Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Could I have your comments please on Seaspan Corp.? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Seaspan Corp., $16.65, symbol SSW on New York (Shares outstanding: 69.3 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; www.seaspan.com), charters its fleet of container ships under long-term, fixed-rate contracts. These ships carry metal containers that can be easily transferred between ships, trains and trucks. Seaspan’s fleet of 72 container ships consists of 65 vessels that are currently operating and seven that are under construction and scheduled for delivery through 2014. The operating vessels are only five years old on average, and their average remaining contract length is about seven years. All seven vessels under construction are already committed to fixed-rate time charters between 10 and 12 years long. These agreements start as soon as the ships are delivered. Seaspan’s customers include nine of the world’s largest liner companies, including China Shipping Container Lines (Asia) Co., Ltd.; Compania Sud Americana de Vapores S.A.; COSCO Container Lines Co., Ltd.; Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.; Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC; Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.; MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.; Mitsui O.S.K….