Oppenheimer Co News

Crude Carriers Corp. announced that it has priced its initial public offering of 13,500,000 common shares at $19 per share. The underwriters have an option to purchase up to an additional 2,025,000 common shares to cover overallotments. Crude Carriers Corp. will use substantially all the proceeds from the offering, together with a $40m capital contribution from Crude Carriers Investments Corp., to acquire one 2006-built high specification Suezmax vessel from Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. at a price of $71.3m and two newbuilt very large crude carrier (VLCC) tankers for $96.5m each upon their delivery from the yard. The company’s common shares will trade on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CRU.

FreeSeas Inc. (Nasdaq:FREE) (Nasdaq:FREEW) (Nasdaq:FREEZ), a provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk cargoes, announced that the underwriters of its recent public offering of 11,000,000 shares of common stock have fully exercised their over-allotment option to purchase an additional 1,650,000 shares of common stock at a price of $8.25 per share. The offering of the additional 1,650,000 shares of common stock recently closed. This additional purchase increased the aggregate number of shares sold in the offering to 12,650,000, resulting in total net proceeds from the stock offering after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, but before expenses, of approximately $97m. Credit Suisse and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

FreeSeas Inc. (Nasdaq:FREE, Nasdaq:FREEW, Nasdaq:FREEZ), a provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk cargoes, announced the closing of the sale of 11,000,000 shares of common stock in a public offering at $8.25 per share. Total net proceeds from the stock offering after deducting underwriting discounts and commission, but before expenses, are expected to be approximately $84.4m. Credit Suisse and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. served as the joint book running managers, and Oppenheimer & Co. and DVB Capital Markets served as the co-managers. FreeSeas has granted the underwriters an option to purchase an additional 1,650,000 shares of FreeSeas common stock at the public offering price to cover any over-allotments, exercisable within 30 days.

Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA), an owner and operator of drybulk and container carrier vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, announced that it is commencing a public offering of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock under the Company’s effective shelf registration statement. In addition, one of the Company’s shareholders will be offering 750,000 shares. Wachovia Securities and Oppenheimer & Co. will act as joint bookrunning managers. In connection with the offering, the underwriters will be granted a30-day option to purchase from the Company up to 862,500 additional shares of common stock to cover any over-allotments. Euroseas intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to acquire additional vessels and for general corporate purposes.

FreeSeas Inc., a provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk cargoes, today announced the pricing of its follow-on offering of 11,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $8.25 per share. Credit Suisse and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. are the joint book running managers and Oppenheimer & Co., and DVB Capital Markets are co-managers. FreeSeas has granted the underwriters an option to purchase an additional 1,650,000 shares of FreeSeas common stock at the public offering price to cover any over-allotments, exercisable within 30 days.

Euroseas Ltd., announced that its public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock was priced at $13.50 per share. Euroseas has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to acquire additional vessels in the sectors in which it currently operates and for general corporate purposes. Oppenheimer & Co. acted as the lead manager in the offering and Ferris, Baker Watts, Incorporated, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Fortis Securities LLC acted as co-managers.

Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA), an owner and operator of drybulk and container carrier vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, has filed a preliminary prospectus supplement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its previously filed registration statement on Form F-3. The preliminary prospectus supplement covers 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock to be issued and sold by the Company, exclusive of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to acquire additional vessels in the sectors in which it currently operates and for general corporate purposes.

Energy shares drew little comfort Feb. 4 from rising oil prices lifted first by red hot heating oil, then gasoline soaring to nine-year highs. U.S. light crude for March delivery settled 79 cents higher at $28.82 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, about $1 away from post Gulf War highs reached in late January. Prompt heat oil barges delivered to the New York Harbor soared to a $1.00 premium to the futures, which closed up 0.88 cent at 78.78 cents gallon. This put the cash wholesale price for a gallon of the fuel over $1.73, their highest ever level. Gasoline futures shot up to a fresh nine-year high of 80.15 cents a gallon amid fears that current tight supplies may even get tighter as the summer driving season looms.