Quintana Maritime Limited took delivery of a Kamsarmax bulk carrier, Pascha, from Tsuneishi, a Japanese shipyard. Pascha has a carrying capacity of 82,300 deadweight tons (dwt) and is the tenth of the fourteen Kamsarmax vessels the company has agreed to acquire from Metrobulk.
As previously announced, Pascha, together with four other vessels, is employed at an average daily rate of approximately $20,000 per day for 2007 under a master time charter with Bunge S.A.. Quintana Maritime has fixed the rates for all seventeen vessels it has acquired or has agreed to acquire from Metrobulk. The master
charter agreement with Bunge S.A. calls for annual renewals in early November every year between floor and ceiling rates, and lasts through the end of 2010. As a result of these fixtures, Quintana has secured almost 90% of its expected net operating days for 2007 under charters with fixed rates. Quintana believes it currently enjoys the highest time charter coverage amongst its public peers.