Danaos Corporation (NYSE: DAC), one of the world’s largest independent owners of containerships, announced today that it has entered into new charter arrangements for 11 of its vessels ranging between 2,500 to 10,000 TEU with major liner companies, that significantly improve cash flow visibility and charter coverage. These charters, which have a revenue weighted average contract duration of 4.7 years commence on the expiration of the vessels’ existing charters between February 2022 and April 2023 and extend up to May 2028.
The new charters increase the Company’s contracted revenue backlog by approximately $870 million, or by approximately $700 million in contracted EBITDA. Inclusive of these charters, total contracted operating revenue was $2.8 billion as of December 31, 2021, with a remaining average contracted charter duration of four years, weighted by aggregate contracted charter revenue. Additionally, contract coverage in terms of operating days is now 95% for 2022, 77% for 2023 and 57% for 2024.
The Company has also entered into an agreement to sell two 20-year-old 6,422 TEU vessels for a total consideration of $130 million and are expected to be delivered to their buyer in November 2022. The Company acquired these two vessels as part of the consolidation of Gemini Shipholdings Corporation on July 1, 2021, based on a fair value of $73 million, and expects to book a healthy profit when the sale is completed.
The Company’s CEO, Dr. John Coustas commented:
“We are very pleased to announce the continued improvement of our contracted backlog with multi-year charters for 11 of our vessels and the profitable sale of two older vessels. The combined result is up to $1 billion of contracted revenue accretion and sales proceeds. These transactions significantly improve our liquidity and cash flow visibility for the next several years and further strengthen our balance sheet. We will continue to work to maximize our profitability and secure more accretive transactions with a focus on creating value for our shareholders.”