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Diamond S Shipping Inc. Reports Third Quarter Loss

Diamond S Shipping Inc., one of the largest publicly listed owners and operators of crude oil and product tankers, yesterday announced results for the third quarter of 2020.

Highlights for the Third Quarter and Recent Events

— Reported net loss attributable to Diamond S of $9.7 million, or net loss of $0.24 basic and diluted earnings per share, and Adjusted EBITDA (see Non-GAAP Measures section below) of $27.1 million.

— Net debt at September 30, 2020 was $611.1 million, implying a net debt to asset value leverage ratio of 39% based on broker valuations as of June 2020. At quarter end, total free liquidity available to the Company above bank minimum cash requirements was $124.3 million.

— Agreed to sell a 2009-built MR vessel, the Atlantic Mirage, which is expected to be delivered to the buyers in late Q4 2020. The sale of the vessel is expected to generate approximately $7 million in net proceeds before settlement of working capital.

Craig H. Stevenson Jr., President and CEO of Diamond S, commented: “In these challenging market conditions, we are focused on maintaining safe operations and generating the highest possible cash flow in the spot market. To that end, we are pleased with the performance of our new commercial manager, the Norient Product Pool, who absorbed 28 of our MR vessels during the third quarter and outperformed industry benchmarks. Another priority in this environment is ensuring liquidity and maintaining the strong position of our balance sheet. Our recent agreement to sell one of our MR vessels reinforces our view of the underlying value of our enterprise. We are selling a 2009-built MR tanker for $16.4 million. This asset sale is a tangible marker of the value of our fleet, which is well in excess of our current market capitalization. We will continue to prove out the inherent value of DSSI and, especially given the positive long term outlook for our market, we expect to see the disconnect between our intrinsic value and our share price diminish.”

Third Quarter 2020 Results

Reported net loss attributable to Diamond S for the third quarter of 2020 was $9.7 million, or net loss of $0.24 basic and diluted earnings per share, compared to a net loss of $25.9 million, or $0.65 per basic and diluted share, for the third quarter of 2019, which included the impact of a loss on vessel sales of $18.3 million, or $0.46 per share. The decrease in net income for the third quarter of 2020 compared to the adjusted net income for the third quarter of 2019 is primarily related to weaker tanker market conditions.

The Company groups its business primarily by commodity transported and segments its fleet into a 16-vessel crude oil transportation fleet (the “Crude Fleet”) and a 50-vessel refined petroleum product transportation fleet (the “Product Fleet”). The Crude Fleet consists of 15 Suezmax vessels and one Aframax vessel. The Product Fleet consists of 44 medium range (“MR2”) vessels and 6 Handysize (“MR1”) vessels.

Net revenues for the Company, which represents voyage revenues less voyage expenses, were $79.7 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $81.6 million for the third quarter of 2019. Net revenues from the Crude Fleet were $29.4 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $23.3 million for the third quarter of 2019. The increase in net revenues for the Crude Fleet were primarily due to a solid start to the quarter as a result of the carryover of strong rates from the first half of 2020. Net revenues from the Product Fleet were $50.3 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $58.3 million for the third quarter of 2019. The decrease in net revenues in the Product Fleet was principally driven by weaker market conditions. The weak market conditions were driven by demand destruction caused by the global pandemic, and the unwinding of the floating storage cycle, which effectively increased the supply of available ships.

Vessel expenses were $44.8 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $41.8 million for the third quarter of 2019. Vessel expenses, which include crew costs, insurance, repairs and maintenance, lubricants and spare parts, technical management fees and other miscellaneous expenses, increased by $3.0 million primarily due to additional expenses incurred for crew bonuses, increased costs of crew reliefs, testing, quarantine and logistics for delivery of services and materials to the vessels as a result of the global pandemic.

Depreciation and amortization expense was $29.1 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $28.8 million for the third quarter of 2019.

General and administrative expenses were $7.7 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $7.6 million for the third quarter of 2019.

Interest expense was $7.0 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $13.0 million for the third quarter of 2019. Interest expense decreased in the third quarter of 2020 due to a lower average debt balance as a result of debt repayments and a decrease in the effective interest rate. Total gross debt outstanding as of September 30, 2020 was $748.5 million, or 16% lower compared to September 30, 2019.

Other income, which consists primarily of interest income, was less than $0.1 million in the third quarter of 2020, compared to $0.5 million for the third quarter of 2019.

Liquidity

As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $120.3 million in cash and restricted cash and $60.0 million available under its revolving credit facility. Available liquidity as of September 30, 2020 was $124.3 million, net of $56.0 million in restricted cash and minimum cash required by debt covenants.

Outlook

Tanker market conditions are expected to remain under pressure during the fourth quarter of 2020, driven by weak demand for crude oil and refined products as a result of the global pandemic. The typical seasonal market strength is expected to be muted as oil inventories continue to draw from onshore storage and demand has not materially recovered. Tanker supply remains balanced based on pre-pandemic demand levels, and the number of vessels on order nearly matches the number of vessels that might be expected to be scrapped, based on the average useful life of a vessel.

As of November 12, 2020, approximately 58% of Crude Fleet revenue days operating in the spot market in the fourth quarter have been fixed at an average rate of approximately $6,800 per day. In the Product Fleet, 59% of revenue days operating in the spot market have been fixed at an average rate of approximately $9,000 per day in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Product Fleet includes a weighted average blend of MR2 vessels, fixed on 60% of revenue days at an average rate of $9,400 per day, and MR1 vessels, fixed on 53% of fourth quarter revenue days at an average rate of $6,000 per day.
Full Report

Source: Diamond S Shipping Inc.

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