Global Ship Lease, Inc. has agreed to purchase 12 containerships from Borealis Finance LLC with an average size of approximately 3,000 TEU and a weighted average age of 11 years for an aggregate purchase price of $233.9 million, according to the company’s release.
The ships are all on a charter with leading liner operators, with a remaining charter duration of three to 25 months. With these additions, the company’s fleet will comprise 62 containerships with a total capacity of 322,770 TEU, making Global Ship Lease the eighth largest non-operating owner of containerships by TEU capacity.
The 12 vessels are scheduled for delivery during the third quarter of 2021. The company expects to fund the purchase price with cash on hand, the proceeds of new bank debt, and the issuance of $35.0 million of its existing 8.00% Senior Unsecured Notes to the sellers.
Based on the existing charters and assuming renewals at current market rates for the four charters that come open prior to mid-2022, the newly acquired ships are expected to contribute approximately $60.5 million of Adjusted EBITDA in the first 12 months.
