GNK

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Genco Shipping & Trading Limited First Quarter 2026 Earnings conference call and presentation. Before we begin, please note that there will be a slide presentation accompanying today's conference call. That presentation can be obtained from Genco's website at www.gencoshipping.com. To inform everyone, today's conference is being recorded and is now being webcast at the company's website, www.gencoshipping.com, and we will conduct a question and answer session after the opening remarks. Instructions will follow at that time. A webcast replay will also be available via link provided in today's press release, as well as on the company's website. At this time, I will now turn the conference over to the company. Please go ahead.

Good morning. Before we begin our presentation, I note that in this conference call we'll be making certain forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements use words such as anticipate, budget, estimate, expect, project, intend, plan, believe, and other words in terms of similar meaning in connection with the discussion of potential future events, circumstances, or future operating or financial performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and observations.

For a discussion of factors that could cause results to differ, please see the company's press release that was issued yesterday, the materials relating to this call posted on the company's website and the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and the company's reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K subsequently filed with the SEC. At this time, I would like to introduce John C. Wobensmith, Chairman and CEO of Genco Shipping & Trading Limited.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Genco's first quarter 2026 conference call. I will begin today's call by reviewing the progress we've made executing our comprehensive value strategy. Then we'll review our Q1 2026 highlights and dividend outlook for the remainder of the year. We will then provide additional details on our financial results as well as an update on the industry's current fundamentals before opening the call up for questions. For additional information, please also refer to our earnings presentation posted on our website. Starting on slide five, we believe that how a management team and board allocate capital is critical for generating returns and value to shareholders, especially in a capital-intensive industry such as shipping.

With this goal in mind, we created our comprehensive value strategy, a well-defined capital allocation strategy, which has resulted in Genco significantly increasing its earnings power and dividend capacity for the benefit of shareholders. When we implemented the strategy in 2021, we set out to achieve three main objectives: transform Genco into a low-leverage, high-dividend company, maintain significant flexibility to grow the fleet, and pay a sizable quarterly dividend based on a transparent dividend formula. Over the last five years, we have successfully delivered on each pillar of our differentiated strategy. We fortified our balance sheet to effectively operate and grow in various rate environments and provided shareholders with consistent and sizable dividends. We also increased the number of premium earning Capesize vessels in our fleet to better take advantage of a strengthening dry bulk market and enhance shareholders' upside potential.

Specifically, over this time, we have invested $557 million in high-quality modern vessels and distributed $293 million in dividends to shareholders. We also paid down $119 million in debt, reducing our cash flow break-even rate. Moving to slide six, following a strong finish to 2025, we are pleased to have carried this positive momentum into 2026. During the first quarter, we generated strong cash flows driven by a time charter equivalent rate of over $19,300 per day, our highest first quarter TCE since 2022. We also maximized our revenue generation days during the quarter, achieving fleet-wide utilization of 99.2%.

In what is typically a seasonally softer period, we declared a Q1 dividend of $0.35 per share, more than double our first quarter 2025 dividend. The Q1 dividend also marks our 27th consecutive dividend, the longest uninterrupted period in our dry bulk peer group. Complementing our strong financial performance, we continue to grow and renew the fleet with modern, high-specification premium earnings assets and reduce exposure to older, less fuel-efficient vessels. In March, we took delivery of two 2020-built high-specification Newcastlemax vessels that were immediately deployed in the spot market at firm rates. With both vessels expected to operate for a full quarter in Q2, we anticipate the vessels to have a positive impact on our results and earn a premium to benchmark indices in the spot market.

Capitalizing on the strong and liquid sale and purchase market, we also divested the two oldest and smallest vessels in our fleet during March and April. These sales were at levels above recent broker valuations and demonstrate the rising asset value environment that we currently operate in. Importantly, we will be redeploying these sale proceeds into a high specification 2019 Imabari-built scrubber-fitted Capesize vessel that we agreed to acquire in April and expect to take delivery in June. Looking at our recent sale and purchase activity together, these were well-timed investments that further enhanced our operating leverage and increased our focus on sectors with compelling near and long-term supply and demand fundamentals. Specifically, we have added to our fleet growth through immediate cash flow accretion and further increased our operating leverage, asset value and dividend capacity for the benefit of shareholders.

We also ended the first quarter with a low net loan-to-value of 20%, which supports our low cash flow breakeven levels and increased earnings power. As depicted on Slide seven, we achieved multi-year highs in Q1 dividend and TCE with strong momentum going into the remainder of the year. Based on our strong Q2 fixtures to date of $23,900 per day for 66% of our available days, we are well-positioned to provide shareholders with growing dividends. Slide eight underscores how the current market is demonstrating the power of our dividend model. Including our Q1 dividend, we will have paid $340 million or $7.915 per share in quarterly dividends over the past seven years.

Our Q1 dividend of $0.35 per share reflects an increase of 133% year-over-year. With the growth of our premium earning assets, our spot-focused commercial strategy, and our sizable operating leverage in a strengthening dry bulk market, we expect to significantly increase our dividends starting in the second quarter and have strong prospects for Q3 and Q4. Based on our fixtures to date and assuming the FFA curve for the balance of the quarter, we project a Q2 dividend of approximately $0.70 per share. Assuming the current forward freight rate curve for the balance of the year, our dividend formula would produce a Q3 dividend of $0.75 per share and a Q4 dividend of $0.70 per share, bringing our full year dividend to approximately $2.50 per share.

Of course, the FFA curve is subject to change, but these projections show the opportunities provided by our low leverage, high dividend model. On the next few slides, we outline the foundation of Genco's strong earnings power and dividend capacity. Turning to slide nine, Genco has one of the lowest cash flow breakeven rates in our peer group. This key differentiator is directly related to our industry low net loan-to-value, as well as not having mandatory debt amortization, which further reduces our cash flow breakeven rate and increases our earnings potential. In addition to increasing Q1 and Q2 TCE to date by 63% and 76% respectively, we continue to far exceed our low cash flow breakeven rate.

Specifically, our Q2 TCE of nearly $24,000 per day compares very favorably to our cash flow breakeven rate prior to maintenance CapEx of under $10,000 per day. Complementing our low breakeven rate is our balanced approach to fleet composition, which we present on slide 10. Following recent fleet renewal and the expected Capesize delivery in June, we will own a fleet of 20 Capesize and Newcastlemax vessels as well as 24 Ultramax and Supramax vessels. We continue to balance the high beta and the upside potential of the Capesize sector along with the steadier earnings profile of minor bulk ships. On a vessel ownership basis, our splits are 45% Capes and 55% Ultra Supramaxes.

When viewed on a net revenue basis over the last two years, we are over 50% weighted towards Capesize vessels, putting us in a unique position in our peer group to benefit from a strengthening freight rate environment. Turning to slide 11, we balance our high operating leverage with low financial leverage, which provides us with financial flexibilities in various freight market conditions. In strong markets, Genco generates meaningful cash flow with its industry low breakeven rate and scalable fleet. In market downturns, Genco's low financial leverage and undrawn revolver availability allow the company to take advantage of countercyclical growth opportunities. On slide 12, we highlight the significant operating leverage provided by our pro forma fleet of 44 vessels. Every $1,000 fleet-wide TCE increase equates to $16 million of incremental annualized EBITDA or $0.36 per share.

Every $5,000 increase in TCE for our 20 Newcastlemax and Capesize vessels equates to $36 million or $0.81 per share of incremental earnings and dividend capacity. The positioning of our fleet today is the result of a steady execution of our strategic plan over multiple years. In 2023, our management team and board formulated a strategy focused on capitalizing on the compelling supply and demand fundamentals of the Capesize sector, led by the sector having the lowest order book with long-haul ton-mile expansion on the horizon. Our thesis has played out as expected. Since we began reinvesting in Capesize in Q4 2023, Capesize vessels have been the best-performing dry bulk class from an earnings and asset value appreciation perspective. Notably, we have generated an IRR of over 30% on these ships since acquisition.

Lastly, turning to slide 13, Genco continues to prioritize strong corporate governance which has distinguished our company from our peers and underpinned our shareholder-focused outperformance. We are the only U.S.-listed dry bulk shipping company with no related party transactions. We provide detailed disclosures on our strategy and performance with compensation aligned to shareholders' interests. We have a majority independent and diverse board with 50% female directors. We are the only U.S.-listed dry bulk company with an annually elected board. We are also consistently ranked in the top quartile on corporate governance among public shipping companies by Webber Research. Our corporate governance is a core part of our identity and reflects our board's commitment to upholding the highest standards of fiduciary duty and governance excellence. I will now turn the call over to Peter Allen, our Chief Financial Officer.

Thank you, John. On slides 15 through 17, we highlight our first quarter financial results. Genco recorded net income of $9.3 million or $0.21 basic and diluted earnings per share. Adjusted net income is $11.3 million or $0.26 basic and diluted earnings per share, excluding a gain on sale of vessels of $2.1 million, other operating expenses of $3.8 million for shareholder-related expenses, impairment on vessel assets of $0.5 million, and unrealized fuel gains of $0.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 totaled $36.2 million, an increase of 358% as compared to Q1 2025.

This was led by a TCE of $19,346 per day, which rose by 63% as compared to Q1 2025, while the cost structure was similar on a year-over-year basis, highlighting the operating leverage inherent in our fleet. We continue to generate meaningful cash flow and maintain significant financial flexibility. Our cash and debt positions as of March 31, 2026, were $55 million and $330 million, respectively. Our undrawn revolver availability at quarter end was $350 million. We also continue to make good progress renewing and growing our fleet. Having entered into sale and purchase transactions that were immediately accretive to cash flow and net asset value. In March, we took delivery of 2 2020-built Newcastlemax vessels. We drew down $130 million from our revolver to fund the remaining CapEx.

Additionally, in March, we sold the Genco Picardy, a 2005-built Supramax vessel to third-party buyers for gross proceeds of $10.6 million, well above broker estimates, demonstrating the rising asset value environment. We recorded a gain of $2.1 million in the first quarter relating to this sale. In April, we delivered the Genco Predator, another 2005-built Supramax vessel to buyers, and we expect to record a similar gain in Q2. Also in April, we agreed to purchase a 2019-built high-specification Capesize vessel, which we expect to take delivery of in June. We have $65 million of CapEx for this acquisition, which we expect to fund primarily through proceeds from our revolver and redeployment of capital from the aforementioned vessel sales.

We believe that the Capesize sector will continue to be the best performer in the dry bulk market with the highest returns, given low net fleet growth and longer trading distances. We believe the tightness in the Capesize market is not temporary but structural, providing Capesize with the highest baseline earnings profile but also the highest upside potential. Despite multiple years of outperformance from an earnings and asset value appreciation perspective, Capes still offer the best returns among the dry bulk sectors. With our full revolving credit facility structure, we plan to continue to actively manage our cash and debt positions to reduce interest expense while maintaining access to capital to act on growth opportunities, as we have demonstrated in recent years.

We view our strong balance sheet as a strategic asset that enables us to act quickly and decisively, as we have demonstrated in recent years with our accretive growth initiatives. As outlined on slide 18, we believe that Genco is in an advantageous position. A pro forma fleet of 44 high-quality, modern dry bulk vessels, our significant operating leverage combined with low financial leverage, a sub $10,000 cash over breakeven rate, and $350 million of undrawn revolver availability collectively provide an attractive risk-reward balance for shareholders. Furthermore, we continue to reward shareholders through our compelling quarterly dividends. Our established and transparent dividend policy targets a distribution based on 100% of operating cash flow, less a voluntary reserve, as described on slide 19.

In the first quarter, our board declared a $0.35 per share dividend based on operating cash flow of $35 million and a voluntary quarterly reserve of $19.5 Million dollars, which is more than double our first quarter 2025 dividend. Looking ahead to Q2 2026, we currently have 66% of owned available days fixed at a rate of approximately $23,900 per day as compared to our anticipated cash breakeven rate, excluding drydocking-related CapEx of approximately $9,800 per vessel per day. Importantly, Q2 2026 TCE is on pace to increase by over 70% year-over-year. As a result, we expect a significantly higher dividend in Q2 as compared to both Q1 2026 and Q2 2025. Our quarterly dividend has a near-perfect correlation to dry bulk freight rates.

Said differently, when freight rates move up, like they have been in 2026, so do our dividends. Q2 will also mark the first quarter in which our 2025 acquisitions will be fully integrated into our fleet. These acquisitions alone are expected to have a quarterly dividend impact of approximately $0.15 per share in Q2 to Q4 of 2026, exemplifying how accretive these acquisitions have been. These acquisitions, which grew the fleet by 20%, were funded with our existing liquidity, accentuating the benefit for shareholders as each share immediately received this uplift in earnings, making these transactions highly accretive to cash flows, to the dividend, and to all Genco shareholders. I will now turn the call over to Michael Orr, our dry bulk market analyst, to discuss the current industry landscape.

Thank you, Peter. Beginning on slide 21, the dry bulk freight rate market ended 2025 on a strong note and carried that momentum over to the start of 2026. The Baltic Capesize Index averaged approximately $23,000 per day during the first quarter, one of the highest first quarter averages over the last 15 years. In Q2 to date, the BCI has averaged over $32,000 per day, while the forward curve points to continued strength at similar levels through the remainder of the year. Turning to slide 22, China continues to import large volumes of iron ore, led by abundant seaborne supplies from Brazil and Australia. Specifically, China's iron ore imports in Q1 2026 increased by 11% on a year-over-year basis.

Brazilian iron ore export growth has been flat to start the year, but expected to ramp up as the year progresses. Historically, Brazilian exports are approximately 20% higher in the second half as compared to the first half of the year. Turning to slide 23, we highlight the long-haul iron ore and bauxite trade growth expected from Brazil and West Africa in the coming years. In the first quarter of 2026, the bauxite trade continued to exhibit firm growth rates. China's imports rose by 23% year-over-year in Q1 to nearly 60 million tons, with Guinea accumulating approximately 80% market share. This trade has been supportive to Capesize vessels in recent months, given the ton-mile intensity of the trade route.

Going forward, given the scale of the expected growth projects from Simandou on the iron ore side, as well as continued iron ore growth from Vale in Brazil and bauxite out of West Africa, these incremental volumes could absorb potentially over 200 Capesize vessels, which is the majority of the current Capesize new building order book. Supply constraints in the new building activity combined with added long-haul trading distances are two key catalysts for the sector. We expect West African iron ore flows to ramp up in 2026 and in the years ahead after first shipments were made in 2025. As detailed on slide 24, with the escalation of geopolitical tensions in recent months, the key theme of energy security has once again risen to the forefront.

For dry bulk specifically, that translates to augmented demand for coal as a potential replacement for other sources of energy that have either experienced disruptions or rising prices. Notably, we have seen an increase in coal cargoes originating from the U.S. and Colombia with Asian destinations. These long-haul trade routes once again further stretch the dry bulk fleet. With the increase in fuel prices, we've also seen an approximate 3% decrease in global fleet speeds, which is another driver of a reduction in fleet capacity support of freight rates. In terms of new building deliveries in the year-to-date, as outlined on slide 25, net fleet growth in Q1 2026 was 3.7%, split between 1% net fleet growth for the Capesizes and 4%-6% net fleet growth for Panamax down to Handysizes.

Specifically, we have only seen 11 Capes delivered to the global fleet so far this year, which represents a reduction of 75% as compared to the 15-year average, highlighting the impact of the low order book coming to fruition in 2026, which is a key pillar of the Cape and dry bulk thesis. Additionally, as scrapping has remained low in recent years, the average age of the global fleet has risen to nearly 13 years old, the highest average age of the global dry bulk fleet since 2010. This has increased the pool of potential scrapping candidates as 12% of the on-the-water fleet is 20 years old or older, which is directly identical to the global dry bulk order book as a percentage of the fleet of 12%.

This implies net replacement of tonnage over time as opposed to any material net fleet growth. While we expect volatility in the freight market to persist, the foundation of a low supply growth picture provides a solid basis for a positive view of the dry bulk market going forward. I'll now turn the call back over to John to conclude the call.

Thank you, Michael. Turning to slide 27, we are pleased with the significant momentum we achieved in the first quarter, building off a strong end to 2025. The first quarter marked another period of disciplined execution of our comprehensive value strategy, highlighted by fleet growth and increased earnings power and dividend capacity. With the expansion of our premium earning asset base, our leading commercial operating platform, strong balance sheet, and significant operating leverage in a strengthening dry bulk market, we are well-positioned to create meaningful value and superior returns for shareholders in 2026 and beyond. Assuming the current forward freight rate curve for the balance of the year, our dividend formula would produce a total dividend of approximately $2.50 per share in 2026.

I also note that asset values continued to move higher and our NAV has significantly increased thus far in 2026. The average NAV published by five Genco equity analysts is $25.80 per share. As we move through the year, we remain focused on advancing our low leverage, high dividend payout model, further growing our high specification premium earning fleet, and maintaining our industry-leading corporate governance standards to benefit all Genco shareholders. Before we turn the call over to Q&A, I'd like to briefly address the important vote our shareholders will have at our upcoming annual meeting. This morning, we filed our definitive proxy statement, which includes the board's recommendation that Genco shareholders vote for the re-election of our highly qualified and experienced directors. All of whom are deeply committed to driving shareholder value.

As many of you know, one of our direct competitors, Diana Shipping Inc., is attempting to take control of Genco at a discount. To achieve its objective, Diana has made a series of inadequate private and public acquisition proposals. Our board established a committee comprised of independent directors, which evaluated Diana's recent proposals with the assistance of external advisors. That committee and the full board unanimously rejected Diana's proposals, determining that they undervalued the company. Instead of engaging constructively, Diana has acquired a significant stake in Genco's stock and recently commenced a tender offer. They have also nominated directors to replace the entire Genco board with their own handpicked nominees. Our board has addressed Diana's actions appropriately in accordance with its fiduciary duties at every step of the way and will continue to take actions that are in the best interest of all Genco shareholders.

The earnings results that we announced today demonstrate that our comprehensive value strategy is working. We are delivering strong results and returns, and our shareholders are poised to continue benefiting as we create additional value in a strengthening dry bulk market. In contrast, Diana's lowball proposals and its proxy fight put our shareholders' investments at serious risk. If Diana's nominees are added to our board, they could force Genco into a sale at an inadequate price that deprives shareholders of the full value of their investment. They could take other value-destructive actions. That is why we are standing firm in our belief that the current Genco board is best positioned to guide the company forward and drive superior returns for shareholders.

After saying all that, please note that the purpose of today's call is to discuss our strong first quarter results and compelling opportunities ahead given our differentiated position in the strengthening dry bulk market. We ask that you please keep your questions focused on our results, performance, and industry trends. Thank you in advance. This concludes our presentation, and we are now happy to take your questions.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll now conduct a question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question please press star one on your telephone keypad to join the queue, if you wish to withdraw your question simply press star one again. If you are called upon to ask a question and you're listening via loudspeaker on your device please pick up your handset and ensure that your phone is on mute when asking your question. Your first question comes from Omar Nokta from Clarksons. Please go ahead.

Thank you. Hi, John. Hi, guys. Thanks for the.

Morning, Omar.

the update. Morning. Yeah, appreciate the comments on Diana, that's helpful. I'll just stick as you ask to industry and the company. Maybe just touching on, I know you discussed this in the opening comments, just, you know, clearly you've had a nice quarter. It's nice to see dry bulk rates really gaining some momentum here. I guess just from your perspective, what's really been kind of, you know, driving this strength? There's been a lot of focus on, you say, within the energy sectors on the impact of Hormuz. Is that having an impact on dry bulk? Is that driving things, or is there or is it more structural in terms of what we're seeing in the iron ore trades?

I think it's more of a structural supply and demand balance, which is obviously very positive. The order book is very low, as Michael Orr pointed out, we have not had a lot of growth. I think there's only been 11 Capes delivered all year, which is down, I don't know, 70%-75% from the 15-year run rate. You've got a low supply situation, you've also have a growing demand side. Iron ore was up 11% in Q1 year-over-year. Bauxite was up 23% in Q1 year-over-year. I, you know, big picture, it's the, it's the supply and demand balance, you know, in a very favorable position for rising freight rates. Then we also have, we clearly have volume growth.

I don't think too much is centered around Hormuz. It's, I think, only around 2% of the dry bulk trade actually goes in and out of there. It's not very much. The other thing that's been happening is that we've seen a real increase in coal exports out of Baltimore and Colombia in particular. When you start to see those increases in those ports, it really indicates a firming demand picture. The added coal that we've seen, you know, really come on in April, you know, we think is going to continue for a while, even after the Hormuz situation is solved.

Yeah. Makes sense. Yeah. I mean, 11 ships on what? A base of 2,000 is not gonna move the needle in terms of supply. I guess, you know, we've seen this sort of, you know, strength in Capes, and I think a lot of expectation coming into the year was that Capes would outperform, and we've certainly seen that. We've also seen the Ultras kind of continue to muscle upwards close to that 20,000 number. You know, what's been driving that, you think? Is that a trickle down from the Capes, or is there something specific to the Ultras, you think?

No. I think there's a trickle-down effect that certainly happens. There's a high correlation between Capes and the minor bulks. I also think the minor bulk trades are quite strong. It's, you know, we've had bookings that are $20,000 and above on some voyages, which, you know, again, is quite strong, and you can see it in our numbers. I think in general, commodities have been doing well across the board in dry bulk, not just iron ore and bauxite and coal. The minor bulk commodities also have seen demand growth.

Okay. Yep. That makes sense. Maybe just one final one for you, John. Just in terms of, like, the fleet strategy, you know, You would think just based off of what we're seeing in the spot market that time charter interest starts to gain momentum, and I think we've been seeing some reports of increased inquiry. How do you think about that in terms of, you know, Genco adding coverage? Do you think that now is the time to consider it, or do you really wanna be more exposed to spot as we move forward?

I think now is the time to think about it and analyze it for sure, which we're doing, you know, almost on a daily basis. We have not done anything in the long-term markets as of yet, but as you know, we have in the past. We do like to run a portfolio approach to the Cape sector because of the volatility. It's something we're going to continue to look at and monitor, but we have not pulled the trigger yet. Quite frankly, we, you know, we believe strongly in the second half of the year. Second half of the year tends to be stronger than the first half, and we've obviously started out very well.

Yep. Yep. Very good. Thanks, John. I appreciate it. I'll turn it back.

Thanks so much.

Your next question comes from Christopher Robertson from Deutsche Bank. Please go ahead.

Thank you, operator. Good morning, John. Good morning, team.

Good morning.

John, just taking a look at the, again, the strong rate environment as everyone's alluded to here, and the, and the lack of substantial deliveries. On the other side of the equation, just wondering if you could give some commentary around the scrapping or ship retirement environment this year. Has the strong rate environment kind of incentivized people to hold on longer? What are you seeing there, and what's your outlook, you know, given the rate strength around ship retirements for the rest of the year?

Look, at these rates, I would think the numbers will be on the low side for scrapping. Having said that, it eventually will have to come. I mean, you have almost 12% of the existing fleet that's 20 years or older. So you can only stretch that for so far. To answer your question directly, I think it's, I think it's probably gonna be on the low side this year.

John, just following up, I think, your commentary about stretching it, that's kind of the heart of what I'm trying to ask about, which is, as these ships age, they get to that 20-year mark or maybe even beyond, what are the realistic limitations there? How long can they be stretched out until it's just an immediate need, something that has to get done rather than something that someone opts to just extend?

Right. The average age overall of scrapping is somewhere around, or the useful life is somewhere around 25 years for the total fleet. If you take Capes, that number, you know, the number of years reduces, and Ultramax Supramax and the Handysize vessels, you know, they can go for a longer period of time. It really has to do with cost of dry docking, steel renewal, and fuel efficiency. It's I think, when you get into the third and fourth special surveys, it becomes very expensive, and you're really looking at a pure economic equation, and you have to decide, you know, make a decision that you're spending money that you're going to get back, and not just get back, but have a return on it as well.

It's actually a prime example why you're seeing a cycle out of the older, smaller, less fuel-efficient vessels into the larger, more fuel-efficient vessels, which we've been very consistent with.

Got it. That makes sense. Follow-up question from me, just a second question here as it relates to the Middle East. We've heard some maybe commentary and thoughts around in the tanker market around potential air pockets here if this conflict continues to go on. Realize the dynamics for dry bulk are much different. Is there any situation here, fallout, or ramifications of the current conflict, whether now or in the future, that could create some type of air pockets for the sector?

Look, on the, on the positive side, you know, particularly to us, scrubber spreads have increased, so that's increased our earnings capacity, the spread between HSFO and VLSFO. I talked about the coal earlier on the call, I think there are two functions or two aspects of the coal. The first is just pure increased demand, you're also having, you know, a list of countries, Japan, South Korea, the EU, who are all changing their stance to some degree on coal because they're focusing much more now on energy security. You've got sort of a double effect that's going on in the coal market. Stay tuned on that.

The other aspect of Or moves is obviously higher fuel prices, quite a bit higher than what we've than what we saw even a few months ago. That is encouraging slow steaming. We've definitely seen the dry bulk fleet slow down, which as you know, effectively decreases the supply situation in the supply and demand equation.

Very helpful commentary. Thank you, John. I'll turn it over.

Okay. Thanks, Chris.

Your next question comes from Liam Burke from B. Riley Securities. Please go ahead.

Thank you. Good morning, John. Morning, Peter. Morning, Michael.

Morning, Liam.

John, two years ago, you were moving towards a net positive cash position on your balance sheet. You chose to allocate the capital towards very nice investments, primarily on Capesize. We're looking forward here, are there opportunities to add to the fleet, or are you just gonna go back and look at reducing your debt load?

I think we'll keep our fleet renewal plan intact. You'll continue to see us execute on selling some of the older, minor bulk vessels and focus on the larger, more fuel efficient capacity in the Capesize Newcastlemax. You know, if you look at what we've done over the last, I think, 2.5 years, we've invested somewhere around $400 million. We've created a 30% IRR on those investments. While we'll continue to pay down debt and we're gonna continue to have a reserve on a quarterly basis, we will still be focused on the fleet renewal side. We do wanna grow.

I think it's, I think it's difficult to do large scale transactions with just cash because of where vessel values have gone. I mean, you've seen our NAV has creeped up, quite a bit just this year alone, so that's indicative in what's going on in asset pricing. We also, you know, at some point there may be an opportunity to use our equity as a currency as well. Again, that's gotta be done on a solely in accretive basis to not just cash flows, but NAV.

Great. Thank you, John. This is for Michael, I think. Coal, as you point out, constructionally, the demand has come back for a number of reasons. Thinking that, you know, the growth in bauxite has sort of shifted coal away from the case to the smaller vessels, is that how you see it moving, or are the Capes carrying enough coal and it's to the benefit across the fleet?

Yeah, no, Capes are definitely carrying coal. We've done a few just over the last month of coal lifting. I mean, I think coal overall is increasing and it really comes down to what, you know, what port the demand increase is coming from and what that port can handle in terms of size of vessels. There's no shift going on. I would say it's normalized except we're seeing increased volumes.

Great. Thank you, John.

Thanks, Liam.

Your next question comes from the line of Sherif ElMaghrabi from BTIG. Please go ahead.

Thank you and good morning. Just one for me today. Kind of sticking with what Liam was asking about fleet growth. Thinking about tools in your tool belt, you highlighted, Peter highlighted the pace Genco is on for a healthy Q2 dividend. I'm wondering how do you think about the voluntary reserve? Any thought to a temporary increase which would keep more dry powder for opportunistic growth? You know, you talked about it's tough to do large scale transactions. It has the added benefit of padding the NAV with some stable value.

The advantage of having that low cash short break even in our, you know, our, in a low net loan-to-value allows us to pay high dividends as well as grow, and we've got a large revolver in place that's non-amortizing, if we find the right opportunity. In terms of the reserve, look, we think the reserve is important. It's, you know, it's a depreciating asset class or asset base, so you need to be able to renew the fleet. I don't see us changing our dividend policy this year. The reserve will stay as is for the remainder of the year.

Okay. Thanks very much.

Okay. Thank you.

Before we proceed, again, if you would like to join the queue, simply press star one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from Poe Fratt from Alliance Global Partners. Please go ahead.

Is it the fuel cost issue, and then also maybe you could talk about insurance. Can you just highlight any potential bottom line impact on cost escalation in those two areas?

Sure, Poe. On the fuel side, you know, almost everything we're doing is on a spot basis. When we're pricing cargo, we're pricing the current fuel price. We do a little bit of hedging because we've seen fuel so volatile. If we lock something in, we may hedge the fuel. There's no additional cost on the fuel side for us that we've experienced, and I don't expect that to occur. Again, everything. When we price a spot cargo, we price the current fuel price into the quote. In terms of insurance, you know, we're not, you know, we're not going into the Red Sea. We've made that very, very prominent in our strategy for the time being and foreseeable future. We're not in the Persian Gulf.

We really haven't had to deal with any increased insurance costs.

Great. Thank you. Then, John, can you just talk, you know, you talked to Well, actually, Peter, for you, can you just highlight what the potential, you know, costs might be from, you know, shareholder, a shareholder perspective, annual meeting perspective? I think you said $3.8 million that was broken out in the second, first quarter. Can you give a ballpark number for the second quarter?

Hi, Poe. Thanks for the question. Yeah, historically with these types of situations, you know, our costs have run anywhere between $2 million and $4 million, as you've seen in Q4 and Q1 here, as well as in 2024. We didn't specifically provide Q2 guidance, I think looking at history, that's a fair assumption in the $2 million-$4 million range.

Great. John, on corporate governance, you know, I'm not sure where I can ask this question, you know, before the annual meeting in a public forum, but can you just answer one question for me on the poison pill? Why did you put the poison pill vote into the annual meeting instead of waiting until it expired in September? Why also did you increase, you know, that 10% threshold for the poison pill to 15%?

Right. In terms of the shareholder vote, we just think that is proper governance. We think that's the right move to allow shareholders to have a vote on it and putting it in place for a medium-term period. That's the answer to that. Your other question on moving the 10 to 15, it's simply a matter of, you know, we talk to shareholders a lot and the board and the management team look at data and how things are done from a governance standpoint, and we elected to move the 10 to 15 based on all of that.

Was there any consultation with the proxy consultants or proxy recommend, you know, recommendations at all?

We have a full host of advisors, obviously, Poe, everybody gets to weigh in. Again, you know, the way we make decisions is very definitive, it's based on data, and it's based on very high governance standards.

Great. I appreciate you answering the question. Thank you.

Okay, Poe. Thank you.

There are no further questions at this time. This concludes your conference call for today. We thank you for participating and ask that you please disconnect your line. Thank you.