Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) announced today that it has agreed to purchase four 5,470 TEU Panamax containerships with an average age of approximately 11 years for an aggregate purchase price of $148 million.
On delivery, the ships will be chartered to a leading liner operator for a firm period of three years each, with a charterer’s option for a period of an additional three years. During the three-year firm period, the vessels are expected to generate aggregate Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $124.4 million, implying a strongly accretive average Purchase Price / Annual Adjusted EBITDA multiple of approximately 3.6x. If the options are exercised, the vessels are expected to generate approximately $42.2 million of additional Adjusted EBITDA. With these additions, the Company’s fleet will comprise 66 vessels with a total capacity of 344,650 TEU.
The ships are scheduled for delivery during the third quarter of 2021. The Company expects to fund the purchase price with cash on hand and senior secured debt.
Based on the existing charters, the newly acquired ships are expected to contribute approximately $42.5 million of Adjusted EBITDA in the first 12 months. This represents an increase of approximately 25.2% on Adjusted EBITDA for the 12 months ended March 31, 2021. The ships are anticipated to add approximately $0.88 of earnings per share in the first 12 months, based on today’s outstanding share count, today’s LIBOR, and other assumptions, representing an increase of approximately 56.4% compared to Adjusted earnings per share for the 12 months ended March 31, 2021.
Source: vesselfinder
