Hong
Kong, China, November 20, 2006 - Seaspan Corporation (“Seaspan”) (NYSE: SSW)
announced today the delivery of its 21st
vessel,
the Maersk Matane, a 4800 TEU containership built in 1989. The vessel
was
purchased from A.P. Moller Maersk A/S (“APMM”) and will be time chartered back
to APMM for five years from delivery. APMM has options to extend the
charter by
up to four years from the end of the firm charter period.
The
Maersk Matane, formerly named the Margarethe Maersk, is the second of
four
sister vessels to be purchased from and chartered back to APMM.
“We
are
pleased to add the Maersk Matane to our fleet at this time,” said Gerry Wang,
Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan. “The cash flow from the vessel and her
sisters will help support the previously announced increased dividend
we expect
to pay next quarter.”
About
Seaspan
Seaspan
owns containerships and charters them pursuant to long-term fixed-rate
charters.
Seaspan’s fleet of 41 containerships consists of 21 existing containerships and
20 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.”
-more-
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
-end-