SB-C Safe Bulkers Inc

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.

Date: November 12, 2020

¹ Adjusted Net income/(loss) is a non-GAAP measure. Adjusted Net income/(loss) represents Net income/(loss) before gain/(loss) on derivatives, early redelivery cost, loss on inventory valuation and gain/(loss) on foreign currency. See Table 4.

² EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and represents Net (loss)/income plus net interest expense, tax, depreciation and amortization. See Table 4. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and represents EBITDA before gain/(loss) on derivatives, early redelivery cost, loss on inventory valuation and, gain/(loss) on foreign currency. See Table 4.

³ Earnings/(loss) per share and Adjusted Earnings/(loss) per share represent Net Income and Adjusted Net income less preferred dividend and mezzanine equity measurement divided by the weighted average number of shares respectively. See Table 4.

⁴ Time charter equivalent rate, or TCE rate, represents charter revenues less commissions and voyage expenses divided by the number of available days. See Table 5.

⁵  Daily vessel operating expenses are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses for the relevant period by ownership days for such period. See Table 5.

⁶ Daily vessel operating expenses excluding dry-docking and pre-delivery expenses are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses excluding dry-docking and pre-delivery

expenses for the relevant period by ownership days for such period. See Table 5.

⁷  Daily general and administrative expenses are calculated by dividing general and administrative expenses for the relevant period by ownership days for such period. See Table 5.

⁸ Total Cash represents Cash and cash equivalents plus Time deposits and Restricted cash.

⁹ Liquidity represents Total Cash plus contracted undrawn borrowing capacity under revolving credit facilities and secured commitments including sale and lease back financing.

¹⁰ Total Debt represents Long-term debt plus Current portion of long-term debt, net of deferred financing costs.

Management Commentary

Dr. Loukas Barmparis, President of the Company, said: ''Our financial performance gradually improved in parallel with the chartering market during the 3^rd quarter. At the same time, we focused on developing a plan for renewing our fleet with modern designs that adhere to the new environmental regulations. Due to market uncertainties, we remain cautious and we believe that our liquidity position which exceeds $130 million provides us with the required flexibility.''

Update on COVID-19, company's actions and status

There has been a negative effect from the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's results of operations and financial condition year to date, due to lower demand which resulted in relatively lower charter rates, and higher crew and related costs. Any future impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition and any long-term impact of the pandemic on the dry bulk industry, will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including a potential second wave of the pandemic and any new potential restrictions imposed, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the virus and/or actions taken to contain or treat its impact, as well as political implications that could further impact world trade and global growth.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on the shipping industry and our seafarers as port lockdowns were imposed globally and certain ports that had opened have subsequently closed again for crew changes. The Company has worked extensively to find solutions focusing on effectively managing crew changes despite the ongoing travel restrictions imposed by governments around the world. The Company has also taken measures to protect its seafarers' and shore employees' health and well-being, keep its vessels sailing with minimal disruption to their trading ability, service its charterers and mitigate and address the risks, effects and impact of COVID-19 on our operations and financial performance.

At-the-market equity offering program  

In August 2020, the Company filed a prospectus supplement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), under which it may offer and sell shares of its common stock (“Shares”) from time to time up to aggregate gross offering proceeds of $23.5 million through an “at-the-market” equity offering program (the “ATM Program”). As of November 6, 2020, the Company had not offered to sell and has not sold any Shares under the ATM Program.

Chartering our fleet

Our vessels are used to transport bulk cargoes, particularly coal, grain and iron ore, along worldwide shipping routes. We intend to employ our vessels on both period time charters and spot time charters, according to our assessment of market conditions. Our customers represent some of the world’s largest consumers of marine drybulk transportation services. The vessels we deploy on period time charters provide us with visible and relatively stable cash flow, while the vessels we deploy in the spot market allow us to maintain our flexibility in low charter market conditions and provide an opportunity for a potential upside in our revenue when charter market conditions improve.

During the third quarter of 2020, we operated 42.00 vessels on average earning a TCE¹¹ of $12,575 compared to 41.00 vessels earning a TCE of $13,311 during the same period in 2019. Our contracted employment profile is presented below in Table 1.

¹¹ Time Charter Equivalent (“TCE”) rate represents charter revenues net of commissions and voyage expenses divided by the number of available days.

Table 1: Contracted employment profile of fleet ownership days as of November 6, 2020

The detailed employment profile is presented in Table 6. Scrubber benefit for scrubber fitted vessels is calculated on the basis of fuel consumption of heavy fuel oil and price differential between heavy fuel oil and compliant fuel cost for the specific voyage and is either presented as part of the daily charter hire in Table 6, or in cases where it can not be estimated is not part of the stated daily charter hire.

Orderbook and financing

In October 2020, the Company planning a gradual fleet renewal with modern vessels, entered into an agreement for the acquisition of a Japanese-built, dry-bulk, Kamsarmax class, 82,000 dwt, newbuild vessel with a scheduled delivery within the first half of 2022. The vessel is designed to meet the latest requirements of Energy Efficiency Design Index to Green House Gas, GHG emissions, and 'EEDI Phase 3'. It will also comply with the latest NOx emissions regulation, NOx-Tier III.

At the same time, the Company entered into a sale and lease back through a bareboat charter agreement with a third party for 90% financing of this acquisition, minimizing impact on liquidity. The bareboat charter to be consummated upon delivery will have a duration of ten years with a purchase obligation at a predetermined price on termination and purchase options commencing three years following the commencement of the bareboat charter period in the Company's favor.

Liquidity

As of September 30, 2020, we had liquidity of $109.7 million, which included cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and funds available under our unsecured revolving credit facility and no capital expenditure requirements in relation to newbuild vessels.

As of November 6, 2020, we had liquidity of $136.0 million, which included cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, funds available under our unsecured revolving credit facility and sale and lease back financing of the newbuild Kamsarmax class vessel and aggregate remaining capital expenditure in relation to the orderbook of $27.3 million.

Debt Profile - Leverage

As of September 30, 2020, our consolidated debt before deferred financing costs was $613.7 million and our consolidated leverage¹² was 66% versus 68% as of June 30, 2020.

¹²Consolidated leverage is a non-GAAP measure and represents total consolidated liabilities divided by total consolidated assets. Total consolidated assets are based on the market value of all vessels owned or leased on a finance lease taking into account their employment, and the book value of all other assets. This measure assists our management and investors by increasing the comparability of our leverage from period to period.

The loan repayment schedule of the Company as of September 30, 2020, is presented below in Table 2.

Table 2: Loan repayment Schedule

(in USD millions)

Interest rate derivatives

During the third quarter of 2020, the Company entered into eleven pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate derivative contracts commencing in the third quarter of 2020 with maturities ranging from August 2024 to August 2025 and at fixed rates ranging from 0.322% to 0.40% for an aggregate notional amount of $107.0 million. As of September 30, 2020, the aggregate notional amount of interest rate derivative contracts entered into by the Company was $244.6 million or about 40% of the aggregate debt outstanding as of that point in time.

Environmental Social Responsibility - Environmental investments

In the context of our Environmental Social Responsibility policies, the Company is undertaking environmental investments mainly in scrubbers and ballast water treatment systems. As of September 30, 2020, the Company has completed the installation of 20 scrubbers and continues the project of retrofitting BWTS in all vessels of the Company's fleet, having installed 30 systems to date. The aggregate cost of our environmental investments as of quarter end was $66.7 million.

The scheduled number and estimated down-time days for dry-dockings and environmental investments as of September 30, 2020 for the subsequent two quarters, is presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Scheduled number and estimated down-time for dry-dockings and environmental investments.

* Partial completion.

Dividend Policy

The Company has not declared a dividend on the Company’s common stock for the third quarter of 2020. The Company had 102,174,594 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of November 6, 2020.

The aggregate cash dividend of $0.50 per share declared by the Company on each of its 8.00% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (NYSE: SB.PR.C) and 8.00% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (NYSE: SB.PR.D) for the period from July 30, 2020 to October 29, 2020, which was paid on October 30, 2020 to the respective shareholders of record as of October 22, 2020, was $2.75 million.

A Company’s subsidiary declares a cash dividend on a quarterly basis on each of its 2.95% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (‘Series A shares’) to the respective shareholders of record, presented under the caption “Mezzanine Equity” in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The aggregate cash dividend declared for the Series A shares for the period from July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020, which was paid on September 30, 2020, was $0.1 million. The aggregate cash dividend to be declared for the Series A shares for the period from October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, payable on December 31, 2020, is $0.1 million.

The declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will always be subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company. The timing and amount of any dividends declared will depend on, among other things: (i) the Company’s earnings, financial condition and cash requirements and available sources of liquidity; (ii) decisions in relation to the Company’s growth and leverage strategies; (iii) provisions of Marshall Islands and Liberian law governing the payment of dividends; (iv) restrictive covenants in the Company’s existing and future debt instruments; and (v) global economic and financial conditions.

Conference Call

On Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 9:30 A.M. Eastern Time, the Company’s management team will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results.

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1 (877) 553-9962 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(808) 238-0669 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0) 2071 928592 (Standard  International Dial In). Please quote Safe Bulkers to the operator.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until November 19, 2020 by dialing 1 (866) 331-1332 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(808) 238-0667 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0) 3333 009785 (Standard International Dial In). Access Code: 1859591#

Slides and Audio Webcast

There will also be a live, and then archived, webcast of the conference call, available through the Company’s website (www.safebulkers.com). Participants in the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

Management Discussion of Third Quarter 2020 Results

During the third quarter of 2020, we operated in a relatively weaker charter market environment compared to the same period in 2019. This is reflected in our reduced TCE of $12,575 for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $13,311 during the same period in 2019. Net revenues were supported by the increased earnings from scrubber fitted vessels notwithstanding the reduced price differential between heavy fuel oil and compliant fuels, due to low fuel cost environment, and by revenue contributed by the newbuild vessel delivered to us in April 2020. Voyage expenses increased due to increased vessel repositioning expenses, higher loss on bunkers sales due to low fuel cost environment and consumption costs for scrubber fitted vessels as explained below. As a result of the above, the net income for the third quarter of 2020, reached $3.3 million compared to net income of $5.2 million during the same period in 2019. In more detail, the change in net income resulted from the following main factors:

Net revenues: Net revenues increased by 2% to $51.9 million for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $50.7 million for the same period in 2019, assisted mainly by the additional revenues earned by our scrubber fitted vessels and the additional vessel delivered in 2020, partially offset by the reduced TCE.

Voyage expenses: Voyage expenses increased to $5.1 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2019, as a result of increased vessel repositioning expenses, higher loss on bunkers sales and bunker consumption costs for scrubber fitted vessels under charter agreements which provide for variable consideration based on the bunker consumption.

Vessel operating expenses: Vessel operating expenses increased by 13% to $18.9 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $16.8 million for the same period in 2019, mainly as a result of: i) spares, stores and provisions of $4.0 million for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2019, ii) repairs and maintenance of $3.2 million for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2019, iii) crew wages and related costs of $9.0 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $8.3 million for the same period in 2019, and iv) dry docking expense of $1.7 million related to four fully and one partially completed dry dockings during the third quarter of 2020, compared to $1.5 million related to four fully and three partially completed dry dockings for the same period of 2019, offset by the reduction in lubricants of $0.9 million for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2019. The Company expenses dry-docking and pre-delivery costs as incurred, which costs may vary from period to period.  Excluding dry-docking and pre-delivery costs of $1.7 and $1.5 million for the third quarter of 2020 and 2019, respectively, vessel operating expenses increased by 13% to $17.2 million for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $15.3 million for the same period in 2019, due to completed drydockings affecting costs of spares and repairs and maintenance and increased crew repatriation and travel expenses due to COVID-19. Dry-docking expense is related to the number of dry-dockings in each period and pre-delivery expenses to the number of vessel deliveries and second hand acquisitions in each period. Certain other shipping companies may defer and amortize dry-docking expense and many do not include dry-docking expenses within vessel operating expenses costs and present these separately.

Depreciation: Depreciation increased by 9% to $13.8 million for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $12.7 million for the same period in 2019, as a result of the commencement of depreciation of environmental investments

that were completed following  the third quarter of 2019 and depreciation of the newbuild delivered during the previous quarter.

Interest expense: Interest expense decreased to $4.6 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $6.6 million for the same period in 2019, as a result of the decreased USD LIBOR¹³ affecting the weighted average interest rate of our loans and credit facilities.

Daily vessel operating expenses¹⁴: Daily vessel operating expenses, calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses by the ownership days of the relevant period, increased by 10% to $4,896 for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $4,448 for the same period in 2019. Daily vessel operating expenses excluding dry-docking and pre-delivery expenses increased by 10% to $4,459 for the third quarter of 2020 compared to $4,053 for the same period in 2019.

Daily general and administrative expenses¹⁴: Daily general and administrative expenses, which include management fees payable to our Managers¹⁵ and daily company administrations expenses, increased by 4% to $1,418 for the third quarter of 2020, compared to $1,363 for the same period in 2019, as a result of increased company administration expenses.

¹³ London interbank offered rate.

¹⁴ See Table 5.

¹⁵ Safety Management Overseas S.A. and Safe Bulkers Management Limited, each of which is a related party that is referred to in this press release as “our Manager” and collectively “our Managers’’.