“I am so happy with the recommendation of GSL-PB from the October 2016 issue. Can you recommend some others with similar characteristics?” — Guido S. This email arrived last week. And the timing was fortuitous, since I already had my eye on other opportunities within the shipping sector. GSL-PB is a preferred stock issued by Global Ship Lease (NYSE: GSL), which owns a fleet of 18 mid-sized containerships. These vessels are leased to established shipping lines under fixed charter contracts. The fleet currently has a perfect utilization rate of 100%. And just to give you an idea of what these… Read More
“I am so happy with the recommendation of GSL-PB from the October 2016 issue. Can you recommend some others with similar characteristics?” — Guido S. This email arrived last week. And the timing was fortuitous, since I already had my eye on other opportunities within the shipping sector. GSL-PB is a preferred stock issued by Global Ship Lease (NYSE: GSL), which owns a fleet of 18 mid-sized containerships. These vessels are leased to established shipping lines under fixed charter contracts. The fleet currently has a perfect utilization rate of 100%. And just to give you an idea of what these vessels earn at sea, the flagship CMA-CGM Thalassa (a 1,137-foot leviathan equipped to carry more than 11,000 20-foot containers) was booked at a rate of $47,200 per day, while operating costs (mostly crew wages) total just $6,500 per vessel per day. In September 2016, I was able to scoop up GSL-PB at an attractive price nearly 25% below face value, a discount that has since narrowed to just 3% thanks to improving fundamentals in the mid-size containership industry. The supply/demand balance for shipping along many trade routes has tightened, driving rates upward. —Recommended Link— This Will… Read More