Seaspan Corporation - Form 6-K - Prepared By TNT Filings Inc.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


Form 6-K

 


REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-16 OR 15D-16

UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report: February 19, 2008

Commission File Number 1-32591

 


SEASPAN CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

 


Unit 2, 7th Floor, Bupa Centre

141 Connaught Road West

Hong Kong

China

(Address of principal executive office)

 


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.     Form 20-F  x    Form 40-F  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-I Rule 101 (b)(1).    Yes  ¨    No   x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101 (b)(7).    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ¨    No  x

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-.

 

 


Item 1 – Information Contained in this Form 6-K Report

Attached as Exhibit I is a copy of an announcement of Seaspan Corporation dated February 19, 2008.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

         
    SEASPAN CORPORATION
Date: February 19, 2008   By:  

/s/ Sai W. Chu

        Sai W. Chu
        Chief Financial Officer

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Exhibit I

     
  Seaspan Corporation
Unit 2, 7th Floor, Bupa Centre
141 Connaught Road West
Hong Kong, China

c/o 2600 – 200 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6C 1S4
Tel: 604-638-2575
Fax: 604-648-9782
www.seaspancorp.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEASPAN REPORTS FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR QUARTER
AND YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007

Company's Strong Growth Leads to Record Revenue and Cash Available for Distribution for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007

Hong Kong, China, February 19, 2008 – Seaspan Corporation (NYSE: SSW) announced today the financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007.

Fourth Quarter 2007 and Year-to-Date Highlights

__________________________________
1 Cash available for distribution is a non-GAAP measure that represents net earnings (loss) adjusted for depreciation, non-cash interest expense, amortization of deferred charges, write-off on debt refinancing, non-cash undrawn credit facility fees, non-cash share-based compensation, dry-dock adjustment, and the change in fair value of financial instruments. Please read "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2007 – Description of Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Cash Available for Distribution" on page 12 for a description of Cash Available for Distribution and a reconciliation of net earnings to Cash Available for Distribution.

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Gerry Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan, stated, "our strong results for the fourth quarter and full year 2007 is testimony to the considerable success we achieved in executing our growth plan and enhancing our leading industry position for the benefit of our shareholders. Consistent with our vision to become the world's leading container ship leasing company, we increased our cash available for distribution to $114.4 million in 2007 during a time when we further strengthened Seaspan's position for future growth. Specifically, we took delivery of six container newbuildings last year, including the remaining four vessels from our original IPO fleet. Second, we substantially expanded our contracted fleet to 68 container ships through five transactions totaling 27 newbuildings to be delivered over the next three years. Third, we raised more than $2.0 billion in debt and equity financings under favorable terms over the past months to support our growth initiatives. And fourth, we increased our quarterly dividend for the second time since our IPO in August 2005. Since going public with our initial contracted fleet, we have grown our modern, world-class fleet by 243% on a TEU basis to more than 401,000 TEU through accretive acquisitions that met our strict return criteria. During this time, we have increased our secured revenue stream to more than $7.1 billion by locking up all of our vessels on long-term time charters with high credit quality, publicly traded liner operators ."

__________________________________
2 Normalized net earnings and normalized earnings per share are non-GAAP measures that are adjusted for non-cash items such as the change in fair value of financial instruments and write-off on debt refinancing. Please read "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2007 – Description of Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Normalized Net Earnings and Normalized Earnings per Share" on page 13 for a description of Normalized Net Earnings and a reconciliation of net earnings to normalized net earnings.

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Mr. Wang added, "As we continued to capitalize on management's prudent and opportunistic approach to significantly expand Seaspan's earnings power, we remained focused on maintaining Seaspan's strong financial position. Since our IPO, we have successfully raised approximately $5 billion in debt and equity financings to fund our robust growth. We believe our ability to raise funds amid challenging market conditions while achieving our low cost of capital is a key differentiator for Seaspan. Currently, we have more than $1.0 billion in potential available debt capacity, which bodes well for Seaspan to continue to grow its fleet on an accretive basis as we distribute sizeable and growing dividends to our shareholders."

Fourth Quarter 2007 and Year-to-Date Financial Summary:

  Quarter ended December 31,   Year ended December 31,
      Change       Change
  2007 2006 $ %   2007 2006 $ %
Reported net earnings (loss) $ (20,032)

$10,522

(30,554) (290.4%)

 

$ (10,408)

$ 37,088

(47,496) (128.1%)
Normalized net earnings2

17,541

11,066

6,475

58.5%

 

62,592

37,996

24,596

64.7%

Earnings (loss) per share (0.35)

0.25

(0.60)

(240.0%)

 

(0.20)

0.98

(1.18)

(120.4%)

Normalized earnings per share2

0.31

0.26

0.05

19.2%

 

1.18

1.01

0.17

16.8%

Results for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2007:

Revenue

Revenue increased by 53.9%, or $19.3 million, to $55.0 million for the quarter, from $35.7 million for the comparable quarter last year. The increase was mainly the result of the six vessels delivered during 2007. Expressed in vessel operating days, Seaspan's primary revenue driver, these six vessels contributed $13.1 million in revenue or 552 of the 2,652 operating days in the quarter.

Quarter ended December 31,

Year ended December 31,

      Increase       Increase
  2007 2006 Days %   2007 2006 Days %
Operating days 2,652 1,821 831 45.6 %   9,731 6,057 3,674 60.7 %
Ownership days 2,668 1,820 848 46.6 %   9,829 6,119 3,710 60.6 %

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Operating days increased by 45.6% or 831 days to 2,652 days in the fourth quarter from 1,821 operating days in the comparable quarter last year. There was no significant unscheduled off-hire during the fourth quarter of 2007.

For the year ended December 31, 2007, revenue increased by 68.1%, or $80.7 million, to $199.2 million, compared with $118.5 million for 2006, which was primarily due to the addition to Seaspan's fleet of six vessels and a full year of operations for the ten vessels delivered in 2006. The delivery of these six vessels contributed 1,433 of the 9,731, operating days which increased revenue by $33.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2007.

We incurred 16 days of off-hire for the quarter, which impacted revenue by $0.3 million. This was due mainly to the scheduled special survey in the quarter. We incurred 98 days of off-hire for the year, which impacted revenue by $2.1 million. Accordingly, vessel utilization was 99.4% for the quarter ended December 31, 2007, compared to 100.1% for the same quarter in 2006 and was consistent at 99.0% for the year compared to last year.

Ship Operating Expense

Ship operating expense increased by 55.7%, or $4.6 million, to $12.9 million in the quarter, from $8.3 million in the comparable prior year's quarter. The increase was due to the addition to Seaspan's fleet of six vessels, which are based on fixed daily operating rates for each vessel. Stated in ownership days, our primary driver for ship operating expense, these six deliveries contributed 552 of 2,668 and 1,434 of 9,829 ownership days, respectively, for the quarter and the year.

For the year ended December 31, 2007, ship operating expense increased by 65.7% or $18.3 million, to $46.2 million this year as compared to $27.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. Again, this was due to the six deliveries and the ten vessels delivered in 2006.

Depreciation

Depreciation increased by 65.4%, or $5.4 million, to $13.7 million in the quarter from $8.3 million for the comparable prior year's quarter. The increase was due to the six vessels added to Seaspan's fleet and the increase in number of ownership days.

For the year ended December 31, 2007, depreciation increased by 86.6%, or $23.3 million, to $50.2 million as compared to $26.9 million for the same period in 2006. This was mainly due to the increase in number of ownership days for the six vessels delivered in 2007 and a full year of amortization for the ten vessels delivered during 2006.

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General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased by 7.2%, or $0.1 million, to $1.8 million in the fourth quarter, from $1.9 million in the comparable quarter in 2006.

For the year ended December 31, 2007, general and administrative expenses increased by 22.3%, or $1.1 million, to $6.0 million as compared to $4.9 million for 2006. This increase is primarily due to increased costs to support Seaspan's growth initiatives through strategic planning and investor relation activitiess. The increase is also due to $0.3 million increase in share based compensation expense that reflected an increase in the share price on a year over year basis.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $8.4 million for the fourth quarter and $34.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 as compared with $6.1 million and $17.6 million for the comparable quarter in 2006 and the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was due to the additional funds drawn under Seaspan's operating credit facility to fund the six new operating vessels delivered during 2007 and the full year of operation for the ten vessels delivered in 2006.

Write-off on Debt Refinancing

As a result of the amendment of our $1.0 billion credit agreement, Seaspan wrote-off $0.6 million of unamortized financing fees, a non-cash charge, during the year ended December 31, 2007.

Change in Fair Value of Financial Instruments

During the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007, the loss from the change in fair value of financial instruments was $37.6 million and $72.4 million, respectively, as compared to losses of $0.5 million and $0.9 million, respectively, for the comparable periods in the prior year. The change in fair value of financial instruments is included in other expenses, which is not part of operating earnings and has no cash impact. The financial instruments consist entirely of fixed interest rate swaps that Seaspan enters into to lock in the return on its acquisitions and provide predictable long term cash earnings and distributions to its shareholders.

Cash Available for Distribution1

During the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007, Seaspan generated $31.9 million and $114.4 million, respectively, of cash available for distribution,1 as compared to $23.5 million and $68.0 million for the comparative periods in 2006. This represents an increase of $8.4 million, or 35.9%, and $46.4 million, or 68.2%, for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007 as compared to the same periods in 2006 due to delivery of new vessels.

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Dividend Declared:

For the quarter ended December 31, 2007, Seaspan declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.475, representing a total cash distribution of $27.4 million. The cash dividend was paid on February 15, 2008 to all shareholders of record as of February 1, 2008. Mr. Wang concluded, "Based on our performance in the application of our high-return, low-risk business strategy, we are pleased to once again increase our quarterly payout. Building upon our initial dividend increase of 5% in January 2007, our fourth quarter dividend of $0.475 per share represents an increase of 6.4% from our previous quarterly payout. Since going public, we have declared cumulative dividends of $4.19 per share. As we continue to increase our cash available for distribution through the delivery of our 39 newbuildings currently under construction, six of which are scheduled to be delivered in 2008, we remain committed to our goal of further increasing our dividend."

Fleet Utilization:

Seaspan's fleet was utilized 99.4% and 99.0% for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007 respectively compared to 100.1 % and 99.0% for the comparable periods in the prior year. There was no material unscheduled off-hire during the quarter.

The following tables summarize vessel utilization and the impact of the off-hire time incurred for special surveys and vessel repairs on Seaspan's revenues for the fourth quarter:

 

Fourth Quarter

Third Quarter

Second Quarter

First Quarter

Year to Date

 

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vessel Utilization:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ownership Days

2,668

1,820

2,660

1,553

2,405

1,450

2,096

1,296

9,829

6,119

Less Off-hire Days:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scheduled 5-Year Survey

(14)

1

(28)

-

-

-

(33)

(20)

(75)

(19)

Incremental Due to Rudder Horn Repair

-

-

-

-

-

-

(9)

(17)

(9)

(17)

Grounding

-

-

-

-

-

(24)

-

-

-

(24)

Other

(2)

-

(10)

(2)

(1)

-

(1)

-

(14)

(2)

Operating Days

2,652

1,821

2,622

1,551

2,404

1,426

2,053

1,259

9,731

6,057

Vessel Utilization

99.4%

100.1%

98.6%

99.9%

100.0%

98.3%

97.9%

97.1%

99.0%

99.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Quarter

Third Quarter

Second Quarter

First Quarter

Year to Date

 

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

2007

2006

 

Revenue (in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue — Impact of Off-Hire:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100% Utilization

55,307

35,698

55,041

30,174

48,920

28,267

42,085

25,470

201,353

119,609

Less Off-hire:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scheduled 5-Year Survey

(289)

30

(664)

-

-

-

(694)

(360)

(1,647)

(330)

Incremental Due to Rudder Horn Repair

-

-

-

-

-

-

(171)

(303)

(171)

(303)

Grounding

-

-

-

-

-

(438)

-

-

-

(438)

Other(3)

(54)

(8)

(210)

(41)

(44)

-

8

-

(300)

(49)

Actual Revenue Earned

54,964

35,720

54,167

30,133

48,876

27,829

41,228

24,807

199,235

118,489

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(3) Other includes charterer deductions that are not related to off-hire.

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The following table summarizes the number of vessels in Seaspan's fleet as it takes scheduled delivery:

 

 

Forecasted

TEU Vessel Size

As of December 31, 2007

Year Ending December 31,

Class

Actual

2008

2009

2010

2011

13100

13092

8

9600

9580

2

2

2

2

2

8500

8468

2

2

4

10

10

5100

5087

4

4

4

4800

4809

4

4

4

4

4

4500

4520

2

5

4250

4253

19

19

23

23

23

3500

3534

2

2

2

2

2

2500

2546

6

8

10

10

Operating Vessels


29

35

47

57

68

Actual Capacity (TEU)


143,207

158,483

217,871

282,811

401,107

About Seaspan

Seaspan owns containerships and charters them pursuant to long-term fixed-rate charters. Seaspan's contracted fleet of 68 container ships consists of 29 container ships in operation and 39 container ships to be delivered over approximately the next 4 years. Seaspan's operating fleet of 29 vessels has an average age of approximately 5 years and an average remaining charter period of approximately 8 years. All of the 39 vessels that Seaspan has contracted to purchase are already committed to long-term time charters averaging approximately 11 years in duration from delivery. Seaspan's customer base consists of seven of the world's largest publicly traded liner companies, including China Shipping Container Lines, A.P. Moller-Maersk, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Hapag-Lloyd, COSCO Container Lines, K-Line and CSAV.

Seaspan's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SSW".

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Conference Call and Webcast

Seaspan will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2007 on Tuesday February 19, 2008, at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET. Participants should call 877-419-6600 (US/Canada) or 719-325-4937 (international) and request the Seaspan call. A telephonic replay will be available for anyone unable to participate in the live call. To access the replay, call 888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820 and enter replay passcode 6413332. The recording will be available from February 19, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET through to March 4, 2008 at 8:59 p.m. PT / 11:59 p.m. ET. A live broadcast of the earnings conference call will also be available via the Internet at www.seaspancorp.com in the Investor Relations section under Events and Presentations. The webcast will be archived on the site for one year.

 

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SEASPAN CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
AS AT DECEMBER 31, 2007
(IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS)

 

December 31, 2007

 

December 31, 2006

Assets

 

 

 

(As adjusted)(4)
Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

123,134

 

$

92,227

Accounts receivable

 

2,527

 

 

641

Prepaid expenses

 

4,657

 

 

3,787

 

 

130,318

 

 

96,655

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vessels

 

1,493,575

 

 

1,096,648

Deposits on vessels under construction

 

930,678

 

 

102,134

Deferred charges

 

17,240

 

 

7,879

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other assets

 

5,090

 

 

3,189

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

 

 

10,711

 

$

2,576,901

 

$

1,317,216

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$

8,516

 

$

5,607

Deferred revenue

 

7,200

 

 

5,560

 

 

15,716

 

 

11,167

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt (operating vessels)

 

537,152

 

 

464,347

Long-term debt (vessels under construction)

 

802,286

 

 

98,856

Other long-term liability

 

223,804

 

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

135,617

 

 

15,831

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,714,575

 

 

590,201

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Capital

 

575

 

 

475

Additional paid-in capital

 

1,046,412

 

 

748,410

Deficit

 

(122,317)

 

 

(17,658)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(62,344)

 

 

(4,212)
 

 

 

 

 

 

Total shareholders' equity

 

862,326

 

 

727,015

 

$

2,576,901

 

$

1,317,216

(4) Effective January 1, 2007, Seaspan adopted FASB Staff Position ("FSP") AUG AIR-1, Accounting for Planned Major Maintenance Activities, which provides guidance on the accounting for planned major maintenance activities. Previously, Seaspan accounted for dry-dock activities using the Accrue-in-advance method. Seaspan has adopted the deferral method of accounting for dry-dock activities whereby actual costs incurred are deferred and amortized on a straight line basis over the period until the next scheduled dry-dock activity.

Seaspan has applied FSP AUG AIR-1 retrospectively. As a result, certain comparative figures as of December 31, 2006 and for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2006 have been adjusted. The effect of the adjustment is an increase to Seaspan's net earnings of $0.4 million and $1.5 million respectively for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2006. As at December 31, 2006, the effect of the adjustment to Seaspan's balance sheet is an increase in other assets of $1.9 million and a decrease in retained deficit of $1.9 million.

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SEASPAN CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND RETAINED EARNINGS (DEFICIT)
FOR THE QUARTER AND YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007
(IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND NUMBER OF SHARES)

 

Quarter ended

December 31, 2007

Quarter ended

December 31, 2006

Year ended

December 31, 2007

Year  ended

December 31, 2006

 

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

$          54,964

$          35,720

$          199,235

$         118,489

 





Operating expenses:





Ship operating

12,861

8,259

46,174

27,869

Depreciation

13,740

8,308

50,162

26,878

General and administrative

1,752

1,887

6,006

4,911

 

28,353

18,454

102,342

59,658

 





Operating earnings

26,611

17,266

96,893

58,831

 





Other expenses (earnings):





Interest expense

8,392

6,133

34,062

17,594

Interest income

(739)

(1,180)

(4,074)

(1,542)

Undrawn credit facility fees

981

744

3,057

2,803

Amortization of deferred charges

436

503

1,256

1,980

Write-off on debt refinancing

635

Change in fair value of financial instruments

37,573

544

72,365

908

 

46,643

6,744

107,301

21,743

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)(5)

$       (20,032)

$           10,522

$        (10,408)    

$            37,088

 

 

 

 

 

Retained earnings (deficit), beginning of period

(76,608)

(12,872)

(17,658)

6,471

Dividends on common shares

(25,677)

(15,308)

(94,251)

(61,217)

Deficit, end of period

(122,317)

(17,658)

(122,317)

(17,658)

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of shares (in millions)

 

 

 

Basic and Diluted

57.5

42.8

53.0

37.7

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted

$              (0.35)

$               0.24

$            (0.20)

$              0.98

(4) Refer to footnote on page 9

(5) Net earnings (loss) includes the non-cash unrealized loss of $37.6 million and $72.4 million, respectively, for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007, from interest rate swap agreements, which do not represent results from Seaspan's operating earnings

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SEASPAN CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE QUARTER AND YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007
(IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS)

 

Quarter ended

December 31, 2007

Quarter ended

December 31, 2006

Year ended

December 31, 2007

Year  ended

December 31, 2006

 


(As adjusted)(4)


(As adjusted)(4)

Cash provided by (used in):





 





Operating activities:





Net earnings (loss)

$          (20,032)

  $        10,522

$           (10,408)

$        37,088

Items not involving cash:

 

 

 

 

Depreciation

13,740

8,308

50,162

26,878

Stock-based compensation

448

955

1,340

1,182

Amortization of deferred charges

436

503

1,256

1,980

Write-off on debt refinancing

635

Change in fair value of financial instruments

37,573

544

72,365

908

       Change in assets and liabilities

122

5,702

(2,182)

3,327

Cash from operating activities

32,287

26,534

113,168

71,363

 





Financing activities:





Common shares issued, net of share issue costs

(111)

235,114

296,763

235,114

    Draws on credit facilities (operating vessels)

52,000

321,805

341,454

    Draws on credit facilities (vessels under construction)

330,663

63,856

703,430

98,856

Repayment of credit facility

(95,000)

(249,000)


    Other long-term liability

53,106

53,106

    Deferred financing fees incurred

(1,253)

(1,498)

(9,409)

(3,409)

Dividends on common shares

(25,678)

(15,308)

(94,252)

(61,217)

Cash from financing activities

261,727

334,164

1,022,443

610,798

 

 

 

 

 

Investing activities:





Expenditures for operating vessels

73

(274,789)

(447,089)

(502,363)

    Deposits on vessels under construction

(184,387)

(2,124)

(657,380)

(101,974)

Intangible assets

(1,315)

(235)

(1,315)

Cash used in investing activities

(184,314)

(278,228)

(1,104,704)

(605,652)

 





Increase in cash and cash equivalents

109,700

82,470

30,907

76,509

 





Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

13,434

9,757

92,227

15,718

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$        123,134

$        92,227

$        123,134

$        92,227

(4) Refer to footnote on page 9

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11


SEASPAN CORPORATION
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
FOR THE QUARTER AND YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007

(IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS)

Description of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

A. Cash Available for Distribution

Cash available for distribution represents net earnings (loss) adjusted for depreciation, non-cash interest expense, amortization of deferred charges, write-off on debt refinancing, non-cash undrawn credit facility fees, non-cash share-based compensation, dry-dock adjustment, and the change in fair value of financial instruments. Cash available for distribution is a non-GAAP quantitative standard used to assist in evaluating a company's ability to make quarterly cash dividends. Cash available for distribution is not defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and should not be considered as an alternative to net earnings or any other indicator of Seaspan's performance required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Cash available for distribution is a non-GAAP measure used to assist in evaluating a company's overall operating performance because cash available for distribution eliminates the effects of non-cash items that do not impact our operating performance or our ability to distribute cash to our shareholders.

 

Quarter ended

December 31, 2007

Quarter ended

December 31, 2006

Year ended

December 31, 2007

Year ended

December 31, 2006

 

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)

$          (20,032)

   $           10,522

$           (10,408)

$        37,088

Add:

 

 

 

 

Depreciation

13,740

8,308

50,162

26,878

Interest expense

8,392

6,133

34,062

17,594

Amortization of deferred charges

436

503

1,256

1,980

Write-off on debt refinancing

635

Undrawn credit facility fees

981

2,803

3,057

2,803

    Share-based compensation

448

955

1,340

1,182

Change in fair value of financial instruments

37,573

544

72,365

908

Less:

 

 

 

 

Dry-dock adjustment

(698)

(476)

(2,566)

(1,538)

    Interest income

(739)

(1,180)

(4,074)

(1,542)

Net cash flows before cash interest payments

40,101

28,112

145,829

85,353

Less:

 

 

 

 

Cash interest paid on operating vessels

(8,624)

(5,793)

(34,038)

(16,768)

Cash paid for undrawn credit facility fees

(312)

(1,473)

(2,072)

Add:

 

 

 

 

    Cash interest received

722

1,138

4,099

1,500

Cash available for distribution

$           31,887

$          23,457

$          114,417

$           68,013

(4) Refer to footnote on page 9

Seaspan has changed the definition of cash available for distribution for comparative figures to reflect adjustments to the definitions in the current year. The following items are now included as adjustments: undrawn credit facility fees, cash interest paid on operating vessels and cash paid for undrawn credit facility fees.

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12


SEASPAN CORPORATION
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
FOR THE QUARTER AND YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007
(IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND NUMBER OF SHARES)

Description of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

B. Normalized Net Earnings and Normalized Earnings per share

Normalized net earnings represent net earnings (loss) adjusted for non-cash items such as the change in fair value of financial instruments and write-off on debt refinancing. We believe that the presentation of normalized net earnings is useful because investors and securities analysts frequently adjust net earnings for non-cash changes in fair value of financial instruments and other infrequent non-cash items to evaluate companies in our industry. Normalized net earnings are a non-GAAP measure used to assist in evaluating a company's overall operating performance and liquidity because normalized net earnings eliminates the effects of non-cash items that do not impact our operating performance or our ability to distribute cash to our shareholders.

Normalized net earnings is not defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and should not be considered as an alternative to net earnings or any other indicator of Seaspan's performance required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Normalized earnings per share are calculated using the normalized net earnings and weighted average number of shares.

 

Quarter ended

December 31, 2007

Quarter ended

December 31, 2006

Year ended

December 31, 2007

Year ended

December 31, 2006

 

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

(As adjusted)(4)

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)

$          (20,032)

    $         10,522

$           (10,408)

$        37,088

Add:

 


 


    Change in fair value of financial instruments

37,573

544

72,365

908

Write-off on debt refinancing

635

Normalized net earnings

17,541

11,066

62,592

37,996

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of shares (in millions)

 

 

Basic and Diluted

57.5

42.8

53.0

37.7

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted

 

 

 

 

Reported

$              (0.35)

$            0.25

$             (0.20)

$            0.98

 

 

 

 

 

Normalized

$               0.31

$            0.26

$              1.18

$           1.01

(4) Refer to footnote on page 9

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13


STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains certain forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events and our operations, performance and financial condition, including, in particular, the likelihood of our success in developing and expanding our business. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "will," "may," "potential," "should," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views only as of the date of this presentation and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this release. Although these statements are based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable based upon available information, including operating margins, earnings, cash flow, working capital and capital expenditures, they are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: future operating or financial results; our expectations relating to dividend payments and forecasts of our ability to make such payments; pending acquisitions, business strategy and expected capital spending; operating expenses, availability of crew, number of off-hire days, drydocking requirements and insurance costs; general market conditions and shipping market trends, including charter rates and factors affecting supply and demand; our financial condition and liquidity, including our ability to obtain additional financing in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate activities; estimated future capital expenditures needed to preserve our capital base; our expectations about the availability of ships to purchase, the time that it may take to construct new ships, or the useful lives of our ships; our continued ability to enter into long-term, fixed-rate time charters with our customers; our ability to leverage to our advantage Seaspan Management Services Limited's relationships and reputation in the containership industry; changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities; changes in worldwide container demand; changes in trading patterns; competitive factors in the markets in which we operate; potential inability to implement our growth strategy; potential for early termination of long-term contracts and our potential inability to renew or replace long-term contracts; ability of our customers to make charter payments; potential liability from future litigation; conditions in the public equity markets; and other factors detailed from time to time in our periodic reports. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether because of future events, new information, a change in our views or expectations, or otherwise. We make no prediction or statement about the performance of our common and subordinated shares.

For Investor Relations Inquiries:

Mr. Sai W. Chu
Chief Financial Officer
Seaspan Corporation
Tel. 604-638-2575

For Media Inquiries:

Mr. Leon Berman
The IBG Group
Tel. 212-477-8438

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