Grindrod Shipping Holdings Ltd. 2018 Second Half and Full Year Financial Results

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Other operating expenses were $3.4 million and $37.0 million in the six months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in operating expenses for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to impairment losses on vessels of $16.5 million, impairment loss on goodwill and intangibles of $12.1 million and impairment on assets of the two non-core businesses sold on January 1, 2018 of $5.1 million recorded in the six months ended December 31, 2017.

Share of results of joint ventures was a profit of $0.9 million for the six months ended December 31, 2018 and a loss of $11.8 million for the six months ended December 31, 2017. The improvement for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to the recognition of impairment losses on vessels in our joint ventures for the six months ended December 31, 2017.

We recorded an impairment loss on financial assets of $1.6 million in the second half of 2018 and no impairment loss on financial assets in the second half of 2017.

Interest income was $1.8 million for the six months ended December 31, 2018 and $3.9 million for the six months ended December 31, 2017. The decrease in interest income for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to repayment of certain loans to our joint ventures.

Interest expense was $3.6 million for the six months ended December 31, 2018 and $3.5 million for the six months ended December 31, 2017.

Income tax expense for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was a credit of $0.8 million and for the six months ended December 31, 2017 was an expense of $1.3 million. The reduction of income tax expense for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to the exclusion of the two non-core businesses sold on January 1, 2018 from our results since that date.

Loss for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was $7.2 million and loss for the six months ended December 31, 2017 was $53.9 million.

Results for the Full Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017

Our results for the full year ended December 31, 2018 relative to the full year ended December 31, 2017 were impacted by the sale of two non-core businesses on January 1, 2018, which had combined revenues of $54.9 million, combined cost of sales of $39.3 million and a combined profit of $6.9 million for the full year ended 2017. In the drybulk business, our handysize and supramax/ultramax operating days declined from 15,304 days in the 12 months ended December 31, 2017 to 12,810 days for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018, primarily as a result of a reduction of short-term chartered-in days. Handysize and supramax/ultramax drybulk spot market rates were generally stronger in fiscal 2018 than fiscal 2017, and particularly so in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017. On the other hand, while there was an improvement in the medium range tanker market since November 2018, overall this tanker market was generally weaker in fiscal 2018 than compared to fiscal 2017.

Revenues were $319.0 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $409.5 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.  Vessel revenues were $303.9 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $386.0 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

In the drybulk business, handysize total revenues and supramax/ultramax total revenues were $126.7 million and $147.3 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $126.7 million and $157.4 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.  Handysize vessel revenues and supramax/ultramax vessel revenues were $116.4 million and $146.1 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $118.3 million, and $156.5 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

In the tankers business, our medium range tankers and small tankers total revenues were $37.9 million and $21.2 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $53.3 million and $22.7 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.  Medium range tankers and small tankers vessel revenues were $37.9 million and $17.4 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $42.6 million and $22.7 million, respectively for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. 

Handysize TCE per day was $9,032 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $7,675 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Supramax/ultramax TCE per day was $11,878 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $10,551 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

Medium range tankers TCE per day was $11,258 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $11,691 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Small tankers TCE per day was $11,392 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $13,014 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

Cost of sales was $307.9 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $387.4 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

In the drybulk business, handysize segment and supramax/ultramax segment cost of sales was $117.6 million and $146.6 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $124.0 million and $155.9 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Handysize voyage expenses and supramax/ultramax voyage expenses were $57.7 million and $71.1 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $59.0 million, and $76.5 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Handysize vessel operating costs and supramax/ultramax vessel operating costs were $26.5 million and $3.4 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018, respectively, and $26.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Handysize vessel operating costs per day were $5,201 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $5,034 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Supramax/ultramax vessel operating costs per day were $4,641 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $4,519 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

The average daily charter-in costs for our long-term supramax/ultramax fleet was $12,886 per day for the year ended December 31, 2018, and $13,092 per day for the year ended December 31, 2017.

In the tankers business, medium range tankers and small tankers cost of sales were $39.8 million and $18.6 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $56.5 million and $18.5 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Medium range tankers voyage expenses and small tankers voyage expenses were $8.0 million and $3.5 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $7.6 million and $3.7 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Medium range tankers vessel operating costs and small tankers vessel operating costs were $11.3 million and $9.0 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $13.3 million and $9.5 million, respectively, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Medium range tankers vessel operating costs per day were $6,888 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $6,869 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.  Small tankers vessel operating costs per day were $7,069 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $7,427 per day for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

The average daily charter-in costs for our long-term medium range tanker fleet was $14,995 per day for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $14,756 per day for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Gross profit was $11.1 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $22.1 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Gross profit for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017 included $15.7 million of gross profit of the two non-core businesses that were sold on January 1, 2018.  

Other operating income was $11.5 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $4.7 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Profit on sale of the two non-core businesses of $3.8 million were recorded in the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and foreign exchange gains were $3.5 million higher for the same period.

For the year to December 31, 2018 administrative expenses were $31.6 million, and they were $32.9 million for the year to December 31, 2017.     

Other operating expenses were $5.4 million and $39.2 million in the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in other operating expenses for the six months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily due to impairment losses on vessels of $16.5 million, impairment loss on goodwill and intangibles of $12.1 million and impairment loss on assets of disposal group of $5.1 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

Share of losses of joint ventures was $0.5 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $12.9 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. The decrease was primarily due to impairment losses on vessels recorded in the 12 months ended December 31, 2017.

We recorded an impairment loss on financial assets of $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and no impairment loss on financial assets in 2017.

Interest income was $3.8 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and $7.2 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Interest on loans to our joint ventures decreased for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 due to partial repayments of certain borrowings.

For each of the year to December 31, 2018 and the year to December 31, 2017, interest expense was $6.5 million.

Income tax expense for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 was $1.4 million and for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017 was $3.2 million. Income tax expense decreased in 2018 due to the exclusion of the non-core businesses sold on January 1, 2018 from our results since that date.

Loss for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 was $20.6 million and loss for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017 was $60.8 million.

Cash from operating activities was an outflow of $37.4 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and an inflow of $3.4 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Cash from operating activities for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 includes capital expenditure on vessels of $21.4 million, proceeds from vessel sales of $8.3 million and payments to related parties of $6.0 million. For the 12 months ended December 31, 2017, cash from operating activities includes capital expenditure on vessels of $5.2 million, proceeds from vessel sales of $17.7 million and payments to related parties of $5.0 million.

Cash generated from (used in) investing activities was an inflow of $40.0 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and an outflow of $2.1 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Cash generated from (used in) investing activities was impacted by the proceeds from the sales of the two non-core businesses in the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 of $25.3 million and payments received from related parties of $14.1 million.

Cash used in financing activities was an outflow of $11.9 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and an outflow of $19.8 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. Cash used in financing activities in the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 was primarily impacted by the repayment of loans from related parties of $8.4 million, movement of cash to restricted cash of $8.6 million and a net inflow of $6.8 million from the incurrence of new debt and the repayment of existing debt. Cash used in financing activities in the 12 months ended December 31, 2017 was primarily impacted by the issuance of equity to Grindrod Limited of $15.0 million and repayment of loans from related parties of $42.0 million. 

The above cash flow figures are reflected in the summarized cash flow information shown in tabular form in a subsequent section of this announcement under the heading “Unaudited Summary Statement of Cash Flows”, which reflects $33.5 million of cash and cash equivalents as at December 31, 2018, which is after deducting $13.8 million of restricted cash which is pledged to certain banks to secure loans and other credit facilities. As of December 31, 2018, we had cash and cash equivalents of $47.3 million including the $13.8 million of restricted cash.

Conference Call Details

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time / 3:00 p.m. South African Standard Time / 9:00 p.m. Singapore Time, the Company's management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the earnings results.

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: +866 966 1396 (US Toll Free Dial In), +0800 376 7922 (UK Toll Free Dial In), +800 852 6250 (Singapore Toll Free Dial In), or +0800 014 553 (South Africa Toll Free Dial In), +44 (0)2071 928000 (International Standard Dial In). Please enter code: 9069683.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available until Thursday, March 7, 2019, by dialing +866 331 1332 (US Toll Free Dial In), +65 3158 3995 (Singapore Dial In), +44 (0)3333 009785 (International Standard Dial In).  Access code: 9069683.

Audio Webcast - Slides Presentation

There will be concurrent live and then archived slides and audio webcast of the conference call, accessible via the internet through the Grindrod Shipping website www.grinshipping.com. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

The slide presentation of the results for the second half and full year ended December 31, 2018 will be accessible in PDF format 10 minutes prior to the conference call and webcast on the Investor Relations section of our website located at www.grinshipping.com. Participants to the webcast can download the PDF presentation. The conference call will take participants through the slide presentation on the website.

About Grindrod Shipping Holdings Ltd.

Grindrod Shipping owns and operates a diversified fleet of owned and long-term and short-term chartered-in drybulk vessels and product tankers. The drybulk business, which operates under the brand “Island View Shipping” (“IVS”) includes a fleet of 18 handysize drybulk carriers and 12 supramax/ultramax drybulk carriers on the water with five ultramax drybulk carriers under construction in Japan due be delivered in 2019 and 2020. The tanker business, which operates under the brand “Unicorn Shipping” (“Unicorn”) includes a fleet of eight medium range tankers and three small tankers. The Company is based in Singapore, with offices in London, Durban, Tokyo, Cape Town and Rotterdam. Grindrod Shipping is listed on NASDAQ under the ticker “GRIN” and on the JSE under the ticker “GSH”. 

Fleet Table

The following table sets forth certain summary information regarding our fleet as of the date of this press release:

Drybulk Carriers – Owned Fleet (24 Vessels)

Drybulk Carriers Under Construction – Owned Fleet (2 Vessels)

Tankers – Owned Fleet (11 Vessels)⁽⁹⁾

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⁽¹⁾ Owned through a joint venture with Mitsui & Co Ltd. in which we have a 51% interest.
⁽²⁾ Expiration date range represents the earliest and latest redelivery periods due to extension options.
⁽³⁾ Owned through a joint venture with Regiment Capital Ltd. and Sankaty European Investments III, S.a.r.l. in which we have a 33.5% interest.
⁽⁴⁾ Constructed at Tsuneishi Cebu Shipyard, a subsidiary of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding of Japan.
⁽⁵⁾ In February 2019 the joint venture with Engen Petroleum Limited, in which we have a 50% interest, entered into an agreement to sell the medium range tanker Lavela to a third party. The vessel is scheduled to deliver to her new owners during March 2019.
⁽⁶⁾ Our eco Medium Range product tankers, other than Matuku, are commercially managed by Mansel Limited.  Mansel, an affiliate of Vitol, procures shipping for various oil cargoes traded by Vitol.
⁽⁷⁾ Includes purchase options for Grindrod Shipping. For IVS Augusta and IVS Pinehurst, we have the option to purchase either, but not both, of these vessels of our choice.
⁽⁸⁾ Commercially managed by us alongside the IVS Handysize Pool.
⁽⁹⁾ Fleet table does not include the remaining vessel owned by the Leopard Tankers joint venture, which is expected to be delivered to Vitol imminently.

Selected Historical and Statistical Data of Our Operating Fleet⁽¹⁾

Set forth below are selected historical and statistical data of our operating fleet for the six months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the 12 months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, that we believe may be useful in better understanding our operating fleet's financial position and results of operations. This table contains certain information regarding TCE per day, which is a non-GAAP measure. For a discussion and reconciliation of these measures, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the end of this press release.

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⁽¹⁾ Segment historical and statistical data of our operating fleet include the proportionate share of joint ventures which is not reflected in our combined results of operations.
⁽²⁾ Calendar days: total calendar days the vessels were in our possession for the relevant period.
⁽³⁾ Available days: total number of calendar days a vessel is in our possession for the relevant period after subtracting off-hire days for scheduled drydocking and special surveys. We use available days to measure the number of days in a relevant period during which vessels should be available for generating revenues.
⁽⁴⁾ Operating days: the number of available days in the relevant period a vessel is controlled by us after subtracting the aggregate number of days that the vessel is off-hire due to a reason other than scheduled drydocking and special surveys, including unforeseen circumstances. We use operating days to measure the aggregate number of days in a relevant period during which vessels are actually available to generate revenues.
⁽⁵⁾ Owned fleet operating days: the number of operating days in which our owned fleet is operating for the relevant period.
⁽⁶⁾ Long-term charter-in days: the number of operating days in which our long-term charter-in fleet is operating for the relevant period. We regard chartered-in vessels as long-term charters if the period of the charter that we initially commit to is 12 months or more. Once we have included such chartered-in vessels in our Fleet, we will continue to regard them as part of our Fleet until the end of their chartered-in period, including any period that the charter has been extended under an option, even if at a given time the remaining period of their charter may be less than 12 months.
⁽⁷⁾ Short-term charter-in days: the number of operating days for which we have chartered-in third party vessels for durations of less than one year for the relevant period.
⁽⁸⁾ Fleet utilization: the percentage of time that vessels are available for generating revenue, determined by dividing the number of operating days during a relevant period by the number of available days during that period. We use fleet utilization to measure a company’s efficiency in technically managing its vessels.
⁽⁹⁾ TCE per day: vessel revenues less voyage expenses during a relevant period divided by the number of operating days during the period. The number of operating days used to calculate TCE revenue per day includes the proportionate share of our joint ventures’ operating days and includes charter-in days. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” at the end of this press release.
⁽¹⁰⁾ Vessel operating costs per day: Vessel operating costs per day represents vessel operating costs divided by the number of calendar days for owned vessels. The vessel operating costs and the number of calendar days used to calculate vessel operating costs per day includes the proportionate share of our joint ventures’ calendar day and excludes charter-in costs and charter-in days.
⁽¹¹⁾ Long-term charter-in costs per day: Charter hire expenses associated with long-term charter-in vessels divided by long-term charter-in days for the relevant period.

The tables below present the breakdown of charter hire expense into long-term charter hire expense and short-term charter hire expense for the six months to December 31, 2018 and 2017, and for the 12 months to December 31, 2018 and 2017:

 

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⁽¹⁾ Charter hire cost incurred by the joint ventures are included within the operating segment information on a proportionate consolidation basis.  Accordingly, joint ventures’ proportionate financial information are adjusted out to reconcile to the unaudited interim condensed consolidated and combined financial statements.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated and Combined Statement of Financial Position

* Amount is less than US$1.00

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated and Combined Statement of Profit or Loss