Castor Maritime Inc. Announces $50.0 million Debt Financing and Full Redemption of the 8.75% Series E Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Preferred Shares

Rhea-AI Summary

Castor Maritime (NASDAQ: CTRM) agreed on a $50.0 million five‑year sustainability‑linked senior term loan with a European bank, secured by a first‑priority mortgage on four dry bulk vessels and guaranteed by the company; interest is Term SOFR plus a margin adjustable by sustainability performance and net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.

On October 13, 2025, Castor and Toro agreed to the full redemption and cancellation of 60,000 shares of 8.75% Series E cumulative perpetual convertible preferred shares for cash equal to stated amount plus 0.523% and accrued distributions; Toro’s chairman/CEO is also Castor’s chairman/CEO/CFO.

Positive

• $50.0M five‑year sustainability‑linked term loan
• Loan secured by first‑priority mortgages on four vessels
• Redemption cancels 60,000 8.75% Series E preferred shares
• Eliminates ongoing 8.75% preferred dividend obligation on redeemed shares

Negative

• Four vessels encumbered by first‑priority mortgage
• Borrowing cost tied to Term SOFR plus margin and sustainability adjustments
• Related‑party overlap: Toro chairman/CEO also serves as Castor chairman/CEO/CFO

Insights

Capital Structure Analyst

Castor secured $50.0 million senior term debt and redeemed its Series E preferred shares, altering leverage and ownership optics.

The Company signed a five‑year sustainability‑linked senior term loan facility for $50.0 million, secured by a first‑priority mortgage over four dry bulk vessels, with interest at Term SOFR plus a margin that may adjust versus sustainability targets. The facility proceeds will fund general corporate purposes and the loan is guaranteed by the Company, which changes the secured debt profile and uses collateral from its fleet.

Key dependencies and risks rest on the amortization and covenant profile of the Facility, the adjustable margin tied to unspecified sustainability targets, and the effect of additional secured debt on liquidity and covenant headroom. The press release notes the redemption of 60,000 shares of 8.75% Series E preferred stock for cash equal to the stated amount plus 0.523%, including accrued distributions; those shares will be cancelled. The redemption involved related parties but was approved by special committees of disinterested and independent directors.

Watch for the Facility’s covenant terms, schedule of repayments and any sustainability target definitions that could alter borrowing cost; monitor disclosures around collateral valuation and the company’s remaining unsecured versus secured debt over the next 12 months. Also watch for cash outflow or financing entries tied to the preferred redemption and any subsequent changes to equity or related‑party arrangements around Oct. 13, 2025.

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Oct. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Castor Maritime Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRM), (“Castor” or the “Company”), a diversified global shipping and energy company, announces the signing of a $50.0 million sustainability-linked senior term loan facility (the “Facility”) with a European bank. The Facility will be secured by, among others, a first priority mortgage over four of the Company’s dry bulk vessels and will be guaranteed by the Company. The net proceeds from the Facility will be used for general corporate purposes.

The Facility has a tenor of five years and bears interest at a rate of Term SOFR plus a margin, which may be adjusted based on the Company’s performance against certain sustainability-linked targets.

Full Redemption of 8.75% Series E Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Preferred Shares

The Company announces that on October 13, 2025, the Company and Toro Corp. (“Toro”) agreed to the full redemption of 60,000 shares of the 8.75% Series E Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Preferred Shares (the “Series E Preferred Shares”) for a cash consideration equal to the stated amount of the Series E Preferred Shares plus 0.523% thereof, including accrued and unpaid distributions. Following the full redemption, such Series E Preferred Shares shall be cancelled and will no longer remain outstanding.

Toro is a public company listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Toro’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is also the Company's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

The foregoing full redemption of the Series E Preferred Shares and its terms were approved by the board of directors of Castor and Toro at the recommendation of their respective special committees of disinterested and independent directors who negotiated the redemption.

About Castor Maritime Inc.

Castor Maritime Inc. is a diversified global shipping and energy company, with activities directly and indirectly in asset management, vessel ownership, technical and commercial ship management and energy infrastructure projects.

Castor’s fleet comprises 9 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 0.6 million dwt. Castor is also the majority shareholder of the Frankfurt-listed asset manager MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Capital AG.

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.castormaritime.com. Information on our website does not constitute a part of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements 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. We are including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “project”, “plan”, “potential”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “expect”, “pending” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management’s examination of current or historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other 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 forward-looking statements, including these expectations, beliefs or projections. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward‐looking statements include generally: the effects of the spin-off of our tanker business, the effects of our acquisition of MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Capital AG, our business strategy, expected capital spending and other plans and objectives for future operations, dry bulk and containership market conditions and trends, including volatility in charter rates (particularly for vessels employed in short-term time charters or index linked period time charters), factors affecting supply and demand, fluctuating vessel values, opportunities for the profitable operations of dry bulk and container vessels and the strength of world economies, changes in the size and composition of our fleet, our ability to realize the expected benefits from our past or future vessel acquisitions, our ability to realize the expected benefits of vessel acquisitions, increased transactions costs and other adverse effects (such as lost profit) due to any failure to consummate any sale of our vessels, our relationships with our current and future service providers and customers, including the ongoing performance of their obligations, dependence on their expertise, compliance with applicable laws, and any impacts on our reputation due to our association with them, our ability to borrow under existing or future debt agreements or to refinance our debt on favorable terms and our ability to comply with the covenants contained therein, in particular due to economic, financial or operational reasons, our continued ability to enter into time or voyage charters with existing and new customers and to re-charter our vessels upon the expiry of the existing charters, changes in our operating and capitalized expenses, including bunker prices, dry-docking, insurance costs, costs associated with regulatory compliance, and costs associated with climate change, our ability to fund future capital expenditures and investments in the acquisition and refurbishment of our vessels (including the amount and nature thereof and the timing of completion thereof, the delivery and commencement of operations dates, expected downtime and lost revenue), instances of off-hire, due to vessel upgrades and repairs, competition in the shipping and energy infrastructure management business, our ability to identify and develop new investment projects, our ability to maintain and increase the volume of the assets under our management and therefore our ability to earn fees, the financial performance or our investees over which we do not exercise control, fluctuations in interest rates and currencies, including the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, any malfunction or disruption of information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on or any impact of a possible cybersecurity breach, existing or future disputes, proceedings or litigation, future sales of our securities in the public market and our ability to maintain compliance with applicable listing standards, volatility in our share price, including due to high volume transactions in our shares by retail investors, potential conflicts of interest involving affiliated entities and/or members of our board of directors, senior management and certain of our service providers that are related parties, general domestic and international political conditions or events, including armed conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, acts of piracy or maritime aggression, such as recent maritime incidents involving vessels in and around the Red Sea, sanctions, “trade wars”, tariffs, global public health threats and major outbreaks of disease, changes in seaborne and other transportation, including due to the maritime incidents in and around the Red Sea, fluctuating demand for dry bulk and container vessels and/or disruption of shipping routes due to accidents, political events, international sanctions, international hostilities and instability, piracy or acts of terrorism, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, including changes to environmental regulations applicable to the shipping industry, accidents, the impact of adverse weather and natural disasters and any other factors described in our filings with the SEC. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication, except to the extent required by applicable law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all or any of these factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these foregoing and other risks and uncertainties. These factors and the other risk factors described in this press release are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations
Castor Maritime Inc.
Email: ir@castormaritime.com 

Media Contact:
Kevin Karlis
Capital Link
Email: castormaritime@capitallink.com 

FAQ

What are the terms of Castor Maritime's $50.0 million loan announced October 15, 2025 (CTRM)?

It is a $50.0 million five‑year sustainability‑linked senior term loan secured by first‑priority mortgages on four dry bulk vessels, interest at Term SOFR plus a margin.

How will Castor (CTRM) use proceeds from the $50.0 million facility?

The press release states net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.

What happened to Castor Maritime's Series E preferred shares on October 13, 2025 (CTRM)?

Castor and Toro agreed to fully redeem and cancel 60,000 8.75% Series E preferred shares for cash equal to the stated amount plus 0.523% and accrued distributions.

Does the October 2025 redemption affect Castor's dividend obligations (CTRM)?

Yes; the full redemption cancels those 60,000 Series E shares, removing their 8.75% cumulative preferred dividend obligation.

Are there governance or related‑party notes investors should know about Castor (CTRM)?

The release discloses that Toro’s chairman and CEO is also Castor’s chairman, CEO and CFO, and redemption terms were approved by special committees of disinterested directors.