Dynagas LNG Partners, the owner of six LNG carriers which operate under long-term charters, reported a rise in its net income for the April-June period.
The NYSE-listed limited partnership formed by shipowner Dynagas posted a net income of $14.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023.
This marks an increase of $3.3 million, or 29.7 percent, compared to the same period last year, the LNG shipper said in a statement.
Net income also rose compared to $9.6 million in the prior quarter.
Dynagas LNG attributed this rise in net income mainly due to the decrease in dry-docking and special survey costs.
The LNG firm completed scheduled dry-docks for Clean Energy and Amur River in April 2022 and July 2022, respectively.
Dynagas LNG also attributed the rise in net profit to the increase in the deferred revenue amortization resulting from the escalating time charter rate for its 155,000-cbm LNG carrier, Arctic Aurora.
Norway’s Equinor will continue to use the vessel for about three more years as part of a deal revealed in December last year.
This three-year charter starts in September.
LNG carrier repairs
Dynagas LNG said that its adjusted net income decreased 36.3 percent to $5.8 million in the second quarter mainly due to the increase in the interest and finance costs compared to the corresponding period in 2022.
Voyage revenues for the three-month period reached $37.6 million, up by 12.9 percent compared to the same quarter last year.
The partnership reported gross of commissions of about $61,800 per day per vessel in the three-month period, compared to about $62,860 per day per vessel for the corresponding period of 2022.
The partnership’s vessels operated at 91.7 percent fleet utilization during the three-month period due to “unscheduled repairs of the OB River the cost of which is partly covered under the vessel’s hull and machinery and loss of hire insurances,” Dynagas LNG said.
Dynagas LNG said the net effect of the abovementioned damage on the partnership’s results for the three months ended June 30 is about $0.4 million.
The 2007-built 149,700-cbm, OB River, serves a charter with German gas importer Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), previously known as Gazprom Germania.
Fleet fully employed through the end of 2027
Chief executive Tony Lauritzen said all six LNG carriers in the company’s fleet are operating under their respective long-term charters with international gas companies with an average remaining contract term of about 7.4 years.
Pursuant to the company’s strategy of employing its vessels on multi-year time charters with international energy companies, Dynagas LNG recently entered into new time charter party agreements for two vessels with Rio Grande LNG, a unit of NextDecade, for a period of about 2 years and 7 years, respectively.
Lauritzen said these time charters have increased the company’s estimated contracted revenue backlog, which now stands at $1.2 billion.
“Notwithstanding any unforeseen events and scheduled vessel dry dockings our fleet is now fully employed through the end of 2027,” he said.
“We believe that increasing market sentiment that LNG is a necessary fuel for managing global emissions, as well as, ensuring energy security, will continue to generate demand for LNG shipping in the long-term,” he said.
“In light of these developments, we believe that the outlook for LNG shipping and the partnership remains positive,” Lauritzen said.