ATHENS, Greece, June 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership and bareboat charter-in of dry bulk vessels, today announced the pricing of a US$150 million private placement of senior unsecured bonds maturing in July 2029 and callable beginning three years after issuance. The bond offering was priced with a U.S. dollar fixed-rate coupon of 8.75%. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears in January and July of each year. The Company will apply for listing of the bonds on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The offering is expected to close on July 2, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.
The net proceeds from the bonds shall be used to refinance all of the Company’s existing US$125 million senior unsecured bond due 2026 with ISIN NO0011021974 (“DIASH02”), and for general corporate purposes.
Important Information
The bonds offered as described in this press release have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the securities laws of any state of the United States or other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements under the Securities Act or any state or other jurisdiction’s securities laws. The bonds will be sold only to persons that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in the United States in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to persons outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities, in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
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, Company management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Company’s records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Company’s control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.
In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Company’s view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the outcome of the Company’s potential Bond issuance to which this press release relates, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Company’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Company’s vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, 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, including risks associated with the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, including the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
