VAFIAS GROUP - StealthGas Inc. (Nasdaq: GASS) is a global energy seaborne transportation company providing services to LPG producers and users. Our vessels carry various petroleum and petrochemical gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene and vinyl chloride monomer, which are all by-products of the production of oil and natural gas. These products are transported in liquefied form in order to reduce their volume and to facilitate their handling.
StealthGas currently owns 35 LPG carriers, which includes 33 currently under operation and 2 new buildings for delivery in 2012. The average age of our LPG fleet is about 11.3 years as of today and the total carrying capacity of the LPG fleet today is 168,097 cbm.
StealthGas ranks number one worldwide in owned vessels in the 3,000 to 8,000 cbm LPG carrier segment which is our strategic focus. With strong fundamentals in the Handysize LPG carrier sector, we aim to grow and consolidate our fleet and sell older vessels should the opportunity arise.
StealthGas also owns and operates 3 modern M.R. Product Carriers and a crude-oil Aframax tanker. Managing prudently our product and crude tankers on long-term bareboat charters provides investors with a substantial margin of safety.
Stealthgas’ existing newbuilding program is fully financed.
As of today, our vessels have secured period employment of about 60% for 2012 and 33% for 2013.