Genco Shipping & Trading Limited (NASDAQ: GSTL) today announced that the Company has agreed to acquire three drybulk vessels from affiliates of Franco Compania Naviera S.A., for an aggregate purchase price of $81.25 million. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and the vessels are expected to be delivered between August and November of 2006.
Genco is to finance the acquisition of the three vessels through borrowings on its $550 million revolving credit facility. The three vessels to be acquired are: the Anita, a 1999 Japanese-built Panamax vessel to be renamed the Genco Acheron; the Koby, a 1998 Japanese-built Panamax vessel to be renamed the Genco Surprise; and the Paige, a 1994 Japanese-built Handymax vessel to be renamed the Genco Commander. With the addition of the three vessels, Genco’s fleet will consist of seven Panamax, eight Handymax, and five Handysize drybulk carriers, with a total carrying capacity of approximately 1,029,000 dwt and an average age of nine years.