Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp., announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the Company generated gross revenues of $50.0 million, a 146% increase compared to the third quarter of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $32.2 million, from $7.8 million in the same period of 2020 . Net income for the third quarter was $20.1 million compared to net income of $3.6 million in the third quarter of 2020. The daily Time Charter Equivalent (“TCE”)1 of the fleet for the third quarter of 2021 was $30,764, marking a 90% increase compared to $16,219 for the same period of 2020.
For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021, gross revenues were $100.0 million, increased by 130% when compared to $43.5 million in the same period of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of 2021 was $51.4 million, compared to an adjusted EBITDA of $7.3 million in the same period of 2020. The daily TCE of the fleet for the first nine months of 2021 was $23,449 compared to $10,267 in the first nine months of 2020. The average daily OPEX was $5,806 compared to $5,573 in the respective period of 2020.
Cash and cash-equivalents, restricted cash, term deposits, including a short-term receivable from vessel sale proceeds as of September 30, 2021, stood at $52.6 million. The M/V Leadership was delivered to her new owners on September 30, 2021 and due to timing of payments, the gross proceeds of $13.3 million, including bunkers and other inventories, were received in the beginning of October. Shareholders’ equity at the end of the third quarter was $222.3 million, compared to $95.7 million on December 31, 2020. Long-term debt (senior and junior loans and other financial liabilities) net of deferred charges stood at $204.6 million as of September 30, 2021, from $169.8 million as of the end of 2020, representing a 20% increase. In the same period, following the addition of six of our new acquisitions and the removal of the M/V Leadership, the book value of our fleet increased by 55% to $396.8 million from $256.7 million.
Fourth Quarter 2021 TCE Guidance:
As of the date hereof, approximately 69% of the Company fleet’s expected operating days in the fourth quarter of 2021 have been fixed at an estimated TCE of approximately $38,440. Assuming that for the remaining operating days of our index-linked T/Cs, the respective vessels’ TCE will be equal to the average Forward Freight Agreement (“FFA”) rate of approximately $28,000 per day (based on the FFA curve of November 1, 2021), our estimated TCE for the fourth quarter will be approximately $35,2002. Our TCE guidance for the fourth quarter of 2021 includes certain conversions (6 vessels) of index-linked charters to fixed, which were concluded in the third quarter of 2021 as part of our freight hedging strategy.
Stamatis Tsantanis, the Company’s Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, stated:
“I am very excited to announce our financial results for the third quarter and nine-month period that ended on September 30, 2021, marking a record profit for Seanergy since we started acquiring our current fleet in 2015. The exceptional financial performance of our Company is attributed to the combination of the well-timed acquisitions that we executed in the past year, as well as the highest dry bulk market of the last decade.
As far as our results for the third quarter of 2021 are concerned, our daily TCE was $30,764, outperforming our guidance for the quarter and marking an increase of 90% compared to the TCE of the third quarter of 2020. The TCE of the fleet for the first nine months of 2021 was $23,449 per day, increased by 128% when compared to a daily TCE of $10,267 in the same period of 2020. Our fourth quarter TCE performance to date and TCE guidance for the entire quarter is equally strong at $38,440 and $35,200 per day respectively. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter and first nine months of 2021 was $32.2 million and $51.4 million, respectively, as compared to an adjusted EBITDA of $7.8 million and $7.3 million in the respective periods of 2020. Net result for the quarter was a profit of $20.1 million increased by 459%, from $3.6 million in the same period of 2020. This impressive increase underscores the operating leverage of the Company and its tremendous upside potential in today’s earnings environment.
Regarding our fleet growth strategy, investment in vessel acquisitions in 2021 to date has totalled approximately $193.2 million for seven high quality Japan-built Capesize vessels with an average age of 11.1 years, with the most recent acquisition being that of the 2010-built M/V Dukeship. Within the third quarter, we took timely delivery of two Capesize vessels, while we also delivered the M/V Leadership to its new owners. The total investment has been fully funded by our strong cash reserves, as well as our new financing arrangements.
Concerning our commercial developments in 2021 to date, we have concluded ten new time-charter employment agreements with at least one-year duration, in each case with leading charterers in the Capesize sector. Following the recently agreed employment contracts for the M/Vs Dukeship and Goodship, 15 vessels will be employed on index-linked charters. This strategy has proven to be very efficient since our fleet’s earnings best reflect daily movements of the BCI and we are able to capitalize on market spikes. In most cases, the agreements entail options to convert the index-linked rate to a fixed one, based on the prevailing FFA curve, allowing us, at our option, to lock our future market exposure at profitable rates. By this, we have achieved what we believe to be the optimal positioning of our fleet for a commodities super-cycle.
On the financing front, since the beginning of 2021 we have concluded new financings and refinancings of $134.2 million while repaying $82.3 million on existing debt facilities. Since the start of the third quarter, we have agreed two new financings of approximately $30 million, while repaying $12.6 million on our existing financings. Specifically, we completed the financing of the M/V Friendship with one of our long-term lenders, while receiving a commitment letter from a major Greek Bank for a sustainability-linked loan to be secured by the M/V Worldship. Our weighted average interest rate for the first nine months of 2021 was reduced by approximately 130 basis points over the same period of 2020 and we expect this trend to continue in 2022.
With respect to our ESG initiatives, we have always been at the forefront of all major environmental regulations, and we are intensifying our efforts to meet IMO’s decarbonization targets for 2030. We have recently endorsed the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization, a global coalition of over 190 industry leaders and organizations representing the entire maritime value chain. In addition, we have signed agreements with DeepSea for the installation of Artificial Intelligence performance systems on our fleet and with Marsoft for the screening of selected vessels, which promotes transparency of our energy efficiency upgrades.
With a view to optimising the energy efficiency of our fleet, we have decided, in some cases in cooperation with our charterers, to install Energy Saving Devices (“ESDs”) on the entire fleet. This upgrade program will progress gradually, with the installation of the ESDs taking place during each vessel’s upcoming drydocking and is intended to ensure that the speed of our expanded fleet will not be materially impacted by the upcoming environmental regulations. Finally, we are investing in the research and development of emission reduction technologies, including biofuel blend trials, which is expected to contribute considerably to the transition to a greener shipping industry.
Regarding market conditions and future prospects, we have recently experienced the highest market levels of the last 12 years in the Capesize sector, with daily rates reaching $87,000 per day at the start of the fourth quarter. Notwithstanding the short-term correction of recent weeks, we believe that the Capesize market is supported by the most favourable demand-supply fundamentals of its recent history. More specifically, the Capesize orderbook still stands at the lowest level of the last 25 years and the upcoming environmental regulations are expected to lead to a significant vessel supply squeeze in the following years. In addition, demand for dry raw materials is supported by the global energy supply shortages, as well as the worldwide stimuli and infrastructure projects.
On that basis, we feel confident about the prospects of the Capesize market for years to come.”
