Belships

Earnings Release • Aug 23, 2017

Belships ASA : Report 2nd quarter 2017

Belships ASA : Report 2nd quarter 2017

HIGHLIGHTS

·            Operating income of USD 6.4 m (Q1: USD 6.6 m)

·            EBITDA of USD 3.0 m (USD 3.0 m)

·            Net result of USD 0.7 m (USD 0.8 m)

·            All ships operating normally - modern fleet - average age 4.9 years

·            Contract coverage 100% for delivered ships - around USD 54 million

fixed charter

Second quarter 2017 results

Belships operating income in 2nd quarter 2017 was USD 6.4 million (Q1: USD 6.6

million), while EBITDA amounted to USD 3.0 million (USD 3.0 million). The

Group's operating result amounted to USD 2.1 million (USD 2.1 million), while

net result for 2nd quarter 2017 was USD 0.8 million (USD 0.8 million).

Fleet status

Belships concentrates on the dry bulk market, with 5 x modern Supramax/Ultramax

in service.

M/S Belstar, M/S Belnor and M/S Belisland have continued the long-term contracts

to Canpotex of Canada. Canpotex is one of the world's largest exporters of

potash, a fertilizer product imported in large volumes by countries such as

China, India and Brazil. M/S Belforest and M/S Belocean are both on time charter

to Cargill. M/S Belforest will be open in September 2017, whereas M/S Belocean

will be open in December. All ships have sailed without significant off-hire.

Technical management is handled by Belships Management (Singapore), with a total

fleet of 12 ships under technical management.

Newbuilding program

Belships' remaining newbuilding program with Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan

includes one 63.000 dwt eco-design Ultramax bulk carrier on a long-term T/C-in

agreement incl. purchase option for delivery in January 2018 and another sister

vessel on a similar scheme within first half 2020.

Financial and corporate matters

As per 30 June the Group's cash totaled USD 7.4 million compared to USD 7.9

million as per 31 March.

The mortgage debt as per 30 June was USD 33.8 million. Net lease obligation as

at 30 June was USD 43.7 million. In addition Belships has a long-term loan

facility of SGD 2 million, secured by the lease agreement for our Singapore

office. Net lease obligation and mortgage debt were reduced by USD 1.7 million

in 2nd quarter.

Hedging the Group's interest exposure on bank loan is considered on an ongoing

basis. The hedging level of interest rate exposure is currently around 80%.

At the end of the 2nd quarter of 2017, the book value per share amounted to NOK

3.88 (USD 0.46), while the equity ratio was 21.0%. Added value related to the

long-term charter party for M/S Belisland is not reflected in the balance sheet.

Market highlights

The Capesize-index ended the 2nd quarter at USD 8,923 per day, whereas the

Panamax-index ended at USD 8,746 per day. The Supramax-index ended the quarter

at USD 8,571 per day. As per today the Cape index stands at USD 18,834 per day,

Panamax-index at USD 10,778 per day and Supramax-index at USD 9,349 per day.

Baltic S&P Assessment's valuation of a 5-year old Supramax is now USD 16.1

million.

China's steel output for July reached 74.02 MT, representing a 10.3% increase

y/y. Despite the ongoing environmental measures being taken in China, total

output YTD stands at 5.1% compared to the same period in 2016 according to

Fearnley. Continued strong infrastructure demand and capacity cuts have

supported steel prices, leaving operating plants to maximize their output.

China's import volume of high grade coal from Australia and Indonesia has

increased substantially, giving vital support to the dry bulk market.

Outlook

Iron ore import to China in 2017 is expected to grow moderately from current

level of about 1 bn tons, but the imported volumes of coal may surprise on the

upside. Import of grain products to China is also expected to grow. According to

Marsoft the prognosis for the aggregate dry bulk market in 2017 is a growth in

seaborne trade in the region of 2.0-2.5%.

Ordering of new ships is still very limited, but the scrapping activity has also

slowed on the back of the improved market rates. The current orderbook is just

7.7% (60m dwt) of the total existing fleet and the lowest in over 20 years.

Fearnresearch believes that the net growth in tonnage supply during 2017-2020

will be very limited following IMO's new regulations for ballast water treatment

systems and scrubbers gradually to be installed on all vessels. According to DNV

GL the introduction of the new global sulphur cap in 2020 is causing a paradigm

shift in marine fuel. It is a complex challenge and there is a great deal of

uncertainty related to enforcement, fuel availability and technological

solutions.

Belships' vessels are chartered out on fixed rates to reputable counterparts,

representing a future nominal gross hire of around USD 54 million.

Focus will be to further develop Belships as an owner and operator of modern

bulk carriers to reputable counterparts. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of

quality ships and robust charter parties that will generate distributable cash

flows.

Oslo, 23 August 2017

THE BOARD OF BELSHIPS ASA

Sverre Jørgen Tidemand, Chairman

Christian Rytter                 Kjersti Ringdal                       Sissel

Grefsrud                            Carl Erik Steen

CEO Ulrich Müller

Phone no. +47 22 52 76 15

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section

5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.