ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” herein and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2021, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Please also see the section “Forward-Looking Statements” included in this quarterly report.
Overview
We are a Marshall Islands corporation headquartered in the United States and primarily focused on owning and operating VLGCs, each with a cargo-carrying capacity of greater than 80,000 cbm, in the LPG shipping industry. Our fleet currently consists of twenty-three VLGC carriers, including nineteen fuel-efficient 84,000 cbm ECO-VLGCs, two 82,000 cbm VLGCs, and two time chartered-in VLGC. Twelve of our ECO-VLGCs are currently equipped with scrubbers to reduce sulfur emissions.
Dorian’s nineteen ECO-VLGCs, which incorporate fuel efficiency, emission-reducing technologies, and certain custom features, were acquired by us for an aggregate purchase price of $1.4 billion and delivered to us between July 2014 and February 2016, seventeen of which were delivered during calendar year 2015 or later.
On April 1, 2015, Dorian and Phoenix began operations of the Helios Pool, which entered into pool participation agreements for the purpose of establishing and operating, as charterer, under a variable rate time charter to be entered into with owners or disponent owners of VLGCs, a commercial pool of VLGCs whereby revenues and expenses are shared. The vessels entered into the Helios Pool may operate either in the spot market, pursuant to contracts of affreightment, or COAs, or on time charters of two years' duration or less. As of October 29, 2021, twenty-one of our twenty-three VLGCs were employed in the Helios Pool, including our two time chartered-in VLGCs.
Our customers, either directly or through the Helios Pool, include or have included global energy companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., China International United Petroleum & Chemicals Co., Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell plc, Equinor ASA, Total S.A., and Sunoco LP, commodity traders such as Glencore plc, Itochu Corporation, Bayegan Group, Vilma Oil SL, and the Vitol Group and importers such as E1 Corp., Indian Oil Corporation, SK Gas Co. Ltd., Astomos Energy Corporation, and Oriental Energy Company Ltd. or subsidiaries of the foregoing.
We continue to pursue a balanced chartering strategy by employing our vessels on a mix of multi-year time charters, some of which may include a profit-sharing component, shorter-term time charters, spot market voyages and COAs. Currently, two of our VLGCs are on fixed-rate time charters outside of the Helios Pool. See “Our Fleet” below for more information and the definition of Pool-TCO.
Recent Developments
During the six months ended September 30, 2021, we time chartered-in three newbuilding dual-fuel Panamax LPG vessels with purchase options that are scheduled to be delivered in the second and third calendar quarters of 2023 for a period of seven years each and also time chartered-in a VLGC for one year that was delivered to us in October 2021.
In August 2021, our management approved a plan to consolidate our London, United Kingdom and Copenhagen, Denmark offices, moving operations from London to Copenhagen. This plan is intended to reduce our office related expenses going forward, as well as to increase operating efficiency by having our operations and chartering teams in the same location and functioning out of one office.
On October 16, 2021, we took delivery of a VLGC that we time chartered-in for 12 months. The VLGC was deployed in the Helios Pool.