DHT Statement Relating to October 10, 2025 China Ministry of Transport Announcement

Rhea-AI Summary

DHT (NYSE:DHT) issued a statement on October 13, 2025 addressing an October 10, 2025 China Ministry of Transport announcement about special port fees on US-linked vessels.

The company says each vessel is directly owned by non-U.S. entities, built outside the U.S., not U.S.-flagged and operated from Monaco, Norway, Singapore and India. DHT is incorporated in the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Bermuda, with management split across Monaco, Norway and Singapore.

DHT reports U.S. nationals are 20% of its board and, based on public filings as of today, no single U.S. shareholder or aggregated U.S. reporting group has disclosed 25% or more ownership; Dimensional Fund Advisors (~7.2%) and FMR LLC (~15.1%) are noted larger U.S.-based holders but aggregate below 25%.

Positive

• No disclosed U.S. owner or group ≥25% as of Oct 13, 2025
• All vessels reported as non-U.S.-owned and non-U.S.-flagged

Negative

• Company cannot verify ultimate beneficial owner nationalities for most shares
• Two U.S. entities hold >5% (Dimensional ~7.2%, FMR ~15.1%), creating ownership concentration uncertainty

Insights

Maritime regulatory analyst

Clarifies ownership and flags no single U.S. control above 25%, limiting immediate exposure to China’s measure.

The statement explains that each vessel is owned and flagged outside the U.S. and that corporate management and ownership are dispersed across jurisdictions, which reduces the legal basis for treating the fleet as "U.S.-linked" under a port-fee policy tied to nationality or control. The company cites public beneficial-ownership filings and notes two U.S. entities at approximately 7.2% and 15.1%, which combined remain below 25%.

Key dependencies and risks include the specific legal definition used by the Ministry of Transport, which the statement does not quote, and whether the policy targets beneficial ownership thresholds, fund-level investors, or underlying retail holders; the company also states it cannot verify ultimate beneficial owners behind intermediaries. Watch for an explicit regulatory interpretation or enforcement guidance from the Ministry and any follow-up notices that reference October 10, 2025 or ownership thresholds.

HAMILTON, BERMUDA, October 13, 2025 – DHT Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DHT) (“DHT” or the “Company”) today made the following statement in reference to the announcement on October 10, 2025 by the Ministry of Transport in China relating the collection of special port fees from US-linked vessels.

Each vessel in the Company’s fleet is directly owned by a non-U.S. entity, was built in a non-U.S. jurisdiction, does not fly the U.S. flag and is operated from management companies in Monaco, Norway, Singapore and India. DHT, the ultimate parent company of all vessels belonging to the fleet, is a publicly traded company incorporated under the laws of the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Bermuda, with management functions split between Monaco, Norway and Singapore. Additionally, U.S. nationals only represent 20% of the composition of the Board of Directors of the Company (one out of five directors).

As is typical for publicly traded companies, the Company’s shareholder base is broad. The Company generally learns the identity of its beneficial owners through public beneficial ownership reports, which are required for any persons with more than 5% ownership of the Company’s common shares, or voluntary disclosures by holders. Beyond these sources, DHT cannot accurately verify the ownership of individual shareholders as the vast majority of shareholders are represented by custodians, brokers and hold their shares through broker “street names”. Furthermore, a large financial services firm that acts as an investment manager and intermediary via its mutual funds and ETF products, can manage funds from a broad base of investors, including non-U.S. investors or fund of funds. As such, DHT does not have the ability to verify the nationality of the ultimate beneficial owners of shares held.

Based on the information publicly available to the Company, including beneficial ownership reports filed as of today, the Company is not aware of U.S. shareholders or reporting groups that have disclosed ownership in, or control over, directly or indirectly, 25% or more of DHT’s issued and outstanding shares or voting rights in the aggregate. The latest beneficial ownership reports indicate that there are two U.S. entities that hold more than 5% of DHT’s issued and outstanding shares or voting rights (Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (at approximately 7.2%) and FMR LLC (at approximately 15.1%)); however, the ownership of these two entities, when aggregated, still falls below 25% of DHT’s issued and outstanding shares or voting rights. In addition, there can be no assurances that the ultimate beneficial owners of the shares held by these two holders are U.S. persons.

About DHT Holdings, Inc.
DHT is an independent crude oil tanker company. Our fleet trades internationally and consists of crude oil tankers in the VLCC segment. We operate through our integrated management companies in Monaco, Norway, Singapore, and India. You may recognize us by our renowned business approach as an experienced organization with focus on first rate operations and customer service; our quality ships; our prudent capital structure that promotes staying power through the business cycles; our fleet employment with a combination of market exposure and fixed income contracts; our disciplined capital allocation strategy through cash dividends, investments in vessels, debt prepayments and share buybacks; and our transparent corporate structure maintaining a high level of integrity and corporate governance. For further information please visit www.dhtankers.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company that are based on beliefs of the Company’s management as well as assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events. When used in this document, words such as “believe,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” “plan,” “potential,” “will,” “may,” “should” and “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. For a detailed discussion of the risk factors that might cause future results to differ, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the SEC on March 20, 2025.

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur, and the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Contact:
Laila C. Halvorsen, CFO
Phone: +1 441 295 1422 and +47 984 39 935
E-mail: lch@dhtankers.com

 

FAQ

What did DHT say about the China Ministry of Transport announcement on October 10, 2025?

DHT said it believes its vessels are non-U.S.-owned, non-U.S.-flagged and that no disclosed U.S. shareholder or group holds ≥25% as of Oct 13, 2025.

Does DHT (NYSE:DHT) have any vessels registered in the U.S. or flying the U.S. flag?

No; DHT states each vessel in its fleet is directly owned by a non-U.S. entity and does not fly the U.S. flag.

Who are the largest disclosed U.S. holders of DHT shares as of October 13, 2025?

The statement identifies Dimensional Fund Advisors at approximately 7.2% and FMR at approximately 15.1% of issued and outstanding shares.

Could DHT confirm the nationality of all beneficial owners of its shares?

No; DHT says it cannot accurately verify ultimate beneficial owner nationalities because most shares are held through custodians and broker 'street names.'

Does DHT report any U.S. control or aggregated U.S. voting block above the 25% threshold?

Based on publicly filed beneficial ownership reports as of today, DHT reports no disclosed U.S. shareholder or reporting group controlling 25% or more.

How many U.S. nationals serve on DHT's board as disclosed on October 13, 2025?

DHT states U.S. nationals represent 20% of the board, equal to one of five directors.