ATHENS, Greece, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Box Ships Inc., (NYSE: TEU), or the Company, a global shipping company specializing in the transportation of containers, today announced dividend guidance for the Company's fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011 and fiscal year ending December 31, 2012.
Consistent with the Company's policy of paying quarterly dividends in amounts equal to substantially all of its operating cash flow less any amounts required to pay cash expenses and capital expenditures, service its debt and maintain reserves for drydocking, surveys and other purposes as its board of directors may from time to time determine, the Company currently anticipates paying dividends with respect to the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 in line with the $0.30 per share dividend paid with respect to the third quarter of 2011. The Company currently anticipates paying aggregate dividends with respect to the four calendar quarters of 2012 equal to approximately $1.00 per share, assuming (i) drydockings of two of the Company's vessels during the second quarter of 2012 for the anticipated period of time and resulting off-hire days and expense; (ii) the continued performance of the Company's current time charters and no unexpected off-hire periods; (iii) that the Company does not incur any unanticipated extraordinary cash expenses such as vessel repairs, mandated upgrades or modifications or other liabilities not covered by cash reserves established from time to time by the board of directors, (iv) no material changes in vessel operating or financing expenses; and (v) the renewal of two of the Company's existing time charters upon their expiration in 2012 at rates consistent with the Company's current expectations for the charter market at such time.
The declaration and payment of any dividend will be determined at the sole discretion of the Company's board of directors. We cannot assure you that we will pay quarterly dividends in the amount stated above or at all during 2012, and our ability to pay dividends will be subject to the restrictions in our loan agreements, the provisions of Marshall Islands law and other factors to be considered by our board of directors.
About Box Ships Inc.
Box Ships Inc. is an Athens, Greece-based international shipping company specializing in the transportation of containers. The Company's current fleet consists of seven containerships with a total carrying capacity of 33,237 TEU and a weighted-average age of 4.1 years. The company's shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TEU."
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statement
Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.
The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.
In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for container shipping capacity, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
Contacts
Box Ships Inc.
[email protected]
Allen & Caron Inc.
Michael Mason (Investors)
[email protected]
(212) 691-8087
Len Hall (Media)
[email protected]
(949) 474-4300
SOURCE Box Ships Inc.
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