Diana Shipping Inc. Announces Signing of a Supplemental Agreement With BNP Paribas for a 2.5 Year Extension of the Maturity of the Existing Facility With the Bank; Announces the Sale of a Panamax Dry Bulk Vessel, the m/v Arethusa

ATHENS, Greece, June 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, today announced that on June 29, 2020, it signed, through two wholly-owned subsidiaries owning the m/v G. P. Zafirakis and m/v P. S. Palios, a supplemental agreement to the existing secured loan agreement with BNP Paribas, to extend by 2.5 years the maturity of the existing secured loan facility until May 19, 2024.

The Company also announced that today it signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party, the 2007-built vessel “Arethusa”, with delivery to the buyer latest by August 31, 2020, for a sale price of US$7.85 million before commissions.

Upon completion of the aforementioned sale, Diana Shipping Inc.’s fleet will consist of 40 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 13 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 13 Panamax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Company’s fleet, including the m/v Arethusa, is approximately 5.1 million dwt with a weighted average age of 9.79 years. A table describing the current Diana Shipping Inc. fleet can be found on the Company’s website, www.dianashippinginc.com. Information contained on the Company’s website does not constitute a part of this press release.

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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. 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. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.