Global Hunter Securities News

Danish product tanker carrier Hafnia Tankers logged a $2.33m gain in 2014 after a strong finish to the year, according to its annual report. The firm finished 2014 in the black despite running up a $5.13m loss across the first three quarters of the year.   According to a Lloyd's report, Hafnia is putting the brakes on fleet expansion for the time being as it prepares to receive as many as 10 newbuilding product tankers this year and four in 2016.   Hafnia Tankers is currently only listed on the OTC list in Oslo. According to Pareto Securities, which along with Danske Bank Markets and American Global Hunter Securities has initiated coverage of Hafnia Tankers from the beginning of 2015 and expects a potential IPO.

Oil prices fell Friday, tumbling as the dollar strengthened and as a supply glut in top consumer, the United States, trumped worries about falling production from Libya. The market had come under pressure from Wednesday's Energy Department report, which showed a 7.3 million-barrel rise in crude inventories to their highest December level on record. Analysts had expected a seasonal decline. The slide was exacerbated as oil prices reacted to a strengthening dollar index. "There's still significant weakness in confidence, and that means that we're going to have occasional retests to the downside," said Richard Hastings of Global Hunter Securities. The strenghtening dollar index triggered the slide on Friday, he said.

Ocean Rig UDW Inc. On November 18, 2014, Ocean Rig’s $120 million loan to its majority shareholder, DryShips Inc. (―DryShips‖), was approved by a special committee of Ocean Rig’s Board of Directors which received a fairness opinion from Global Hunter Securities, a division of Seaport Global Securities LLC, and the loan agreement was executed by both companies. This loan is for a period of 18 months, is unsecured and bears interest at LIBOR plus an average of approximately 10% for the first year and 12% for the following six months. Ocean Rig has the option to exchange the loan for Ocean Rig common shares owned by DryShips at a fixed price of $13.50 per share, provided the DryShips ABN AMRO $200 million secured bridge loan facility has been repaid in full.

DryShips Inc. * The Company has repurchased on the open market and cancelled $191,090,000 principal amount of its 5% convertible notes. No other repurchases are planned and therefore the outstanding principal balance of the 5% convertible notes due on December 1 is $508,910,000. *  On October 29, 2014, the Company signed definitive documentation for the Nordea $170 million senior secured credit facility. We expect to draw down under this facility during the week commencing Monday, November 24, 2014. *  On November 14, 2014, the Company signed definitive documentation for the ABN AMRO $200 million secured bridge loan facility. We expect to draw down under this facility during the week commencing Monday, November 24, 2014.

Clarkson Capital Markets, the investment banking arm of shipping services group Clarkson PLC,  says it has enhanced its equity research coverage with the appointment of Omar Nokta as Managing Director of Shipping Research. Omar will be based in CCM's New York office. Omar brings significant sector experience and expertise to Clarkson Capital Markets. He joins CCM from Global Hunter Securities LLC where he was Senior Shipping Analyst. Prior to this he was Senior Research Analyst at Dahlman Rose, where he helped build the company into one of the leading shipping focussed investment banks, advancing its energy, commodities and metals and mining product offering.

StealthGas Inc.,  a shipowning company primarily serving the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry, announced today that it has priced an underwritten registered offering of 3,500,000 shares of its common stock, at an offering price of $10.00 per share for gross proceeds, before estimated expenses payable by StealthGas Inc., of approximately $35 million. The shares were placed with several institutional investors, in addition to entities affiliated with the family of StealthGas Inc.’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Global Hunter Securities, LLC is acting as the sole underwriter for the offering.

Diana Shipping Inc., a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase shares of the common stock of Diana Containerships Inc. for an aggregate purchase price of $40 million. Concurrently with the company's investment, two institutional investors not affiliated with the company or Diana Containerships together purchased $40 million of common shares, and Simeon Palios, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company and Diana Containerships…

Nordic American Offshore Ltd. additional 882,352 common shares. The sale of these common shares isexpected to close on June 26, 2014. After the exercise of the overallotment option, there are 23,431,370 shares in issue in NAO. The total capital inflow into NAO from the Initial Public Offering and the exercise of the overallotment is in total about $100m. The company intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for acquisitions and general corporate purposes, including working capital. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and DNB Markets, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers. In addition, Global Hunter Securities, LLC is acting as a co-manager for the initial public offering.

Nordic American Offshore Ltd. says it has priced its initial public offering of 5,882,352 common shares at $16.00 per share. The Company adds that it has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 882,352 additional common shares to cover over-allotments. The net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $86,970,574. If the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional common shares to cover over-allotments is exercised in full this would increase the net proceeds by approximately $13,270,574. The Company explains that it intends to use the net proceeds to purchase two newbuilding platform supply vessels ("PSVs") and for other acquisitions and general corporate purposes, including working capital.

Long-range clean tanker rates rallied on Wednesday as buoyant demand for cargoes reduced vessel availability with expectations of further gains. Long Range 1 tankers, carrying 55,000 tonne loads from the Middle East Gulf (MEG) to Japan, reached W111.64 in the Worldscale measure, or $9,721 a day when translated into average earnings, its highest since mid December last year. That compared with W109.28 or $8,920 a day on Tuesday and W102.86 or $6,779 a day last Wednesday. Larger Long Range 2 or LR2…

Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT) informs that its offering of 12,000,000 common shares, at a public offering price of $8.62 per share, was exercised in full by underwriters, and in accordance with the option granted to them by the Company they purchased an additional 1,800,000 common shares on the same terms. NAT also says that the closing of the follow-on offering and the closing of the option to purchase additional shares took place simultaneously. Morgan Stanley & Co.

Nordic American Tankers Limited announced today that, in connection with its previously announced public offering of 12,000,000 common shares at a public offering price of $8.62 per share, the underwriters exercised in full the option granted to them by the company and purchased an additional 1,800,000 common shares on the same terms on which the 12,000,000 common shares were sold to the underwriters. The company also announced that the closing of the follow-on offering and the closing of the option to purchase additional shares took place simultaneously today.

Greece-based chemical transportation company Stalwart Tankers Inc has postponed its U.S. IPO plans due to "market conditions," an underwriter told Reuters. The company filed with U.S. regulators in February to raise up to $100 million in an IPO of its common stock. Stalwart Tankers later said it expected to price its IPO of 12.5 million common shares at between $11 and $13 per share. The decision to postpone the IPO comes on the heels of Greece returning to the bond market on Thursday…

Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT) today announced an underwritten public offering of 10 million common shares pursuant to the company's effective shelf registration statement. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as the bookrunning manager for the offering and Global Hunter Securities, LLC is acting as co-manager of the offering. NAT also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional common shares representing up to 15% of the offered shares. The investors participating in this offering are entitled to a dividend of $0.23 per share. This dividend was announced April 2, 2014 and is payable to shareholders of record as of May 15, 2014.

Independent full service investment bank & institutional broker dealer, MLV & Co inform that Natasha Boyden has joined the firm to captain the launch of a new research vertical focused on Marine Transportation and Shipping. She will work out of the New York office. "As MLV & Co continues to grow and make strategic decisions to diversify our research platform, we aim to recruit top-tier talent and respected industry leaders to lead these initiatives," said Patrice McNicoll, CEO and founding partner of MLV & Co. "There is a significant amount of synergy that Natasha's experience and tested industry knowledge will create for us at MLV & Co, especially as we focus on new opportunities in the Energy, Infrastructure, and Natural Resources sectors," said Dean Colucci, President of MLV& Co.

Scorpio Bulkers Inc. say it has increased the size of its public offering from the initially announced 15,500,000 common shares to 31,300,000 common shares for gross proceeds of $305,175,000. The Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 4,695,000 additional common shares, and they say they plan to use all of the net proceeds of this offering to fund newbuilding vessel capital expenditures. Scorpio Bulkers has contracted and agreed to purchase 28 Ultramax…

The bulk ship owners announce its initial public offering of 15,500,000 common shares, granting the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,325,000 additional common shares. Scorpio say that the net proceeds of this public offering are expected to be used to fund newbuilding vessel capital expenditures, including capital expenditures related to the Company's initial fleet, and for general corporate purposes, including working capital. They add that on December 2, 2013…

Monaco-based Scorpio Tankers Inc.intends to offer and sell 20,000,000 shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. The net proceeds of this offering are expected to be used for product tanker vessel and LPG carrier acquisitions, working capital and other general corporate purposes. UBS Securities LLC is acting as sole book-running manager in the offering, RS Platou Markets AS is acting as Joint Lead Manager and Global Hunter Securities, LLC is acting as Co-Manager. The Company also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock representing 15% of the offered shares. A prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the U.S.

Box Ships Inc. (NYSE:TEU) intends to offer shares of its newly designated Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares in an underwritten public offering. The public offering price and other terms of the Series C Preferred Stock are to be determined by negotiations between the Company and the underwriters. The Company also plans to grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase additional shares of Series C Preferred Stock on the same terms and conditions to cover over-allotments, if any.

StealthGas Inc., has increased the size of its stock offering, & will sell 10-million shares at $10 each using the proceeds towards purchase of 5 ships. The gross proceeds from the offering before the underwriting discount and other offering expenses are $100,000,000. An entity controlled by the family of the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer has agreed to purchase 500,000 of the shares sold in the offering. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 shares of common stock. The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offering to partially fund the acquisition of five vessels…

StealthGas Inc. announced an underwritten public offering of 8,000,000 shares of its common stock pursuant to the Company's effective shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. An entity controlled by the family of the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer has indicated its intention to purchase approximately 5% of the shares offered in the offering. In connection with the offering, the Company intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,200,000 additional shares of its common stock. The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offering to partially fund the acquisition of five vessels…

Greece-based Box Ships Inc. intends to offer $25,000,000 of its common shares in an underwritten public offering. The net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used by the Company for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of debt and the acquisition of vessels. The Company intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional $3,750,000 of its common shares to cover over-allotments, if any. This offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus. A prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and will be available on the SEC's website located at www.sec.gov .