
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announcements concerning us or our competitors; and |
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the general state of the securities market. |
The dry bulk shipping industry has been highly unpredictable and volatile. The market for common stock in this industry may be equally volatile.
Since we are incorporated in the Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of corporate law, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests than shareholders of a U.S. corporation.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated articles of incorporation and bylaws and by the Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act, or the BCA. The provisions of the BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the United States. However, there have been few judicial cases in the Marshall Islands interpreting the BCA. The rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under the laws of the Marshall Islands are not as clearly established as the rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in the United States. The rights of shareholders of the Marshall Islands may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in the United States. While the BCA provides that it is to be interpreted according to the laws of the State of Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative provisions, there have been few, if any, court cases interpreting the BCA in the Marshall Islands and we cannot predict whether Marshall Islands courts would reach the same conclusions as U.S. courts. Thus, you may have more difficulty in protecting your interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a U.S. jurisdiction which has developed a relatively more substantial body of case law.
Certain existing shareholders will be able to exert considerable control over matters on which our shareholders are entitled to vote.
As of the date of this annual report Mr. Simeon Palios, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, beneficially owns 18,823,331 shares, or approximately 22.2% of our outstanding common stock, which is held indirectly through entities over which he exercises sole voting power. Please see "Item 7.A. Major Shareholders." While Mr. Palios and the non-voting shareholders of these entities have no agreement, arrangement or understanding relating to the voting of their shares of our common stock, they are able to influence the outcome of matters on which our shareholders are entitled to vote, including the election of directors and other significant corporate actions. The interests of these shareholders may be different from your interests.
Future sales of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market price for our common stock. These sales could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities in the future.
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock, of which as of December 31, 2015, 82,546,017 shares were outstanding. The number of shares of common stock available for sale in the public market is limited by restrictions applicable under securities laws and agreements that we and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders have entered into.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents could make it difficult for our shareholders to replace or remove our current board of directors or have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing a merger or acquisition, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Several provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation and bylaws could make it difficult for our shareholders to change the composition of our board of directors in any one year, preventing them from changing the composition of management. In addition, the same provisions may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that shareholders may consider favorable.
These provisions include:
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authorizing our board of directors to issue "blank check" preferred stock without shareholder approval; |
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providing for a classified board of directors with staggered, three year terms; |
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prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors; |
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authorizing the removal of directors only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote for the directors; |
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prohibiting shareholder action by written consent; |
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limiting the persons who may call special meetings of shareholders; and |
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establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by shareholders at shareholder meetings. |
In addition, we have adopted a Stockholders Rights Agreement, dated January 15, 2016, pursuant to which our board of directors may cause the substantial dilution of any person that attempts to acquire us without the approval of our board of directors.
These anti-takeover provisions, including provisions of our Stockholders Rights Agreement, could substantially impede the ability of public shareholders to benefit from a change in control and, as a result, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and your ability to realize any potential change of control premium.
Our Series B Preferred Shares are senior obligations of ours and rank prior to our common shares with respect to dividends, distributions and payments upon liquidation, which could have an adverse effect on the value of our common shares.
The rights of the holders of our Series B Preferred Shares rank senior to the obligations to holders of our common shares. Upon our liquidation, the holders of Series B Preferred Shares will be entitled to receive a liquidation preference of $25.00 per share, plus all accrued but unpaid dividends, prior and in preference to any distribution to the holders of any other class of our equity securities, including our common shares. The existence of the Series B Preferred Shares could have an adverse effect on the value of our common shares.
Risks Relating to Our Series B Preferred Stock
We may not have sufficient cash from our operations to enable us to pay dividends on our Series B Preferred Shares following the payment of expenses and the establishment of any reserves.
We pay quarterly dividends on our Series B Preferred Shares only from funds legally available for such purpose when, as and if declared by our board of directors. We may not have sufficient cash available each quarter to pay dividends. The amount of dividends we can pay on our Series B Preferred Shares depends upon the amount of cash we generate from and use in our operations, which may fluctuate.
The amount of cash we have available for dividends on our Series B Preferred Shares will not depend solely on our profitability. The actual amount of cash we have available to pay dividends on our Series B Preferred Shares depends on many factors, including the following:
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changes in our operating cash flow, capital expenditure requirements, working capital requirements and other cash needs; |
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restrictions under our existing or future credit facilities or any future debt securities on our ability to pay dividends if an event of default has occurred and is continuing or if the payment of the dividend would result in an event of default, or under certain facilities if it would result in the breach of certain financial covenants; |
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the amount of any cash reserves established by our board of directors; and |
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restrictions under Marshall Islands law, which generally prohibits the payment of dividends other than from surplus (retained earnings and the excess of consideration received for the sale of shares above the par value of the shares) or while a company is insolvent or would be rendered insolvent by the payment of such a dividend. |
The amount of cash we generate from our operations may differ materially from our net income or loss for the period, which is affected by noncash items, and our board of directors in its discretion may elect not to declare any dividends. As a result of these and the other factors mentioned above, we may pay dividends during periods when we record losses and may not pay dividends during periods when we record net income.
The Series B Preferred Shares represent perpetual equity interests.
The Series B Preferred Shares represent perpetual equity interests in us and, unlike our indebtedness, will not give rise to a claim for payment of a principal amount at a particular date. As a result, holders of the Series B Preferred Shares may be required to bear the financial risks of an investment in the Series B Preferred Shares for an indefinite period of time. In addition, the Series B Preferred Shares will rank junior to all our indebtedness and other liabilities, and to any other senior securities we may issue in the future with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against us.
Our Series B Preferred Shares are subordinate to our indebtedness, and your interests could be diluted by the issuance of additional preferred shares, including additional Series B Preferred Shares, and by other transactions.
Our Series B Preferred Shares are subordinated to all of our existing and future indebtedness. Therefore, our ability to pay dividends on, redeem or pay the liquidation preference on our Series B Preferred Shares in liquidation or otherwise may be subject to prior payments due to the holders of our indebtedness. Our existing indebtedness restricts, and our future indebtedness may include restrictions on, our ability to pay dividends on or redeem preferred shares. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation currently authorize the issuance of up to 25,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.01 per share. Of these preferred shares, 1,000,000 shares have been designated Series A Participating Preferred Stock and 5,000,000 shares have been designated Series B Preferred Shares. The Series B Preferred Shares are senior in rank to the Series A Participating Preferred Shares. The issuance of additional Series B Preferred Shares or other preferred shares on a parity with or senior to the Series B Preferred Shares would dilute the interests of holders of our Series B Preferred Shares, and any issuance of preferred shares senior to our Series B Preferred Shares or of additional indebtedness could affect our ability to pay dividends on, redeem or pay the liquidation preference on our Series B Preferred Shares. The Series B Preferred Shares do not contain any provisions affording the holders of our Series B Preferred Shares protection in the event of a highly leveraged or other transaction, including a merger or the sale, lease or conveyance of all or substantially all our assets or business, which might adversely affect the holders of our Series B Preferred Shares, so long as the rights of our Series B Preferred Shares are not directly materially and adversely affected.
We may redeem the Series B Preferred Shares, and you may not be able to reinvest the redemption price you receive in a similar security.
On or after February 14, 2019, we may, at our option, redeem Series B Preferred Shares, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time. We may have an incentive to redeem Series B Preferred Shares voluntarily if market conditions allow us to issue other preferred shares or debt securities at a rate that is lower than the dividend on the Series B Preferred Shares. If we redeem Series B Preferred Shares, then from and after the redemption date, your dividends will cease to accrue on your Series B Preferred Shares, your Series B Preferred Shares shall no longer be deemed outstanding and all your rights as a holder of those shares will terminate, except the right to receive the redemption price plus accumulated and unpaid dividends, if any, payable upon redemption. If we redeem the Series B Preferred Shares for any reason, you may not be able to reinvest the redemption price you receive in a similar security.
Market interest rates may adversely affect the value of our Series B Preferred Shares.
One of the factors that may influence the price of our Series B Preferred Shares is the dividend yield on the Series B Preferred Shares (as a percentage of the price of our Series B Preferred Shares) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates, which are currently at low levels relative to historical rates, may lead prospective purchasers of our Series B Preferred Shares to expect a higher dividend yield, and higher interest rates would likely increase our borrowing costs and potentially decrease funds available for distribution. Accordingly, higher market interest rates could cause the market price of our Series B Preferred Shares to decrease.
As a holder of Series B Preferred Shares you have extremely limited voting rights.
Your voting rights as a holder of Series B Preferred Shares are extremely limited. Our common shares are the only outstanding class or series of our shares carrying full voting rights. Holders of Series B Preferred Shares have no voting rights other than the ability, subject to certain exceptions, to elect one director if dividends for six quarterly dividend periods (whether or not consecutive) payable on our Series B Preferred Shares are in arrears and certain other limited protective voting rights.
Our ability to pay dividends on and to redeem our Series B Preferred Shares is limited by the requirements of Marshall Islands law.
Marshall Islands law provides that we may pay dividends on and redeem the Series B Preferred Shares only to the extent that assets are legally available for such purposes. Legally available assets generally are limited to our surplus, which essentially represents our retained earnings and the excess of consideration received by us for the sale of shares above the par value of the shares. In addition, under Marshall Islands law we may not pay dividends on or redeem Series B Preferred Shares if we are insolvent or would be rendered insolvent by the payment of such a dividend or the making of such redemption.
The amount of your liquidation preference is fixed and you will have no right to receive any greater payment regardless of the circumstances.
The payment due upon a liquidation is fixed at the redemption preference of $25.00 per share plus accumulated and unpaid dividends to the date of liquidation. If, in the case of our liquidation, there are remaining assets to be distributed after payment of this amount, you will have no right to receive or to participate in these amounts. Furthermore, if the market price for your Series B Preferred Shares is greater than the liquidation preference, you will have no right to receive the market price from us upon our liquidation.
Risks Relating to our Notes
The investment in our Notes is subject to our credit risk.
Our Notes are unsubordinated unsecured general obligations of ours and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Our Notes will rank equally with any senior and unsubordinated debt obligations that we may enter into in the future, except as such obligations may be preferred by operation of law. Any payment to be made on our Notes, including the return of the principal amount at maturity or any redemption date, as applicable, depends on our ability to satisfy our obligations as they come due. As a result, our actual and perceived creditworthiness may affect the market value of our Notes and, in the event we were to default on our obligations, holders of our Notes may not receive the amounts owed to them under the terms of our Notes.
Our subsidiaries conduct the substantial majority of our operations and own our operating assets, and the right to receive payments on our Notes is structurally subordinated to the rights of the lenders of our subsidiaries.
Our subsidiaries conduct the substantial majority of our operations and own our operating assets. As a result, our ability to make required payments on our Notes depends in part on the operations of our subsidiaries and our subsidiaries' ability to distribute funds to us. To the extent our subsidiaries are unable to distribute, or are restricted from distributing, funds to us, we may be unable to fulfill our obligations under our Notes. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay amounts due on our Notes or to make funds available for that purpose. Our Notes are not guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries or any other person.
The rights of holders of our Notes are structurally subordinated to the rights of our subsidiaries' lenders. A default by a subsidiary under its debt obligations would result in a block on distributions from the affected subsidiary to us. Our Notes will be effectively junior to all existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of any of our subsidiaries, creditors of our subsidiaries will generally be entitled to payment of their claims from the assets of those subsidiaries before any assets are made available for distribution to us.
Our Notes are unsecured obligations and are subordinated to our secured debt.
Our Notes are unsecured and therefore are effectively subordinated to any secured debt we maintain or may incur to the extent of the value of the assets securing the debt. In the event of a bankruptcy or similar proceeding involving us, the assets that serve as collateral will be available to satisfy the obligations under any secured debt before any payments are made on our Notes. We will continue to have the ability to incur additional secured debt, subject to limitations in our loan facilities and the indenture relating to our Notes.
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to purchase our Notes as required upon a change of control, and our existing and future debt may contain limitations on our ability to purchase our Notes.
Following a change of control, holders of Notes will have the right to require us to purchase their Notes for cash. A change of control may also constitute an event of default or prepayment under, and result in the acceleration of the maturity of, our then existing indebtedness. We may not have sufficient financial resources, or be able to arrange financing, to pay the change of control purchase price in cash with respect to any Notes surrendered by holders for purchase upon a change of control. In addition, restrictions in our then existing loan facilities or other indebtedness, if any, may not allow us to purchase the Notes upon a change of control. Our failure to purchase the Notes upon a change of control when required would result in an event of default with respect to the Notes which could, in turn, constitute a default under the terms of our other indebtedness, if any. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and purchase the Notes.
Some significant restructuring transactions may not constitute a change of control, in which case we would not be obligated to offer to purchase the Notes.
The change of control provisions contained in the indenture governing our Notes will not afford protection to holders of Notes in the event of certain transactions that could adversely affect our Notes. For example, transactions such as leveraged recapitalizations, refinancing or certain restructurings would not constitute a change of control requiring us to repurchase the Notes. In the event of any such transaction, holders of the Notes would not have the right to require us to purchase their Notes, even though each of these transactions could increase the amount of our indebtedness, or otherwise adversely affect our capital structure or any credit ratings, thereby adversely affecting holders of the Notes.
Our Notes have not been rated, and ratings of any of our other securities may affect the trading price of our Notes.
We have not sought to obtain a rating for our Notes, and our Notes may never be rated. It is possible, however, that one or more credit rating agencies might independently determine to assign a rating to our Notes or that we may elect to obtain a rating of our Notes in the future. In addition, we may elect to issue other securities for which we may seek to obtain a rating. If any ratings are assigned to our Notes in the future or if we issue other securities with a rating, such ratings, if they are lower than market expectations or are subsequently lowered or withdrawn, or if ratings for such other securities would imply a lower relative value for our Notes, could adversely affect the market for, or the market value of, our Notes. Ratings only reflect the views of the issuing rating agency or agencies and such ratings could at any time be revised downward or withdrawn entirely at the discretion of the issuing rating agency. A rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any particular security, including our Notes. Ratings do not reflect market prices or suitability of a security for a particular investor and any future rating of our Notes may not reflect all risks related to us and our business, or the structure or market value of our Notes.
Servicing our current or future indebtedness limits funds available for other purposes and if we cannot service our debt, we may lose our vessels.
Borrowing under our loan facilities requires us to dedicate a part of our cash flow from operations to paying interest on our indebtedness under such facilities. These payments limit funds available for working capital, capital expenditures and other purposes, including further equity or debt financing in the future. Amounts borrowed under our loan facilities bear interest at variable rates. Increases in prevailing rates could increase the amounts that we would have to pay to our lenders, even though the outstanding principal amount remains the same, and our net income and cash flows would decrease. We expect our earnings and cash flow to vary from year to year due to the cyclical nature of the dry bulk industry. If we do not generate or reserve enough cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as:
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seeking to raise additional capital; |
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refinancing or restructuring our debt; |
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reducing or delaying capital investments. |
However, these alternative financing plans, if necessary, may not be sufficient to allow us to meet our debt obligations. If we are unable to meet our debt obligations or if some other default occurs under our loan facilities, our lenders could elect to declare that debt, together with accrued interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable and proceed against the collateral vessels securing that debt even though the majority of the proceeds used to purchase the collateral vessels did not come from our loan facilities.
We may redeem the Notes, at our option, on or after May 15, 2017.
We may redeem the Notes, at our option, in whole or in part on or after May 15, 2017, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. Prior to May 15, 2017 we may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount to be redeemed, plus a make-whole premium and accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. In the event we choose to redeem the Notes, the holders of our Notes may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as the interest rate on our Notes. Our redemption right also may adversely impact the holders' ability to sell our Notes as the optional redemption date or period approaches.
Item 4. |
Information on the Company |
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History and development of the Company |
Diana Shipping Inc. is a holding company incorporated under the laws of Liberia in March 1999 as Diana Shipping Investments Corp. In February 2005, the Company's articles of incorporation were amended. Under the amended and restated articles of incorporation, the Company was renamed Diana Shipping Inc. and was re-domiciled from the Republic of Liberia to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Our executive offices are located at Pendelis 16, 175 64 Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece. Our telephone number at this address is +30-210-947-0100. Our agent and authorized representative in the United States is our wholly-owned subsidiary, Bulk Carriers (USA) LLC, established in September 2006, in the State of Delaware, which is located at 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 19808.
Business Development and Capital Expenditures and Divestitures
In March 2012, we entered into, through two of our wholly owned subsidiaries, shipbuilding contracts with China Shipbuilding Trading Company, Limited and Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd, for the construction of two ice class Panamax dry bulk carriers for the contract price of $29.0 million each. One of the vessels, the Crystalia, was delivered on February 20, 2014 and the other vessel the Atalandi, was delivered on May 12, 2014.
In 2013, we took delivery of the Myrto, a 2013 built Kamsarmax dry bulk carrier, which we acquired for $26.5 million, the Maia, a 2009 built Kamsarmax dry bulk carrier, which we acquired at an auction for $19.7 million; the Baltimore, a 2005 built Capesize dry bulk carrier, which we acquired for $26.8 million; the Artemis, a 2006 built Panamax dry bulk carrier, which we acquired for $20.2 million; the Myrsini, a 2010 built Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel, which we acquired in a bid offer for $22.7 million; and the P.S. Palios, a 2013 built Capesize dry bulk vessel, which we acquired for $52.0 million.
On May 17, 2013, we entered, through two separate wholly owned subsidiaries, into two shipbuilding contracts with China Shipbuilding Trading Company, Limited and Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd. for the construction of two Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels for a contract price of $48.7 million each. We expect to take delivery of the two vessels in 2016.
On May 20, 2013, we entered into a loan agreement with Eluk Shipping Company Inc., a subsidiary of Diana Containerships, to provide to it an unsecured loan of up to $50.0 million, the drawdown of which was completed on August 20, 2013. On September 9, 2015, the agreement was amended, pursuant to which the loan matures on March 15, 2022; bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 3% per annum; the back-end fee accumulated up to and became payable on the date of the amendment; and the borrowers will pay to the lender a fee of $200 on the maturity date. In addition, the borrowers agreed to repay the principal amount of the loan on the last day of each interest period in amounts of $5.0 million per annum, but not to exceed $32.5 million in the aggregate. The loan is subordinated to Diana Containerships' loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland.
On May 24, 2013, we entered into, through two separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan facility for up to $30.0 million with The Export-Import Bank of China having a majority interest and DNB Bank ASA, as agent, to partly finance, after delivery, the construction cost of our two newbuilding Ice Class Panamax dry bulk carriers, named Crystalia and Atalandi, which we drew down on May 22, 2014.
On June 18, 2013, we signed, through two separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan facility for up to $18.0 million with Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Filiale Deutschlandgeschäft, or Deutsche Bank, and on June 20, 2013, we completed the drawdown of $18.0 million in order to partially finance the acquisition costs of the Myrto and the Maia, both delivered earlier in 2013. On the same date, our wholly owned subsidiary, Bikini Shipping Company Inc., entered into a supplemental agreement with Deutsche Bank in order to amend the terms of its loan agreement dated October 8, 2009 with respect to the cross collateralization of the New York with Maia and Myrto. The agreement between Deutsche Bank and Bikini was terminated on March 10, 2015 following full repayment of the outstanding loan balance and on March 20, 2015, we prepaid the outstanding indebtedness under the loan agreement for Myrto and Maia, of $15.8 million.
On August 8, 2013, Diana Shipping Services S.A., or DSS, our wholly-owned subsidiary, was found guilty on felony counts and on December 5, 2013 was sentenced by the United States District Court in Norfolk, Virginia to a fine of $1.1 million, which was fully settled in two installments, and a period of probation of three years and six months, as a result of a conviction in which DSS was held vicariously liable for the actions of the chief engineer and second assistant engineer of the Thetis, who were found guilty by the Court of violating several U.S. statutes and regulations in failing to properly handle waste oils, maintain required records and for obstruction of justice. In addition, the sentence includes a requirement to maintain an enhanced system subject to independent audit for managing waste oils on vessels managed by DSS.
On November 26, 2013, the charterers of the Houston terminated the charter earlier than the termination date determined under the terms of the charter party and redelivered the vessel. We were awarded damages in arbitration proceedings against the charterers seeking to recover the losses resulting from the early termination. Following the publication of the award, the charterers filed for a creditors' voluntary liquidation in Hong Kong and we have filed our claim in the liquidation in Hong Kong.
On January 8, 2014, we entered, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, into a shipbuilding contract with Yangzhou Dayang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Sinopacific International Trade Co., Ltd., and since April 21, 2014 with Sumec Marine Co., Ltd., pursuant to an addendum, for the construction of a Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel for a contract price of $28.8 million. We expect to take delivery of the vessel in 2016.
On January 9, 2014, we entered into, through two separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan facility for up to $18.0 million with Commonwealth Bank of Australia to partially finance the acquisition costs of two Panamax dry bulk vessels, the Melite and the Artemis, which were delivered on January 28, 2010 and August 26, 2013, respectively, and we completed the drawdown of $18.0 million on January 13, 2014.
On February 24, 2014, we completed a public offering of 2,600,000 shares of 8.875% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, par value $0.01 per share at $25.00 per share. We received net proceeds from the offering of $62.7 million, net of underwriting discount and offering expenses.
On May 22, 2014, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase plan for up to $100 million of our common shares of which, up to January 30, 2015, we repurchased and retired 3,259,353 shares at the aggregate cost of $28.0 million and an average price of $8.6 per share. We have not repurchased any other shares since January 30, 2015.
In 2014, we, through two separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, acquired from unaffiliated third parties the G. P. Zafirakis, a new-building Capesize dry bulk vessel, for a purchase price of $58.0 million, which was delivered in August 2014 and the Santa Barbara, a new-building Capesize dry bulk vessel, for a purchase price of $50.0 million, which was delivered in January 2015.
On July 29, 2014, we purchased 15,936,255 shares of the common stock of Diana Containerships for an aggregate purchase price of $40.0 million.
On December 18, 2014, we entered into, through two separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan facility for up to $55.0 million with BNP Paribas to finance part of the acquisition cost of the G. P. Zafirakis and P. S. Palios. We completed the drawdown of $53.5 million on December 19, 2014.
In December 2014, DSS acquired jointly with two other related entities, from unrelated individuals, a plot of land for an aggregate purchase price of €2.0 million or $2.5 million (based on the exchange rate of U.S. Dollars to Euro as of the date of acquisition). DSS paid one third of the purchase price amounting to $0.9 million, including additional purchase costs incurred. The plot is under the common ownership of the joint purchasers.
On March 17, 2015, we entered into, through eight separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan facility of up to $110.0 million with Nordea Bank AB, London Branch, or Nordea, to refinance the existing agreements we had with the bank for working capital and general corporate purposes. We completed the drawdown of $93.1 million on March 19, 2015 and we fully repaid all outstanding indebtedness with the bank at that date.
On March 26, 2015, we entered into, through three wholly-owned subsidiaries, a loan agreement with ABN AMRO Bank N.V. for up to $53.0 million to refinance part of the acquisition cost of the vessels New York, Myrto and Maia. On March 30, 2015, we drew down the amount of $50.16 million under the loan facility.
On April 20, 2015, we entered into, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, an agreement to acquire from an unrelated third party a new-building Capesize dry bulk vessel, named New Orleans, for a purchase price of $43.0 million. The vessel was delivered on November 10, 2015.
On April 27, 2015, we entered into, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, a memorandum of agreement with an unrelated third party to acquire a Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel, renamed to Medusa, for a purchase price of $18.05 million. The vessel was delivered in June 2015.
On April 29, 2015, we entered into, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, a loan agreement with Danish Ship Finance A/S for a loan facility of $30.0 million, drawn on April 30, 2015 to partly finance the acquisition cost of the Santa Barbara.
On May 20, 2015, we offered $63.3 million aggregate principal amount of 8.5% Senior Notes due 2020 (the "Notes"), including an overallotment, at the price of $25.0 per Note. As part of the offering, the underwriters sold $12.8 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes to, or to entities affiliated with, the Company's chief executive officer, Mr. Simeon Palios, and other executive officers and certain directors of the Company at the public offering price. As of May 29, 2015, the Notes are trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "DSXN". The Notes bear interest from May 28, 2015 at a rate of 8.5% per year and will mature on May 15, 2020. Interest is payable quarterly in arrears on the 15th day of February, May, August and November of each year, commencing on August 15, 2015. The Company may redeem the Notes at its option, in whole or in part, at any time on or after May 15, 2017 at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. The Notes include financial and other covenants, including maximum net borrowings and minimum tangible net worth.
On May 7, 2015, our wholly owned subsidiary Diana Ship Management Inc. and Wilhelmsen Ship Management Holding Limited, an unaffiliated third party, established Diana Wilhelmsen Management Limited, or DWM, a 50/50 joint venture, with the purpose of providing management services to a number of vessels in our fleet. The DWM office is located in Limassol, Cyprus and currently it provides services to six of our vessels.
On July 22, 2015, we entered into a loan agreement with BNP Paribas for a loan of $165.0 million, drawn on July 24, 2015 to refinance the revolving credit facility with the Royal Bank of Scotland. In this respect, the revolving credit facility, having an outstanding balance of $195.0 million, was voluntarily prepaid in full and the related agreement was terminated.
On September 30, 2015, we entered into, through two wholly-owned subsidiaries, a term loan agreement with ING Bank N.V. for a loan of up to $39.7 million, drawn in two tranches, one in October 2015 and one in November 2015, to finance part of the acquisition cost of the Medusa and the New Orleans, delivered in June and November 2015 respectively.
On November 2, 2015, we entered into, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, a memorandum of agreement with an unrelated third party to acquire a Capesize dry bulk vessel, named Seattle, for a purchase price of $28.5 million, which was delivered in November 2015.
On January 7, 2016, we entered into, through the three wholly-owned subsidiaries with vessels under construction, a loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China for a loan of up to $75.7 million to finance part of the construction cost of these vessels. The loan will be available for drawdown until March 12, 2017, or such later date as all the lenders may in their discretion agree and will mature by March 2032 at the latest.
On February 4, 2016, we entered into, through three separate wholly-owned subsidiaries, three Memoranda of Agreement to acquire from a related party three Panamax vessels for an aggregate purchase price of $39.8 million, reduced to $39.3 million pursuant to addendum agreements dated March 4, 2016. Two of the vessels were delivered in March 2016 and the third vessel is expected to be delivered in April 2016. The Company has agreed to acquire the vessels from entities affiliated with Mrs. Semiramis Paliou and Mrs. Aliki Paliou, each of whom is a family member of the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Mrs. Semiramis Paliou is also a director of the Company. The transaction was approved unanimously by a committee of the Board of Directors established for the purpose of considering the transaction and consisting of the Company's independent directors and each of its executive directors other than Mrs. Semiramis Paliou and Mr. Simeon Palios. The agreed upon purchase price of the vessels was based, among other factors, on independent third party broker valuations obtained by the Company. Consummation of the purchases is subject to the Company obtaining bank financing from the sellers' existing lenders for substantially the entire purchase price of the vessels, thereby resulting in little or no current cash outlay on the part of the Company.
On March 11, 2016, we signed, through two wholly-owned subsidiaries, a commitment letter with ABN AMRO Bank N.V. for a loan of up to $25.8 million to finance the acquisition cost of two of the three Panamax vessels mentioned above.
Please see "Item 5.B Liquidity and Capital Resources" for a discussion of our loan facilities.
B. Business overview
We are a global provider of shipping transportation services. We specialize in the ownership of dry bulk vessels. Currently, our operating fleet consists of 45 dry bulk carriers, of which 22 are Panamax, four are Kamsarmax, three are Post-Panamax, 14 are Capesize and two are Newcastlemax vessels, having a combined carrying capacity of approximately 5.2 million dwt. In addition, in 2016, we expect to take delivery of three vessels under construction and one secondhand vessel we agreed to acquire from a related party.
As of December 31, 2015, our fleet consisted of 43 vessels of which 20 Panamax, four Kamsarmax, three Post-Panamax, 14 Capesize and two Newcastlemax vessels, having a combined carrying capacity of approximately 5.0 million dwt, and a weighted average age of 7.4 years. In addition, we had three vessels under construction with expected delivery in 2016.
As of December 31, 2014, our fleet consisted of 39 vessels of which 20 Panamax, three Kamsarmax, three Post-Panamax, eleven Capesize and two Newcastlemax vessels, having a combined carrying capacity of approximately 4.4 million dwt, and a weighted average age of 7.1 years. In addition, we had three vessels under construction with expected delivery in 2016 and we had agreed to acquire Santa Barbara, which was delivered in January 2015.
As of December 31, 2013, our fleet consisted of 36 vessels of which 18 Panamax, three Kamsarmax, three Post-Panamax, ten Capesize and two Newcastlemax vessels, having a combined carrying capacity of approximately 4.1 million dwt, and a weighted average age of 6.6 years, excluding four vessels we had under construction.
During 2015, 2014 and 2013, we had a fleet utilization of 99.3%, 99.4% and 99.3%, respectively, our vessels achieved daily time charter equivalent rates of $9,739, $12,081 and $12,959, respectively, and we generated revenues of $157.7 million, $175.6 million and $164.0 million, respectively.
The following table presents certain information concerning the dry bulk carriers in our fleet, as of March 28, 2016.
|
Vessel
|
Sister Ships*
|
Gross Rate (USD Per Day)
|
Com**
|
Charterers
|
Delivery Date to Charterers***
|
Redelivery Date to Owners****
|
Notes
|
|
BUILT DWT
|
|
23 Panamax Bulk Carriers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
DANAE
|
A
|
$4,900
|
5.00%
|
Dampskibsselskabet Norden A/S, Copenhagen
|
9-Dec-15
|
9-Nov-16 - 9-Mar-17
|
|
|
2001 75,106
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
DIONE
|
A
|
$9,250
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
12-Sep-14
|
8-Jan-16
|
1
|
|
|
|
$4,350
|
5.00%
|
Nidera S.P.A., Roma
|
4-Feb-16
|
20-Jan-17 - 4-May-17
|
|
|
2001 75,172
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
NIREFS
|
A
|
$7,500
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
25-Dec-14
|
12-Jan-16
|
|
|
|
|
$4,600
|
5.00%
|
Transgrain Shipping B.V., Rotterdam
|
15-Jan-16
|
15-Dec-16 - 30-Mar-17
|
|
|
2001 75,311
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
ALCYON
|
A
|
$7,600
|
5.00%
|
Transgrain Shipping B.V., Rotterdam
|
22-Aug-15
|
22-Apr-16 - 22-Jul-16
|
|
|
2001 75,247
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
TRITON
|
A
|
$6,800
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
28-Oct-15
|
13-Sep-16 - 28-Dec-16
|
|
|
2001 75,336
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
OCEANIS
|
A
|
$7,200
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
11-May-15
|
12-Mar-16
|
2
|
|
|
|
$6,750
|
5.00%
|
Bunge S.A., Geneva
|
12-Apr-16
|
12-Jun-16
|
3,4,5
|
|
2001 75,211
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
THETIS
|
B
|
$7,000
|
5.00%
|
Dampskibsselskabet Norden A/S, Copenhagen
|
14-Jul-15
|
14-Jun-16 - 14-Sep-16
|
|
|
2004 73,583
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
PROTEFS
|
B
|
$6,250
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
3-Apr-15
|
18-Feb-16
|
6
|
|
|
|
$4,500
|
5.00%
|
Transgrain Shipping B.V., Rotterdam
|
23-Feb-16
|
8-Feb-17 - 23-Jun-17
|
|
|
2004 73,630
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9
|
CALIPSO
|
B
|
$6,000
|
5.00%
|
China Shipping Bulk Carrier Co., Ltd., Hong Kong
|
9-Jun-15
|
9-Apr-16 - 9-May-16
|
7
|
|
2005 73,691
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
CLIO
|
B
|
$6,500
|
5.00%
|
Transgrain Shipping B.V., Rotterdam
|
4-Aug-15
|
4-May-16 - 4-Aug-16
|
|
|
2005 73,691
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11
|
NAIAS
|
B
|
$6,800
|
4.75%
|
Cargill International S.A., Geneva
|
12-Jul-15
|
12-May-16 - 12-Aug-16
|
8
|
|
2006 73,546
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
ARETHUSA
|
B
|
$7,100
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
5-Mar-15
|
5-Apr-16 - 5-May-16
|
7
|
|
2007 73,593
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13
|
ERATO
|
C
|
$7,100
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
9-Mar-15
|
26-Mar-16
|
|
|
|
|
$4,650
|
5.00%
|
26-Mar-16
|
11-Feb-17 - 26-May-17
|
|
|
2004 74,444
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14
|
CORONIS
|
C
|
$6,500
|
5.00%
|
Sandgate Maritime Ltd
|
3-Jul-15
|
19-Mar-16
|
9
|
|
|
|
$4,750
|
5.00%
|
Narina Maritime Ltd
|
19-Mar-16
|
19-Feb-17 - 19-May-17
|
|
|
2006 74,381
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15
|
MELITE
|
D
|
$7,250
|
4.75%
|
Cargill International S.A., Geneva
|
13-Oct-15
|
13-Sep-16 - 13-Dec-16
|
|
|
2004 76,436
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16
|
MELIA
|
D
|
$7,200
|
5.00%
|
Nidera S.P.A., Roma
|
24-Oct-15
|
24-Nov-16 - 24-Feb-17
|
|
|
2005 76,225
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17
|
ARTEMIS
|
|
$7,500
|
5.00%
|
China Shipping Bulk Carrier Co., Ltd., Hong Kong
|
16-Aug-15
|
16-May-16 - 16-Aug-16
|
|
|
2006 76,942
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18
|
LETO
|
|
$7,100
|
4.75%
|
Cargill International S.A., Geneva
|
19-Jun-15
|
4-Sep-16 - 3-Jan-17
|
|
|
2010 81,297
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19
|
SELINA
|
E
|
$5,800
|
5.00%
|
Dampskibsselskabet Norden A/S, Copenhagen
|
24-Mar-16
|
15-Oct-16 - 15-Feb-17
|
|
|
2010 75,700
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20
|
MANZONI
|
E
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
- - -
|
10,11
|
|
(tbr. MAERA)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013 75,403
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21
|
INFINITY 9
|
|
$7,825
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
21-Mar-16
|
24-Jun-16 - 24-Oct-16
|
|
|
(tbr. ISMENE)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013 77,901
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22
|
CRYSTALIA
|
F
|
$9,000
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
29-Aug-15
|
29-Jun-16 - 29-Sep-16
|
|
|
2014 77,525
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23
|
ATALANDI
|
F
|
$8,000
|
5.00%
|
Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam
|
21-May-15
|
21-Mar-16
|
|
|
|
|
$5,300
|
5.00%
|
26-Mar-16
|
26-Nov-17 - 26-Apr-18
|
|
|
2014 77,529
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 Kamsarmax Bulk Carriers
|
24
|
MAIA
|
G
|
$7,500
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
13-Nov-15
|
13-Apr-17 - 13-Jul-17
|
|
|
2009 82,193
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25
|
MYRSINI
|
G
|
$8,250
|
4.75%
|
Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore
|
18-Feb-15
|
9-Mar-16
|
12
|
|
|
|
$5,550
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
9-Mar-16
|
9-Mar-17 - 24-Jun-17
|
|
|
2010 82,117
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26
|
MEDUSA
|
G
|
$7,450
|
4.75%
|
Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore
|
2-Jun-15
|
4-Apr-16
|
7,12
|
|
2010 82,194
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27
|
MYRTO
|
G
|
$6,000
|
4.75%
|
Cargill International S.A., Geneva
|
24-Dec-15
|
24-Oct-16 - 8-Feb-17
|
|
|
2013 82,131
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 Post-Panamax Bulk Carriers
|
28
|
ALCMENE
|
|
$6,750
|
5.00%
|
ADM International Sarl, Rolle, Switzerland
|
13-May-15
|
13-Feb-17 - 2-Jun-17
|
|
|
2010 93,193
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29
|
AMPHITRITE
|
H
|
$7,700
|
5.00%
|
Bunge S.A., Geneva
|
15-Jul-15
|
30-Apr-17 - 30-Aug-17
|
|
|
2012 98,697
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30
|
POLYMNIA
|
H
|
$5,650
|
4.75%
|
Cargill International S.A., Geneva
|
15-Dec-15
|
30-Nov-16 - 15-Mar-17
|
|
|
2012 98,704
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 Capesize Bulk Carriers
|
31
|
NORFOLK
|
|
$10,250
|
4.75%
|
Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore
|
4-Mar-15
|
28-Mar-16
|
12,13
|
|
|
|
$4,350
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
28-Mar-16
|
28-Dec-16 - 28-Mar-17
|
|
|
2002 164,218
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32
|
ALIKI
|
|
$26,500
|
5.00%
|
Minmetals Logistics Group Co. Ltd., Beijing
|
1-Mar-11
|
16-Jan-16
|
14
|
|
|
|
$5,300
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
16-Jan-16
|
16-Dec-16 - 16-Mar-17
|
|
|
2005 180,235
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33
|
BALTIMORE
|
|
$15,000
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
8-Jul-13
|
8-Jul-16 - 8-Jan-17
|
|
|
2005 177,243
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34
|
SALT LAKE CITY
|
|
BCI 4TCs AVG + 3.5%
|
5.00%
|
K Noble Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong
|
7-Feb-15
|
7-Nov-16 - 7-Feb-17
|
|
|
2005 171,810
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
35
|
SIDERIS GS
|
I
|
$6,500
|
5.00%
|
Rio Tinto Shipping (Asia) Pte., Ltd., Singapore
|
22-Dec-15
|
22-Jan-17 - 7-Jul-17
|
|
|
2006 174,186
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
36
|
SEMIRIO
|
I
|
$10,000
|
5.00%
|
Rio Tinto Shipping (Asia) Pte., Ltd., Singapore
|
20-Feb-15
|
6-Feb-16
|
15
|
|
|
|
$4,800
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
6-Feb-16
|
6-Jan-17 - 6-May-17
|
|
|
2007 174,261
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37
|
BOSTON
|
I
|
$13,000
|
4.75%
|
Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore
|
9-Aug-15
|
25-May-17 - 24-Oct-17
|
12
|
|
2007 177,828
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
38
|
HOUSTON
|
I
|
$12,750
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
4-Jan-15
|
29-Jan-16
|
|
|
|
|
$5,150
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
29-Jan-16
|
29-Dec-16 - 29-Mar-17
|
|
|
2009 177,729
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
39
|
NEW YORK
|
I
|
$12,850
|
4.75%
|
Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore
|
17-Dec-14
|
3-Feb-16
|
12,16
|
|
|
|
$5,200
|
5.00%
|
Rio Tinto Shipping (Asia) Pte., Ltd., Singapore
|
3-Feb-16
|
3-Jan-17 - 18-May-17
|
|
|
2010 177,773
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
40
|
SEATTLE
|
J
|
$7,300
|
4.75%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
9-Dec-15
|
25-Oct-16 - 9-Feb-17
|
|
|
2011 179,362
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41
|
P. S. PALIOS
|
J
|
$13,000
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
18-Sep-15
|
31-Dec-16 - 31-Mar-17
|
|
|
2013 179,134
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
42
|
G. P. ZAFIRAKIS
|
K
|
$25,250
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
23-Aug-14
|
14-Feb-16
|
|
|
|
|
$6,500
|
5.00%
|
14-Feb-16
|
14-May-17 - 14-Aug-17
|
|
|
2014 179,492
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
43
|
SANTA BARBARA
|
K
|
$7,500
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
18-Dec-15
|
18-Dec-16 - 18-Mar-17
|
|
|
2015 179,426
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
44
|
NEW ORLEANS
|
|
$11,650
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
11-Nov-15
|
11-Oct-16 - 26-Feb-17
|
|
|
2015 180,960
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 Newcastlemax Bulk Carriers
|
45
|
LOS ANGELES
|
L
|
$7,750
|
5.00%
|
SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva
|
9-Dec-15
|
24-Nov-16 - 24-Mar-17
|
|
|
2012 206,104
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46
|
PHILADELPHIA
|
L
|
$18,000
|
5.00%
|
EDF Trading Limited, UK
|
17-May-12
|
20-Jan-16
|
17
|
|
|
|
$6,450
|
5.00%
|
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Essen
|
20-Jan-16
|
20-Dec-16 - 20-Mar-17
|
|
|
2012 206,040
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 Vessels Under Construction
|
47
|
HULL No. DY6006
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
- - -
|
18
|
|
(tbn. PHAIDRA)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 82,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
48
|
HULL No. H2548
|
M
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
- - -
|
18
|
|
(tbn. SAN FRANCISCO)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 208,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
49
|
HULL No. H2549
|
M
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
- - -
|
18
|
|
(tbn. NEWPORT NEWS)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 208,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Each dry bulk carrier is a "sister ship", or closely similar, to other dry bulk carriers that have the same letter.
|
** Total commission percentage paid to third parties.
|
*** In case of newly acquired vessel with time charter attached, this date refers to the expected/actual date of delivery of the vessel to the Company.
|
**** Range of redelivery dates, with the actual date of redelivery being at the Charterers' option, but subject to the terms, conditions, and exceptions of the particular charterparty.
|
|
1 Vessel was on scheduled drydocking from January 8, 2016 to February 4, 2016.
|
2 Currently without an active charterparty.
|
3 Estimated delivery date to the charterers.
|
4 Redelivery date based on an estimated time charter trip duration of about 60 days.
|
5 Charter includes a one time gross ballast bonus payment of US$175,000.
|
6 Glencore Grain B.V., Rotterdam has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, March 3, 2016.
|
7 Based on latest information.
|
8 During the first quarter of 2016, the vessel was off-hire for drydocking for approximately 24 days.
|
9 Sandgate Maritime Ltd has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, April 3, 2016.
|
10 Consummation of the purchase is subject to the Company obtaining satisfactory bank financing from the sellers' existing lenders.
|
11 Expected date of delivery to the Company by the end of April 2016.
|
12 Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore is a member of the Gunvor Group.
|
13 Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, April 4, 2016.
|
14 Minmetals Logistics Group Co. Ltd., Beijing has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, February 1, 2016.
|
15 Rio Tinto Shipping (Asia) Pte., Ltd., Singapore has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, February 20, 2016.
|
16 Clearlake Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore has agreed to compensate the owners for the early redelivery of the vessel until the minimum agreed redelivery date, February 17, 2016.
|
17 As per relevant charterparty, EDF Trading Limited, UK has agreed to pay US$18,000 per day until the minimum agreed redelivery date, January 17, 2016. The gross charter rate was amended to US$8,500 per day until January 20, 2016 (approximately three days).
|
18 Year of delivery and dwt are based on shipbuilding contract.
|
Each of our vessels is owned through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary.
Management of Our Fleet
The business of Diana Shipping Inc. is the ownership of dry bulk vessels. The parent holding company wholly owns, directly or indirectly, the subsidiaries which own the vessels that comprise our fleet. The holding company sets general overall direction for the company and interfaces with various financial markets. The commercial and technical management of our fleet, as well as the provision of administrative services relating to the fleet's operations, are carried out by our wholly-owned subsidiary, Diana Shipping Services S.A., which we refer to as DSS, and Diana Wilhelmsen Management Limited, a 50/50 joint venture with Wilhelmsen Ship Management, which we refer to as DWM. In exchange for providing us with commercial and technical services, personnel and office space, we pay DSS a commission that is equal to 2% of the revenues of the managed vessels, a fixed management fee of $15,000 per month for each vessel in operation and a fixed monthly fee of $7,500 for vessels under construction and for laid up vessels. The administrative services of Diana Shipping Inc. are also carried out by DSS. On October 1, 2013, Diana Shipping Inc., entered into an agreement with DSS for the provision of administrative services for a fixed monthly fee of $10,000. Such services may include budgeting, reporting, monitoring of bank accounts, compliance with banks, payroll services and any other possible service that Diana Shipping Inc. would require to perform its operations. Similarly, in exchange for providing us with commercial and technical services, we pay DWM a commission on the revenues of the managed vessels, a fixed management fee of $20,000 per month for each vessel in operation and a fixed monthly fee of $10,000 for laid up vessels. The amounts deriving from the agreements with DSS are considered inter-company transactions and, therefore, are eliminated from our consolidated financial statements. The management fees deriving from the agreements with DWM are included in our statement of operations as "Management fees to related party", whereas commercial fees are included in "Voyage expenses".
Until March 1, 2013, DSS also provided to Diana Containerships commercial, technical, accounting, administrative, financial reporting and other services necessary for the operation of its business, pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement and Vessel Management Agreements. DSS received a monthly fee of $10,000 for administrative services; a commission of 1% of the gross hire earned by the vessels and a technical management fee of $15,000 per vessel per month for each vessel in operation. For 2010 and until January 18, 2011, such fees received by DSS, relating to the management services offered to Diana Containerships, were eliminated from our consolidated financial statements as intercompany transactions. Effective January 19, 2011, after the partial spin-off of Diana Containerships, they were recorded as other revenues.
On June 1, 2010, Diana Enterprises Inc., or Diana Enterprises, a related party controlled by our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Simeon Palios, was appointed to act as broker to assist in providing services to us. Brokerage fees are included in "General and Administrative expenses" in our statement of operations. The terms of this relationship are currently governed by a Brokerage Services Agreement dated April 1, 2015.
Our Customers
Our customers include national, regional and international companies, such as Cargill International S.A., EDF Trading Ltd, RWE Supply and Trading Gmbh, Clearlake Shipping Pte Ltd. During 2015, four of our charterers accounted for 66% of our revenues: EDF Trading (10%), Glencore (20%), RWE Supply (24%) and Clearlake (12%). During 2014, four of our charterers accounted for 55% of our revenues: EDF Trading (15%), Cargill International S.A. (18%), RWE Supply (10%) and Clearlake (12%). During 2013, four of our charterers accounted for 58% of our revenues: EDF Trading (19%), Cargill International S.A. (17%), Shagang Shipping Co. (11%) and Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Tokyo (11%).
We charter our dry bulk carriers to customers primarily pursuant to time charters. Under our time charters, the charterer typically pays us a fixed daily charter hire rate and bears all voyage expenses, including the cost of bunkers (fuel oil) and canal and port charges. We remain responsible for paying the chartered vessel's operating expenses, including the cost of crewing, insuring, repairing and maintaining the vessel. In 2015, we paid commissions that ranged from 3.75% to 5.0% of the total daily charter hire rate of each charter to unaffiliated ship brokers and to in-house brokers associated with the charterer, depending on the number of brokers involved with arranging the charter.
We strategically monitor developments in the dry bulk shipping industry on a regular basis and, subject to market demand, seek to adjust the charter hire periods for our vessels according to prevailing market conditions. In order to take advantage of relatively stable cash flow and high utilization rates, we fix some of our vessels on long-term time charters. Currently, the majority of our vessels are employed on short-term time charters, which provides us with flexibility in responding to market developments. We continuously evaluate our balance of short- and long-term charters and extend or reduce the charter hire periods of the vessels in our fleet according to the developments in the dry bulk shipping industry.
The Dry Bulk Shipping Industry
The global dry bulk carrier fleet could be divided into seven categories based on a vessel's carrying capacity. These categories consist of:
|
· |
Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOC). Very large ore carriers have a carrying capacity of more than 200,000 dwt and are a comparatively new sector of the dry bulk carrier fleet. VLOCs are built to exploit economies of scale on long-haul iron ore routes. |
|
· |
Capesize. Capesize vessels have a carrying capacity of 110,000-199,999 dwt. Only the largest ports around the world possess the infrastructure to accommodate vessels of this size. Capesize vessels are primarily used to transport iron ore or coal and, to a much lesser extent, grains, primarily on long-haul routes. |
|
· |
Post-Panamax. Post-Panamax vessels have a carrying capacity of 80,000-109,999 dwt. These vessels tend to have a shallower draft and larger beam than a standard Panamax vessel with a higher cargo capacity. These vessels have been designed specifically for loading high cubic cargoes from draught restricted ports, although they cannot transit the Panama Canal. |
|
· |
Panamax. Panamax vessels have a carrying capacity of 60,000-79,999 dwt. These vessels carry coal, iron ore, grains, and, to a lesser extent, minor bulks, including steel products, cement and fertilizers. Panamax vessels are able to pass through the Panama Canal, making them more versatile than larger vessels with regard to accessing different trade routes. Most Panamax and Post-Panamax vessels are "gearless," and therefore must be served by shore-based cargo handling equipment. However, there are a small number of geared vessels with onboard cranes, a feature that enhances trading flexibility and enables operation in ports which have poor infrastructure in terms of loading and unloading facilities. |
|
· |
Handymax/Supramax. Handymax vessels have a carrying capacity of 40,000-59,999 dwt. These vessels operate in a large number of geographically dispersed global trade routes, carrying primarily grains and minor bulks. Within the Handymax category there is also a sub-sector known as Supramax. Supramax bulk carriers are ships between 50,000 to 59,999 dwt, normally offering cargo loading and unloading flexibility with on-board cranes, or "gear," while at the same time possessing the cargo carrying capability approaching conventional Panamax bulk carriers. |
|
· |
Handysize. Handysize vessels have a carrying capacity of up to 39,999 dwt. These vessels are primarily involved in carrying minor bulk cargoes. Increasingly, ships of this type operate within regional trading routes, and may serve as trans-shipment feeders for larger vessels. Handysize vessels are well suited for small ports with length and draft restrictions. Their cargo gear enables them to service ports lacking the infrastructure for cargo loading and unloading. |
Other size categories occur in regional trade, such as Kamsarmax, with a maximum length of 229 meters, the maximum length that can load in the port of Kamsar in the Republic of Guinea. Other terms such as Seawaymax, Setouchmax, Dunkirkmax, and Newcastlemax also appear in regional trade.
The supply of dry bulk carriers is dependent on the delivery of new vessels and the removal of vessels from the global fleet, either through scrapping or loss. The level of scrapping activity is generally a function of scrapping prices in relation to current and prospective charter market conditions, as well as operating, repair and survey costs. The average age at which a vessel is scrapped dropped to 25 years in 2015 from 27 years in 2014 and 28 years in 2013.
The demand for dry bulk carrier capacity is determined by the underlying demand for commodities transported in dry bulk carriers, which in turn is influenced by trends in the global economy. Demand for dry bulk carrier capacity is also affected by the operating efficiency of the global fleet, along with port congestion, which has been a feature of the market since 2004, absorbing tonnage and therefore leading to a tighter balance between supply and demand. In evaluating demand factors for dry bulk carrier capacity, the Company believes that dry bulk carriers can be the most versatile element of the global shipping fleets in terms of employment alternatives.
Charter Hire Rates
Charter hire rates fluctuate by varying degrees among dry bulk carrier size categories. The volume and pattern of trade in a small number of commodities (major bulks) affect demand for larger vessels. Therefore, charter rates and vessel values of larger vessels often show greater volatility. Conversely, trade in a greater number of commodities (minor bulks) drives demand for smaller dry bulk carriers. Accordingly, charter rates and vessel values for those vessels are usually subject to less volatility.
Charter hire rates paid for dry bulk carriers are primarily a function of the underlying balance between vessel supply and demand, although at times other factors may play a role. Furthermore, the pattern seen in charter rates is broadly mirrored across the different charter types and the different dry bulk carrier categories. In the time charter market, rates vary depending on the length of the charter period and vessel-specific factors such as age, speed and fuel consumption.
In the voyage charter market, rates are, among other things, influenced by cargo size, commodity, port dues and canal transit fees, as well as commencement and termination regions. In general, a larger cargo size is quoted at a lower rate per ton than a smaller cargo size. Routes with costly ports or canals generally command higher rates than routes with low port dues and no canals to transit. Voyages with a load port within a region that includes ports where vessels usually discharge cargo or a discharge port within a region with ports where vessels load cargo also are generally quoted at lower rates, because such voyages generally increase vessel utilization by reducing the unloaded portion (or ballast leg) that is included in the calculation of the return charter to a loading area.
Within the dry bulk shipping industry, the charter hire rate references most likely to be monitored are the freight rate indices issued by the Baltic Exchange. These references are based on actual charter hire rates under charters entered into by market participants as well as daily assessments provided to the Baltic Exchange by a panel of major shipbrokers. The Baltic Panamax Index is the index with the longest history. The Baltic Capesize Index and Baltic Handymax Index are of more recent origin.
The Baltic Dry Index, or BDI, a daily average of charter rates in 20 shipping routes measured on a time charter and voyage basis and covering Capesize, Panamax, Supramax, and Handysize dry bulk carriers declined from a high of 11,793 in May 2008 to a low of 663 in December 2008. In 2013, the BDI ranged from a low of 698 in January to a high of 2,337 in December. In 2014, the BDI ranged from a high of 2,113 in January to a low of 723 in July. In 2015, the BDI ranged from a high of 1,222 in August to a low of 471 in December. The BDI recorded a record low of 290 in February 2016.
Vessel Prices
As of the end of 2015, dry bulk vessel values decreased as compared to 2014. Consistent with these trends, the market value of our dry bulk carriers had also decreased. As charter rates and vessel values remain at low levels, there can be no assurance as to how long charter rates and vessel values will remain at their current levels or whether they will decrease or improve to any significant degree in the near future.
Competition
Our business fluctuates in line with the main patterns of trade of the major dry bulk cargoes and varies according to changes in the supply and demand for these items. We operate in markets that are highly competitive and based primarily on supply and demand. We compete for charters on the basis of price, vessel location, size, age and condition of the vessel, as well as on our reputation as an owner and operator. We compete with other owners of dry bulk carriers in the Panamax, Post-Panamax and smaller class sectors and with owners of Capesize and Newcastlemax dry bulk carriers. Ownership of dry bulk carriers is highly fragmented.
We believe that we possess a number of strengths that provide us with a competitive advantage in the dry bulk shipping industry:
· |
We own a modern, high quality fleet of dry bulk carriers. We believe that owning a modern, high quality fleet reduces operating costs, improves safety and provides us with a competitive advantage in securing favorable time charters. We maintain the quality of our vessels by carrying out regular inspections, both while in port and at sea, and adopting a comprehensive maintenance program for each vessel. |
· |
Our fleet includes twelve groups of sister ships including our vessels under construction. We believe that maintaining a fleet that includes sister ships enhances the revenue generating potential of our fleet by providing us with operational and scheduling flexibility. The uniform nature of sister ships also improves our operating efficiency by allowing our fleet manager to apply the technical knowledge of one vessel to all vessels of the same series and creates economies of scale that enable us to realize cost savings when maintaining, supplying and crewing our vessels. |
· |
We have an experienced management team. Our management team consists of experienced executives who have, on average, more than 30 years of operating experience in the shipping industry and has demonstrated ability in managing the commercial, technical and financial areas of our business. Our management team is led by Mr. Simeon Palios, a qualified naval architect and engineer who has more than 40 years of experience in the shipping industry. |
· |
We benefit from the experience and reputation of Diana Shipping Services S.A. and the relationship with Wilhelmsen Ship Management through the Diana Wilhelmsen Management Limited joint venture. |
· |
We benefit from strong relationships with members of the shipping and financial industries. We have developed strong relationships with major international charterers, shipbuilders and financial institutions that we believe are the result of the quality of our operations, the strength of our management team and our reputation for dependability. |
· |
We have a strong balance sheet and a relatively low level of indebtedness. We believe that our strong balance sheet and relatively low level of indebtedness provide us with the flexibility to increase the amount of funds that we may draw under our loan facilities in connection with future acquisitions and enable us to use cash flow that would otherwise be dedicated to debt service for other purposes. |
Permits and Authorizations
We are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses and certificates with respect to our vessels. The kinds of permits, licenses and certificates required depend upon several factors, including the commodity transported, the waters in which the vessel operates the nationality of the vessel's crew and the age of a vessel. We have been able to obtain all permits, licenses and certificates currently required to permit our vessels to operate. Additional laws and regulations, environmental or otherwise, may be adopted which could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of us doing business.
Disclosure Pursuant to Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction And Syrian Human Rights Act
Section 219 of the U.S. Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, or the ITRA, added new Section 13(r) to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, requiring each SEC reporting issuer to disclose in its annual and, if applicable, quarterly reports whether it or any of its affiliates have knowingly engaged in certain activities, transactions or dealings relating to Iran or with the Government of Iran or certain designated natural persons or entities involved in terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction during the period covered by the report.
Pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act, we note that for the period covered by this annual report, the vessels Amphitrite and Clio made five port calls to Iran in 2015 for a combined length of 60 days. The vessel Amphitrite made calls to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini on December 29, 2014 (discharging corn), April 29, 2015 (discharging soya beans), September 6, 2015 (discharging corn) and November 28, 2015 (discharging maize), and remained in the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini during 2015 for 50 days in the aggregate. The vessel Clio made a call to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini on October 27, 2015, discharging corn, and remained in the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini for 10 days. During this time the Amphitrite was on time charter to Bunge S.A. at a gross rate of $11,300 per day and the Clio was on time charter to Transgrain Shipping B.V at a gross rate of $6,500 per day. Our aggregate gross revenue attributable to these 60 days of port calls was approximately $3.2 million, less 5% commissions paid to third parties. As we do not attribute profits to specific voyages under a time charter, we have not attributed any profits to the voyages which included these port calls. Our charter party agreements for the Amphitrite and Clio restrict the charterers from calling in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, or carrying any cargo to Iran which is subject to U.S. sanctions. However, there can be no assurance that the Amphitrite, Clio or another of our vessels will not, from time to time in the future on charterer's instructions, perform voyages which would require disclosure pursuant to Exchange Act Section 13(r).
Environmental and Other Regulations
Government regulation significantly affects the ownership and operation of our vessels. We are subject to international conventions and treaties, national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the countries in which our vessels may operate or are registered relating to safety and health and environmental protection including the storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of hazardous and non-hazardous materials, and the remediation of contamination and liability for damage to natural resources. Compliance with such laws, regulations and other requirements entails significant expense, including vessel modifications and implementation of certain operating procedures.
A variety of government and private entities subject our vessels to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections. These entities include the local port authorities (such as the U.S. Coast Guard, harbor master or equivalent), classification societies; flag state administrations (countries of registry) and charterers, particularly terminal operators. Certain of these entities require us to obtain permits, licenses, certificates or approvals for the operation of our vessels. Failure to maintain necessary permits, licenses, certificates or approvals could require us to incur substantial costs or temporarily suspend the operation of one or more of our vessels.
We believe that the heightened level of environmental and quality concerns among insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers is leading to greater inspection and safety requirements on all vessels and may accelerate the scrapping of older vessels throughout the dry bulk shipping industry. Increasing environmental concerns have created a demand for vessels that conform to the stricter environmental standards. We are required to maintain operating standards for all of our vessels that emphasize operational safety, quality maintenance, continuous training of our officers and crews and compliance with United States and international regulations. We believe that the operation of our vessels is in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations and that our vessels have all material permits, licenses, certificates or other approvals necessary for the conduct of our operations. However, because such laws and regulations are frequently changed and may impose increasingly strict requirements, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with these requirements, or the impact of these requirements on the resale value or useful lives of our vessels. In addition, a future serious marine incident, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that results in significant oil pollution, release of hazardous substances, loss of life, or otherwise causes significant adverse environmental impact could result in additional legislation, regulation, or other requirements that could negatively affect our profitability.
The laws and regulations discussed below may not constitute a comprehensive list of all such laws and regulations that are applicable to the operation of our vessels.
International Maritime Organization
The IMO has adopted the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (collectively referred to as MARPOL 73/78 and herein as "MARPOL"). MARPOL entered into force on October 2, 1983. It has been adopted by over 150 nations, including many of the jurisdictions in which our vessels operate. MARPOL sets forth pollution-prevention requirements applicable to drybulk carriers, among other vessels, and is broken into six Annexes, each of which regulates a different source of pollution. Annex I relates to oil leakage or spilling; Annexes II and III relate to harmful substances carried, in bulk, in liquid or packaged form, respectively; Annexes IV and V relate to sewage and garbage management, respectively; and Annex VI, lastly, relates to air emissions. Annex VI, separately adopted by the IMO in September of 1997, related to air emissions, which entered into force on 19 May 2005.
In 2013, the MEPC adopted by resolution amendments to the MARPOL Annex I Conditional Assessment Scheme, or CAS. The amendments, which are expected to become effective on October 1, 2014, pertain to revising references to the inspections of bulk carriers and tankers after the 2011 ESP Code, which enhances the programs of inspections, becomes mandatory.
Air Emissions
In September of 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to MARPOL to address air pollution. Effective May 2005, Annex VI sets limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from ships whose diesel engines were constructed (or underwent major conversions) on or after January 1, 2000. It also prohibits "deliberate emissions" of "ozone depleting substances," defined to include certain halons and chlorofluorocarbons. "Deliberate emissions" are not limited to times when the ship is at sea; they can for example include discharges occurring in the course of the ship's repair and maintenance. Emissions of "volatile organic compounds" from the shipboard incineration (from incinerators installed after January 1, 2000) of certain substances (such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) are also prohibited. Annex VI also includes a global cap on the sulfur content of fuel oil and allows for special areas to be established with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions, known as ECAs, (see below).
The IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee, or MEPC, adopted amendments to Annex VI on October 10, 2008, which amendments were entered into force on July 1, 2010. The amended Annex VI seeks to further reduce air pollution by, among other things, implementing a progressive reduction of the amount of sulphur contained in any fuel oil used on board ships. As of January 1, 2012, the amended Annex VI required that fuel oil contain no more than 3.50% sulfur. By January 1, 2020, sulfur content must not exceed 0.50%, subject to a feasibility review to be completed no later than 2018.
Sulfur content standards are even stricter within certain "Emission Control Areas", or ECAs. As of July 1, 2010, ships operating within an ECA were not permitted to use fuel with sulfur content in excess of 1.0%, which has been further reduced to 0.10% on January 1, 2015. Amended Annex VI establishes procedures for designating new ECAs. Currently, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and certain coastal areas of North America have been so designated. .Furthermore as of January 1, 2014 the applicable areas of the United States Caribbean Sea adjacent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were designated ECAs. Ocean-going vessels in these areas will be subject to stringent emissions controls and may cause us to incur additional costs. If other ECAs are approved by the IMO or other new or more stringent requirements relating to emissions from marine diesel engines or port operations by vessels are adopted by the EPA or the states where we operate, compliance with these regulations could entail significant capital expenditures, operational changes, or otherwise increase the costs of our operations.
As of January 1, 2013, MARPOL made mandatory certain measures relating to energy efficiency for ships in part to address greenhouse gas emissions IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has given extensive consideration to control of GHG emissions from ships and finalized in July 2009 a package of specific technical and operational reduction measures. In March 2010 MEPC started the consideration of making the technical and operational measures mandatory for all ships irrespective of flag and ownership. This work was completed in July 2011 with the breakthrough adoption of technical measures for new ships and operational reduction measures for all ships, which are, consequently, the first ever mandatory global GHG reduction regime for an entire industry sector. The adopted measures add to MARPOL Annex VI a new Chapter 4 entitled "Regulations on energy efficiency for ships", making mandatory the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships and the Ship Energy Efficiency Plan (SEEMP) for all ships. The regulations apply to all ships over 400 gross tonnage and above and entered into force through the tacit acceptance procedure on 1 January 2013.
Amended Annex VI also establishes new tiers of stringent nitrogen oxide emissions standards for new marine engines, depending on their date of installation with a "Tier II" emission limit for engines installed on or after January 1, 2011; then with a more stringent "Tier III" emission limit for engines installed on or after January 1, 2016 operating in ECAs. Marine diesel engines installed on or after January 1, 1990 but prior to January 1, 2000 are required to comply with "Tier I" emission limits.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated equivalent (and in some senses stricter) emissions standards in late 2009.
Safety Management System Requirements
The IMO also adopted the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or the SOLAS Convention, and the International Convention on Load Lines, or the LL Convention, which impose a variety of standards that regulate the design and operational features of ships. The IMO periodically revises the SOLAS and LL Convention standards. May 2012 SOLAS Convention amendments entered into force as of January 1, 2014. The Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC) was recently amended and the amendments went into effect on June 8, 2015. The amendments alter the limits of liability for loss of life or personal injury claims and property claims against ship-owners.
The operation of our ships is also affected by the requirements set forth in Chapter IX of the SOLAS Convention, which sets forth the IMO's International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, or the ISM Code. The ISM Code requires ship owners and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive "Safety Management System" that includes the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. The failure of a ship owner or bareboat charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject such party to increased liability, may decrease available insurance coverage for the affected vessels and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.
The ISM Code requires that vessel operators obtain a safety management certificate, or SMC, for each vessel they operate. This certificate evidences compliance by a vessel's operators with the ISM Code requirements for a safety management system, or SMS. No vessel can obtain an SMC under the ISM Code unless its manager has been awarded a document of compliance, or DOC, issued in most instances by the vessel's flag state. Our appointed ship managers have obtained documents of compliance for their offices and safety management certificates for all of our vessels for which the certificates are required by the IMO. The document of compliance, or the DOC, and ship management certificate, or the SMC, are renewed as required.
International Labor Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the UN with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO has adopted the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC 2006). A Maritime Labor Certificate and a Declaration of Maritime Labor Compliance will be required to ensure compliance with the MLC 2006 for all ships above 500 gross tons in international trade. The MLC 2006 entered into force on August 20, 2013. The MLC 2006 requires us to develop new procedures to ensure full compliance.
Pollution Control and Liability Requirements
The IMO has negotiated international conventions that impose liability for pollution in international waters and the territorial waters of the signatories to such conventions. IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, or the BWM Convention, in February 2004. The BWM Convention will not become effective until 12 months after it has been adopted by 30 states, the combined merchant fleets of which represent not less than 35% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping. To date, the BWM Convention has not yet been ratified but proposals regarding implementation have recently been submitted to the IMO. Many of the implementation dates originally written in the BWM Convention have already passed, so that once the BWM Convention enters into force, the period for installation of mandatory ballast water exchange requirements would be extremely short, with several thousand ships a year needing to install ballast water management systems (BWMS). For this reason, on December 4, 2013, the IMO Assembly passed a resolution revising the application dates of BWM Convention so that they are triggered by the entry into force date and not the adoption dates in the BWM Convention. This in effect makes all vessels constructed before the entry into force date 'existing' vessels, and allows for the installation of a BWMS on such vessels at the first renewal survey following entry into force of the Convention. Furthermore, in October 2014 the MEPC met and adopted additional resolutions concerning the BWM Convention's implementation. Once mid-ocean ballast exchange or ballast water treatment requirements become mandatory, the cost of compliance could increase for ocean carriers and the costs of ballast water treatments may be material. However, many countries already regulate the discharge of ballast water carried by vessels from country to country to prevent the introduction of invasive and harmful species via such discharges. The United States for example, requires vessels entering its waters from another country to conduct mid-ocean ballast exchange, or undertake some alternate measure, and to comply with certain reporting requirements. Although we do not believe that the costs of such compliance would be material, it is difficult to predict the overall impact of such a requirement on our operations.
The IMO adopted the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, or the Bunker Convention, to impose strict liability on ship owners for pollution damage in jurisdictional waters of ratifying states caused by discharges of bunker fuel. The Bunker Convention requires registered owners of ships over 1,000 gross tons to maintain insurance for pollution damage in an amount equal to the limits of liability under the applicable national or international limitation regime (but not exceeding the amount calculated in accordance with the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims of 1976, as amended). With respect to non-ratifying states, liability for spills or releases of oil carried as fuel in ship's bunkers typically is determined by the national or other domestic laws in the jurisdiction where the events or damages occur.
In March 2006, the IMO amended Annex I to MARPOL, including a new regulation relating to oil fuel tank protection, which became effective August 1, 2007. The new regulation applies to various ships delivered on or after August 1, 2010. It includes requirements for the protected location of the fuel tanks, performance standards for accidental oil fuel outflow, a tank capacity limit and certain other maintenance, inspection and engineering standards.
Noncompliance with the ISM Code or other IMO regulations may subject the ship owner or bareboat charterer to increased liability, lead to decreases in available insurance coverage for affected vessels or result in the denial of access to, or detention in, some ports.
The IMO continues to review and introduce new regulations. It is impossible to predict what additional regulations, if any, may be passed by the IMO and what effect, if any, such regulations might have on our operations.
The U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
OPA established an extensive regulatory and liability regime for the protection and cleanup of the environment from oil spills. OPA affects all "owners and operators" whose vessels trade with the United States, its territories and possessions or whose vessels operate in United States waters, which includes the United States' territorial sea and its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the United States. The United States has also enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA, which applies to the discharge of hazardous substances other than oil, whether on land or at sea. OPA and CERCLA both define "owner and operator" "in the case of a vessel, as any person owning, operating or chartering by demise, the vessel."
Under OPA, vessel owners and operators are "responsible parties" and are jointly, severally and strictly liable (unless the spill results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war) for all containment and clean-up costs and other damages arising from discharges or threatened discharges of oil from their vessels. OPA defines these other damages broadly to include:
(i) injury to, destruction or loss of, or loss of use of, natural resources and related assessment costs;
(ii) injury to, or economic losses resulting from, the destruction of real and personal property;
(iii) net loss of taxes, royalties, rents, fees or net profit revenues resulting from injury, destruction or loss of real or personal property, or natural resources;
(iv) loss of subsistence use of natural resources that are injured, destroyed or lost;
(v) lost profits or impairment of earning capacity due to injury, destruction or loss of real or personal property or natural resources; and
(vi) net cost of increased or additional public services necessitated by removal activities following a discharge of oil, such as protection from fire, safety or health hazards, and loss of subsistence use of natural resources.
OPA contains statutory caps on liability and damages; such caps do not apply to direct cleanup costs. Effective December 21, 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard adjusted the limits of OPA liability for non-tank vessels (e.g. drybulk) to the greater of $1,100 per gross ton or $939,800 (subject to periodic adjustment for inflation). These limits of liability do not apply if an incident was proximately caused by the violation of an applicable U.S. federal safety, construction or operating regulation by a responsible party (or its agent, employee or a person acting pursuant to a contractual relationship), or a responsible party's gross negligence or willful misconduct. The limitation on liability similarly does not apply if the responsible party fails or refuses to (i) report the incident where the responsibility party knows or has reason to know of the incident; (ii) reasonably cooperate and assist as requested in connection with oil removal activities; or (iii) without sufficient cause, comply with an order issued under the Federal Water Pollution Act (Section 311 (c), (e)) or the Intervention on the High Seas Act.
CERCLA contains a similar liability regime whereby owners and operators of vessels are liable for cleanup, removal and remedial costs, as well as damage for injury to, or destruction or loss of, natural resources, including the reasonable costs associated with assessing same, and health assessments or health effects studies. There is no liability if the discharge of a hazardous substance results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war. Liability under CERCLA is limited to the greater of $300 per gross ton or $5.0 million for vessels carrying a hazardous substance as cargo and the greater of $300 per gross ton or $500,000 for any other vessel. These limits do not apply (rendering the responsible person liable for the total cost of response and damages) if the release or threat of release of a hazardous substance resulted from willful misconduct or negligence, or the primary cause of the release was a violation of applicable safety, construction or operating standards or regulations. The limitation on liability also does not apply if the responsible person fails or refused to provide all reasonable cooperation and assistance as requested in connection with response activities where the vessel is subject to OPA.
OPA and CERCLA each preserve the right to recover damages under existing law, including maritime tort law.
OPA and CERCLA both require owners and operators of vessels to establish and maintain with the U.S. Coast Guard evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to meet the maximum amount of liability to which the particular responsible person may be subject. Vessel owners and operators may satisfy their financial responsibility obligations by providing a proof of insurance, a surety bond, qualification as a self-insurer or a guarantee.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may also result in additional regulatory initiatives or statutes, including the raising of liability caps under OPA. Compliance with any new requirements of OPA may substantially impact our cost of operations or require us to incur additional expenses to comply with any new regulatory initiatives or statutes. For example, on August 15, 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE, implemented a final drilling safety rule for offshore oil and gas operations that strengthens the requirements for safety equipment, well control systems, and blowout prevention practices. A new rule issued by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, that increased the limits of liability of damages for offshore facilities under OPA based on inflation took effect in January 2015. In April 2015, it was announced that new regulations are expected to be imposed in the United States regarding offshore oil and gas drilling. In December 2015, the BSEE announced a new pilot inspection program for offshore facilities. Compliance with any new requirements of OPA may substantially impact our cost of operations or require us to incur additional expenses to comply with any new regulatory initiatives or statutes. Additional legislation, regulations, or other requirements applicable to the operation of our vessels that may be implemented in the future could adversely affect our business.
We currently maintain pollution liability coverage insurance in the amount of $1 billion per incident for each of our vessels. If the damages from a catastrophic spill were to exceed our insurance coverage it could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operation.
OPA specifically permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes with regard to oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries, provided they accept, at a minimum, the levels of liability established under OPA and some states have enacted legislation providing for unlimited liability for oil spills. In some cases, states which have enacted such legislation have not yet issued implementing regulations defining vessel owners' responsibilities under these laws.
Other Environmental Initiatives
The U.S. Clean Water Act, or CWA, prohibits the discharge of oil, hazardous substances and ballast water in U.S. navigable waters unless authorized by a duly-issued permit or exemption, and imposes strict liability in the form of penalties for any unauthorized discharges. The CWA also imposes substantial liability for the costs of removal, remediation and damages and complements the remedies available under OPA and CERCLA. Furthermore, many U.S. states that border a navigable waterway have enacted environmental pollution laws that impose strict liability on a person for removal costs and damages resulting from a discharge of oil or a release of a hazardous substance. These laws may be more stringent than U.S. federal law.
The EPA regulates the discharge of ballast and bilge water and other substances in U.S. waters under the CWA. EPA regulations require vessels 79 feet in length or longer (other than commercial fishing and recreational vessels) to comply with a Vessel General Permit, or VGP, authorizing ballast and bilge water discharges and other discharges incidental to the operation of vessels. The VGP imposes technology and water-quality based effluent limits for certain types of discharges and establishes specific inspection, monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements to ensure the effluent limits are met. On March 28, 2013, the EPA re-issued the VGP for another five years; this VGP took effect of December 19, 2013. The new VGP focuses on authorizing discharges incidental to operations of commercial vessels. The VGP also contains numeric ballast water discharge limits for most vessels to reduce the risk of invasive species in US waters, more stringent requirements for exhaust gas scrubbers and the use of environmentally acceptable lubricants.
U.S. Coast Guard regulations adopted under the U.S. National Invasive Species Act, or NISA, also impose mandatory ballast water management practices for all vessels equipped with ballast water tanks entering or operating in U.S. waters. As of June 21, 2012, the U.S. Coast Guard implemented revised regulations on ballast water management by establishing standards on the allowable concentration of living organisms in ballast water discharged from ships in U.S. waters. The revised ballast water standards are consistent with those adopted by the IMO in 2004. Compliance with the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard regulations could require the installation of certain engineering equipment and water treatment systems to treat ballast water before it is discharged or the implementation of other port facility disposal arrangements or procedures at potentially substantial cost, or may otherwise restrict our vessels from entering U.S. waters.
As of January 1, 2014, vessels are technically subject to the phasing-in of these standards. As a result, the USCG has provided waivers to vessels which cannot install the as-yet unapproved technology. The EPA, on the other hand, has taken a different approach to enforcing ballast discharge standards under the VGP. On December 27, 2013, the EPA issued an enforcement response policy in connection with the new VGP in which the EPA indicated that it would take into account the reasons why vessels do not have the requisite technology installed, but will not grant any waivers.
It should also be noted that in October 2015, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that directed the EPA to redraft the sections of the 2013 VGP that address ballast water. However, the Second Circuit stated that 2013 VGP will remains in effect until the EPA issues a new VGP. It presently remains unclear how the ballast water requirements set forth by the EPA, the USCG, and IMO BWM Convention, some of which are in effect and some which are pending, will co-exist.
The USCG's revised ballast water standards are consistent with requirements under the BWM Convention. Compliance with the EPA and the USCG regulations could require the installation of equipment on our vessels to treat ballast water before it is discharged or the implementation of other port facility disposal arrangements or procedures at potentially substantial cost, or may otherwise restrict our vessels from entering U.S. waters. In addition, certain states have enacted more stringent discharge standards as conditions to their required certification of the VGP.
The U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 (including its amendments of 1977 and 1990), or the CAA, requires the EPA to promulgate standards applicable to emissions of volatile organic compounds and other air contaminants. The CAA also requires states to draft State Implementation Plans, or SIPs, designed to attain national health-based air quality standards in each state. Although state-specific, SIPs may include regulations concerning emissions resulting from vessel loading and unloading operations by requiring the installation of vapor control equipment.
European Union Regulations
In October 2009, the European Union amended a directive to impose criminal sanctions for illicit ship-source discharges of polluting substances, including minor discharges, if committed with intent, recklessly or with serious negligence and the discharges individually or in the aggregate result in deterioration of the quality of water. Aiding and abetting the discharge of a polluting substance may also lead to criminal penalties. Member States were required to enact laws or regulations to comply with the directive by the end of 2010. Criminal liability for pollution may result in substantial penalties or fines and increased civil liability claims. The directive applies to all types of vessels, irrespective of their flag, but certain exceptions apply to warships or where human safety or that of the ship is in danger.
The European Union has adopted several regulations and directives requiring, among other things, more frequent inspections of high-risk ships, as determined by type, age, and flag as well as the number of times the ship has been detained. The European Union also adopted and then extended a ban on substandard ships and enacted a minimum ban period and a definitive ban for repeated offenses. The regulation also provided the European Union with greater authority and control over classification societies, by imposing more requirements on classification societies and providing for fines or penalty payments for organizations that failed to comply.
With effect from January 1, 2010, the Directive 2005/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 6, 2005, amending Directive 1999/32/EC came into force. The objective of the directive is to reduce emission of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter caused by the combustion of certain petroleum derived fuels. The directive imposes limits on the sulfur content of such fuels as a condition of their use within a Member State territory. The maximum sulfur content for marine fuels used by inland waterway vessels and ships at berth in ports in EU countries after January 1, 2010, is 0.10% by mass. As of January 1, 2015, all vessels operating within ECAs worldwide must comply with 0.10% sulfur requirements. Effective July 1, 2010, the reduction of applicable sulfur content limits in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the English Channel Sulfur Emission Control Areas was 1%. On July 15, 2011, the European Commission also adopted a proposal for an amendment to Directive 1999/32/EC which would align requirements with those imposed by the revised MARPOL Annex VI which introduced stricter sulphur limits.
Greenhouse Gas Regulation
Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which entered into force in 2005 and pursuant to which adopting countries have been required to implement national programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2015 United Nations Convention on Climate Change Conference in Paris did not result in an agreement that directly limited greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
As of January 1, 2013, all new ships must comply with two new sets of mandatory requirements, which were adopted by MEPC in July 2011, to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Currently operating ships will be required to develop SEEMPs, and minimum energy efficiency levels per capacity mile, outlined in the Energy Efficiency Design Index, will apply to new ships. The IMO is also planning to implement market-based mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships at an upcoming MEPC session. The European Union has indicated that it intends to propose an expansion of the existing European Union emissions trading scheme to include emissions of greenhouse gases from marine vessels, and in January 2012 the European Commission launched a public consultation on possible measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
In April 2013, the European Parliament rejected proposed changes to the European Union Emissions Law regarding carbon trading. In June 2013 the European Commission developed a strategy to integrate maritime emissions into the overall European Union Strategy to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In April 2015, a regulation was adopted requiring that large ships (over 5,000 gross tons) calling at European Union ports from January 2018 collect and publish data on carbon dioxide emissions and other information.
In December 2013 the European Union environmental ministers discussed draft rules to implement monitoring and reporting of carbon dioxide emissions from ships. In the United States, the EPA has issued a finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public health and safety and has adopted regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions from certain mobile sources and large stationary sources. Although the mobile source emissions regulations do not apply to greenhouse gas emissions from vessels, such regulation of vessels is foreseeable, and the EPA has in recent years received petitions from the California Attorney General and various environmental groups seeking such regulation. Any passage of climate control legislation or other regulatory initiatives by the IMO, European Union, the U.S. or other countries where we operate, or any treaty adopted at the international level to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, that restrict emissions of greenhouse gases could require us to make significant financial expenditures, including capital expenditures to upgrade our vessels, which we cannot predict with certainty at this time.
Vessel Security Regulations
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, there have been a variety of initiatives intended to enhance vessel security such as the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, or MTSA. To implement certain portions of the MTSA, in July 2003, the U.S. Coast Guard issued regulations requiring the implementation of certain security requirements aboard vessels operating in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The regulations also impose requirements on certain ports and facilities, some of which are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to the SOLAS Convention created a new chapter of the convention dealing specifically with maritime security. The new Chapter XI-2 became effective in July 2004 and imposes various detailed security obligations on vessels and port authorities, and mandates compliance with the International Ship and Port Facilities Security Code, or the ISPS Code. The ISPS Code is designed to enhance the security of ports and ships against terrorism. To trade internationally, a vessel must attain an International Ship Security Certificate, or ISSC, from a recognized security organization approved by the vessel's flag state. Among the various requirements are:
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on-board installation of automatic identification systems to provide a means for the automatic transmission of safety-related information from among similarly equipped ships and shore stations, including information on a ship's identity, position, course, speed and navigational status; |
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on-board installation of ship security alert systems, which do not sound on the vessel but only alert the authorities on shore; |
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the development of vessel security plans; |
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ship identification number to be permanently marked on a vessel's hull; |
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a continuous synopsis record kept onboard showing a vessel's history including the name of the ship, the state whose flag the ship is entitled to fly, the date on which the ship was registered with that state, the ship's identification number, the port at which the ship is registered and the name of the registered owner(s) and their registered address; and |
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compliance with flag state security certification requirements. |
Ships operating without a valid certificate may be detained at port until it obtains an ISSC, or it may be expelled from port, or refused entry at port.
The U.S. Coast Guard regulations, intended to be aligned with international maritime security standards, exempt non-U.S. vessels from MTSA vessel security measures, provided such vessels have on board a valid ISSC that attests to the vessel's compliance with the SOLAS Convention security requirements and the ISPS Code.
Inspection by Classification Societies
Every oceangoing vessel must be "classed" by a classification society. The classification society certifies that the vessel is "in class," signifying that the vessel has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules of the classification society and complies with applicable rules and regulations of the vessel's country of registry and the international conventions of which that country is a member. In addition, where surveys are required by international conventions and corresponding laws and ordinances of a flag state, the classification society will undertake them on application or by official order, acting on behalf of the authorities concerned.
The classification society also undertakes on request other surveys and checks that are required by regulations and requirements of the flag state. These surveys are subject to agreements made in each individual case and/or to the regulations of the country concerned.
For maintenance of the class certification, regular and extraordinary surveys of hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and any special equipment classed are required to be performed as follows:
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Annual Surveys: For seagoing ships, annual surveys are conducted for the hull and the machinery, including the electrical plant, and where applicable for special equipment classed, within three months before or after each anniversary date of the date of commencement of the class period indicated in the certificate. |
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Intermediate Surveys: Extended annual surveys are referred to as intermediate surveys and typically are conducted two and one-half years after commissioning and each class renewal. Intermediate surveys are to be carried out at or between the occasion of the second or third annual survey. |
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Class Renewal Surveys: Class renewal surveys, also known as special surveys, are carried out for the ship's hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and for any special equipment classed, at the intervals indicated by the character of classification for the hull. At the special survey, the vessel is thoroughly examined, including audio-gauging to determine the thickness of the steel structures. Should the thickness be found to be less than class requirements, the classification society would prescribe steel renewals. The classification society may grant a one-year grace period for completion of the special survey. Substantial amounts of money may have to be spent for steel renewals to pass a special survey if the vessel experiences excessive wear and tear. In lieu of the special survey every four or five years, depending on whether a grace period was granted, a shipowner has the option of arranging with the classification society for the vessel's hull or machinery to be on a continuous survey cycle, in which every part of the vessel would be surveyed within a five-year cycle. Upon a shipowner's request, the surveys required for class renewal may be split according to an agreed schedule to extend over the entire period of class. This process is referred to as continuous class renewal. |
All areas subject to survey as defined by the classification society are required to be surveyed at least once per class period, unless shorter intervals between surveys are prescribed elsewhere. The period between two subsequent surveys of each area must not exceed five years.
Most vessels are also dry-docked for inspection of the underwater parts and for repairs related to inspections. If any defects are found, the classification surveyor will issue a recommendation which must be rectified by the ship owner within prescribed time limits.
All insurance underwriters make it a condition for insurance coverage that a vessel be certified as "in class" by a classification society which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies, or IACS. All our vessels are certified as being "in class" either by Lloyd's Register of Shipping, American Bureau of Shipping, DNV-GL, or Bureau Veritas, or Class NK. All new and second hand vessels that we purchase must be certified prior to their delivery under our standard purchase contracts and memorandum of agreement. For the second hand vessels same is verified by a Class Maintenance Certificate issued within 72 hours prior to delivery, including full certification delivered at the time of closing. If the vessel is not certified on the date of closing, we have the option to cancel the agreement due to Seller's default and not take delivery of the vessel.
Risk of Loss and Liability Insurance
General
The operation of any dry bulk vessel includes risks such as mechanical failure, collision, property loss, cargo loss or damage, and business interruption due to political circumstances in foreign countries, hostilities and labor strikes. In addition, there is always an inherent possibility of marine disaster, including oil spills and other environmental mishaps, and the liabilities arising from owning and operating vessels in international trade. OPA, which imposes virtually unlimited liability upon owners, operators and demise charterers of vessels trading in the United States exclusive economic zone for certain oil pollution accidents in the United States, has made liability insurance more expensive for ship owners and operators trading in the United States market.
While we maintain hull and machinery insurance, war risks insurance, protection and indemnity cover and freight, demurrage and defense cover for our operating fleet in amounts that we believe to be prudent to cover normal risks in our operations, we may not be able to achieve or maintain this level of coverage throughout a vessel's useful life. Furthermore, while we believe that our present insurance coverage is adequate, not all risks can be insured, and there can be no guarantee that any specific claim will be paid, or that we will always be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates.
Hull & Machinery and War Risks Insurance
We maintain marine hull and machinery and war risks insurance, which cover, among other marine risks, the risk of actual or constructive total loss, for all of our vessels. Our vessels are each covered up to at least fair market value with deductibles ranging to a maximum of $100,000 per vessel per incident for Panamax, Kamsarmax and Post-Panamax vessels and $150,000 per vessel per incident for Capesize and Newcastlemax vessels.
Protection and Indemnity Insurance
Protection and indemnity insurance is provided by mutual protection and indemnity associations, or P&I Associations, which insure our third party liabilities in connection with our shipping activities. This includes third-party liability and other related expenses resulting from the injury or death of crew, passengers and other third parties, the loss or damage to cargo, claims arising from collisions with other vessels, damage to other third-party property, pollution arising from oil or other substances and salvage, towing and other related costs, including wreck removal. Protection and indemnity insurance is a form of mutual indemnity insurance, extended by protection and indemnity mutual associations, or "clubs."
Our current protection and indemnity insurance coverage for pollution is $1 billion per vessel per incident. The 13 P&I Associations that comprise the International Group insure approximately 90% of the world's commercial tonnage and have entered into a pooling agreement to reinsure each association's liabilities. As a member of a P&I Association, which is a member of the International Group, we are subject to calls payable to the associations based on the group's claim records as well as the claim records of all other members of the individual associations and members of the pool of P&I Associations comprising the International Group. Our vessels may be subject to supplemental calls which are based on estimates of premium income and anticipated and paid claims. Such estimates are adjusted each year by the Board of Directors of the P&I Association until the closing of the relevant policy year, which generally occurs within three years from the end of the policy year. Supplemental calls, if any, are expensed when they are announced and according to the period they relate to. We are not aware of any supplemental calls in respect of any policy year that have not been recorded in our consolidated financial statements.
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Organizational structure |
Diana Shipping Inc. is the sole owner of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the subsidiaries listed in Note 1 "Basis of Presentation and General Information" of our consolidated financial statements under Item 18 and in exhibit 8.1 to this annual report.
D. Property, plants and equipment
Since October 8, 2010, DSS owns the land and the building where we have our principal offices in Athens, Greece and in December 2014, DSS acquired a plot of land jointly with two other related entities from unrelated individuals. Other than this interest in real property, our only material properties are the vessels in our fleet.
Item 4A. |
Unresolved Staff Comments |
None.
Item 5. |
Operating and Financial Review and Prospects |
The following management's discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our historical consolidated financial statements and their notes included elsewhere in this annual report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, such as those set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this annual report.
We charter our vessels to customers primarily pursuant to short-term and long-term time charters. Currently, the majority of our vessels are employed on short-term time charters. Under our time charters, the charterer typically pays us a fixed daily charter hire rate and bears all voyage expenses, including the cost of bunkers (fuel oil) and port and canal charges. However, our voyage results may be affected by differences in bunker prices. We remain responsible for paying the chartered vessel's operating expenses, including the cost of crewing, insuring, repairing and maintaining the vessel, the costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other miscellaneous expenses, and we also pay commissions to one or more unaffiliated ship brokers and to in-house brokers associated with the charterer for the arrangement of the relevant charter.
Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
We believe that the important measures for analyzing trends in our results of operations consist of the following:
|
· |
Ownership days. We define ownership days as the aggregate number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet has been owned by us. Ownership days are an indicator of the size of our fleet over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the amount of expenses that we record during a period. |
|
· |
Available days. We define available days as the number of our ownership days less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades or special surveys and the aggregate amount of time that we spend positioning our vessels for such events. The shipping industry uses available days to measure the number of days in a period during which vessels should be capable of generating revenues. |
|
· |
Operating days. We define operating days as the number of our available days in a period less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to any reason, including unforeseen circumstances. The shipping industry uses operating days to measure the aggregate number of days in a period during which vessels actually generate revenues. |
|
· |
Fleet utilization. We calculate fleet utilization by dividing the number of our operating days during a period by the number of our available days during the period. The shipping industry uses fleet utilization to measure a company's efficiency in finding suitable employment for its vessels and minimizing the amount of days that its vessels are off-hire for reasons other than scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades, special surveys or vessel positioning for such events. |
|
· |
TCE rates. We define Time Charter Equivalent, or TCE rates as our time charter revenues less voyage expenses during a period divided by the number of our available days during the period, which is consistent with industry standards. TCE rate is a non-GAAP measure and is a standard shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare daily earnings generated by vessels on time charters with daily earnings generated by vessels on voyage charters, because charter hire rates for vessels on voyage charters are generally not expressed in per day amounts while charter hire rates for vessels on time charters generally are expressed in such amounts. |
The following table reflects our ownership days, available days, operating days, fleet utilization and TCE rates for the periods indicated.
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2013
|
|
Ownership days
|
|
|
14,900
|
|
|
|
13,822
|
|
|
|
12,049
|
|
Available days
|
|
|
14,600
|
|
|
|
13,650
|
|
|
|
12,029
|
|
Operating days
|
|
|
14,492
|
|
|
|
13,564
|
|
|
|
11,944
|
|
Fleet utilization
|
|
|
99.3
|
%
|
|
|
99.4
|
%
|
|
|
99.3
|
%
|
Time charter equivalent (TCE) rate (1)
|
|
$
|
9,739
|
|
|
$
|
12,081
|
|
|
$
|
12,959
|
|
(1) |
Please see Item 3.A for a reconciliation of TCE to GAAP measures. |
Time Charter Revenues
Our revenues are driven primarily by the number of vessels in our fleet, the number of days during which our vessels operate and the amount of daily charter hire rates that our vessels earn under charters, which, in turn, are affected by a number of factors, including:
|
· |
the duration of our charters; |
|
· |
our decisions relating to vessel acquisitions and disposals; |
|
· |
the amount of time that we spend positioning our vessels; |
|
· |
the amount of time that our vessels spend in drydock undergoing repairs; |
|
· |
maintenance and upgrade work; |
|
· |
the age, condition and specifications of our vessels; |
|
· |
levels of supply and demand in the dry bulk shipping industry; and |
|
· |
other factors affecting spot market charter rates for dry bulk carriers. |
Vessels operating on time charters for a certain period of time provide more predictable cash flows over that period of time, but can yield lower profit margins than vessels operating in the spot charter market during periods characterized by favorable market conditions. Vessels operating in the spot charter market generate revenues that are less predictable but may enable their owners to capture increased profit margins during periods of improvements in charter rates although their owners would be exposed to the risk of declining charter rates, which may have a materially adverse impact on financial performance. As we employ vessels on period charters, future spot charter rates may be higher or lower than the rates at which we have employed our vessels on period charters. Our time charter agreements subject us to counterparty risk. In depressed market conditions, charterers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their existing charter parties or avoid their obligations under those contracts. Should a counterparty fail to honor their obligations under agreements with us, we could sustain significant losses which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Since 2010, our revenues have decreased due to the decrease in the charter rates. In 2014, although charter rates continued to decline, revenue increased due to the enlargement of our fleet. For 2016, we expect our revenues to remain at current levels, or decrease due to further decreases in charter rates.
Voyage Expenses
We incur voyage expenses that mainly include commissions because all of our vessels are employed under time charters that require the charterer to bear voyage expenses such as bunkers (fuel oil), port and canal charges. Although the charterer bears the cost of bunkers, we also have bunker expenses or income deriving from the price differences of bunkers. When a vessel is delivered to a charterer, bunkers are purchased by the charterer and sold back to us on the redelivery of the vessel. Bunker expenses, or income, result when a vessel is redelivered by her charterer and delivered to the next charterer at different bunker prices, or quantities.
We currently pay commissions ranging from 4.75% to 6.00% of the total daily charter hire rate of each charter to unaffiliated ship brokers, in-house brokers associated with the charterers, depending on the number of brokers involved with arranging the charter and to DWM for certain vessels. In addition we pay to DSS a commission that is equal to 2% of the revenues of those vessels for which it provides technical and commercial management services and this commission is eliminated from our consolidated financial statements as an intercompany transaction. During 2010 and until January 18, 2011, Diana Containerships also paid our fleet manager a commission of 1%, which was eliminated from our consolidated financial statements as an intercompany transaction. After its partial spin-off in January 2011 and until March 1, 2013 when the management agreements between DSS and Diana Containerships were terminated, the 1% commission paid by Diana Containerships constituted revenue of DSS. For 2016, we expect our voyage expenses to decrease, in line with our expectation for our time charter revenues and also because we expect less bunker expenses due to vessels being redelivered at increased bunker prices.
Vessel Operating Expenses
Vessel operating expenses include crew wages and related costs, the cost of insurance, expenses relating to repairs and maintenance, the cost of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes, environmental plan costs and other operating expenses. Our vessel operating expenses, which generally represent fixed costs, have historically increased as a result of the enlargement of our fleet. Similarly, for 2016, we expect our operating expenses to increase as a result of the enlargement of our fleet. There may also be other factors beyond our control, some of which may affect the shipping industry in general, including, for instance, developments relating to market prices for insurance, crew wages and exchange rates that may cause these expenses to increase.
Vessel Depreciation
The cost of our vessels is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of each vessel. Depreciation is based on the cost of the vessel less its estimated salvage value. We estimate the useful life of our dry bulk vessels to be 25 years from the date of initial delivery from the shipyard, which we believe is common in the dry bulk shipping industry. Furthermore, we estimate the salvage values of our vessels based on historical average prices of the cost of the light-weight ton of vessels being scrapped. The salvage value of all of our vessels is $250 per lightweight ton. Our depreciation charges have increased in recent periods due to the enlargement of our fleet. For 2016, we expect depreciation expense to increase as a result of the enlargement of our fleet.
General and Administrative Expenses
We incur general and administrative expenses which include our onshore related expenses such as payroll expenses of employees, executive officers, directors and consultants, compensation cost of restricted stock awarded to senior management and non-executive directors, traveling, promotional and other expenses of the public company, such as legal and professional expenses and other general expenses. For 2016, we expect our general and administrative expenses to remain at current levels.
Interest and Finance Costs
We have historically incurred interest expense and financing costs in connection with vessel-specific debt and since May 2015 in connection with our Notes. Currently, our debt amounts to $596.9 million, including our Notes issued in May 2015 at a fixed rate of 8.5%, and we expect to incur additional debt in 2016. We expect to manage any exposure in interest rates through our regular operating and financing activities and, when deemed appropriate, through the use of derivative financial instruments. For 2016, we expect interest and finance expenses to increase as a result of increased indebtedness and increased interest rates.
Lack of Historical Operating Data for Vessels before Their Acquisition
Although vessels are generally acquired free of charter, we have acquired (and may in the future acquire) some vessels with time charters. Where a vessel has been under a voyage charter, the vessel is usually delivered to the buyer free of charter. It is rare in the shipping industry for the last charterer of the vessel in the hands of the seller to continue as the first charterer of the vessel in the hands of the buyer. In most cases, when a vessel is under time charter and the buyer wishes to assume that charter, the vessel cannot be acquired without the charterer's consent and the buyer entering into a separate direct agreement (called a "novation agreement") with the charterer to assume the charter. The purchase of a vessel itself does not transfer the charter because it is a separate service agreement between the vessel owner and the charterer.
Where we identify any intangible assets or liabilities associated with the acquisition of a vessel, we record all identified assets or liabilities at fair value. Fair value is determined by reference to market data. We value any asset or liability arising from the market value of the time charters assumed when a vessel is acquired. The amount to be recorded as an asset or liability at the date of vessel delivery is based on the difference between the current fair market value of the charter and the net present value of future contractual cash flows. When the present value of the time charter assumed is greater than the current fair market value of such charter, the difference is recorded as prepaid charter revenue. When the opposite situation occurs, any difference, capped to the vessel's fair value on a charter-free basis, is recorded as deferred revenue. Such assets and liabilities, respectively, are amortized as a reduction of, or an increase in, revenue over the period of the time charter assumed.
When we purchase a vessel and assume or renegotiate a related time charter, among others, we must take the following steps before the vessel will be ready to commence operations:
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· |
obtain the charterer's consent to us as the new owner; |
|
· |
obtain the charterer's consent to a new technical manager; |
|
· |
in some cases, obtain the charterer's consent to a new flag for the vessel; |
|
· |
arrange for a new crew for the vessel, and where the vessel is on charter, in some cases, the crew must be approved by the charterer; |
|
· |
replace all hired equipment on board, such as gas cylinders and communication equipment; |
|
· |
negotiate and enter into new insurance contracts for the vessel through our own insurance brokers; |
|
· |
register the vessel under a flag state and perform the related inspections in order to obtain new trading certificates from the flag state; |
|
· |
implement a new planned maintenance program for the vessel; and |
|
· |
ensure that the new technical manager obtains new certificates for compliance with the safety and vessel security regulations of the flag state. |
When we charter a vessel pursuant to a long-term time charter agreement with varying rates, we recognize revenue on a straight line basis, equal to the average revenue during the term of the charter.
The following discussion is intended to help you understand how acquisitions of vessels affect our business and results of operations.
Our business is mainly comprised of the following elements:
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· |
employment and operation of our vessels; and |
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· |
management of the financial, general and administrative elements involved in the conduct of our business and ownership of our vessels. |
The employment and operation of our vessels mainly require the following components:
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· |
vessel maintenance and repair; |
|
· |
crew selection and training; |
|
· |
vessel spares and stores supply; |
|
· |
contingency response planning; |
|
· |
onboard safety procedures auditing; |
|
· |
vessel insurance arrangement; |
|
· |
vessel security training and security response plans (ISPS); |
|
· |
obtaining of ISM certification and audit for each vessel within the six months of taking over a vessel; |
|
· |
vessel hiring management; |
|
· |
vessel performance monitoring. |
The management of financial, general and administrative elements involved in the conduct of our business and ownership of our vessels mainly requires the following components:
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· |
management of our financial resources, including banking relationships, i.e., administration of bank loans and bank accounts; |
|
· |
management of our accounting system and records and financial reporting; |
|
· |
administration of the legal and regulatory requirements affecting our business and assets; and |
|
· |
management of the relationships with our service providers and customers. |
The principal factors that affect our profitability, cash flows and shareholders' return on investment include:
|
· |
rates and periods of charter hire; |
|
· |
levels of vessel operating expenses; |
|
· |
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. |
Our Fleet – Illustrative Comparison of Possible Excess of Carrying Value Over Estimated Charter-Free Market Value of Certain Vessels
In "Critical Accounting Policies – Impairment of long-lived assets," we discuss our policy for impairing the carrying values of our vessels. Historically, the market values of vessels have experienced volatility, which from time to time may be substantial. As a result, the charter-free market value of certain of our vessels may have declined below those vessels' carrying value, even though we would not impair those vessels' carrying value under our accounting impairment policy.
Based on: (i) the carrying value of each of our vessels as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, consisting of the net book value of the vessels and the unamortized value of deferred dry-dock and special surveys cost and (ii) what we believe the charter-free market value of each of our vessels was as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the aggregate carrying value of 42 and 27 of the vessels in our fleet as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, exceeded their aggregate charter-free market value by approximately $762 million and $504 million, respectively, as noted in the table below. This aggregate difference represents the approximate analysis of the amount by which we believe we would have to increase our loss or reduce our net income if we sold all of such vessels at December 31, 2015 and 2014, on a charter-free basis, on industry standard terms, in cash transactions, and to a willing buyer where we were not under any compulsion to sell, and where the buyer was not under any compulsion to buy. For purposes of this calculation, we have assumed that these 42 and 27 vessels would be sold at a price that reflects our estimate of their charter-free market values as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As of December 31, 2015 and as of the date of this annual report, we were not and are not holding any of our vessels for sale.
Our estimates of charter-free market value assume that our vessels were all in good and seaworthy condition without need for repair and if inspected would be certified in class without notations of any kind. Our estimates are based on information available from various industry sources, including:
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· |
reports by industry analysts and data providers that focus on our industry and related dynamics affecting vessel values; |
|
· |
news and industry reports of similar vessel sales; |
|
· |
news and industry reports of sales of vessels that are not similar to our vessels where we have made certain adjustments in an attempt to derive information that can be used as part of our estimates; |
|
· |
approximate market values for our vessels or similar vessels that we have received from shipbrokers, whether solicited or unsolicited, or that shipbrokers have generally disseminated; |
|
· |
offers that we may have received from potential purchasers of our vessels; and |
|
· |
vessel sale prices and values of which we are aware through both formal and informal communications with shipowners, shipbrokers, industry analysts and various other shipping industry participants and observers. |
As we obtain information from various industry and other sources, our estimates of charter-free market value are inherently uncertain. In addition, vessel values are highly volatile; as such, our estimates may not be indicative of the current or future charter-free market value of our vessels or prices that we could achieve if we were to sell them. We also refer you to the risk factors entitled "The market values of our vessels have decreased, which could limit the amount of funds that we can borrow under our loan facilities", "A decrease in the market values of our vessels could cause us to breach covenants in our loan facilities and adversely affect our operating results" and the discussion herein under the heading "Item 4.B. Business overview – Vessel Prices".
Vessel
|
Dwt
|
Year Built
|
Carrying Value
(in millions of US dollars)
|
|
|
|
2014
|
2015
|
1
|
Alcmene
|
93,193
|
2010
|
34.5*
|
33.3*
|
2
|
Alcyon
|
75,247
|
2001
|
10.3
|
9.9*
|
3
|
Aliki
|
180,235
|
2005
|
75.1*
|
70.3*
|
4
|
Amphitrite
|
98,697
|
2012
|
23.0
|
22.2*
|
5
|
Arethusa
|
73,593
|
2007
|
25.4*
|
24.5*
|
6
|
Artemis
|
76,942
|
2006
|
19.1*
|
18.4*
|
7
|
Atalandi
|
77,529
|
2014
|
30.6*
|
29.5*
|
8
|
Baltimore
|
177,243
|
2005
|
26.4
|
24.8*
|
9
|
Boston
|
177,828
|
2007
|
80.1*
|
76.0*
|
10
|
Calipso
|
73,691
|
2005
|
13.7
|
13.3*
|
11
|
Clio
|
73,691
|
2005
|
14.1
|
13.3*
|
12
|
Coronis
|
74,381
|
2006
|
27.9*
|
26.6*
|
13
|
Crystalia
|
77,525
|
2014
|
30.3*
|
29.1*
|
14
|
Danae
|
75,106
|
2001
|
12.0*
|
11.6*
|
15
|
Dione
|
75,172
|
2001
|
11.8*
|
11.0*
|
16
|
Erato
|
74,444
|
2004
|
25.4*
|
23.7*
|
17
|
G. P. Zafirakis
|
179,492
|
2014
|
57.6*
|
55.5*
|
18
|
Houston
|
177,729
|
2009
|
51.3*
|
48.8*
|
19
|
Leto
|
81,297
|
2010
|
28.6*
|
27.5*
|
20
|
Los Angeles
|
206,104
|
2012
|
53.7*
|
51.6*
|
21
|
Maia
|
82,193
|
2009
|
19.3
|
18.4*
|
22
|
Medusa
|
82,194
|
2010
|
|
17.7*
|
23
|
Melia
|
76,225
|
2005
|
18.1*
|
17.3*
|
24
|
Melite
|
76,436
|
2004
|
26.8*
|
25.4*
|
25
|
Myrsini
|
82,117
|
2010
|
21.8
|
21.1*
|
26
|
Myrto
|
82,131
|
2013
|
24.9
|
23.9*
|
27
|
Naias
|
73,546
|
2006
|
27.0*
|
25.6*
|
28
|
New Orleans
|
180,960
|
2015
|
|
43.1*
|
29
|
New York
|
177,773
|
2010
|
52.3*
|
49.8*
|
30
|
Nirefs
|
75,311
|
2001
|
10.3
|
9.9*
|
31
|
Norfolk
|
164,218
|
2002
|
89.9*
|
83.1*
|
32
|
Oceanis
|
75,211
|
2001
|
10.5
|
9.9*
|
33
|
Philadelphia
|
206,040
|
2012
|
54.5*
|
52.4*
|
34
|
Polymnia
|
98,704
|
2012
|
22.9
|
22.1*
|
35
|
Protefs
|
73,630
|
2004
|
13.8*
|
12.9*
|
36
|
P. S. Palios
|
179,134
|
2013
|
50.1*
|
48.2*
|
37
|
Salt Lake City
|
171,810
|
2005
|
115.6*
|
109.1*
|
38
|
Santa Barbara
|
179,426
|
2015
|
|
48.5*
|
39
|
Seattle
|
179,362
|
2011
|
|
29.0
|
40
|
Semirio
|
174,261
|
2007
|
69.8*
|
66.2*
|
41
|
Sideris GS
|
174,186
|
2006
|
63.0*
|
59.6*
|
42
|
Thetis
|
73,583
|
2004
|
25.1*
|
23.5*
|
43
|
Triton
|
75,336
|
2001
|
10.5
|
10.1*
|
|
Total
|
5,012,926
|
|
1,377.1
|
1,447.7
|
___________________________