Diana Shipping Inc. Announces Direct Continuation of Time Charter Contract for m/v Newport News With Koch

ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, today announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore, for one of its Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Newport News. The gross charter rate is US$28,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum July 1, 2023 up to maximum September 30, 2023. The new charter period is expected to commence on December 16, 2021. The m/v Newport News is currently chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of US$18,400 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties.

The “Newport News” is a 208,021 dwt Newcastlemax dry bulk vessel built in 2017.

The employment of “Newport News” is anticipated to generate approximately US$15.57 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

Diana Shipping Inc.’s fleet currently consists of 33 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 11 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 8 Panamax). The Company also expects to take delivery of one Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel and one new-building Capesize dry bulk vessel by the end of February 2022 and by the end of the first quarter of 2022, respectively. As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Company’s fleet, excluding the two vessels not yet delivered, is approximately 4.3 million dwt with a weighted average age of 10.28 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.