Hong
Kong, China, October 20, 2006 - Seaspan Corporation (“Seaspan”) (NYSE: SSW)
today announced the delivery of its 18th
contracted vessel, the Rio Grande Express. The 4250 TEU vessel,
which was built
by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., was delivered approximately
three weeks
ahead of its contractual delivery date.
The
Rio
Grande Express is the sixth of nine Seaspan vessels to be chartered
to
Hapag-Lloyd USA.
“We
are
very pleased to add the Rio Grande Express to our operating fleet,” said Gerry
Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan. “Its early delivery gives us 18
vessels in operation and will have a positive impact on our financial
performance.”
About
Seaspan
Seaspan
owns containerships and charters them pursuant to long-term fixed-rate
charters.
Seaspan’s fleet of 41 containerships consists of 18 existing containerships
and
23 to be delivered over approximately the next three years.
Seaspan’s
common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol
“SSW.”
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CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
release contains certain forward-looking statements (as such term
is defined in
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended)
concerning
future events and our operations, performance and financial condition,
including, in particular, the likelihood of our success in developing
and
expanding our business. Statements that are predictive in nature,
that depend
upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words
such as
“expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,”
“projects,” “forecasts,” “will,” “may,” “potential,” “should,” and similar
expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements
reflect management’s current views only as of the date of this presentation and
are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. As
a result, you
are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements appear in a number of places in this release. Although
these
statements are based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable
based upon
available information, including operating margins, earnings, cash
flow, working
capital and capital expenditures, they are subject to risks and
uncertainties.
These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:
future operating
or financial results; our expectations relating to dividend payments
and
forecasts of our ability to make such payments; pending acquisitions,
business
strategy and expected capital spending; operating expenses, availability
of
crew, number of off-hire days, drydocking requirements and insurance
costs;
general market conditions and shipping market trends, including
charter rates
and factors affecting supply and demand; our financial condition
and liquidity,
including our ability to obtain additional financing in the future
to fund
capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate
activities;
estimated future capital expenditures needed to preserve our capital
base; our
expectations about the availability of ships to purchase, the time
that it may
take to construct new ships, or the useful lives of our ships;
our continued
ability to enter into long-term, fixed-rate time charters with
our customers;
our ability to leverage to our advantage our Manager’s relationships and
reputation in the containership industry; changes in governmental
rules and
regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities; changes
in worldwide
container demand; changes in trading patterns; competitive factors
in the
markets in which we operate; potential inability to implement our
growth
strategy; potential for early termination of long-term contracts
and our
potential inability to renew or replace long-term contracts; ability
of our
customers to make charter payments; potential liability from future
litigation;
conditions in the public equity markets; and other factors detailed
from time to
time in our periodic reports. We expressly disclaim any obligation
to update or
revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether because
of future
events, new information, a change in our views or expectations,
or otherwise. We
make no prediction or statement about the performance of our common
and
subordinated shares.
For
Investor Relations and Media Inquiries:
Mr.
Kevin
M. Kennedy
Chief
Financial Officer
Seaspan
Corporation
Tel.
604-638-2575
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