ATHENS, GREECE – July 21, 2011 - DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) (the “Company” or “DryShips”), a global provider of marine transportation services for drybulk and petroleum cargoes and off-shore contract drilling oil services, announced the following sale and purchase activities:
- The Company sold the 72,126 DWT Panamax bulker M.V. La Jolla (built in 1997). Delivery of the vessel took place in July 2011
- The Company sold the 75,607 DWT Panamax bulker M.V. Conquistador (built in 2000). Delivery of the vessel is expected to take place in July 2011
- The Company sold the 151,066 DWT Capesize bulker M.V. Brisbane (built in 1995). Delivery of the vessel is expected to take place in September 2011
- The Company sold the 150,393 DWT Capesize bulker M.V. Samsara (built in 1996). Delivery of the vessel is expected to take place in August 2011
The aggregate sale price for all four vessels amounted to $75.5 million, resulting in an aggregate book loss of $106.9 million. George Economou, Chairman and CEO, commented: “The Company has sold a number of older dry bulk vessels recently as part of a fleet renewal program. The prevailing low freight rates, due to the current fleet oversupply, has led to a decline in asset values in general but specifically for older ships the decline was even sharper. Given the number of newbuildings that have joined the fleet and expected deliveries over the next two years we expect heightened charterer discrimination against older vessels and a consequential acceleration in the decline in values. With this in mind we have sold eight older vessels since January 2010. In the near term we will focus on replacing these vessels by acquiring vessels or fleets with fixed rate employment and financing in place.”
DryShips Inc., based in Greece, is an owner of drybulk carriers and tankers that operate worldwide. Through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW Inc., DryShips owns and operates 9 offshore ultra deepwater drilling units, comprising of 2 ultra deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs and 7 ultra deepwater drillships, 5 of which remain to be delivered to the Company during 2011 and 2013. As of the day of this release, DryShips owns a fleet of 38 drybulk carriers (including newbuildings), comprising 9 Capesize, 27 Panamax and 2 Supramax, with a combined deadweight tonnage of over 3.4 million tons, and 12 tankers (including newbuildings), comprising 6 Suezmax and 6 Aframax, with a combined deadweight tonnage of over 1.6 million tons. DryShips’ common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market where it trades under the symbol “DRYS.” On the WEB: www.dryships.com.