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Continued capital allocation discipline, interest rate risk fully hedged, sustainable quarterly dividend of $0.375 per common share, well-positioned for counter-cyclical opportunities, CEO transition successful & Chief Compliance Officer appointed
Athens, Greece - May 16, 2024
Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) (the "Company", "Global Ship Lease" or "GSL"), an owner of containerships, announced today its unaudited results for the three months ended March 31, 2024.
First Quarter of 2024 Highlights
• Reported operating revenue of $179.6 million for the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 12.7% on operating revenue of $159.3 million for the prior year period.
• Reported net income available to common shareholders of $89.5 million for the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 24.0% on net income of $72.2 million for the prior year period. Normalized net income (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the same period was $89.1 million, up 17.9% on Normalized net income of $75.6 million for the prior year period.
• Generated $125.4 million of Adjusted EBITDA (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the first quarter of 2024, up 19.5% on Adjusted EBITDA of $104.9 million for the prior year period.
• Earnings per share for the first quarter of 2024 was $2.54, up 25.7% on the earnings per share of $2.02 for the prior year period. Normalized earnings per share (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) for the first quarter of 2024 was $2.53, up 19.3% on the Normalized earnings per share of $2.12 for the prior year period.
• Declared a dividend of $0.375 per Class A common share for the first quarter of 2024 to be paid on June 3, 2024 to common shareholders of record as of May 24, 2024. Paid a dividend of $0.375 per Class A common share for the fourth quarter of 2023 on March 6, 2024.
• Between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024, added $54.6 million of contracted revenue to forward charter cover, calculated on the basis of the median firm periods of the respective charters. Three new charters or extensions were agreed on ships between 2,200 and 3,500 TEU; a charter extension was agreed for a 5,900 TEU ship; and charter extension options were exercised by charterers for one 5,100 TEU ship and for four 6,000 TEU ships.
• During the first quarter of 2024, repurchased an aggregate of 251,772 Class A common shares for a total consideration of $5.0 million. Repurchase prices ranged between $18.98 and $20.83 per share, with an average price of $19.84 per share. Approximately $33.0 million of capacity remains under the Company's opportunistic share buy-back authorization.
• Ian Webber retired from the CEO role he held since the Company's inception in 2007, and has joined the Board of Directors, effective March 31, 2024. Thomas Lister, who also joined the Company in 2007 and has held a number of senior executive roles, was appointed to succeed Mr. Webber as CEO, effective concurrently with Mr. Webber's retirement. George Giannopoulos, who has been Head of Internal Audit of the Company since the merger with Poseidon Containers in 2018, has been appointed Chief Compliance Officer.
George Youroukos, our Executive Chairman, stated: "Our industry has started the year with positive momentum, partly on the back of an uptick in containerized freight demand. However, geopolitical events and environmental trends continue to have a pronounced impact on the macro-environment, adding further volatility to our already cyclical industry. Disruptions in and around the Red Sea, and to the Suez and Panama Canals, have been at the forefront of all of our minds for the last few months. But, just as quickly and unpredictably as such issues can flare up, they can also go into remission, expand, or change in unanticipated ways. Against this backdrop, we aim to continue to operate our business in the same risk-averse and prudent manner as always: keeping our seafarers out of harm's way, staying close to our customers, optimizing our operating performance, and building forward contract cover and balance sheet strength while market conditions are supportive. Charter market rates have been firming thus far in 2024, and we are working hard to capitalize on that as our vessels come open. In the meantime, we continue to pay our sustainable dividend, buy back shares opportunistically, and remain vigilant for the right purchase opportunities."
Thomas Lister, our Chief Executive Officer, stated: "We intend to stay both disciplined and nimble in our capital allocation, protecting and building value for our shareholders while maintaining a consistent focus on GSL's long-term performance and success. Container shipping is a cyclical industry, and that cyclicality presents both risks to manage and opportunities to grasp. De-levering builds equity value and business resilience, while growing our cash liquidity provides both headroom under our covenants - if asset values correct - and valuable optionality to selectively pursue accretive acquisition opportunities. Our contracted cashflow stream from time charters enables us to return capital to shareholders via our sustainable dividend and opportunistic share repurchases. We are also delighted that George Giannopoulos has agreed to expand his responsibilities to take on the role of GSL's Chief Compliance Officer, elevating a valuable and proven member of our team at a time when the regulatory environment is growing ever more complex and dynamic."
Full report
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange in August 2008.
As of March 31, 2024, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36 ships are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As of March 31, 2024, the average remaining term of the Company's charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company's control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 1.9 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.59 billion. Contracted revenue was $1.96 billion, including options under charterers' control and with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 2.6 years.
Global Ship Lease press release
