See Note 9, “Debt,” to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for further details on the refinancing transaction and the terms of the 2020 Debt Facilities.
In January 2020, the Company sold and delivered a 2002-built Aframax for net proceeds of $12.2 million. In October 2020, the Company entered into memoranda of agreements for the sales of a 2002-built VLCC, a 2003-built VLCC, and a 2001-built Aframax for delivery to buyers between November 2020 and January 2021.The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of these vessels will be approximately $62.0 million.
On February 26, 2020, May 20, 2020, and August 4, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors declared regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.06 per share. Pursuant to these declarations, on each of March 30, 2020, June 22, 2020 and September 23, 2020, the Company made dividend payments totaling $1.7 million, respectively. The Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share of common stock on October 28, 2020. The dividend will be paid on December 23, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 8, 2020.
In February 2020, the Company took delivery of a 2009-built LR1 pursuant to a memorandum of agreement entered into in December 2019 for a purchase price of $18.8 million, of which 10% was previously paid in 2019.
During first six months of 2020, the Company repurchased and retired 1,417,292 shares of its common stock in open-market purchases at a total cost of $30.0 million. On August 4, 2020 the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the renewal of the share repurchase program in the amount of $30.0 million for another 24-month period ending August 4, 2022. Subsequently, on October 28, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized an increase in the share repurchase program from $30.0 million to $50.0 million.
The Company is party to an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with Evercore Group L.L.C. and Jefferies LLC, as our sales agents, relating to the common shares of the Company. In accordance with the terms of the Distribution Agreement, we may offer and sell common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $25.0 million from time to time through the sales agents. The sales agents are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of our common shares but will use their commercially reasonable efforts, as our agents and subject to the terms of the Distribution Agreement, to sell the common shares offered, as instructed by us. We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering, after deducting the sales agents’ commissions and our offering expenses, for general corporate purposes. This may include, among other things, additions to working capital, repayment or refinancing of existing indebtedness or other corporate obligations, financing of capital expenditures and acquisitions and investment in existing and future projects. As of September 30, 2020, the Company has neither sold or undertaken to sell any shares pursuant to the Distribution Agreement.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company has remaining contractual commitments for the purchase and installation of scrubbers on three of its 10 modern VLCCs, which are scheduled for installation during the fourth quarter of 2020 or 2021. The Company also has outstanding contractual commitments for the purchase and installation of ballast water treatment systems on nine vessels, with an option for the purchase and installation of one additional ballast water treatment system. As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s aggregate purchase commitments for vessel betterments are approximately $7.5 million (see Aggregate Contractual Obligations Table below). The overall commitments could increase by approximately $2.1 million if the remaining option for an additional ballast water treatment system unit is exercised. Such option expires December 2020. These systems are intended to be funded with available liquidity and proceeds from the sales of vessels.
Outlook
We believe that the fourth quarter of 2020 and calendar year 2021 will likely be a weaker rate environment for tankers than the first nine months of 2020 due to (i) the deterioration in vessel demand resulting from the residual effects of excess crude supply and the resulting need for seaborne storage of crude oil and products that ramped up during the second quarter of 2020 that is currently in the process of being drawn down and (ii) the reduction in oil demand as a result of COVID-19.
As discussed in the Operations and Oil Tanker Markets section above, although the larger tanker vessels were still experiencing healthy rates, the strong tanker rate environment experienced during the second quarter began to weaken in the third quarter as oil markets were recovering and the oil price contango decreased. We continue to expect that daily oil supply and demand will start to