Seaspan Newbuild & Time Charter

Seaspan Corporation (NYSE:SSW) announced that it purchased and accepted delivery of one 4250 TEU newbuilding vessel for approximately $43m constructed by Zhejiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of China. The company also announced that it is finalizing the terms of a time charter for the vessel with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), a liner company jointly owned by six Arab states. Seaspan expects the time charter to be for a two-year period commencing between July 1, 2010 and July 15, 2010 at a rate in excess of $20,000 per day.

Seaspan funded the purchase of the vessel with existing credit facilities and with equity raised from the sale of $26m of Series B non-convertible perpetual preferred shares issued to Jaccar Holdings Limited, an investor related to Zhejiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The preferred shares are redeemable by the Company at any time and carry an annual dividend rate of 5% of the liquidation value until June 30, 2012, 8% from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, and 10% from July 1, 2013 thereafter.