Capital Product Partners L.P.

Thank you for standing by and welcome to the Capital Product Partners First Quarter 2021 Financial Results Conference call. We have with us Mr. Jerry Calogiratos, Chief Executive Officer of the company. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. There will be a presentation followed by a question and answer session, at which time if you wish to ask a question, you'll need to press star 1 on your telephone. I must advise you this conference is being recorded today, 29th of April 2021. The statements in today's conference call that are not historical facts, including our expectations regarding cash generation, equity returns and future debt levels, our ability to pursue growth opportunities, our expectations or objectives regarding future distribution amounts, capital reserve amounts, employment of our vessels, including re-delivery dates and charter rates, may be forward-looking statements as such as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the stated or forecasted results to be materially different from those anticipated. Unless required by law, 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 to conform to actual results or otherwise. We assume no responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We make no prediction or statement about the performance of our common units. I would now like to hand over to your speaker today, Mr. Kalogiratos. Please go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Sarah, and thank you all for joining us today. As a reminder, we'll be referring to the supporting slides available on our website as we go through today's presentation. The partnerships net income for the first quarter of 2021 was 10.9 million, compared with net income of 6.7 million for the first quarter of 2020. Our Board of Directors has declared a cash distribution of 10 cents per common unit for the first quarter of 2021. The first quarter cash distribution will be paid on May 10th to common unit holders of record on May 3rd. The partnership's operating surplus for the first quarter was 24.5 million, or 14.4 million after the quarterly allocation to the capital reserve. During the quarter, we took delivery of the three 5,000 TU sister container vessels with long-term employment to Hapag-Lloyd, which we agreed to acquire from our sponsor in January 2021. On April 7th, we entered into a memorandum of agreement for the sale of two 9,300 TU containers to an unaffiliated third party for a total consideration of 195 million. Moreover, since the launching of the unit repurchase plan on 17th of February, we repurchased approximately 168,000 common units. Finally, the partnership charter coverage for 2021 and for 2022 stands at 88% respectively, while the remaining charter duration corresponds to 4.1 years. Turning to slide three, revenues for the quarter were 38.1 million compared to 33.7 million during the first quarter of 2020. The increase in revenue was primarily attributable to the increase in the size of our fleet and the decrease in off-hire days as none of our vessels underwent special surveys during the period compared to three vessels that incurred off-hire days in connection with installation of scrubber systems and passing of the special survey during the first quarter of 2020. The increase in revenue was partly set off by the decrease in the average daily charter rate earned by the vessels in our fleet. Total expenses for the quarter were 24.2 million compared to 22.5 million in the first quarter of 2020. Voyage expense for the quarter increased 2.2 million compared to 1.2 million in the first quarter of 2020, as one of the vessels in our fleet was employed under voyage charters compared to none during the respective period in 2020. Total vessel operating expenses during the quarter amounted to 9.2 million compared to 9.9 million during the first quarter of the last year. Operating expenses decreased during the quarter mainly due to costs incurred during the passing of the space surveys of three of our ships in 2020, partly offset by the increase in the size of our fleet. Total expenses for the first quarter of 2021 also include vessel depreciation and amortization of 11.1 million compared to 9.6 million in the first quarter of 2020. The increase in depreciation and amortization during the first quarter of 2021 was mainly attributable to the increase in the size of our fleet and the completion of the special surveys and the installation of scrubber systems in certain of our vessels during 2020. General administrative expenses for the quarter amounted to 1.7 million as compared to 1.8 million in the first quarter of 2020. Interest expense and finance costs decreased by 1.3 million despite the increase in average debt outstanding during the period due to lower LIBOR weighted average interest rate compared to the first quarter of 2020. The partnership recorded net income of 10.9 million compared with net income of 6.7 million for the first quarter of last year. On slide four, you can see the details of our operating surplus calculations that determine the distributions to our unit holders compared to the previous quarter. Operating surplus is a non-GAAP financial measure which is defined fully in our press release. We have generated approximately 24.5 million in cash from operations for the quarter before accounting for the capital reserve. We allocated 10.1 million to the capital reserve, an increase of 0.8 million compared to the previous quarter due to the increased debt amortization resulting from the acquisition of the three 5,100 TU container vessels. After adjusting for the capital reserve, the adjusted operating surplus amounted to 14.4 million. On slide 5, you can see the details of our balance sheet. As of the end of the first quarter, the partners' capital amounted to 430.2 million, an increase of 8.1 million compared to 422.1 million as of year-end 2020. The increase reflects net income for the first quarter and the amortization associated with the equity incentive plan. partly offset by distributions declared unpaid during the period in the total amount of 1.9 million and the repurchase of partnerships common units for an aggregate amount of 1.4. Total debt increased by 26.7 million to 406.4 compared to 379.7 million as of the end of 2020. The increase is attributable to increased indebtedness associated with the acquisition of the three Panamax containers acquired in February 2021 partially offset by scheduled principal payments during the period. Total cash, as of the end of the quarter, amounted to 60.6 million, including restricted cash of 8.5 million, which represents the minimum liquidity requirement under our financing arrangements. Turning to slide six, the partnership's charter coverage for 2021 and for 2022 corresponds to 88% and 80% respectively, while the remaining charter duration amounts to 4.1 years. Looking ahead, following the sale of two of our ships, which we discuss in detail later on, all of our container vessels are under long-term charters with the earliest charter expiration in July 2022. The Cape Agamemnon, our sole dry bulk vessel, continues to trade in the spot market, having earned approximately $15,000 per day for the first quarter of 2021. So far, the opportunistic strategy we have followed for this vessel has paid off, as we have seen recently a material improvement both in terms of the underlying charter market as well as the value of the vessel itself. The Cape Agamemnon is expected to open up again in mid-May for new business, with current market being estimated in the high 30s for an Australia to China round. As previously discussed, we will continue to monitor the dry bulk market closely, as the recent increase in dry bulk asset prices makes the opportunistic divestment of this asset more attractive. On slide seven, we review the container markets. After a strong fourth quarter, the container charter market experienced during the first quarter of 2021 probably the most bullish market of the last 20 years. A standard 8,500 EU container has gone from fixing around $17,000 per day during the second quarter of 2020 to presently above $40,000 per day for a five-year period. This level has not been seen since before the financial crisis of 2008-2009. Underlying the strong improvement in demand, the base case forecast for container vessel demand contraction for 2020 has been revised to minus 1.2% compared to minus 4.1% in the previous quarter and minus 10.7% estimate in May during the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. For 2021, demand growth is expected at 6% while the 2022 forecast amounts to 3.8%. On the supply side, the container order book has increased 17% of the total fleet capacity. Importantly, if all options and letters of intent out there are exercised, the order book could quickly rise to more than 20%. This needs to be compared against an order book of just short of 11% at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 2023 seems especially heavy on deliveries, with presently 1.7 million TEU scheduled for delivery that year. As of quarter end, slippage in TEU terms of new building container vessels amounted to 18%, including cancellations, whereas demolition year-to-date stands at only 10,000 TEU versus 190,000 TEU in 2020. Due to the increased vessel ordering, new building prices have increased rapidly, with most yards now being fully booked beyond 2023, especially for larger container vessels. The fall of the U.S. dollar and the increase in steel prices has also resulted in upwards pressure on prices. Today, Korean yards would quote in excess of $100 million for a 13,000 TEU with high reefer capacity and a scrubber, while deliveries would be likely at the very end of 2023, if not early 2024. Altogether, supply growth for 2021 and 2022 is estimated at 4.3% and 2.4% respectively. Despite the improved charter market, we remain cautious on the long-term prospects for the container market. The longevity of the container freight and charter bull market is closely intertwined with the developments on the COVID-19 front, including the rollout pace of vaccines, virus mutations, and their impact on quarantine measures globally, and other demand and supply drivers, such as the changing consumer behavior and supply chain disruptions. An easing of the logistics chain disruption going forward, combined with a more balanced spending pattern between manufactured products and services, could have an adverse effect on demand for container vessels that could lead to a weaker market. This could be further exacerbated if it coincides with increased vessel deliveries on the back of the now-inflated order book. Turning to slide 8, we have entered the memorandum of agreement for the sale of two 9,000 TU vessels, built 2015 and 2016, namely the CMA, CGM, Maddalena, and Adonis, to an unaffiliated third party for a total consideration of 195 million. Delivery of the CMA-CGM Madalena and the Adonis to their buyers is expected in May and July-August 2021, respectively. The Adonis and the Madalena were acquired in September 2015 and in February 2016, respectively, both for a purchase price of $81.5 million. We expect to record a capital gain on the sale of the vessels of $48.8 million in the third quarter of 2021 and gross cash proceeds from the sale after repaying outstanding debt of approximately $97.6 million. In the next few slides, we present a few concrete examples of what the partnership can potentially do with the sale proceeds in addition to the increased liquidity going forward expected from internally generated cash flows. That is in addition, of course, to the unit buyback program we have already put in place. Now, starting with slide nine, and while no decision has been taken by the board, we expect that the partnership will consider the acquisition of three latest ecotype 13,000 TU container vessels currently under construction at the Hyundai shipyard in South Korea and due for delivery from October 2022. As previously communicated, Capital Maritime contracted the vessel to the fourth quarter of 2020 and is in the process of securing employment to a reputable liner company for 10 years, generating an estimated annual EBITDA of approximately 11.6 million. Assuming increased leverage and an acquisition of multiple close to 10 times EBITDA in view of the 10-year charter, the three ships would generate approximately $35 million of EBITDA against equity deployed in the range of $70 to $80 million. For sake of comparison, if we were to fix the two 9,000 EU ships that we sold for five years at current market levels, they would generate a combined EBITDA between the two vessels of about 30 million against an implied equity of approximately 97 million. A 10-year charter for our 9,000 EUs, if available, would come, of course, at a discount to that. Importantly, that is before taking into account the relative value proposition, which is better described on slide 10. Here we compare the two vessels that we have agreed to sell with the 13,000 EU new building series. As you can see here, we would be replacing two approximately five to six year old vessels with three newly built vessels with higher capacity by 4,000 DU and with a better speed consumption profile, despite their increased size. In addition, the 13,000 DU series will have an additional 700 reefers, will be tier three compliant, and will come with a hybrid scrubber installed. The value of these upgrades alone, and without taking into account size or age, is estimated at excess $10 million compared to the vessels we have agreed to sell. Importantly, the new vessels comply with EEDI Phase III and EEXI regulations and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions and ton-mile bases by approximately 30% compared to our existing 9,000 EU ships. As far as commercial considerations are concerned, it is important to highlight that we were one of the first companies to invest in the 300-meter LOA high-reefer 9,000-EU design, and CPOP will be again among the first to invest in the 51-meter design with 335-meter LOA. The design, similar to what we did last time, will be built to cater for the LOA and draft restrictions in South America. This new design, or class of container vessels if you want, is built to replace the smaller 9,000-EU class as the strategic ports on the east coast of South America can cater now for longer vessels. Moving to slide 11, in addition to the three 13,000 EU containers, the partnership has access to a number of other assets that could be potential drop-down candidates, including seven LNG carriers with two in the water and another four to be delivered by the end of the third quarter this year. Five of these LNG vessels have medium to long charters in place to investment-grade counterparties such as BP and Chenier. In our view, The LNG market is currently at an inflection point with a strong upward trajectory. In comparison, as we discussed earlier, the container market feels more inflated with positive prospects in the short term, but with potentially more downside in the medium to long term as demand normalizes and we see the effects of the increasing order book. Turning to slide 12, I would like to conclude by laying out the strategy of the partnership going forward. We believe that by releasing the equity locked in these two vessels we sold, and decreasing liquidity from our internally generated cash flows, we have a unique opportunity to achieve a number of objectives for the partnership at a larger scale. First, continue with our unit buyback program that we put in place in the previous quarter, with the aim of returning capital to our unit holders on top of our common unit distributions, and at the same time of taking advantage of the disconnect between our equity valuation and our NAV. Second, continue to grow the partnerships fleet with the aim of concluding first and foremost accretive transactions to our earnings and distributable cash flow, but also reducing the partnerships fleet average age as well as its environmental footprint. With regard to the latter, we expect ESG considerations and especially the environmental footprint of the industry to come under increased scrutiny in the future. The recent change in the administration in the U.S., And the ever-rising attention of international institutions to shipping and its environmental impact is expected to only add to an increasingly heavy regulatory framework. In addition, discussions of the potential inclusion of vessel emissions in the EU trading systems or other forms of taxing emissions are expected to increasingly penalize older and less efficient vessels. Hence, we aim to focus going forward on modern vessels, take into account their emissions profile, as well as their contribution towards reducing the partnership's environmental footprint. Finally, to the extent we can take advantage of increased asset prices, we will continue to look for divestment opportunities of older tonnets. We are fortunate to have access in this endeavor to a substantial asset pipeline, as described earlier, amounting to approximately 1.7 billion in value, with an estimated annual EBITDA of approximately 185 million. Our preliminary estimates show that the acquisition of any combination of these assets will be highly accretive to our earnings, will enhance the sustainability of our common unit distribution and create the basis for increasing the distribution in the future, will materially improve the average age of our fleet, as well as the environmental footprint of the partnership, and ensure long-term cash flow visibility beyond 2024 and 2025, when most of our existing charters expire and certain of our vessels approach their 20th anniversary. As we think about these potential acquisitions, it is important to note that we're going to prioritize internally generated cash flows, and taking over the existing debt in place, as well as explore avenues of raising additional capital such as the preferred equity market. We hope to make progress on the above considerations in the coming months as we discuss with the partnerships board more concrete acquisition proposals, but I do believe that the partnership is in a unique position to grow while we continue to return capital to our unit holders. And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

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