UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-16 OR 15D-16 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of December 2023
Commission File Number: 001-34153
Global Ship Lease, Inc.
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
c/o Global Ship Lease Services Limited
25 Wilton Road
London SW1V 1LW
United Kingdom
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
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Form 20-F ☒
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Form 40-F ☐
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INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K
Changes to Leadership Team
Attached to this Report on Form 6-K (this “Report”) as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of the press release of Global Ship Lease, Inc. (the “Company”), dated December 7, 2023, announcing upcoming changes to the Company’s leadership team. Effective
as of March 31, 2024, Ian Webber will retire as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and will join the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), and Thomas Lister, who is currently serving as the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer, will
succeed Mr. Webber as Chief Executive Officer.
Quarterly Dividends on Series B Preferred Shares
Attached to this Report as Exhibit 99.2 is a copy of the press release of the Company, dated September 7, 2023, announcing that the Board declared a quarterly dividend on the Company’s 8.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable
Perpetual Preferred Shares (the “Series B Preferred Shares”).
Attached to this Report as Exhibit 99.3 is a copy of the press release of the Company, dated December 6, 2023, announcing that the Board declared a quarterly dividend on the Series B Preferred Shares.
Decarbonization Project
Attached to this Report as Exhibit 99.4 is a copy of the press release of the Company, dated September 18, 2023, announcing the Company’s partnership with Bayes Business School in support of the UK National Clean Maritime Research
Hub.
The information contained in Exhibit 99.1, Exhibit 99.2 and Exhibit 99.3 to this Report (excluding, with respect to Exhibit 99.1, the commentary of
George Youroukos and Thomas Lister therein) is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s registration statements on Form F-3 (File Nos. 333-231509, 333-258800 and 333-267468) and Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-258992 and 333-264113).
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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GLOBAL SHIP LEASE, INC.
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(registrant)
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Dated: December 13, 2023
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By:
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/s/ Ian J. Webber
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Ian J. Webber
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Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 99.1
Investor and Media Contact:
The IGB Group
Bryan Degnan
646-673-9701
or
Leon Berman
212-477-8438
Global Ship Lease Announces CEO Transition
Thomas Lister to Become CEO; Ian Webber to Join Board of Directors
LONDON, December 7, 2023 – Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) (the “Company” or “GSL”), a leading independent owner of containerships, today announced
that Ian Webber, its Chief Executive Officer, has chosen to retire from the CEO role he has held since the Company’s inception in 2007 and will join GSL’s Board of Directors, effective March 31, 2024, expanding the size of the Board to nine members.
Thomas Lister, who also joined the Company in 2007 and has held a number of senior executive roles, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Webber as CEO, effective concurrently with Mr. Webber’s retirement.
Thomas Lister was part of the management team that took GSL public in August 2008, and has served as Chief Commercial Officer of the Company since then,
having also served as Chief Financial Officer from 2017 – 2018 in the lead-up to GSL’s transformational combination with Poseidon Containers. Since 2019, Mr. Lister has also led GSL’s decarbonization initiatives. Prior to joining GSL, he worked in
asset finance, banking, and liner shipping. Mr. Lister graduated from Durham University and holds an MBA from INSEAD.
George Youroukos, Executive Chairman of Global Ship Lease, commented, “Over the last 16 years as CEO of Global Ship Lease, Ian oversaw the Company’s
listing on the NYSE in 2008, guided it safely through the most challenging period the containership industry has ever experienced, and was fully committed to ensuring that the transformative merger with Poseidon Containers in 2018 was a success.
Global Ship Lease has become a larger, stronger, and more valuable company on his watch. As a colleague, a friend, and also as a shareholder of GSL, I want to thank Ian for all that he has done for the Company, and I look forward to continuing to
benefit from his experience and guidance as a member of the Board of Directors. I am delighted that we can maintain continuity and GSL’s positive momentum as Tom Lister transitions into the CEO
role. Tom not only knows the Company inside and out, but also has deep expertise across our industry, having started his career in liner shipping before moving into banking, asset finance, and ship leasing. He has led our strategic and commercial
response to the growing pressures on the industry to decarbonize and is very well-qualified to take Global Ship Lease forward at this time of increasingly rapid change.”
Thomas Lister commented, “I feel very privileged to become CEO of Global Ship Lease and, having worked closely with Ian for 16 years, and with George,
Tassos, and the rest of the team since 2018, I am confident that the transition will be a smooth one. The industry is at an inflection point, which will present both challenges to address and opportunities for the Company to embrace. With the support
of our excellent teams at sea, on shore, and in the boardroom, this is an exciting time to be taking the reins at Global Ship Lease.”
For more information on Global Ship Lease, please visit www.globalshiplease.com.
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in
the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange
in August 2008.
As at September 30, 2023, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36 ships
are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As at September 30, 2023, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s
control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 2.1 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.81 billion. Contracted revenue was $2.23 billion, including options under charterers’ control and
with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 2.8 years.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future
events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of
these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these
forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events.
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Exhibit 99.2
Investor and Media Contact:
The IGB Group
Bryan Degnan
646-673-9701
or
Leon Berman
212-477-8438
Global Ship Lease Declares Quarterly Dividend on its 8.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
LONDON, September 7, 2023 – Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL) (the “Company”) announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors has declared a cash
dividend of $0.546875 per depositary share, each representing a 1/100th interest in a share of its 8.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) (NYSE:GSLPrB). The dividend represents payment for
the period from July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 and will be paid on October 2, 2023 to all Series B Preferred Shareholders of record as of September 25, 2023.
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in
the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange
in August 2008.
As at June 30, 2023, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36 ships
are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As at June 30, 2023, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s
control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 2.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.97 billion. Contracted revenue was $2.39 billion, including options under charterers’ control and
with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 3.1 years.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future
events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of
these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these
forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events.
Exhibit 99.3
Investor and Media Contact:
The IGB Group
Bryan Degnan
646-673-9701
or
Leon Berman
212-477-8438
Global Ship Lease Declares Quarterly Dividend on its 8.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
LONDON, December 6, 2023 – Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL) (the “Company”) announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors has declared a cash
dividend of $0.546875 per depositary share, each representing a 1/100th interest in a share of its 8.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) (NYSE:GSLPrB). The dividend represents payment for
the period from October 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 and will be paid on January 2, 2024 to all Series B Preferred Shareholders of record as of December 21, 2023.
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in
the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange
in August 2008.
As of September 30, 2023, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36
ships are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As of September 30, 2023, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s
control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 2.1 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.81 billion. Contracted revenue was $2.23 billion, including options under charterers’ control and
with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 2.8 years.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future
events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of
these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these
forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events.
Exhibit 99.4
Investor and Media Contact:
The IGB Group
Bryan Degnan
646-673-9701
or
Leon Berman
212-477-8438
Global Ship Lease to be a Project Partner to Bayes Business School on UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub
Collaborative effort of government, academic, and industry partners intended to accelerate decarbonization, reduce
emissions, and maximize economic and societal benefits from the maritime energy transition
LONDON, September 18, 2023 – Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) (the “Company”), a leading independent owner of containerships, today announced its
project partnership supporting Bayes Business School in leading the Digitization, Maritime Operations, and Finance aspects of the consortium’s successful bid for the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub (the "UK-MaRes Hub”). Alongside other
project partners from across the energy and supply chain sectors, GSL will provide support for work to accelerate decarbonization, reduce emissions, and drive economic and societal benefits in the transition to a clean maritime future.
Among a range of issues related to maritime decarbonization, the UK-MaRes Hub will pursue initiatives related to the scalability and safety of emerging
marine fuels; alternative power and propulsion systems; port and vessel support systems; vessel design and efficiency; maritime operations and digitization; and economics, finance, and policy.
Thomas Lister, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of ESG at Global Ship Lease, commented, "We are proud to participate in this pioneering research effort
that brings together a range of experts from across government, academia, and industry in pursuit of solutions to the key technological, economic, and societal challenges of decarbonization. By bringing our real world technical and operating
expertise, experience, and data to this effort in conjunction with Bayes Business School and the diverse group of project partners, we hope to add to growing momentum in the drive towards net zero emissions in shipping, and to ensure that GSL stays
ahead of the curve on issues that are increasingly central to both our industry and the world at large.”
For more information on Global Ship Lease's commitment to decarbonization, please visit www.globalshiplease.com.
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in
the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York stock Exchange
in August 2008.
As at June 30, 2023, Global Ship Lease owned 68 containerships ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, with an aggregate capacity of 375,406 TEU. 36 ships
are wide-beam Post-Panamax.
As at June 30, 2023, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s
control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, was 2.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $1.97 billion. Contracted revenue was $2.39 billion, including options under charterers’ control and
with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 3.1 years.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future
events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of
these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these
forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events.
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