Castor Maritime Inc. Announces Completion of a $40.75 Million Debt Financing

Rhea-AI Summary

Castor Maritime Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRM) has secured a €40.75 million senior term loan from a European bank, aimed at supporting its growth initiatives. The financing, secured by four dry bulk vessels, has a five-year term and interest set at LIBOR plus 3.10% per annum. Additionally, the company has raised $9.7 million through its At-The-Market offering program by selling 3,563,407 common shares. The announcement reflects Castor's strategy to improve its capital structure while enhancing its operational capabilities in the shipping industry.

Positive

• Secured €40.75 million in financing to support growth plans.
• Improved capital structure by increasing low leverage position.
• Raised $9.7 million from selling common shares.

Negative

• None.

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, July 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Castor Maritime Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRM), (“Castor”, or the “Company”), a diversified global shipping company, announces the closing and drawdown of a $40.75 million senior term loan facility with a European bank (the “$40.75 Million Financing”), through four of its dry bulk vessel shipowning entities. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the $40.75 Million Financing for general corporate purposes, including supporting the Company’s growth plans.

The $40.75 Million Financing has a tenor of five years and bears interest at LIBOR plus 3.10% per annum.

Mr. Petros Panagiotidis, Chief Executive Officer of Castor commented:

“We are happy to announce the closing of this significant new financing, provided by one of our existing lenders and secured by our dry bulk vessels M/V Magic Thunder, M/V Magic Nebula, M/V Magic Eclipse and M/V Magic Twilight. We believe that by increasing our low leverage position, we are improving our capital structure and enhancing our ability to fund our growth plans.

Finally, we announce that under our At-The-Market common stock offering program we have sold to date 3,563,407 common shares raising net proceeds of $9.7 million, with no sales having taken place in July 2021.”

About Castor Maritime Inc.

Castor Maritime Inc. is an international provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of oceangoing cargo vessels.

On a fully delivered basis, Castor will own a fleet of 26 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 2.2 million dwt, consisting of 1 Capesize, 7 Kamsarmax and 10 Panamax dry bulk vessels, as well as 1 Aframax, 5 Aframax/LR2 and 2 MR1 tankers. Where we refer to information on a “fully delivered basis”, we are referring to such information after giving effect to the successful consummation of our recent vessel acquisitions.

For more information please visit the Company’s website at www.castormaritime.com Information on our website does not constitute a part of this press release.

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. We desire to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “project”, “plan”, “potential”, “will”, “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. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 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 general dry bulk and tanker shipping market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values, the strength of world economies the stability of Europe and the Euro, fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange rates, changes in demand in the dry bulk and tanker shipping industry, including the market for our vessels, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking and insurance costs, 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, the length and severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact of public health threats and outbreaks of other highly communicable diseases, the impact of the expected discontinuance of LIBOR after 2021 on interest rates of our debt that reference LIBOR, the availability of financing and refinancing and grow our business, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hire, potential exposure or loss from investment in derivative instruments, potential conflicts of interest involving our Chief Executive Officer, his family and other members of our senior management, and our ability to complete acquisition transactions as planned. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information please contact:

Petros Panagiotidis
Castor Maritime Inc.
Email: ir@castormaritime.com

Media Contact:
Kevin Karlis
Capital Link
Email: castormaritime@capitallink.com

FAQ

What is Castor Maritime Inc.'s recent financing announcement?

Castor Maritime Inc. announced the closing of a €40.75 million senior term loan with a European bank to support its growth strategies.

What is the interest rate on Castor Maritime's new loan?

The interest rate on the new €40.75 million loan is LIBOR plus 3.10% per annum.

How much did Castor Maritime raise from its common stock offering?

Castor Maritime raised $9.7 million by selling 3,563,407 common shares through its At-The-Market offering program.

What are the purposes for the proceeds from the €40.75 million financing?

The proceeds from the financing will be used for general corporate purposes, including supporting the company's growth plans.

How does the new financing affect Castor Maritime's capital structure?

The new financing is expected to enhance Castor Maritime's capital structure by improving its low leverage position.