FRONTLINE PLC REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER
ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
Frontline plc (the “Company” or “Frontline”),
today reported unaudited results for the three and twelve months
ended December 31, 2022:
Highlights
- Highest quarterly net income since the second quarter of 2008
of $240.0 million, or $1.08 per basic and diluted share for the
fourth quarter of 2022.
- Adjusted net income of $215.5 million, or $0.97 per basic and
diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2022.
- Declared a cash dividend of $0.30 per share for the third
quarter of 2022 and a cash dividend of $0.77 per share for the
fourth quarter of 2022.
- Reported total operating revenues of $530.1 million for the
fourth quarter of 2022.
- Reported spot TCEs for VLCCs, Suezmax tankers and LR2/Aframax
tankers in the fourth quarter of 2022 were $63,200, $57,900
(highest since the third quarter of 2008) and $58,800 (an all-time
high) per day, respectively.
- For the first quarter of 2023, we estimate spot TCE on a
load-to-discharge basis of $58,300 contracted for 87% of vessel
days for VLCCs, $72,400 contracted for 77% of vessel days for
Suezmax tankers and $63,900 contracted for 68% of vessel days for
LR2/Aframax tankers.
- Sold the 2009-built VLCC, Front Eminence, and the 2009-built
Suezmax tanker, Front Balder, for aggregate gross proceeds of
approximately $100.5 million. After repayment of existing debt on
the vessels, the transactions are expected to generate net cash
proceeds of approximately $63.8 million.
- Took delivery of the three remaining VLCC newbuildings from
Hyundai Heavy Industries (“HHI”): Front Gaula in October 2022, and
Front Orkla and Front Tyne in January 2023.
- Terminated the Combination Agreement with Euronav on January 9,
2023 and received from Euronav an emergency arbitration request for
urgent interim and conservatory measures on January 17, 2023, which
was fully dismissed by the Emergency Arbitrator on February 7,
2023.
- Received from Euronav an arbitration request for proceedings on
the merits of the termination on January 28, 2023.
- Repaid $60.0 million of its $275.0 million senior unsecured
revolving credit facility in February 2023.
Lars H. Barstad, Chief Executive Officer
of Frontline Management AS, commented:
“The fourth quarter of 2022 may have given us a
preview of the years to come in the tanker market as Frontline
posts its best quarterly result in more than 14 years. With Chinese
demand returning in earnest, the VLCC market also kicked into
action during the fourth quarter and Frontline reaped the full
benefits of its lean and efficient operations with all asset
classes generating solid shareholder returns.
Overall freight demand continues to be
positively affected by expanding trade lanes caused by Russian
sanctions and the price cap on product exports that kicked in on
the 5th of February. We should not forget this is all happening
against the backdrop of an ageing fleet, dwindling orderbooks and
unprecedented lead-times to new tonnage supply providing further
support for the markets.”
Inger M. Klemp, Chief Financial Officer of Frontline
Management AS, added:
“We expect to refinance a term loan facility
with total balloon payment of $80.1 million due in August 2023
prior to maturity, leaving the Company with no material maturities
until 2024. Our strong cash flow in the second half of 2022 enables
us to return $238.2 million to our shareholders in cash dividends.
Considering that asset values are moving ahead of earnings
fundamentals, we believe the best capital allocation of the net
proceeds from the sale of the two 2009 built vessels is to repay
our $275.0 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility and
have repaid $60.0 million in February 2023, reducing the amount
outstanding to $149.7 million.”
Average daily time charter equivalents
("TCEs")1
($ per day) |
Spot TCE |
Spot TCE estimates |
% Covered |
Estimated average daily cash breakeven rates |
|
2022 |
Q4 2022 |
Q3 2022 |
Q2 2022 |
Q1 2022 |
2021 |
Q1 2023 |
2023 |
VLCC |
31,300 |
63,200 |
25,000 |
16,400 |
15,700 |
15,300 |
58,300 |
87% |
27,000 |
Suezmax |
37,100 |
57,900 |
41,100 |
26,500 |
16,900 |
12,000 |
72,400 |
77% |
21,500 |
LR2 / Aframax |
38,500 |
58,800 |
40,200 |
38,600 |
19,000 |
11,800 |
63,900 |
68% |
17,600 |
We expect the spot TCEs for the full first
quarter of 2023 to be lower than the TCEs currently contracted, due
to the impact of ballast days at the end of the fourth quarter. The
number of ballast days at the end of the fourth quarter was 322 for
VLCCs, 428 for Suezmax tankers and 174 for LR2/Aframax tankers.
The Board of DirectorsFrontline plcLimassol,
CyprusFebruary 27, 2023
Ola Lorentzon - Chairman and DirectorJohn
Fredriksen - DirectorOle B. Hjertaker - Director
James O'Shaughnessy - Director Steen Jakobsen - DirectorMarios
Demetriades - Director
Questions should be directed to:
Lars H. Barstad: Chief Executive Officer,
Frontline Management AS+47 23 11 40 00
Inger M. Klemp: Chief Financial Officer,
Frontline Management AS+47 23 11 40 00
Forward-Looking Statements
Matters discussed in this report may constitute
forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for
forward-looking statements, which include statements concerning
plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance,
and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other
than statements of historical facts.
Frontline plc and its subsidiaries, or the
Company, desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is
including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe
harbor legislation. This report and any other written or oral
statements made by us or on our behalf may include forward-looking
statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future
events and financial performance and are not intended to give any
assurance as to future results. When used in this document, the
words "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "forecast,"
"project," "plan," "potential," "will," "may," "should," "expect"
and similar expressions, terms or phrases may identify
forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements in this report
are based upon various assumptions, including without limitation,
management's examination of historical operating trends, data
contained in our records and data available from third parties.
Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when
made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to
significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or
impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure
you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs
or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
In addition to these important factors and
matters discussed elsewhere herein, important factors that, in our
view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those
discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of
world economies, fluctuations in currencies and interest rates,
general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire
rates and vessel values, changes in the supply and demand for
vessels comparable to ours, changes in worldwide oil production and
consumption and storage, changes in the Company's operating
expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking and insurance costs,
the market for the Company's vessels, availability of financing and
refinancing, our ability to obtain financing and comply with the
restrictions and other covenants in our financing arrangements,
availability of skilled workers and the related labor costs,
compliance with governmental, tax, environmental and safety
regulation, any non-compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) or other applicable regulations
relating to bribery, the impact of increasing scrutiny and changing
expectations from investors, lenders and other market participants
with respect to our ESG policies, general economic conditions and
conditions in the oil industry, effects of new products and new
technology in our industry, the failure of counter parties to fully
perform their contracts with us, our dependence on key personnel,
adequacy of insurance coverage, our ability to obtain indemnities
from customers, changes in laws, treaties or regulations, the
volatility of the price of our ordinary shares; our incorporation
under the laws of Cyprus and the different rights to relief that
may be available compared to other countries, including the United
States, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions
taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending
or future litigation, general domestic and international political
conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to
accidents, environmental factors, political events, public health
threats, international hostilities including the ongoing
developments in the Ukraine region, acts by terrorists or acts of
piracy on ocean-going vessels, the length and severity of epidemics
and pandemics, including the ongoing global outbreak of the novel
coronavirus ("COVID-19"), and their impacts on the demand for
seaborne transportation of petroleum products, the impact of
increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from investors,
lenders and other market participants with respect to our
Environmental, Social and Governance policies, the impact of port
or canal congestion and other important factors described from time
to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and
Exchange Commission or Commission.
We caution readers of this report not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of their dates. These forward-looking statements are no
guarantee of our future performance, and actual results and future
developments may vary materially from those projected in the
forward-looking statements.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements
pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
1 This press release describes Time Charter Equivalent earnings
and related per day amounts, which are not measures prepared in
accordance with US GAAP (“non-GAAP”). See Appendix 1 for a full
description of the measures and reconciliation to the nearest GAAP
measure.
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