ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TOP Ships Inc.
(Nasdaq: TOPS) announced today that it has entered into agreements to
terminate its bareboat charters for four Suezmax tankers, the Priceless
(DWT 154,970, built 1991), the Flawless (DWT 154,970, built 1991), the
Stopless (DWT 154,970, built 1991) and the Timeless (DWT 154,970, built 1991)
and one Handymax tanker, the Sovereign (DWT 47,071, built 1992), in connection
with the sale of these vessels by their owners to third parties.
The Suezmax charters are expected to be terminated by the end of September
of 2008 upon sale of the vessels from their owners to third parties. The
Handymax lease is expected to be terminated by August 20, 2008 upon sale of
the vessel from its owner to third parties.
The aggregate unamortized portion of the deferred gain from the original
sales of approximately $13.3 million is expected to be recognized in the third
quarter of 2008. Moreover, the Company will receive the amount of
approximately $11.3 million in cash, which represents the partial redemption
of the initial seller's credit agreement with the lessors of the four
Suezmaxes.
About TOP Ships Inc.
TOP Ships Inc., formerly known as TOP Tankers Inc., is an international
provider of worldwide seaborne crude oil and petroleum products and drybulk
transportation services. Upon delivery of the remaining suezmaxes to their new
owners, the Company will operate a combined tanker and drybulk fleet as
follows:
-- A fleet of seven double-hull Handymax tankers, with a total carrying
capacity of approximately 0.3 million dwt, of which 58% are sister ships. All
of the Company's Handymaxes will be on time charter contracts with an average
term of two years with all of the time charters including profit sharing
agreements above their base rates.
-- Six newbuilding product tankers, which are expected to be delivered in
the first half of 2009. All the expected newbuildings have fixed rate bareboat
employment agreements for periods between seven and ten years.
-- a fleet of five drybulk vessels with a total carrying capacity of
approximately 0.3 million dwt, of which 70% are sister ships. All of the
Company's drybulk vessels have fixed rate employment contracts for an average
period of 30 months.
Forward Looking Statement
Certain statements and information included in this release constitute
'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Federal Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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.