Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, has agreed through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary to extend the present time charter contract with Glencore Agriculture B.V., Rotterdam, for one of its Kamsarmax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Astarte, the shipping company said in a press release.
The gross charter rate is US$14,250 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum fourteen (14) months to maximum seventeen (17) months. The new charter period commenced yesterday. The m/v Astarte was chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of US$9,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties.
The “Astarte” is a 81,513 dwt Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel built in 2013.
The employment extension of “Astarte” is anticipated to generate approximately US$5.99 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter extension.
About the Company
Diana Shipping Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of dry bulk vessels. The Company’s vessels are employed primarily on medium to long-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. Diana Shipping Inc.’s fleet currently consists of 50 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 14 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 22 Panamax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Company’s fleet is approximately 5.8 million dwt with a weighted average age of 9.15 years.