EuroDry Ltd., an owner and operator of drybulk vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk cargoes, announced today that it has agreed to acquire M/V Asia Ruby II, a 62,996 dwt drybulk vessel built in 2014, for $24.5 million. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the Company within late September / early October 2021 and will be renamed M/V Good Heart. The acquisition will be financed by own funds and a bank loan.
Aristides Pittas, Chairman and CEO of EuroDry commented: “We are pleased to announce the acquisition of M/V Asia Ruby II, an Ultramax, drybulk carrier built in 2014. This acquisition further expands our modern fleet cluster at a time when the market fundamentals are very supportive of charter rates. At current market rates, we expect that M/V Ruby II will make a significant contribution to our net income and EBITDA. As we stated recently, we believe that a number of factors constraining vessel supply in the near term combined with one of the lowest orderbook levels ever and a healthy demand growth are likely to result in strong rates for drybulk vessels well into 2022 and beyond. This acquisition allows us to better position ourselves to take advantage of such developments. Furthermore, the modernization and growth of our fleet further increases our stature as a public company enhancing the value of our public listing.”
EuroDry Ltd. was formed on January 8, 2018 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to consolidate the drybulk fleet of Euroseas Ltd. into a separate listed public company. EuroDry was spun-off from Euroseas Ltd on May 30, 2018; it trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker EDRY. EuroDry operates in the dry cargo, drybulk shipping market. EuroDry’s operations are managed by Eurobulk Ltd., an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified affiliated ship management company and Eurobulk (Far East) Ltd. Inc., which are responsible for the day-to-day commercial and technical management and operations of the vessels. EuroDry employs its vessels on spot and period charters and under pool agreements.After the delivery of M/V Good Heart, the Company will have a fleet of 9 vessels, including 5 Panamax drybulk carriers, 2 Ultramax drybulk carrier and 2 Kamsarmax drybulk carriers. EuroDry’s 9 drybulk carriers have a total cargo capacity of 668,631 dwt.
Source: EuroDry Ltd.