Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

OR

OR

Date of event requiring this shell company report:                     

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number: 1-33373

--12-31

CAPITAL PRODUCT PARTNERS L.P.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Republic of the Marshall Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

3 Iassonos Street, Piraeus, 18537 Greece

+30 210 458 4950

(Address and telephone number of principal executive offices and company contact person)

Gerasimos (Jerry) Kalogiratos, j.kalogiratos@capitalmaritime.com

(Name and email of company contact person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

Indicate the number of outstanding Shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

19,394,696 Common Units

348,570 General Partner Units 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

YES   ☐                 NO   ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

YES   ☐                 NO   ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

YES   ☒                 NO   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

YES  ☒                 NO   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ☐

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on an attestation to it management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statements item the registrant has elected to follow.

ITEM 17   ☐                ITEM 18   ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

YES   ☐                 NO  ☒

CAPITAL PRODUCT PARTNERS L.P.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS REPORT

This annual report on Form 20-F (this “Annual Report”) should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income/(loss), changes in partners’ capital, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes included herein (the “Financial Statements”).

In this Annual Report, unless the context otherwise requires:

ACQUISITION OF SIX LNG CARRIERS AND ISSUANCE OF €150.0 MILLION OF SENIOR UNSECURED BONDS LISTED ON THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

On August 31, 2021, CPLP agreed to acquire three 174,000 cubic meter (“CBM”) latest generation X-DF liquefied natural gas carriers (“LNG/C”) from CGC Operating Corp., (“CGC Operating”), a related party for total consideration of $599.8 million comprised of (i) $147.1 million of cash on hand, (ii) the assumption of the $427.4 million of secured debt, (iii) the issuance of 1,153,846 (or $15.3 million in value) of new common units of CPLP at a premium to the trading unit price at the time of the agreement and (iv) $10.0 million of unsecured, interest free seller’s credit, (the “CGC Seller’s Credit”). The three vessels are the LNG/C Aristos I built in 2020, and the LNG/C Aristarchos and the LNG/C Aristidis I built in 2021, all three constructed at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (“Hyundai”). The LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos were delivered to the Partnership on September 3, 2021, while the LNG/C Aristidis I was delivered on December 16, 2021. The LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristidis I are under long-term time charters with BP Gas Marketing Limited (“BP”), with earliest expiration in October 2023 and December 2023, respectively. The LNG/C Aristarchos is under a long-term time charter with Cheniere Marketing International LLP (“Cheniere”), which expires at the earliest in February 2025.

Furthermore, on August 31, 2021 the Partnership secured an option, which was exercised on November 4, 2021, to acquire an additional three X-DF LNG/C sister vessels for a total consideration of $623.0 million comprised of (i) $184.0 million of cash on hand and (ii) the assumption of the $439.0 million of secured debt. The three vessels are the LNG/C Attalos, the LNG/C Asklipios and the LNG/C Adamastos, all built in 2021, at Hyundai. The LNG/C Attalos and the LNG/C Asklipios were delivered to the Partnership on November 18, 2021, while the LNG/C Adamastos was delivered on November 29, 2021. The LNG/C Attalos is under a long-term time charter with BP with earliest expiration in October 2025; the LNG/C Asklipios is under a long-term time charter with Cheniere, expected to expire at the earliest in January 2025 and the LNG/C Adamastos is under a long-term time charter with Engie Energy Marketing Singapore Pte Ltd. (“Engie”), which expires at the earliest in September 2026.

We believe that these acquisitions illustrate the continued transition of CPLP to a growth-oriented Partnership with assets in the most attractive seaborne transportation sectors. They are also an important step towards improving the environmental footprint of the Partnership and being part of the transition to carbon neutral shipping.

On October 20, 2021, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership, CPLP PLC, issued €150.0 million of senior unsecured bonds listed on the Athens Exchange. The Bonds are guaranteed by CPLP, mature in October 2026 and have a coupon of 2.65%, payable semi-annually. The trading of the Bonds on the Athens Exchange commenced on October 25, 2021. The net proceeds of the Bonds offering were used to partially finance the acquisition of the LNG/C Attalos, the LNG/C Asklipios and the LNG/C Adamastos. As of the date of this Annual Report, we own a fleet of 21 vessels, consisting of 11 Neo-Panamax container carriers, three Panamax container carriers, one Cape-size Bulk carrier and six X-DF LNG carriers.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Our disclosure and analysis in this Annual Report concerning our business, operations, cash flows, and financial position, including, among other things, the likelihood of our success in developing and expanding our business, include forward-looking statements. In addition, we and our representatives may from time to time make other oral or written statements which are also forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in our business, financial condition and the markets in which we operate, and involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “might,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “likely,” “intend,” “forecast,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “propose,” “potential,” “continue,” “seek” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although these statements are based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable based upon available information, including projections of revenues, operating margins, earnings, cash flows, working capital and capital expenditures, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that are described more fully in this Annual Report in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” below. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this Annual Report and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this Annual Report and include statements with respect to, among other things:

The preceding list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all our forward-looking statements. These and other forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current plans, expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting us and, therefore, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those risks discussed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” below. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions involve known and unknown risks and are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

Unless required by law, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all 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. You should carefully review and consider the various disclosures included in this Annual Report and in our other filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, prospects and results of operations.

Part I

Not Applicable.

Not Applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk.

Some of the risks described below relate to the industries and the countries in which we operate as of the date of this Annual Report. Please read “Item 4. Information on the Partnership” for information on the current scope of our operations. While we currently own 21 vessels consisting of 11 neo-Panamax container vessels, three Panamax container vessels, one drybulk vessel and six LNG carriers, we may in the future re-enter the tanker market or enter into new markets. If that happens, we will be exposed to additional risks.

Furthermore, we are organized as limited partnership under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Although many of the risks relating to our business and operations are comparable to those a corporation engaged in a similar business would face, limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital stock of a corporation and involve additional risks.

If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flow could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, we might not be able to pay distributions on our common units, the trading price of our common units could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The risks described below include forward-looking statements and our actual results may differ substantially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. For more information, please read “Forward Looking Statements” above.

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

The following is a summary of some of the principal risks we face. The list below is not exhaustive, and you should read this “Risk factors” section in full.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY

We are exposed to various risks in the ocean-going LNG, container and drybulk shipping industries, which are cyclical and volatile.

The LNG shipping industry is cyclical with attendant volatility in charter hire rates and profitability. The LNG charter market has only recently begun to recover after experiencing a prolonged period of historically low rates. The degree of charter hire rate volatility among different types of LNG vessels has varied widely, and time charter and spot market rates for LNG vessels have in the recent past declined below operating costs of vessels.

The ocean-going container shipping industry is both cyclical and volatile in terms of charter rates and profitability and demand for our vessels depends on a range of factors, including demand for the shipment of cargoes in containers. In the first half of 2020, container charter rates fell close to historical lows due to the initial impact of COVID-19 on the container industry, as international containerized trade stalled. However from the second half of 2020 onwards, change in worldwide consumer behaviour, reduced ports capacity due to social distancing and quarantine measures imposed in various counties worldwide and dislocation of container boxes and containerized trade have resulted in a rapid increase in charter rates, which ultimately reached record levels in 2021. However the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict combined with inflationary pressures across most major economies may lead to a global economic slowdown, which might in turn-+ adversely affect demand for container vessels and containerized goods.

Liner companies have experienced for the most part of the last decade a substantial downturn in container shipping activity, resulting in depressed average freight rates, which has caused financial distress at a number of liner companies, including on certain of our charterers. Currently liner companies are experiencing record high profitability due to the increased freight rates, but a drop in freight rates in the future could result in diminished profitability or losses, and could adversely impact certain of our charterers. In a number of instances in the past, charterers have not performed under, or have requested modifications of, existing time charters.

Containership charter rates depend upon a range of factors, including changes in the supply and demand for ship capacity and changes in the supply and demand for major products transported by containerships. During 2021, demand growth in global trade had increased by 6.0%.

The drybulk shipping industry is cyclical with attendant volatility in charter rates, vessel values and profitability, with wide disparities across different classes of drybulk carriers. After reaching historical highs in mid-2008, charter hire rates for drybulk carriers have declined significantly and reached historically low levels in 2016. Capesize charter rates remained below historical averages in 2020, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on demand for raw materials but recovered in 2021. Our sole drybulk carrier, the M/V Cape Agamemnon is currently deployed in the spot market, which is highly volatile and which may affect our earnings and the value of that vessel. If we cannot enter into a period time charter for the M/V Cape Agamemnon on acceptable terms, we may have to continue to secure charters in the spot market, where charter rates are more volatile and revenues are, therefore, less predictable, or we may not be able to charter the vessel at all.

The factors affecting the supply and demand for LNG and products shipped in containers and for LNG carriers, containerships and/or drybulk vessels are outside our control and the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are difficult to predict. Some of the factors that influence demand for LNG carriers, containerships and/or drybulk vessels include:

Some of the factors that influence the supply of LNG carriers, containerships and/or vessel capacity for drybulk carriers include the following:

If the charter market is depressed when time charters for our vessels expire, we may be forced to re-charter our vessels at reduced or even unprofitable rates, or we may not be able to re-charter them at all, which may reduce or eliminate our earnings or make our earnings volatile and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

We currently anticipate that the future demand for the M/V Cape Agamemnon will be dependent, among other things, upon the rate of economic growth in the global economy, including the world’s developing economies, such as China, India, Brazil and Russia, seasonal and regional changes in demand, changes in the capacity of the global drybulk vessel fleet and the sources and supply of drybulk cargo to be transported by sea. The recent hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and certain entities and individuals in these countries may also adversely impact our business. Our business could be harmed by trade tariffs, as well as any trade embargoes or other economic sanctions by the United States or other countries against Russia and countries in the Middle East, Asia or elsewhere as a result of terrorist attacks, hostilities or diplomatic or political pressures that limit trading activities with those countries. A decline in demand for commodities transported in drybulk vessels or an increase in supply of drybulk vessels could cause a significant decline in charter rates, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or repay our debt.

An oversupply of vessel capacity may prolong or depress current charter rates and adversely affect our ability to re-charter our vessels at profitable rates or at all.

Since 2014 the LNG market has been characterized by an oversupply of LNG tonnage, mainly caused by delays in new LNG capacity coming on stream and the reduced intro basin trading. In addition, following a decline in ordering of newbuildings during 2016 and 2017, ordering increased in 2018 and through 2021, driven by cyclically low shipyard prices for newbuild vessels, strengthening of charter rates and increasing expectations for long-term LNG supply and demand. The resulting overhang of tonnage in previous years caused freight rates to be depressed. In the more recent period, the market has seen strong growth in LNG production, particularly in the US, leading to a more balanced market.

From 2005 through the first quarter of 2010, the size of the containership order-book was at historically high levels. Although the container order-book declined in the subsequent years through 2020, it increased substantially to 24.3% of the existing worldwide fleet as at the end of January 2022. Deliveries of vessels ordered will significantly increase the size of the container fleet over the next two to three years. The number of drybulk vessels on order as of the start of February 2022 was estimated by market sources to be approximately 6.8% of the then-existing global drybulk fleet in dwt terms, with deliveries expected mainly during the next 24 months, although available data with regard to cancellations of existing newbuild orders or delays in newbuild deliveries are not always accurate or may not be readily available. Our sole drybulk carrier, the M/V Cape Agamemnon is currently deployed in the spot market.

An oversupply of newbuild vessels or re-chartered or idle vessel capacity entering the market, combined with any decline in the demand for LNG, containerships or drybulk vessels, may depress charter rates and may decrease our ability to re-charter our vessels other than for reduced rates or unprofitable rates or to re-charter our vessels at all, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

A decrease in the level of export and import of goods, in particular from and to Asia, as a result of trade protectionism, economic sanctions or other factors affecting global markets, could affect demand for shipping, resulting in a material adverse impact on our charterers’ business and, in turn, a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Our operations expose us to the risk that increased trade protectionism, trade embargoes or other economic sanctions or other factors affecting global markets adversely affect our business. Governments may turn to trade barriers to protect or revive their domestic industries in the face of foreign imports, thereby depressing the demand for shipping. Restrictions on imports, including in the form of tariffs, could have a major impact on global trade and demand for shipping.

In the United States, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and other exporting countries, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Any future trade barriers or restrictions on trade in the United States may trigger retaliatory actions by others, potentially resulting in a “trade war.” The United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union on January 31, 2020 has increased the risk of trade protectionism.

Our containerships are deployed on routes involving containerized trade in and out of emerging markets, and our charterers’ container shipping and business revenue may be derived from the shipment of goods from Asia to various overseas export markets, including the United States and Europe.

Increasing trade protectionism may cause an increase in (i) the cost of goods exported from regions globally, particularly the Asia-Pacific region, (ii) the length of time required to transport goods and (iii) the risks associated with exporting goods. Such increases may further reduce the quantity of goods to be shipped, shipping time schedules, voyage costs and other associated costs which may adversely affect the business of our charterers. Any reduction in or hindrance to the output of Asia-based exporters could have a material adverse effect on the growth rate of Asia’s exports and on our charterers’ business, which may in turn affect their ability to make timely charter hire payments to us and to renew and increase the number of their time charters with us.

Furthermore, the government of China has implemented economic policies aimed at increasing domestic consumption of Chinese-made goods and containing capital outflows. These policies may have the effect of reducing the supply of goods available for exports and the level of international trading and may, in turn, result in a decrease in demand for container shipping.

The recent hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus and certain entities and individuals in these countries, may also adversely impact our business, given Russia’s role as a major global exporter of crude oil and natural gas. Our business could be harmed by trade tariffs, as well as any trade embargoes or other economic sanctions by the United States or other countries against Russia and countries in the Middle East, Asia or elsewhere as a result of terrorist attacks, hostilities or diplomatic or political pressures that limit trading activities with those countries. In addition, the change in trade patterns of LNG, as a result of the conflict, might adversely affect the demand for shipping and as a consequence might impair our capacity to re-charter the vessels after the expiration of their current charters. For example the increased demand for LNG in Europe might adversely affect demand for LNG carriers, as LNG carriers will need to cover shorter distances compared to transportation of LNG to Asia.

Any new or increased trade barriers, trade embargoes or restrictions on trade would have an adverse impact on our charterers’ business, operating results and financial condition and could thereby affect their ability to make timely charter hire payments to us and to renew and increase the number of their time charters with us. Such adverse developments could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

LNG, container and drybulk vessel values have been volatile over the last five years. Vessel values may decrease and over time may fluctuate substantially, which may cause us to recognize losses if we sell our LNG carriers, container vessels or the M/V Cape Agamemnon, or record impairments and affect our ability to comply with our loan covenants or refinance our debt.

The market values of LNG, drybulk and container vessels have generally experienced high volatility. LNG, container and drybulk vessel values can fluctuate substantially over time due to a number of different factors, including:

If the market values of our vessels deteriorate, we may be required to record an impairment charge in our financial statements. Furthermore, if a charter expires or is terminated, we may be unable to re-charter the vessel at an acceptable rate and, rather than continue to incur costs to maintain the vessel, we may seek to dispose of it. Our inability to dispose of one or more of our vessels at a reasonable price however could result in a loss. A decline in the market value of our vessels could also lead to a default under our financing arrangements and limit our ability to obtain additional financing and service or refinance our debt. If any of these circumstances were to happen, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions may be materially and adversely affected.

Our growth and our ability to re-charter our LNG vessels and containerships depend on, among other things, our ability to expand relationships with existing charterers and develop relationships with new charterers, for which we will face substantial competition.

The process of obtaining new long-term time charters on containerships and LNG vessels is highly competitive, generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids, and often extends for several months.

LNG and containership charters are awarded based upon a variety of factors related to the vessel owner, including, among other things:

Competition for providing containerships for chartering purposes comes from a number of experienced shipping companies, including direct competition from other independent vessel owners and indirect competition from state-sponsored and other major entities with their own fleets. Some of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources than we do and can operate larger fleets and may be able to offer better charter rates. An increasing number of marine transportation companies have entered the LNG and containership sector, including many with strong reputations and extensive resources and experience in the marine transportation industry. Furthermore, both markets are highly fragmented. Due in part to the highly fragmented market, competitors with greater resources could enter the LNG and container shipping industry and operate larger fleets through consolidations or acquisitions and may be able to offer lower charter rates than we are able to offer. Although we believe that no single competitor has a dominant position in the markets in which we compete, we are aware that certain competitors may be able to devote greater financial and other resources to their activities than we can, resulting in a significant competitive threat to us. This increased competition in both the LNG and containership shipping markets may cause greater price competition for time charters. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to expand our relationships with existing charterers or to develop relationships with new charterers on a profitable basis, if at all, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and to service or refinance our debt.

If a more active short-term or spot market develops, we may have more difficulty entering into medium- to long-term, fixed-rate time charters and our existing charterers may begin to pressure us to reduce our charter rates.

One of our principal strategies is to enter into medium- to long-term, fixed-rate time charters. Currently, three of our container vessels are chartered for less than two years and our sole drybulk vessel, the M/V Cape Agamemnon, is deployed in the spot market. Our LNG carriers are under long-term time charters expiring at the earliest in 2023 (two carriers), 2025 (three carriers), and 2026 (one carrier). On redelivery from their present charters, our vessels may operate in the short-term or spot market unless we are unable to secure long-term charters. As more vessels become available for the short-term or spot market, we may have difficulty entering into additional medium- to long-term, fixed-rate time charters for our vessels due to the increased supply of vessels and possibly lower rates in the spot market.

In recent years, global natural gas and crude oil prices have been volatile. Any decline in oil prices can depress natural gas prices and lead to a narrowing of the difference in pricing between geographic regions, which can adversely affect the length of voyages in the spot LNG shipping market and the spot rates and medium-term charter rates for charters which commence in the near future. In addition, advances in LNG carrier technology may negatively impact our ability to recharter our LNG carriers on attractive rates and may result in lower levels of utilization.

Operating vessels in the spot market or being unable to recharter vessels on long-term charters with similar or better rates may mean that our revenues and cash flows from these vessels will decline following the expiration of our current charter arrangements. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business results or operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. In particular, a sustained decline in our charter rates and employment opportunities could adversely affect the market value of our vessels, on which certain ratios and financial covenants with which we are required to comply are based. A significant decline in the market value of our vessels could impact our compliance with covenants in our financing arrangements and, if the values are lower at a time when we are attempting to dispose of vessels, could cause us to incur a loss.

A negative change in the economic conditions in Asia, especially in China, Japan or India, could reduce drybulk trade and demand, which would affect charter rates and have a material adverse effect on the profitability of our drybulk vessel.

A significant number of the port calls made by Capesize bulk carriers involve the loading or discharging of raw materials in ports in Asia, particularly China, Japan and India. If economic growth declines in China, Japan, India and other countries in Asia, drybulk trade and demand and, as a result, charter rates for drybulk vessels, may decrease and adversely affect our ability to re-charter the M/V Cape Agamemnon at a profitable rate or at all.

The international drybulk shipping industry is highly competitive, and with only one drybulk vessel in our fleet, we may not be able to compete successfully for charters with established companies with greater resources. As a result, we may not be able to successfully operate the vessel.

We employ the M/V Cape Agamemnon in the highly competitive drybulk market, which is capital intensive and highly fragmented. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners, some of which have substantially larger fleets of drybulk vessels or greater resources than we currently have or will have in the future. Competition for the transportation of drybulk cargo by sea is intense and depends on price, charterer relationships, operating expertise, professional reputation and size, age, location and condition of the vessel. In this highly fragmented market, companies operating larger fleets, as well as competitors with greater resources, may be able to offer lower charter rates than ours, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to charter out the M/V Cape Agamemnon and, accordingly, its profitability.

The operation of drybulk vessels involves certain unique operational risks, and failure to adequately maintain the M/V Cape Agamemnon could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions and service or refinance our debt.

With a drybulk vessel, the cargo itself and its interaction with the vessel may create operational risks. By their nature, drybulk cargoes are often heavy, dense and easily shifted, and they may react badly to water exposure. In addition, drybulk vessels are often subjected to battering treatment during unloading operations with grabs, jackhammers (to pry encrusted cargoes out of the hold) and small bulldozers. This treatment may cause damage to the vessel. Vessels damaged due to treatment during unloading procedures may be more susceptible to breach while at sea. Breaches of a drybulk vessel’s hull may lead to the flooding of the vessel’s holds. If a drybulk vessel suffers flooding in its forward holds, the bulk cargo may become so dense and waterlogged that its pressure may buckle the vessel’s bulkheads, leading to the loss of a vessel. If we or Capital-Executive do not adequately maintain the M/V Cape Agamemnon, we may be unable to prevent these events. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions and service or refinance our debt.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS

Pandemics such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have, in the short to medium term, had an adverse effect on our operations and financial condition and may have unpredictable long-term effects, including on the demand and supply for LNG, container and drybulk vessels.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the spread of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to be a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets and increased unemployment levels. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in the imposition of various travel restrictions, health protocols and changing quarantine regimes in the countries in which we operate. These have so far translated into, among other things, increased costs and off-hire related to crewing, crew rotation and crew related expenses, higher forwarding expenses and longer lead times to delivery, as well as increased dry-docking duration and costs. While most economies have begun re-opening in varying degrees, it is impossible to predict the course the virus will take, how governments would respond to additional waves of the virus and the long-term effectiveness of vaccines against the virus. In the long run, the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, consumer behavior, globalization and international trade remains uncertain.

The main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Partnership so far are as follows:

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced industrial activity in various countries around the world, with temporary closures of factories and other facilities such as port terminals, which led to a temporary decrease in supply of goods and congestion in warehouses and terminals. Government-mandated shutdowns in various countries have also decreased consumption of goods during certain periods, negatively affecting trade volumes and the shipping industry globally.

We expect that pandemics generally, including the COVID-19 pandemic, could affect our business in the following ways, among others:

Any of these public health threats and related consequences could adversely affect our financial results.

These and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic could have the effect of heightening many of the other risk factors disclosed in this Annual Report. It is early to assess the full long-term impact of the pandemic on global markets, and particularly on the shipping industry. The actual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the longer run, as well as the efficacy of any measures we take in response to the challenges presented by it, will depend on how the pandemic will continue to develop, the duration and extent of the restrictive measures that are associated with the pandemic and their further impact on global economy and trade. Such impact may take some time to materialize and may not be fully reflected in the results for the year ending December 31, 2021. We continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial condition and operations and on the LNG, container and dry bulk industry in general.

 We may not be able to grow, or to effectively manage our growth, which could negatively affect our competitiveness and financial condition.

Our success depends on our ability to grow our business. The growth of our business depends upon a variety of factors, some of which we cannot control. These factors include, among other things, our ability to:

We may not be able to acquire newly built or secondhand vessels on favorable terms, which could impede our growth and negatively impact our financial condition and ability to pay cash distributions. We may not be able to contract for newbuilds or locate suitable vessels or negotiate acceptable construction or purchase contracts with shipyards and owners, or obtain financing for such acquisitions on economically acceptable terms, or at all.

In view of the relative small size of our current operations, failure to effectively identify, purchase, develop, employ and integrate any vessels or businesses could negatively affect our competitiveness, business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Certain of our vessels may be under time charters at rates that are at a substantial premium to the spot and period markets, and our charterers’ failure to perform under these time charters could result in a significant loss of expected future revenues and cash flows.

Our LNG and container vessels that are chartered to BP, Cheniere, Engie, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd. (“HMM”), Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A. (“MSC”), Ocean Network Express (“ONE”) and Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft (“Hapag-Lloyd”) are each currently employed under medium-to-long-term time charters.

Given that the rates we charge to these charterers may at times be significantly higher than the underlying charter market, failure to perform by any of them could result in a significant loss of revenues, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and our ability to maintain cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. We could lose these charterers or the benefits of the charters if, among other things:

In the event we lose the benefit of the charters with BP, Cheniere, Engie, HMM, MSC, ONE or Hapag-Lloyd prior to their respective expiration date, we would have to re-charter the vessels at the then prevailing charter rates. In such event, we may not be able to obtain competitive or profitable rates for these vessels or we may not be able to re-charter these vessels at all and our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and ability to make distribution and service or refinance our debt may be materially and adversely affected.

If our charterers do not fulfill their obligations to us, or if they are unable to honor their obligations, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt may be adversely affected.

Many charterers are highly leveraged. A combination of factors, including, among other things, unavailability of credit, volatility in financial markets, overcapacity, competitive pressure, declines in world trade and depressed freight rates, have severely affected the financial condition of charterers in the recent past, including liner companies, and their ability to make charter payments, which resulted in a material increase in the credit and counterparty risks to which we were exposed and our ability to re-charter our vessels at competitive rates.

For example, HMM, the charterer of five of our container vessels, completed a financial restructuring in July 2016. In connection with this restructuring, we agreed a reduction of the charter rate payable to us of 20% to $23,480 per day (from a gross daily rate of $29,350) for a three and a half year period ended in December 2019 and as compensation for the charter rate reduction, we received approximately 4.4 million HMM common shares, which we sold on the Stock Market Division of the Korean Exchange in August 2016 for aggregate cash consideration of $29.7 million.

If one of our charterers defaults on our time charters for any reason, we may be unable to redeploy the vessel previously employed by such charterer on similarly favorable or competitive terms or at all. Also, we will incur expenses to maintain and insure the vessel but will not receive any revenue if a vessel remains idle before being re-chartered.

A number of our charterers are private companies and we may have limited access to their financial information, which may result in us having limited information on their financial strength and ability to meet their financial obligations.

The loss of our charterers or a decline in payments under our time charters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

We currently derive all of our revenues from a limited number of charterers and the loss of any charterer or charter or vessel could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flows.

We have derived, and expect that we will continue to derive, all of our revenues and cash flows from a limited number of charterers. For the year ended December 31, 2021 our charterers who individually accounted for more than 10% of total revenues were HMM and Hapag-Lloyd, who accounted for 29% and 24% of our revenues, respectively.

We could lose a charterer, including charterers who individually account for more than 10% of our total revenues or the benefits of some or all of our charters, including in circumstances described in “—Certain of our vessels may be under time charters at rates that are at a substantial premium to the spot and period markets, and our charterers’ failure to perform under these time charters could result in a significant loss of expected future revenues and cash flows.”

We mostly depend on our Managers, which are privately held companies for the commercial and technical management of our fleet. If, for any reason, any of our Managers is unable to provide us with the necessary level of services to support and expand our business or qualify for long-term charters, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt may be materially affected.

Our Managers are privately held companies and not part of the group of companies controlled by Capital Maritime. Accordingly, they do not benefit from the financial and operational support of Capital Maritime as parent company. 

Under the arrangements we have with our Managers, they provide us with significant commercial and technical management services, including the commercial and technical management for all our vessels, class certifications, vessel maintenance, crewing, procurement, insurance and shipyard supervision, as well as administrative, financial and other support services. Please read “Item 4. Information on the Partnership—B. Business Overview—Our Management Agreements.” Accordingly, our operational success and ability to execute our growth strategy depend significantly upon our Managers’ satisfactory performance of these services.

Furthermore, our success in securing new charters and expanding our relationships with charterers depend largely on our Managers’ reputation, relationships in the shipping industry and ability to qualify for long-term business with major charterers.

If our Managers’ reputation or industry relationships are harmed, justifiably or not, or if any of our Managers does not perform satisfactorily under our management agreements, our ability to renew existing charters upon their expiration, obtain new charters, successfully interact with shipyards during periods of shipyard construction constraints, obtain financing on commercially acceptable terms, access capital markets, or maintain satisfactory relationships with suppliers and other third parties may be materially affected.

If any of the above risks were to materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt may be materially affected.

The fees and expenses we pay to our Managers for services provided to us are substantial, fluctuate, cannot be easily predicted and may reduce our cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

In the light of the floating fee structure of our management agreements, any increase in the costs and expenses associated with the provision of our Managers’ services, by reason, for example, of the condition and age of our vessels, costs of crews for our time chartered vessels and insurance, will be borne by us.

Expenses incurred to manage our fleet depend upon a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our or our Managers’ control. Some of these costs, primarily relating to crewing, insurance and enhanced security measures, have increased in the past and may continue to increase in the future. Rises in any of these costs, to the extent charged to us, will reduce our earnings, cash flows and the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

Fees charged by our Managers and compensation for expenses and liabilities incurred on our behalf, as well as the costs associated with future dry-dockings or intermediate surveys on our vessels, can be significant. Accordingly, these fees and expenses may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

We depend on our General Partner, a private company under the ownership of Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, for the day-to-day management of our affairs.

Our General Partner, Capital GP L.L.C., is a privately held company initially formed and controlled by Capital Maritime. In April 2019, Capital Maritime transferred all membership interests in our General Partner to Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis. Please read “—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us—The control of our General Partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.” Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, born in 1999, is the son of Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis. Although not engaged in day-to-day management, Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis holds and oversees certain shipping interests on behalf of the Marinakis family.

To date, our board of directors has not exercised its power to appoint officers of the Partnership. As a result, we rely, and expect to continue to rely, solely on the officers of our General Partner. Please read “—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us—We currently do not have any officers and rely, and expect to continue to rely, solely on officers of our General Partner, who face conflicts in the allocation of their time to our business.” Accordingly, the proper management of our business depends significantly upon our General Partner.

If the reputation, industry relationships or standing in the market of the General Partner and, in turn, the Partnership, are harmed, justifiably or not, or if our General Partner fails to properly manage our affairs, our ability to secure new charters, interact with counterparties, obtain financing on commercially acceptable terms, access capital markets, or maintain satisfactory relationships with suppliers and other third parties may be materially affected. If any of these risks were to materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt may be materially affected.

Our vessels’ present and future employment could be adversely affected by an inability to clear charterers’ risk assessment process.

Shipping has been, and will remain, heavily regulated. Concerns for the environment have led charterers to develop and implement a strict ongoing due diligence process when selecting their commercial partners. This vetting process has evolved into a sophisticated and comprehensive risk assessment of both the vessel operator and the vessel, including physical ship inspections, completion of vessel inspection questionnaires performed by accredited inspectors and the production of comprehensive risk assessment reports. In the case of term charter relationships, in addition to factors discussed under “—Our growth and our ability to re-charter our LNG vessels and containerships depend on, among other things, our ability to expand relationships with existing charterers and develop relationships with new charterers, for which we will face substantial competition.” the following factors may be considered when awarding such contracts, including:

Should our Managers not continue to successfully clear major charterers’ risk assessment processes on an ongoing basis, our vessels’ present and future employment, as well as our relationship with our existing charterers and our ability to obtain new charterers, whether medium- or long-term, could be adversely affected. Such a situation may lead to major charterers’ terminating existing charters and refusing to use our vessels in the future, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

If we decide to install scrubbers on additional vessels, the number of off-hire days of our fleet will increase and we will incur expenses related to the dry-dockings and, as a result, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders may decrease.

As of the date of this Annual Report, seven of our vessels have been retrofitted with scrubbers. We may decide to retrofit the rest of our fleet with scrubbers in the future, subject to market developments and shipyard availability. In particular, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, delays in installation works as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The installation of scrubber equipment requires the vessel to be dry-docked and incur off-hire days. We estimate that the installation of a scrubber (without any unforeseen delays) requires 40 to 75 off-hire days per vessel.

In addition to the installation of scrubbers or other equipment we may decide to put a vessel into dry-dock before the scheduled dry-docking date in anticipation of regulatory changes, opportunities in the charter market or if we deem that, due to the location of the vessel, it will be less costly to put the vessel into dry-dock at the time.

Once one of our vessels is dry-docked, it is automatically considered to be off-hire for the duration of the special or intermediate survey or dry-docking, which means that for such period of time that vessel will not be earning any revenues. During that period, we however may incur, or may be required to reimburse our applicable Managers for, on-going operating expenses or other expenses related to the dry-dock. Accordingly, dry-docking may materially affect our cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

If our vessels suffer damage due to the inherent operational risks of the shipping industry, we may experience unexpected dry-docking costs and delays or total loss of our vessels, which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our vessels and their cargoes are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as marine disasters, bad weather (including severe weather events resulting from climate change), business interruptions caused by mechanical failures, grounding, fire, explosions and collisions, human error, war, terrorism, piracy and other circumstances or events. For the LNG carriers, there is a risk of damage in the membrane of the cargo tanks due to sloshing in extreme weather.

If our vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a dry-docking facility. The costs of dry-dock repairs are unpredictable and may be substantial. We may have to pay dry-docking costs that our insurance does not cover in full. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, may adversely affect our business and financial condition. In addition, space at dry-docking facilities is sometimes limited and not all dry-docking facilities are conveniently located. We may be unable to find space at a suitable dry-docking facility or our vessels may be forced to travel to a dry-docking facility that is not conveniently located to our vessels’ positions. The loss of earnings while these vessels are forced to wait for space or to travel to more distant dry-docking facilities may adversely affect our business and financial condition. In cases, where the unexpected off-hire period exceeds the maximum allowed under the respective charter party, the charterer may elect to terminate the charter party. Furthermore, the total loss of any of our vessels could harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator. If we are unable to adequately maintain or safeguard our vessels, we may be unable to prevent any such damage, costs or loss, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

As our fleet ages, the risks associated with older vessels could adversely affect our ability to obtain profitable charters, comply with debt covenants or raise financing. In addition, if we purchase and operate secondhand vessels, we may be exposed to increased operating costs and capital expenditure associated with new regulations, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our fleet of 21 vessels had an average age of approximately 8.3 years as at March 31, 2022. In particular, the average age of our container carrier vessels was 11.2 years compared to the industry average of 13.8 years as at March 31, 2022. See “Item 4. Information on the Partnership—B. Business Overview—Our Fleet”.

In general, the costs of maintaining a vessel in good operating condition increase with the age of the vessel. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. In addition, cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers. Older vessels might also require higher capital expenditure to comply with regulations that came into force after their construction and their values might depreciate faster than more modern vessels. As a result, an ageing fleet might affect our ability to remain in compliance with debt covenants and/or raise financing.

In particular, nine of our vessels are not “eco-type” designs. Recent orders of container and drybulk vessels are based on new designs purporting to offer material bunker savings compared to older designs and greater carrying capacity. Such savings could result in a substantial reduction of bunker cost for charterers on a per unit basis. As the supply of “eco-type” vessels increases, if charterers prefer such vessels over our vessels that are not classified as such, this may reduce demand for our non-”eco-type” vessels, impair our ability to re-charter such vessels at competitive rates or at all. This could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service our debt.

If we purchase secondhand vessels, we will not have the same knowledge about their condition as the knowledge we have about the condition of the vessels that were built for and operated solely by us. Generally, we will not receive the benefit of warranties from the builder for any secondhand vessel that we may acquire.

Marine transportation is inherently risky, and an incident involving significant loss of, or environmental contamination by, any of our vessels could harm our reputation and business.

Our vessels and their cargoes are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as:

An accident involving any of our vessels could result in any of the following:

Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and ability to make cash distributions and to service or refinance our debt.

Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may occur to our property or result from our commercial operations.

The operation of ocean-going vessels in international trade is inherently risky. Not all risks can be adequately insured against, and any particular claim upon our insurance may not be paid for any number of reasons. We do not currently maintain off-hire insurance covering loss of revenue during extended vessel off-hire periods such as may occur while a vessel is under repair. Accordingly, any extended vessel off-hire due to an accident or otherwise could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and ability to make cash distributions and to service or refinance our debt. Claims covered by insurance are subject to deductibles and since it is possible that a large number of claims may arise, the aggregate amount of these deductibles could be material.

We may be unable to procure adequate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates in the future. For example, more stringent environmental regulations have led in the past to increased costs for, and in the future may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against risks of environmental damage or pollution. A catastrophic marine disaster could exceed our insurance coverage. Any uninsured or underinsured loss could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. In addition, our insurance may be voidable by the insurers as a result of certain of our actions, such as our ships failing to maintain certification with applicable maritime self-regulatory organizations.

Changes in the insurance markets attributable to terrorist attacks may also make certain types of insurance more difficult for us to obtain.

In addition, the insurance that may be available to us may be significantly more expensive than our existing coverage.

We may be subject to funding calls by our protection and indemnity associations, and our associations may not have enough resources to cover claims made against them, resulting in potential unbudgeted supplementary liability to fund claims made upon them and unbudgeted cash-calls made upon us by the associations.

Cover for third party liability incurred in consequence of commercial operations is provided through membership in Protection & Indemnity (“P&I”) Associations. P&I Associations are mutual insurance associations whose members must contribute proportionately to cover losses sustained by all the association’s members who remain subject to calls for additional funds if the aggregate premiums are insufficient to cover claims submitted to the association. Claims submitted to the associations include those incurred by its members but also claims submitted by other P&I Associations under claims pooling agreements. The P&I Associations to which we belong may not remain viable, and we may become subject to additional funding calls which could adversely affect us.

The crew employment agreements that manning agents enter into on behalf of our Managers, may not prevent labor interruptions, and the failure to renegotiate these agreements or to successfully attract and retain qualified personnel in the future may disrupt our operations and adversely affect our cash flows.

The collective bargaining agreement between our Capital-Executive and the Pan-Hellenic Seamen’s Federation, effective August 1, 2021, expires on July 31, 2022. This collective bargaining agreement may not prevent labor interruptions and it is subject to renegotiation in the future. Although we believe that our relations with our employees are satisfactory, no assurance can be given that we will be able to successfully extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreement when it expires. If we fail to extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreement, if disputes with our union arise, or if our unionized workers engage in a strike or other work stoppage or interruption, we could experience a significant disruption of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Also, our success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. In crewing our vessels, we employ certain employees with specialized training who can perform physically demanding work. Competition to attract and retain qualified crew members is intense. If we are not able to attract and retain qualified personnel, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Arrests of our vessels by maritime claimants could cause a significant loss of earnings for the related off-hire period.

Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and other parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In certain cases, maritime claimants may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages of its manager. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lienholder may enforce its lien by “arresting” or “attaching” a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. In addition, in jurisdictions where the “sister ship” theory of liability applies, a claimant may arrest the vessel that is subject to the claimant’s maritime lien and any “associated” vessel, which is any vessel owned or controlled by the same owner. In countries with “sister ship” liability laws, claims might be asserted against us or any of our vessels for liabilities of other vessels that we own. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could result in significant costs of discharging the maritime lien, loss of earnings for the related off-hire period and other expenses and negatively affect our reputation, which could negatively affect the market for our common units and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency, resulting in loss of earnings.

The government of a vessel’s registry could requisition for title or seize our vessels. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes the owner. A government could also requisition our vessels for hire. Requisition for hire occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes the charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during a period of war or emergency. Government requisition of one or more of our vessels could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels have continued and could adversely affect our business.

Acts of piracy have historically affected ocean-going vessels trading in regions of the world such as the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and the Red Sea. Although the frequency of sea piracy worldwide has decreased in recent years, sea piracy incidents continue to occur, particularly in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea.

If these piracy attacks result in regions in which our vessels are deployed being characterized by insurers as “war risk” zones or “listed areas”, premiums payable for insurance coverage for our vessels could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. In addition, crew costs, including costs which may be incurred due to the deployment of onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. While the use of security guards is intended to deter and prevent the hijacking of our vessels, it could also increase our risk of liability for death or injury to persons or damage to personal property. Although we believe we are adequately insured to cover loss attributable to such incidents, there is still a risk that such incidents may result in significant unrecoverable loss which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Political and government instability can affect the industries in which we operate, which may adversely affect our business.

We conduct most of our operations outside of the United States, and our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt may be adversely affected by the effects of political instability, terrorist or other attacks, war or international hostilities. Terrorist attacks and the continuing response of countries to these attacks, as well as other current and future conflicts, contribute to world economic instability and uncertainty in global financial markets. Terrorist attacks and political instability could result in increased volatility of the financial markets in the United States and globally, and could negatively impact the U.S. and world economy, potentially leading to an economic recession. These uncertainties could also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us or at all.

In the past, political instability has also resulted in attacks on vessels, such as the attack on the M/T Limburg in October 2002, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt international shipping, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Any such attacks could lead to, among other things, bodily injury or loss of life, vessel or other property damage and increased vessel operational costs, including insurance costs.

Furthermore, our operations may be adversely affected by changing or adverse political and governmental conditions in the countries where our vessels are flagged or registered and in the regions where we otherwise engage in business. Our operations may also be adversely affected by expropriation of vessels, taxes, regulation, tariffs, trade embargoes, economic sanctions or a disruption of, or limit to trading activities, or other adverse events or circumstances in or affecting the countries and regions where we operate or where we may operate in the future.

The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine may lead to further regional and international conflicts or armed action. It is possible that such conflict could disrupt supply chains and cause instability in the global economy. Additionally, the ongoing conflict could result in the imposition of further economic sanctions by the United States and the European Union against Russia. While much uncertainty remains regarding the global impact of the conflict in Ukraine, it is possible that such tensions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows. In 2021, Russian gas accounted for 15% of total gas produced and Russian LNG exports for 8% of the global trade. It is noteworthy that Russia gas accounted for 32% of all natural gas consumed in Europe during 2021. Furthermore, it is possible that third parties with whom we have charter contracts may be impacted by events in Russia and Ukraine, which could adversely affect our operations.

Increases in fuel prices could adversely affect our profits.

When our vessels are trading on period charters, our charterers are responsible for the cost of fuel in the form of bunkers. However if we trade our vessels in the spot market or they are off-hire or during the vessels’ dry-docking, we are responsible for the cost of fuel consumed, which can be a significant vessel expense. Spot charter arrangements generally provide that the vessel owner, or pool operator where relevant, bear the cost of fuel. Because we do not, and do not intend to, hedge our fuel costs, an increase in the price of fuel beyond our expectations may adversely affect our profitability, cash flows and ability to pay cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. The price and supply of fuel is unpredictable and fluctuates as a result of events outside our control, including geo-political developments (such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine), supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (also known as OPEC) and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns and regulations. Changes in the actual price of fuel at the time the charter is to be performed could result in the charter being performed at a significantly greater cost than originally anticipated and may result in losses or diminished profits.

In addition, a global 0.5% sulphur cap on marine fuels imposed by the International Maritime Organization came into force on January 1, 2020, as stipulated in 2008 amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ships (“MARPOL”). See “— Regulatory Risks—The maritime transportation industry is subject to substantial environmental and other regulations and international standards, which have become stricter over time and which may significantly limit our operations, result in substantial penalties or increase our expenditures.” A potential shortage of low sulphur marine fuels could drive prices upwards, which could adversely affect our profit margins if our container and drybulk vessels are being chartered on the spot market or are off-hire or the profit margins of our charterers.

Increased competition in technology and innovation could reduce our charter hire income and the value of our vessels.

The charter rates and the value and operational life of a vessel are determined by a number of factors, including the vessel’s efficiency, operational flexibility and physical life. Determining a vessel’s efficiency includes considering its speed and fuel economy, while flexibility considerations include the ability to enter harbors, utilize related docking facilities and pass through canals and straits. Specifically for LNG, technological developments in containment systems and reliquification technology could affect the value of the vessels as well as their commercial life, as is now demonstrated in the market with older generation vessels trading at a significant discount as compared to modern vessels. A vessel’s physical life is related to the original design and construction, maintenance and the impact of the stress of its operations. If new ship designs currently promoted by shipyards as being more fuel efficient perform as promoted, or if new vessels are built in the future that are more efficient, or flexible, have increased capacity, or have longer physical lives than our current vessels, competition from these more technologically advanced vessels could adversely affect our ability to re-charter our vessels, the amount of charter-hire payments that we receive for our vessels once their current charters expire and the resale value of our vessels. This could adversely affect our ability to service our debt or make cash distributions.

Since 2011, our board of directors has elected not to deduct cash reserves for estimated replacement capital expenditures from our operating surplus. If this practice continues, our asset base and the income generating capacity of our fleet may be significantly affected.

Our partnership agreement provides that our board of directors shall deduct from operating surplus cash reserves that it determines are necessary to fund our future operating expenditures, including estimated maintenance capital expenditures. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus is subject to review and change by our board of directors, provided that any change must be approved by our conflicts committee.

Replacement capital expenditures are made in order to maintain our asset base and the income generating capacity of our fleet. We have in the past incurred substantial replacement capital expenditures. Replacement capital expenditures may vary over time as a result of a range of factors, including changes in:

Since 2011, our board of directors has elected not to deduct any cash reserves for estimated replacement capital expenditures from our operating surplus. We account for maintenance capital expenditures required to maintain the operating capacity of our vessels, including any amortization of dry-docking costs associated with scheduled dry-dockings, as part of our operating costs, which are reflected in our operating income.

As a result of this practice, we have become significantly more reliant on our ability to obtain required financing and access the financial markets to fund our replacement capital expenditures from time to time. If this practice continues and external funding is not available to us for any reason, our ability to acquire new vessels or replace a vessel in our fleet to maintain our asset base and our income generating capacity may be significantly impaired, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

If we finance the purchase of any additional vessels or businesses we acquire in the future through cash from operations, by increasing our indebtedness or by issuing debt or equity securities, our ability to make or increase our cash distributions may be diminished, our financial leverage could increase or our unitholders could be diluted. In addition, if we expand the size of our fleet by directly contracting newbuilds in the future, we will generally be required to make significant installment payments for such acquisitions prior to their delivery and generation of any revenue.

The actual cost of a new vessel varies significantly depending on the market price charged by shipyards, the size and specifications of the vessel, whether a charter is attached to the vessel and the terms of such charter, governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards. The total cost of a vessel is further increased by financing, construction supervision, vessel start-up and other costs.

If we enter into contracts for newbuilds directly with shipyards, we generally will be required to make installment payments prior to their delivery. We typically must pay between 5% and 25% of the purchase price of a vessel upon signing the purchase contract, even though delivery of the completed vessel will not occur until much later (approximately 18–36 months later for current orders), which could reduce cash available for distributions to unitholders.

To fund the acquisition of a vessel or a business or other related capital expenditures, we will be required to use cash from operations or incur borrowings or raise capital through the sale of debt or additional equity securities. We financed the acquisition of the six LNG Carrier vessels in 2021 for a total consideration of $1,222.8 million using cash on hand, the issuance of new common units to the seller, the issuance of the CGC Seller’s Credit and the assumption of debt and the issuance of the Bonds. See “Acquisition of Six LNG Carriers and Issuance of €150.0 million of Senior Unsecured Bonds listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.” Use of cash from operations will reduce cash available for distributions to unitholders. Even if we are successful in obtaining necessary funds, the terms of such financings could limit our ability to pay cash distributions to unitholders. Incurring additional debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, and issuing additional equity securities may result in significant unitholder dilution and would increase the aggregate amount of cash required to fund our quarterly distributions to unitholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to increase or make cash distributions.

We may decide to retrofit the rest of our fleet with scrubbers and we are in the process of retrofitting ballast water treatment systems on a number of our vessels. Failure of the scrubber or ballast water treatment equipment to operate effectively could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

As of the date of this Annual Report, seven of our vessels have been retrofitted with scrubbers and six have been retrofitted with a ballast water treatment system (“BWTS”) while 12, including our six LNG carriers, were delivered from the building yard with BWTS attached. We expect that the three vessels we acquired in January 2020 will be retrofitted with a BWTS in 2022. We may decide to retrofit the rest of our fleet with scrubbers in the future, subject to market developments and yard availability. Failure of the scrubber and/or BWTS equipment to operate effectively after installation might affect our ability to comply with regulatory requirements and/or our charter party agreements, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

RISKS RELATED TO FINANCING ACTIVITIES

We are reliant on our ability to obtain required financing and access the financial markets. Therefore, we may be harmed by any limitation in the availability of external funding, as a result of a contraction or volatility in bank debt or financial markets or for any other reason. If we are unable to obtain required financing or access the capital markets, we may be unable to grow or maintain our asset base, pursue other potential growth opportunities or refinance our existing indebtedness.

We are reliant on our ability to obtain required financing and access the financial markets to operate and grow our business.

However, asset impairments, financial stress, enforcement actions and credit rating pressures experienced in the past by financial institutions, in particular in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, combined with a general decline in the willingness of financial institutions to extend credit to the shipping industry due to depressed shipping rates and the deterioration of asset values that have led to losses in many banks’ shipping portfolios, as well as changes in overall banking regulations (including, for example, Basel III) have severely constrained the availability of credit supply for shipping companies such as us. For example, following heavy losses in its shipping portfolio and at the EU Commission’s behest, one of our main lenders, state-backed Hamburg Commercial Bank AG (“HCOB”), was mandatorily privatized.

In addition, our ability to obtain financing or access capital markets to issue debt or equity securities may be limited by (i) our financial condition at the time of any such financing or issuance, (ii) adverse market conditions affecting the shipping industry, including weaker demand for, or increased supply of, LNG, drybulk and container vessels, whether as a result of general economic conditions or the financial condition of charterers and operators of vessels, (iii) weaknesses in the financial markets, (iv) restrictions imposed by our credit facilities, such as collateral maintenance requirements, which could limit our ability to incur additional secured financing and (v) other contingencies and uncertainties, which may be beyond our control. Continued access to external financing and the capital markets is not assured.

As a result, our ability to obtain financing to fund capital expenditures, acquire new vessels or refinance our existing indebtedness is and may continue to be limited. If we are unable to obtain additional financing or issue further equity or debt securities, our ability to fund current and future obligations may be impaired. In addition, restrictions in the availability of credit supply may result in higher interest costs, which would reduce our available cash for distributions. Any failure to obtain funds for necessary future capital expenditures, to grow our asset base or, in time, to refinance our existing indebtedness on terms that are commercially acceptable could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt, and could cause the market price of our common units to decline.

We have incurred significant indebtedness, which could adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, refinance our existing indebtedness, pursue desirable business opportunities, successfully run our business or make cash distributions.

As of December 31, 2021, our total debt was $1,317.4 million in total. Please also refer to “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements).”

Our leverage and amounts required to service our debt and leasing obligations could have a significant impact on our operations, including the following:

While our leverage is significant, if future cash flows are insufficient to fund capital expenditures and other expenses or investments, we may need to incur further indebtedness. See “—Risks Related to Our Business and Operations—Since 2011, our board of directors has elected not to deduct cash reserves for estimated replacement capital expenditures from our operating surplus. If this practice continues, our asset base and the income generating capacity of our fleet may be significantly affected.”

Our financing arrangements contain, and we expect that any new or amended credit facilities or other financing arrangements we may enter into in the future will contain, restrictive covenants, which may limit our business and financing activities, including our ability to make cash distributions.

Operating and financial restrictions and covenants under our existing financing arrangements and any new financing arrangements we may enter into in the future could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage, expand or pursue our business activities. For example, our current financing arrangements require the consent of our lenders to, or limit our ability to, among other things:

Our existing financing arrangements also require us to comply with the International Safety Management Code and to maintain valid safety management certificates and documents of compliance at all times. Our financing arrangements require us to comply with certain financial covenants:

Our financing arrangements prohibit the payment of distributions that are not in compliance with certain of these financial covenants or security coverage ratios or upon the occurrence of any other event of default.

Furthermore, the Bonds we issued on October 20, 2021 require us to (a) maintain a pledged Debt Service Reserve Account (the “DSRA”) with a minimum balance €100,000, (b) deposit to the DSRA 50% of any cash disbursements to our unitholders (e.g., dividends) exceeding €20.0 million per annum, capped at 1/3 of the par value of the Bonds outstanding at the time and (c) if our market value adjusted net worth (“MVAN”) falls below $300.0 million, to deposit to the DSRA the difference between the MVAN and $300.0 million (capped at 1/3 of the par value of the Bonds outstanding).

Our ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in our financing arrangements may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions, interest rate developments, changes in the funding costs of our financing institutions and changes in vessel earnings and asset valuations. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants may be impaired. If we are in breach of any of the restrictions, covenants, ratios or tests in our financing arrangements, or if we trigger a cross-default currently contained in our financing arrangements, we may be forced to suspend our distributions, a significant portion of our obligations may become immediately due and payable, and our lenders’ commitment (if any) to make further loans to us may terminate. We may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments. In addition, obligations under certain of our financing arrangements are secured by our vessels or through the ownership of the vessels, and if we are unable to repay, or otherwise default on, our obligations under our financing arrangements, the lenders could seek to take control of these assets.

Furthermore, any contemplated vessel acquisitions will have to be at levels that do not impair the required ratios described above. Depressed shipping markets, lack of capital in the industry and prolonged overcapacity have an adverse effect on vessel values. If the estimated asset values of our vessels decrease, we may be obligated to prepay part of our outstanding debt in order to remain in compliance with the relevant covenants in our financing arrangements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

If we are in breach of any of the terms of our financing arrangements, a significant portion of our obligations may become immediately due and payable. This could affect our ability to execute our business strategy or make cash distributions.

A default under our financing arrangements could result in foreclosure on any of our vessels and other assets secured or a loss of our rights as lessee under such arrangements.

To the extent that cash flows are insufficient to make required service payments under our financing arrangements or asset cover is inadequate due to a deterioration in vessel values, we will need to refinance some or all of the principal outstanding under our financing arrangements, replace it with alternate credit arrangements or provide additional security. We may not be able to refinance or replace our financing arrangements or provide additional security at the time they become due.

In the event we default under our financing arrangements or we are not able to refinance our existing indebtedness with new financing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, or if our operating results are not sufficient to service current or future indebtedness, or to make relevant interest, principal or lease repayments if necessary, we may be forced to take actions such as reducing or eliminating distributions, reducing or delaying business activities, acquisitions, investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing debt and leasing obligations, or seeking additional equity capital or bankruptcy protection. In addition, the terms of any refinancing or alternate financing arrangement may restrict our financial and operating flexibility and our ability to make cash distributions.

We may not be able to reach agreement with our financiers to amend the terms of the then existing financing arrangements or waive any breaches and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make any accelerated payments, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Events of default under our financing arrangements include:

In addition, certain dealings in connection with sanctioned countries could trigger a mandatory prepayment event. See “—Regulatory Risks—Our vessels may be chartered or sub-chartered to parties, or call on ports, located in countries that are subject to restrictions and sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions.”

We anticipate that any subsequent refinancing of our debt could have similar or more onerous restrictions. Please see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)” for further information on our existing facilities.

The phase-out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), or the replacement of LIBOR with a different benchmark rate, may adversely affect interest rates and our cost of capital.

On July 27, 2017, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) announced that it would phase-out LIBOR by the end of 2021. On March 5, 2021 the FCA announced that LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative immediately after December 31, 2021, in the case of all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen settings, and the 1-week and 2-month US dollar settings and immediately after June 30, 2023, in the case of the remaining US dollar settings. Changes in the method of calculating LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative rate or benchmark, may adversely affect interest rates. While there is no consensus on what interest rate may become accepted as the alternative to LIBOR, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of U.S. financial market participants, has selected the Secured Overnight Finance Rate (“SOFR”) as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since May 2018. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash in the overnight U.S. treasury repo market. At this time, it is not possible to predict whether SOFR or another reference rate will become an accepted alternative to LIBOR.

We cannot predict the effect of the potential changes to LIBOR or the establishment and use of alternative rates or benchmarks. Our existing financing arrangements provide for the use of replacement rates if LIBOR is discontinued. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of LIBOR discontinuation on us. Such replacement rates could be higher or more volatile than LIBOR prior to its discontinuation. The full impact of the expected transition away from LIBOR is unclear, but these changes could adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations. We may need to renegotiate our financing arrangements or incur indebtedness to refinance our debt, all of which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and ability to make cash distributions.

As of December 31, 2021 $988.0 million out of $1,317.4 million total debt is floating rate, which means we pay interest on such debt at a margin on top of LIBOR or its replacement. A potential rise in interest rates, which would translate into an increase in LIBOR or its replacement could translate into increased interest expense and in turn may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and ability to make cash distributions.

REGULATORY RISKS

Our vessels may be chartered or sub-chartered to parties, or call on ports, located in countries that are subject to restrictions and sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions.

Certain countries (including certain regions of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria), entities and persons are targeted by economic sanctions and embargoes imposed by the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and a number of those countries, currently North Korea, Iran and Syria, have been identified as state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. Department of State. Such economic sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application with regard to countries, entities or persons and the scope of activities they subject to sanctions. These sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be strengthened, relaxed or otherwise modified over time.

We are mindful of the restrictions contained in the various economic sanctions programs and embargo laws administered by the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions that limit the ability of companies and persons from doing business or trading with targeted countries and persons and entities. We believe that we are currently in compliance with all applicable economic sanctions laws and regulations. We generally do not do business in sanctions-targeted jurisdictions unless an activity is authorized by the appropriate governmental or other sanctions authority. We and our general partner and its affiliates have not entered into agreements or other arrangements with the governments or any governmental entities of sanctioned countries, and we and our general partner and its affiliates do not have any direct business dealings with officials or representatives of any sanctioned governments or entities. In addition, our charter agreements include provisions that restrict trades of our vessels to countries or to sub-charterers targeted by economic sanctions unless such trades involving sanctioned countries or persons are permitted under applicable economic sanctions and embargo regimes. Although we have various policies and controls designed to help ensure our compliance with these economic sanctions and embargo laws, it is nevertheless possible that third-party charterers of our vessels, or their sub-charterers, may arrange for vessels in our fleet to call on ports located in one or more sanctioned countries. In order to help maintain our compliance with applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations, we monitor and review the movement of our vessels, as well as the cargo being transported by our vessels, on a continuing basis. In 2021, none of the vessels in our fleet made any port calls in Crimea, Cuba, North Korea, Iran or Syria.

Notwithstanding the above, it is possible that new, or changes to existing, sanctions-related legislation or agreements may impact our business. In addition, it is possible that the charterers of our vessels may violate applicable sanctions, laws and regulations, using our vessels or otherwise, and the applicable authorities may seek to review our activities as the vessel owner. Moreover, although we believe that we are in compliance with all applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations, and intend to maintain such compliance, the scope of certain laws may be unclear, may be subject to changing interpretations or may be strengthened or otherwise amended. Any violation of sanctions or engagement in sanctionable conduct could result in fines, sanctions or other penalties, and could negatively affect our reputation and result in some investors deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or not to invest, in our common units. As noted above, any such violation or conduct would trigger a mandatory payment event under our financing arrangements. Finally, future expansion of sanctions or the imposition of sanctions on other jurisdictions could prevent our vessels from making any calls at certain ports, which potentially could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

The maritime transportation industry is subject to substantial environmental and other regulations and international standards, which have become stricter over time and which may significantly limit our operations, result in substantial penalties or increase our expenditures.

Our operations are affected by extensive and increasingly stringent international, national and local environmental protection laws, regulations, treaties, conventions and standards in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate, as well as the countries of our vessels’ registration. Many of these requirements are designed to reduce the risk of oil spills, limit air emissions and other pollution, and to reduce potential negative environmental effects associated with the maritime industry in general. Further legislation, or amendments to existing legislation, applicable to international and national maritime trade is expected over the coming years relating to environmental matters. See “Item 4. Information on the Partnership—B. Business Overview—Regulation” for more information on regulation applicable to our business.

These requirements can affect the resale value or useful lives of our vessels, increase operational costs, require a reduction in cargo capacity, ship modifications or operational changes or restrictions, decrease profitability, lead to decreased availability of insurance coverage for environmental risks or result in the denial of access to certain jurisdictional waters or ports, or detention in certain ports. Significant expenditures for the installation of additional equipment or new systems on board our vessels may be required in order to comply with existing or future environmental regulations. In addition we may incur significant additional costs in meeting new maintenance, training and inspection requirements, in developing contingency arrangements for potential spills and in obtaining insurance coverage. Government regulation of vessels, particularly in the areas of safety and environmental requirements, can be expected to become stricter in the future and require us to incur significant capital expenditure on our vessels to keep them in compliance, or even to scrap or sell certain vessels altogether.

Under local, national and foreign laws, as well as international treaties and conventions, we could incur material liabilities, including clean up obligations and natural resource damages, in the event that there is a release of petroleum or other hazardous substances from our vessels or otherwise in connection with our operations. We could also become subject to personal injury and property damage claims and natural resource damages relating to the release of, or exposure to, hazardous materials associated with our current or historic operations. Violations of or liabilities under environmental requirements also can result in substantial penalties, fines and other sanctions including, in certain instances, seizure or detention of our vessels.

Furthermore, as a result of marine accidents, we believe that regulation of the shipping industry will continue to become more stringent and more expensive for us and our competitors. Future incidents may result in the adoption of even stricter laws and regulations, which could limit our operations or our ability to do business and which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and ability to make cash distributions and to service or refinance our debt.

Compliance with safety and other vessel requirements imposed by classification societies may be costly and could reduce our net cash flows and net income.

The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be certified as being “in class” by a classification society authorized by its country of registry. The classification society certifies that a vessel is safe and seaworthy in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the country of registry of the vessel and the Safety of Life at Sea Convention.

A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a vessel’s machinery may be placed on a continuous survey cycle, under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a five-year period. We expect our vessels to be on special survey cycles for hull inspection and continuous survey cycles for machinery inspection. Every vessel is also required to have its underwater parts inspected by class every two to three years, but for vessels subject to enhanced survey requirements and above 15 years of age, its underwater parts must be inspected in dry-dock.

If any vessel does not maintain its class or fails any annual, intermediate or special survey, the vessel will be unable to maintain insurance arrangements and trade between ports and will be unemployable, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to make cash distributions and to service or refinance our debt.

Increased inspection procedures and tighter import and export controls could increase costs and disrupt our business.

International shipping is subject to various security and customs inspection and related procedures in countries of origin and destination and trans-shipment points. Inspection procedures may result in the seizure of contents of our vessels, delays in the loading, offloading, trans-shipment or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us.

It is possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us. Changes to inspection procedures could also impose additional costs and obligations on our charterers and may, in certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or impractical. Any such changes or developments may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

The smuggling of drugs or other contraband onto our vessels may lead to governmental claims against us.

Our vessels call in ports throughout the world, and smugglers may attempt to hide drugs and other contraband on our vessels, with or without the knowledge of crew members. To the extent our vessels are found with contraband, whether inside or attached to the hull of our vessels, and whether with or without the knowledge of any of our crew, we may face governmental or other regulatory claims or penalties, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions and service or refinance our debt.

General Risk Factors

We rely on information systems to conduct our business, and failure to protect these systems against security breaches could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

The efficient operation of our business is dependent on information technology systems and networks, which are provided by our Managers. Our operations could be targeted by individuals or groups seeking to sabotage or disrupt our information technology systems and networks, or to steal data. A successful cyber-attack could materially disrupt our operations, including the safety or operation of our vessels, or lead to unauthorized release of information or alteration of information on our systems. Any such attack or other breach of our information technology systems could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Most recently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been accompanied by cyber-attacks against the Ukrainian government and other countries in the region. It is possible that these attacks could have collateral effects on additional critical infrastructure and financial institutions globally, which could adversely affect our operations. It is difficult to assess the likelihood of such threat and any potential impact at this time.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and anti-corruption laws in other applicable jurisdictions.

As an international shipping company, we may operate in countries known to have a reputation for corruption. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”) and other anti-corruption laws and regulations in applicable jurisdictions generally prohibit companies registered with the SEC and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Under the FCPA, companies registered with the SEC may be held liable for some actions taken by strategic or local partners or representatives. Legislation in other countries includes the U.K. Bribery Act, which became effective on July 1, 2011.

The U.K. Bribery Act is broader in scope than the FCPA because it does not contain an exception for facilitating payments (i.e., payments to secure or expedite the performance of a “routine governmental action”) and covers bribes and payments to private businesses as well as foreign public officials. We and our charterers may be subject to these and similar anti-corruption laws in other applicable jurisdictions. Failure to comply with such legal requirements could expose us to civil and/or criminal penalties, including fines, prosecution and significant reputational damage, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, including our relationships with our charterers, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. Compliance with the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and other applicable anti-corruption laws and related regulations and policies imposes potentially significant costs and operational burdens. Moreover, the compliance and monitoring mechanisms that we have in place, including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which incorporates our anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy, may not adequately prevent or detect possible violations under applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption legislation.

We have incurred, and may continue to incur significant costs in complying with the requirements of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. If management is unable to continue to provide reports as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to continue to provide us with unqualified attestation reports as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the value of our common units. We anticipate that we will continue to incur incremental general and administrative expenses as a publicly traded limited partnership taxed as a corporation.

As a publicly traded limited partnership, we are required to comply with the SEC’s reporting requirements and with corporate governance and related requirements of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, on which our common units are listed. Section 404 of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX 404”) requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on an annual basis and include in our reports filed with the SEC our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and a related attestation of our independent registered public accounting firm. Capital Ship Management provides substantially all of our financial reporting and we depend on the procedures they have in place. If, in such future annual reports on Form 20-F, our management cannot provide a report as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide us with an unqualified attestation report as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as required by SOX 404, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the value of our common units.

We have and expect we will continue to have to dedicate a significant amount of time and resources to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements of SOX 404. We will continue to work with our legal, accounting and financial advisors to identify any areas in which changes should be made to our financial and management control systems to manage our growth and our obligations as a public company. However, these and other measures we may take may not be sufficient to allow us to satisfy our obligations as a public company on a timely and reliable basis. If we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we may not detect errors on a timely basis and our financial statements may be materially misstated. We have incurred and will continue to incur legal, accounting and other expenses in complying with these and other applicable regulations.

We anticipate that our incremental general and administrative expenses as a publicly traded limited partnership taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will include costs associated with annual reports to unitholders, tax returns, investor relations, registrar and transfer agent’s fees, incremental director and officer liability insurance costs and director compensation.

RISKS INHERENT IN AN INVESTMENT IN US

We cannot assure you that we will pay any distributions on our units.

Our board of directors determines our cash distribution policy and the level of our cash distributions. Generally, our board of directors seeks to maintain a balance between the level of reserves it makes to protect our financial position and liquidity against the desirability of maintaining distributions on our limited partnership interests. We intend to review our distributions from time to time in the light of a range of factors, including our ability to obtain required financing and access financial markets, the repayment or refinancing of our debt, the level of our capital expenditures, our ability to pursue accretive transactions, our financial condition, results of operations, prospects and applicable provisions of Marshall Islands law.

We may not have sufficient cash available each quarter to pay a minimum quarterly distribution on our common units following the payment of fees and expenses and the establishment by our board of directors of cash reserves. In April 2016, in the face of severely depressed trading prices for master limited partnerships, including us, a significant increase in our cost of capital and potential loss of revenue, our board of directors took the decision to protect our liquidity position by creating a capital reserve and setting distributions on our common units at a level that our board of directors believed to be sustainable and consistent with the proper conduct of our business. We have paid significantly less than the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units since the first quarter of 2016. The minimum quarterly distribution is a target set in our limited partnership agreement. There is no requirement that we make a distribution in this amount.

Our distribution policy from time to time will depend on, among other things, shipping market developments and the charter rates we are able to negotiate when we re-charter our vessels, our cash earnings, financial condition and cash requirements, and could be affected by a variety of factors, including increased or unanticipated expenses, the loss of a vessel, required capital expenditures, reserves established by our board of directors, refinancing or repayment of debt, additional borrowings, compliance with the covenants in our financing arrangements, our anticipated future cost of capital, access to financing and equity and debt capital markets, including for the purposes of refinancing or repaying existing debt, and asset valuations. Our distribution policy may be changed at any time, and from time to time, by our board of directors.

Our ability to make cash distributions is also limited under Marshall Islands law. A Marshall Islands limited partnership cannot make a cash distribution to a partner to the extent that at the time of the distribution, after giving effect to the distribution, all liabilities of the limited partnership (other than liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specified property of the limited partnership) exceed the fair value of its assets. For purposes of this test, the fair value of property that is subject to a liability for which the recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds such liability.

The amount of cash we generate from our operations may differ materially from our profit or loss for the period, which will be affected by non-cash items. As a result, we may not make cash distributions in certain periods even if we were to record a positive net income in those periods. Conversely, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record losses.

In light of the factors described above and elsewhere in this Annual Report, there can be no assurance that we will pay any distributions on our units.

Negative media coverage and public and judicial scrutiny relating to Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis may adversely affect our reputation and operations, investor confidence and the trading price of our common units.

Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis is the chairman of Capital Maritime, our sponsor. In addition, as of April 18, 2022, the Marinakis family, including Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis, may be deemed to beneficially own a 27.4% interest in us, excluding treasury units of 487,892, through its beneficial ownership of, among other entities, Capital Maritime. Furthermore, Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis’s son, is the owner of Capital GP L.L.C., our General Partner and Capital Gas Corp.

Mr. Evangelos M. Marinakis holds significant other interests in Greece and abroad. Among other things, Mr. Marinakis is the principal owner of Olympiacos, a Greek professional football team, and the Nottingham Forest football club in England. Mr. Marinakis also owns the Greek media company Alter Ego Media S.A. Furthermore, Mr. Marinakis is a member of the Piraeus city council.

Mr. Marinakis has been the subject of intense and at times negative media scrutiny in Greece. Given the relationships of Mr. Marinakis and certain members of his family with Capital Maritime and us described above, any past or future negative media coverage, public and judicial scrutiny or criminal proceedings in relation to Mr. Marinakis, regardless of the factual basis for the assertions being made or the final outcome of any investigation or proceeding, may affect the reputation and operations of Capital Maritime, as well as our reputation and operations. Such coverage, scrutiny and proceedings may also adversely impact investor confidence and the trading price of our common units.

The control of our General Partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

Our General Partner is a limited liability company initially formed and controlled by Capital Maritime as sole member. In April 2019, Capital Maritime transferred all membership interests in our General Partner to Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis.

Our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of the member or members from time to time of our General Partner from transferring control of our General Partner or its assets to a third party, whether in a merger, sale of all membership interests or sale of all or substantially all of its assets, without the consent of our unitholders.

Any such change in control of our General Partner may affect the way we and our operations are managed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Please read “—Risks Related to our Business and Operations—We depend on our General Partner, a private company under the ownership of Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, for the day-to-day management of our affairs.”

Our General Partner, which may have conflicts of interest, has limited fiduciary and contractual duties, which may permit it to favor its own interests or the interest of its affiliates or related persons to the detriment of other unitholders.

Our General Partner is in charge of our day-to-day affairs consistent with policies and procedures adopted by, and subject to the direction of, our board of directors.

Our General Partner and our directors have a fiduciary duty to manage us in a manner beneficial to us and our unitholders. However, this duty is limited under our partnership agreement. Please see “—Our partnership agreement limits our General Partner’s and our directors’ fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our General Partner or our directors.” In addition, Mr Kalogiratos who is an officer of our General Partner and a director of the Partnership, serves also as officer and director of Capital Maritime, and as such has fiduciary duties to Capital Maritime that may cause him to pursue business strategies that disproportionately benefit Capital Maritime or which otherwise are not in the best interests of us or our unitholders. Conflicts of interest may arise between Capital Maritime, our General Partner and their affiliates, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, the officers of our General Partner and Capital Maritime may favor their own interests over the interests of our unitholders.

These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:

Although a majority of our directors are elected by common unitholders, our General Partner has a substantial influence on decisions made by our board of directors. Please read “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees.”

Affiliates of our General Partner may favor their own interests in any vote by our unitholders.

Under the terms of our partnership agreement, the affirmative vote of a majority of common units is required in order to reach certain decisions or actions, including:

Capital Maritime and its affiliates are not subject to the limitations on voting rights imposed on our other limited partners and would be attributed their pro rata share of any voting rights reallocated as a result of such limitations.

Accordingly, Capital Maritime and its affiliates may favor their own interests or the interests of our General Partner in any vote by our unitholders. These considerations may significantly impact any vote under the terms of our partnership agreement and may significantly affect your rights under our partnership agreement.

Please also read “—Unitholders have limited voting rights and our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 5% or more of our units ” for information on additional restrictions imposed by our partnership agreement.

Capital Maritime and its affiliates may compete with us.

The omnibus agreement that we and Capital Maritime have entered into imposes certain mutual restrictions on the acquisition, ownership and operations, and provides for certain rights of first refusal in respect, of product and crude oil tankers. The omnibus agreement however contains significant exceptions. It also does not apply to LNG, container and drybulk vessels and other shipping markets. Accordingly, Capital Maritime and its controlled affiliates have significant ability to compete with us, which could harm our business. Please read “Item 7. Major Unitholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related-Party Transactions” for further information.

We currently do not have any officers and rely, and expect to continue to rely, solely on officers of our General Partner and/or our Managers, who face conflicts in the allocation of their time to our business.

Our board of directors has not exercised its power to appoint officers of the Partnership to date, and, as a result, we rely, and expect to continue to rely, solely on the officers of our General Partner, who are not required to work full-time on our affairs and who also work for Capital Maritime and/or its affiliates.

For example, our General Partner’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Commercial Officer (appointed on January 24, 2022) are also executive officers or employees of Capital Maritime, Capital Ship Management and/or their respective affiliates. Capital Maritime and our Managers each conduct substantial businesses and activities of their own in which we have no economic interest.

As a result, there could be material competition for the time and effort of the officers of our General Partner who also provide services to Capital Maritime, our Managers and/or their respective affiliates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt.

Our partnership agreement limits our General Partner’s and our directors’ fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our General Partner or our directors.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that restrict the standards and fiduciary duties to which our General Partner and directors may otherwise be held by or owed to you pursuant to Marshall Islands law. For example, our partnership agreement:

In order to become a limited partner of our partnership, a unitholder is required to agree to be bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above. Please read “Item 7. Major Unitholders and Related-Party Transactions—B. Related-Party Transactions.”

Unitholders have limited voting rights and our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 5% or more of our units.

Holders of units have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business.

We hold a meeting of the limited partners every year to elect one or more members of our board of directors and to vote on any other matters that are properly brought before the meeting. Common unitholders (excluding Capital Maritime and its affiliates) elect five of the eight members of our board of directors. Currently our board has seven members, of which five were elected by common unitholders. The elected directors are elected on a staggered basis and serve for three-year terms. Our General Partner in its sole discretion has the right to appoint the remaining three directors, who also serve for three-year terms. Any and all elected directors may be removed with cause only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the other elected directors or at a properly called meeting of the common unitholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common units.

The partnership agreement contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management. Unitholders have no right to elect our General Partner, and our General Partner may not be removed except by a vote of the holders of at least two thirds of the outstanding units, including any units owned by our General Partner and its affiliates, and a majority vote of our board of directors. Currently, 14,247,514 common units excluding treasury units of 487,892, representing 73.9% of our common units are owned by public unitholders.

Our partnership agreement further restricts unitholders’ voting rights by providing that if any person or group, other than our General Partner, its affiliates, their transferees and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of our board of directors, beneficially owns 5% or more of any class of units then outstanding, any such units owned by that person or group in excess of 4.9% may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes, except for purposes of nominating a person for election to our board, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes, unless required by law. The voting rights of any such unitholders in excess of 4.9% will be redistributed pro rata among the other unitholders of the same class holding less than 4.9% of the voting power of that class. As an affiliate of our General Partner, Capital Maritime is not subject to such limitation and will be attributed its pro rata share of any units reallocated as a result of such limitation. Further, this limitation does not apply to unitholders who acquire more than 5% of any class of units then outstanding with the prior approval of our board of directors.

As of April 18, 2022, based on 19,637,624 units issued and outstanding (excluding treasury units of 487,892 and including 348,570 general partner units), the Marinakis family, including Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, who beneficially owns 100% of Capital Gas Corp.  , and Evangelos M. Marinakis, the chairman of Capital Maritime, may be deemed to beneficially own an 27.4% interest in us, through:

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a person or group from attempting to remove our current management or our General Partner.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a person or group from attempting to remove our current management or our General Partner:

One effect of these provisions may be to diminish the price at which our units will trade.

Our General Partner has a limited call right that may require unitholders to sell your units at an undesirable time or price.

If at any time our General Partner and its affiliates own more than 90% of the units of a class, our General Partner will have the right, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, but not the obligation, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the units of such class held by unaffiliated persons at a price not less than their then-current market price (as defined in our partnership agreement). As a result, unitholders may be required to sell their units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return on their investment. Unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of their units.

Our common units are equity securities and are subordinated to our existing and future indebtedness and will be subject to prior distribution and liquidation rights of any preferred units we may issue in the future.

Our common units are equity interests and do not constitute indebtedness. Our common units rank junior to all indebtedness and other non-equity claims on us with respect to the assets available to satisfy claims, including in a liquidation of the Partnership. Additionally, holders of our common units are subject to the prior distribution and liquidation rights of any preferred units we may issue in the future. Our board of directors is authorized to issue additional classes or series of preferred units without the approval or consent of the holders of our common units. Any actual or possible reduction in the amount of distributions made on our common units could materially and adversely affect the market price of the common units.

Future sales of our common units, or the issuance of preferred units, debt securities or warrants, could cause the market price of our common units to decline.

The market price of our common units could decline due to sales of a large number of units, or the issuance of debt securities or warrants, in the market, or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales could also make it more difficult or impossible for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate to raise funds through future offerings of such equity securities.

Since our initial public offering, we conducted a number of issuances of common and preferred units, and we may engage in additional such issuances in the future.

The issuance by us of additional units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank may have the following effects:

You may not have limited liability if a court finds that unitholder action constitutes control of our business.

As a limited partner in a partnership organized under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, you could be held liable for our obligations to the same extent as a General Partner if a court determines that you “participated in the control” of our business (and the person who transacts business with us reasonably believes, based on the limited partner’s conduct, that the limited partner is a general partner). Our General Partner generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the Partnership, such as its debts and environmental liabilities. In addition, the limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in some jurisdictions in which we do business. Please read “The Partnership Agreement—Limited Liability” in Exhibit 2.1 to this Annual Report for a more detailed discussion of the implications of the limitations on liability to a unitholder.

We can borrow money to pay distributions or buy back our units, which would reduce the amount of credit available to operate our business.

Our partnership agreement allows us to make working capital borrowings to pay distributions. Accordingly, we can make distributions on all our units even though cash generated by our operations may not be sufficient to pay such distributions. Any working capital borrowings by us to make distributions will reduce the amount of working capital borrowings we can make for operating our business. For more information, please read “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)”.

Increases in interest rates may cause the market price of our units to decline.

An increase in interest rates may cause a corresponding decline in demand for equity investments in general, and in particular, for yield-based equity investments such as our units. Any such increase in interest rates or reduction in demand for our units resulting from other relatively more attractive investment opportunities may cause the trading price or the market value of our units to decline.

Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions.

Under some circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under the Marshall Islands Limited Partnership Act (the “MILPA”), we may not make a distribution if the distribution would cause our liabilities (other than liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specified property of ours) to exceed the fair value of our assets, except that the fair value of property that is subject to a liability for which the recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in our assets only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds that liability. The MILPA provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated the MILPA will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Assignees who become substituted limited partners are liable for the obligations of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership that are known to the assignee at the time it became a limited partner and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from the partnership agreement.

Our organization as a limited partnership under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands may limit the ability of our unitholders to protect their interests.

Our affairs are governed by our partnership agreement and the MILPA. The provisions of the MILPA resemble provisions of the limited partnership laws of a number of states in the United States, most notably Delaware. The MILPA also provides that, as it relates to nonresident limited partnerships, such as us, it is to be applied and construed to make the laws of the Marshall Islands, with respect to the subject matter of the MILPA, uniform with the laws of the State of Delaware and, so long as it does not conflict with the MILPA or decisions of the High and Supreme Courts of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the non-statutory law (or case law) of the State of Delaware is adopted as the law of the Marshall Islands. However, there have been few, if any, judicial cases in the Republic of the Marshall Islands interpreting the MILPA. For example, the rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands are not as clearly established as the rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in certain U.S. jurisdictions. Although the MILPA does specifically incorporate the non-statutory law, or judicial case law, of the State of Delaware, our public unitholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by management, directors or controlling unitholders than would shareholders of a limited partnership organized in a U.S. jurisdiction.

As a Marshall Islands limited partnership with principal executive offices in Greece and having subsidiaries in the Marshall Islands and other offshore jurisdictions such as Liberia, our operations may be subject to economic substance requirements.

We are a Marshall Islands limited partnership with principal executive offices in Greece. Our subsidiaries are organized in the Marshall Islands, Liberia and Cyprus. The Marshall Islands has enacted economic substance regulations with which we may be obligated to comply. Regulations adopted in the Marshall Islands require certain entities that carry out particular activities to comply with an economic substance test whereby the entity must show that it (i) is directed and managed in the Marshall Islands in relation to that relevant activity, (ii) carries out core income-generating activity in relation to that relevant activity in the Marshall Islands (although it is being understood and acknowledged by the regulators that income-generated activities for shipping companies will generally occur in international waters) and (iii) having regard to the level of relevant activity carried out in the Marshall Islands has (a) an adequate amount of expenditures in the Marshall Islands, (b) adequate physical presence in the Marshall Islands and (c) an adequate number of qualified employees in the Marshall Islands.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under this legislation or any similar law applicable to us in any other jurisdictions, we could be subject to financial penalties and spontaneous disclosure of information to foreign tax officials, or could be struck from the register of companies, in related jurisdictions. Any of the foregoing could be disruptive to our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

It may not be possible for investors to enforce U.S. judgments against us.

We are organized under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, as is our General Partner and most of our subsidiaries. Most of our directors and the directors and officers of our General Partner and those of our subsidiaries are residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of our assets and those of our subsidiaries are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for U.S. investors to serve process within the United States upon us or to enforce judgment upon us for civil liabilities in U.S. courts. In addition, you should not assume that courts in the countries in which we or our subsidiaries are incorporated or organized or where our assets or the assets of our subsidiaries are located (1) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or our subsidiaries based upon the civil liability provisions of applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws or (2) would impose, in original actions, liabilities against us or our subsidiaries based upon these laws.

TAX RISKS

In addition to the following risk factors, you should read “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation” below for a more complete discussion of the expected material U.S. federal and non-U.S. income tax considerations relating to us and the ownership and disposition of our units.

U.S. tax authorities could treat us as a “passive foreign investment company,” which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. unitholders.

A foreign entity taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (a “PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes if (x) at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of “passive income,” or (y) at least 50% of the average value of the entity’s assets produce or are held for the production of those types of “passive income.” For purposes of these tests, “passive income” includes dividends, interest, gains from the sale or exchange of investment property, and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties that are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. For purposes of these tests, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute “passive income.” U.S. persons who own shares of a PFIC are subject to a disadvantageous U.S. federal income tax regime with respect to the income derived by the PFIC, the distributions they receive from the PFIC, and the gain, if any, they derive from the sale or other disposition of their shares in the PFIC.

Based on our current and projected method of operation, we believe that we are not currently a PFIC and we do not expect to become a PFIC in the future. We intend to treat our income from spot and time chartering activities as non-passive income, and the vessels engaged in those activities as non-passive assets, for PFIC purposes. However, no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or a United States court will accept this position, and there is accordingly a risk that the IRS or a United States court could determine that we are a PFIC. Moreover, no assurance can be given that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in our assets, income or operations. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders —PFIC Status and Significant Tax Consequences.”

We may have to pay tax on United States source income, which would reduce our earnings.

Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel-owning or chartering corporation that is attributable to transportation that either begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the United States is characterized as U.S. source shipping income and such income generally is subject to a 4% U.S. federal income tax without allowance for deduction, unless that corporation qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code. We believe that we and each of our subsidiaries will qualify for this statutory tax exemption, and we will take this position for U.S. federal income tax return reporting purposes. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—The Section 883 Exemption”. However, there are factual circumstances, including some that may be beyond our control, which could cause us to lose the benefit of this tax exemption. In addition, our conclusion that we currently qualify for this exemption is based upon legal authorities that do not expressly contemplate an organizational structure such as ours. Although we have elected to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for corporate law purposes we are organized as a limited partnership under Marshall Islands law. Our General Partner will be responsible for managing our business and affairs and has been granted certain veto rights over decisions of our board of directors. Therefore, we can give no assurances that the IRS will not take a different position regarding our qualification, or the qualification of any of our subsidiaries, for this tax exemption.

If we or our subsidiaries are not entitled to this exemption under Section 883 of the Code for any taxable year, we or our subsidiaries generally would be subject for those years to a 4% U.S. federal gross income tax on our U.S. source shipping income. The imposition of this taxation could have a negative effect on our business and would result in decreased earnings available for distribution to our unitholders.

You may be subject to income tax in one or more non-U.S. countries, including Greece, as a result of owning our units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. Such laws may require you to file a tax return with and pay taxes to those countries.

We intend that our affairs and the business of each of our subsidiaries will be conducted and operated in a manner that minimizes income taxes imposed upon us and these subsidiaries or which may be imposed upon you as a result of owning our units. However, because we are organized as a partnership, there is a risk in some jurisdictions that our activities and the activities of our subsidiaries may be attributed to our unitholders for tax purposes and, thus, that you will be subject to tax in one or more non-U.S. countries, including Greece, as a result of owning our units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. If you are subject to tax in any such country, you may be required to file a tax return with and pay tax in that country based on your allocable share of our income. We may be required to reduce distributions to you on account of any withholding obligations imposed upon us by that country in respect of such allocation to you. The United States may not allow a tax credit for any foreign income taxes that you directly or indirectly incur.

We believe we can conduct our activities in a manner so that our unitholders should not be considered to be carrying on business in Greece solely as a consequence of acquiring, holding, disposing of or participating in the redemption of our units. However, the question of whether either we or any of our subsidiaries will be treated as carrying on business in any country, including Greece, will largely be a question of fact determined through an analysis of contractual arrangements, including the management and the administrative services agreements we have entered into with our Managers, and the way we carry on business or conduct operations, all of which may change over time. The laws of Greece or any other foreign country may also change, which could cause the country’s taxing authorities to determine that we are carrying on business in such country and are subject to its taxation laws. Any foreign taxes imposed on us or any subsidiaries or the increase of any tonnage tax will reduce our cash available for distribution.

We are a master limited partnership organized as Capital Product Partners L.P. under the laws of the Marshall Islands on January 16, 2007. We completed our initial public offering in April 2007. We maintain our principal executive headquarters at 3 Iassonos Street, Piraeus, 18537 Greece and our telephone number is +30 210 4584 950. Our registered address in the Marshall Islands is Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960. The name of our registered agent at such address is The Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, Inc. Our website address is www.capitalpplp.com. The SEC maintains an internet website at www.sec.gov that contains reports and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through these websites is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this Annual Report.

2021 Developments

Acquisition of six LNG carrier vessels

On August 31, 2021, CPLP agreed to acquire three 174,000 CBM latest generation X-DF LNG carriers, namely, the LNG/C Aristos I, the LNG/C Aristarchos and the LNG/C Aristidis I, constructed at Hyundai, from CGC Operating, for a total consideration of $599.8 million comprised of (i) $147.1 million of cash on hand, (ii) the assumption of the $427.4 million of secured debt, (iii) the issuance of 1,153,846 (or $15.3 million in value) of new common units of CPLP at a premium to the unit trading price at the time of the agreement and (iv) $10.0 million of unsecured, interest free seller’s credit. The LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos were delivered to the Partnership on September 3, 2021, while the LNG/C Aristidis I was delivered on December 16, 2021. The LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristidis I are under long-term time charters with BP with earliest expiration in October 2023 and December 2023, respectively. The LNG/C Aristarchos is under a long-term time charter with Cheniere, which expires the earliest in February 2025.

Furthermore, on August 31, 2021, the Partnership secured an option, which was exercised on November 4, 2021, to acquire an additional three X-DF LNG/C sister vessels, namely, the LNG/C Attalos, the LNG/C Asklipios and the LNG/C Adamastos, constructed at Hyundai, for a total consideration of $623.0 million comprised of (i) $184.0 million of cash on hand and (ii) the assumption of the $439.0 million of secured debt. The LNG/C Attalos and the LNG/C Asklipios were delivered to the Partnership on November 18, 2021, while the LNG/C Adamastos was delivered on November 29, 2021. The LNG/C Attalos is under long-term time charter with BP with earliest expiration in October 2025, the LNG/C Asklipios is under long-term time charter with Cheniere expected to expire at the earliest in January 2025 and the LNG/C Adamastos is under a long-term time charter with Engie which expires at the earliest in September 2026.

Sale of M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and M/V Adonis

On April 7, 2021 the Partnership entered into memorandums of agreement for the sale of the M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis to an unaffiliated third party for a total consideration of $195.0 million. The M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis were delivered to their new owners on May 17, 2021, and December 13, 2021, respectively.

Acquisition of three Panamax container carrier vessels

In February 2021, the Partnership completed the acquisition of the three 5,100 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (“TEU”) sister container vessels, namely the M/V Long Beach Express, M/V Seattle Express and the M/V Fos Express built in 2008 at Hanjin Heavy Industries, South Korea, for a total consideration of $40.5 million. The vessels are employed under long-term time charters with Hapag-Lloyd with the earliest expiration in June 2025 (for the M/V Long Beach Express) or September 2025 (for the M/V Seattle Express and the M/V Fos Express).

Financing Arrangements entered into and/or assumed

On October 20, 2021, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership, CPLP PLC, issued €150.0 million of Bonds listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.

In connection with the issuance of the Bonds, we entered into certain cross-currency swap agreements, including on December 2, 2021 a cross currency agreement with Piraeus Bank SA, exchanging €120.0 million with $139.7 million paying fixed annual rate of 3.655% and on December 14, 2021 a cross currency agreement with Alpha Bank SA, exchanging €30.0 million with $34.9 million paying fixed annual rate of 3.690%.

On December 16, 2021, upon the delivery of the LNG/C Aristidis I, we assumed a syndicated secured credit facility with ING Bank N.V., London Branch, (“ING”) acting as agent of $123.0 million.

On November 29, 2021, upon the delivery of the LNG/C Adamastos, we assumed debt in the form of a sale and leaseback agreement with Shin Doun Kisen Co., Ltd. (“Shin Doun”) of $143.1 million.

On November 18, 2021, upon the delivery of the LNG/C Attalos and the LNG/C Asklipios we assumed debt in the form of sale and leaseback agreement with CMB Financial Leasing Co., Ltd, (“CMBFL”) of $146.3 million and $149.6 million respectively.

On September 3, 2021, upon the delivery of the LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos we assumed debt in the form of sale and leaseback agreement with Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., Ltd, (“Bocomm”) of $148.9 million and $155.4 million respectively. Furthermore, we entered into the CGC Seller’s Credit in order to defer $10.0 million of the total purchase price of the LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos for up to twelve months from the Vessels’ delivery date.

On January 22, 2021, we entered into an agreement for the sale and lease back of the vessels M/V Long Beach Express, M/V Seattle Express and M/V Fos Express with CMBFL for $10.0 million each. Furthermore, we entered into the Seller’s Credit Agreement with CMTC (“CMTC Seller’s Credit”)in order to defer $6.0 million of the purchase price of the M/V Long Beach Express, M/V Seattle Express and M/V Fos Express for up to five years from the Vessels’ delivery date.

See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)” below for information regarding our financing arrangements.

Unit Repurchase Program

On January 25, 2021, the Partnership’s Board of Directors approved a unit repurchase plan for an amount of $30.0 million to be used for repurchasing the Partnership’s common units over the period of two years. During 2021, we completed the repurchase of 382,250 units, paying an average price per unit of $11.74 plus repurchasing expenses. These units are held as treasury units by the Partnership and the amount of $4.5 million is recorded as a reduction in the Partnership’s Partners’ Capital.

2020 Developments

Change of Manager of the M/V Cape Agamemnon

On November 30, 2020, we completed the process of changing the manager of our Capesize bulk carrier vessel, the M/V Cape Agamemnon, from Capital Ship Management to Capital-Executive, a privately held company ultimately controlled by Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, resulting in Capital-Executive becoming the sole manager of our container and drybulk vessels. The agreement with Capital-Executive has the same terms and conditions of the floating fee management agreement we had with Capital Ship Management.

Acquisition of three Neo-Panamax container vessels

In January 2020 the Partnership completed the acquisition of the three 10,000 TEU sister container vessels, namely the M/V Athos, the M/V Aristomenis and the M/V Athenian built in 2011 at Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd South Korea, for a total consideration of $162.6 million from Capital Maritime. The vessels are employed under long-term time charters with Hapag-Lloyd which will expire in April 2026.

Financing Arrangements

On January 17, 2020 the Partnership entered into a new term loan facility with HCOB of up to $38.5 million.

On January 20, 2020 we entered into an agreement for the sale and lease back of the vessels M/V Athos and M/V Aristomenis with CMBFL for $38.5 million each.

In December 2019 we entered into a non-binding term sheet and in May 2020 into agreements with ICBC Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“ICBCFL”) for the sale and lease back of three vessels then mortgaged under the 2017 credit facility, namely the M/V Akadimos (ex CMA CGM Amazon), the M/V Adonis (ex CMA CGM Uruguay) and the CMA CGM Magdalena, for a total amount of $155.4 million. Following the sale of the M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis, in May and December 2021, respectively, we fully repaid the amount of $96.2 million related to the two of the three ICBCFL agreements. See also “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)” below for information regarding our financing arrangements.

2019 Developments

Completion of the DSS Transaction

On November 27, 2018, we entered into a definitive transaction agreement with DSS Holdings L.P. (“DSS”), pursuant to which we agreed to spin off our then existing crude and product tanker business (the “Tanker Business”) into a separate publicly listed company, Diamond S Shipping Inc. (“DSSI”), which would then combine with DSS’s businesses and operations in a share-for-share transaction (the “DSS Transaction”). The DSS Transaction was completed on March 27, 2019.

Change of Manager of Container Vessels

In August 2019, we completed the process of changing the manager of our container vessels from Capital Ship Management to Capital-Executive. Each vessel-owning subsidiary for our ten container vessels then owned entered into a floating rate management agreement with Capital-Executive under which the vessel-owning subsidiary is charged actual expenses incurred by Capital-Executive, each with an initial term of five years. According to this agreement, Capital-Executive provides certain commercial and technical services for a daily technical management fee that is revised annually based on the United States Consumer Price Index. The vessel-owning subsidiary also compensates Capital-Executive for all of its costs, expenses and liabilities incurred in providing the above services, including, but not limited to, crew, repairs and maintenance, insurance, stores, spares, lubricants and other operating costs. Costs and expenses associated with the vessel’s next scheduled dry-docking are borne by the owning company and not by Capital-Executive. Our Capesize bulk carrier vessel, the M/V Cape Agamemnon, remained under the management of Capital Ship Management, until November 29, 2020, under our floating fee management agreement with Capital Ship Management.

Adoption of an amended and restated omnibus incentive compensation plan

As of December 31, 2018, all restricted units issuable under our Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) had been issued. In July 2019, our board of directors adopted an amended and restated Plan, so as to reserve for issuance a maximum number of 740,000 restricted common units.

Change of Ownership of our General Partner

Our General Partner is a limited liability company initially formed and controlled by Capital Maritime as sole member. In April 2019, Capital Maritime transferred all membership interests in our General Partner to Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business and Operations—We depend on our General Partner, a private company under the ownership of Mr. Miltiadis E. Marinakis, for the day-to-day management of our affairs.”

We are an international owner of ocean-going vessels. Our fleet consists of 21 vessels including, 11 Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels (1.0 million dwt and total TEU capacity of 80,797), three Panamax container carrier vessels (0.2 million dwt and total TEU capacity of 15,267), one Capesize bulk carrier vessel (0.2 million dwt) and six latest generation LNG carrier vessels (0.5 million dwt and total capacity of 1.0 million CBM), with an average fleet age of approximately 8.3 years as at March 31, 2022.

All of our container carrier vessels are currently chartered under medium- to long-term charters (with remaining revenue-weighted charter of approximately 3.1 years as of March 31, 2022 based on earliest expiration) to reputable charterers, such as MSC, HMM, ONE and Hapag-Lloyd.

All of our LNG carrier vessels are currently chartered under medium- to long-term charters (with remaining revenue-weighted charter of approximately 3.2 years as of March 31, 2022, based on earliest expiration) to reputable charters, such as BP, Cheniere and Engie.

Our fleet is managed by our Managers, which are private companies.

Business Strategies

Our primary business objective is to increase cash available for distributions to our unitholders, while maintaining a strong financial position. We aim to realize our business objectives through the following strategies:

Our Customers

We provide marine transportation services under medium- to long-term time charters with a range of counterparties:

The loss of any significant customer or a substantial decline in the amount of services requested by a significant customer could harm our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to make cash distributions and service or refinance our debt. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Operations—We currently derive all of our revenues from a limited number of charterers and the loss of any charterer or charter or vessel could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flows.”.

Our Management Agreements

Under our management agreements:

We expect that vessels acquired in the future will be managed under similar floating fee management arrangements. See Note 5 (Transactions with Related Parties) to our Financial Statements for additional information on fees pays under our management agreements.

Our Fleet

At the time of our initial public offering in 2007, our fleet consisted of eight vessels. As of December 31, 2018, our fleet consisted of 36 vessels. We completed the spin-off of our 25 vessel Tanker Business on March 27, 2019. In January 2020 we completed the acquisition of three Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels and in February 2021, we completed the acquisition of three Panamax container carrier vessels. In the second half of 2021 we completed the acquisition of six LNG carrier vessels. In May and December 2021, respectively, we completed the sale of two Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels. As a result, we currently own 21 vessels including, 11 Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels (1.0 million dwt and total TEU capacity of 80,797) with an average age as at March 31, 2022, of approximately 10.5 years, three Panamax container carrier vessels (0.2 million dwt and total TEU capacity of 15,267) with an average age as at March 31, 2022, of approximately 13.9 years, one Capesize bulk carrier vessel (0.2 million dwt) with an age as at March 31, 2022, of approximately 11.7 years and six LNG carrier vessels (0.5 million dwt and total capacity of 1.0 million CBM) with an average age as at March 31, 2022, of approximately 0.9 years.

We intend, subject to prevailing shipping, charter and financing market conditions, to make strategic acquisitions in a prudent manner that is accretive to our unitholders and to long-term distributable cash flow growth. In addition, we may pursue opportunities for acquisitions of, or combinations with, other shipping businesses.

The table below provides summary information about the vessels in our current fleet, as well as their delivery date or expected delivery date to us and their employment, including earliest possible redelivery dates of the vessels and relevant charter rates. Sister vessels, which are vessels of similar specifications and size typically built at the same shipyard, are denoted by the same letter in the table. We believe that ownership of sister vessels provides a number of efficiency advantages in the management of our fleet.

All of the vessels in our fleet are or were designed, constructed, inspected and tested in accordance with the rules and regulations of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (“Lloyd’s”), Bureau Veritas (“BV”), DNV GL, Korean Register (“KR”) or the American Bureau of Shipping (“ABS”).

VESSELS IN OUR FLEET

Our Charters

Our vessels are currently chartered with remaining revenue-weighted charter duration of approximately 3.2 years as of March 31, 2022. Under certain circumstances, we may operate our vessels in the spot market or certain of our vessels may remain idle until they are fixed under appropriate medium- to long-term charters. As our vessels come up for re-chartering, depending on the prevailing market rates, we may not be able to re-charter them at levels similar to their current charters, or at all, which may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and ability to make distributions and service or refinance our debt. Please read “—Our Fleet” above for more information on our time charters, including counterparties, expected expiration dates of the charters and daily charter rates.

Time Charters

A time charter is a contract for the use of a vessel for a fixed period of time at a specified daily rate. Under a time charter, the vessel’s owner provides crewing and other services related to the vessel’s operation, the cost of which is included in the daily rates and the charterer is responsible for substantially all vessel voyage costs except for commissions which are assumed by the owner. The basic hire rate payable under the charters is a previously agreed daily rate, as specified in the charter, payable at the beginning of the month in U.S. Dollars.

Bareboat Charters

A bareboat charter is a contract pursuant to which the vessel owner provides the vessel to the customer for a fixed period of time at a specified daily rate, and the customer provides for all of the vessel’s expenses (including any commissions) and generally assumes all risk of operation. The customer undertakes to maintain the vessel in a good state of repair and efficient operating condition and dry-dock the vessel during this period at its cost and as per the classification society requirements. None of our vessels are currently under bareboat charters.

Spot Charters

A spot charter generally refers to a voyage charter or a trip charter or a short-term time charter.

Voyage / Trip Charter

A voyage charter involves the carriage of a specific amount and type of cargo on a “load port-to-discharge port” basis, subject to various cargo handling terms. Under a typical voyage charter, the shipowner is paid on the basis of moving cargo from a loading port to a discharge port. In voyage charters the shipowner generally is responsible for paying both vessel operating costs and voyage expenses, and the charterer generally is responsible for any delay at the loading or discharging ports. Under a typical trip charter or short-term time charter, the shipowner is paid on the basis of moving cargo from a loading port to a discharge port at a set daily rate. The charterer is responsible for paying bunkers and other voyage expenses, while the shipowner is responsible for paying vessel operating expenses.

Seasonality

We seek to operate our vessels under medium- to long-term charters and are not generally subject to the effect of seasonable variations in demand.

Management of Ship Operations, Administration and Safety

Our objective is to run our operations in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner. To that end, our Managers, provide expertise in various functions critical to our operations. Specifically, pursuant to the management and administrative services agreements we have entered into with them, our Managers grant us access to human resources, financial and other administrative services, including bookkeeping, audit and accounting services, administrative and clerical services, banking and financial services, client, investor relations, information technology and technical management services, including commercial management of the vessels, vessel maintenance and crewing (not required for vessels subject to bareboat charters), procurement, insurance and shipyard supervision.

In compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s ISM code, our Managers operate under safety management systems certified by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (“LRS”). Capital-Executive’s management systems also comply with the Quality Standard ISO 9001, the Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001, the Occupational Health & Safety Management System ISO 45001 and the Energy Management Standard 50001, all of which are certified by LRS. In addition, Capital-Executive has implemented an “Integrated Management System Approach” verified by the LRS and adopted “Business Continuity Management” principles in cooperation with LRS.

One of the key strategies of our Managers is the implementation of a regime of responsible, safe and clean shipping in an effort to operate our vessels in a manner intended to protect the safety and health of our Managers’ employees, the general public and the environment. Our Managers’ senior management teams aim to actively manage the risks inherent in our business and are committed to eliminating incidents that threaten safety, such as groundings, fires, collisions and spills, as well as reducing emissions and waste generation.

Capital-Executive and Capital Gas currently outsource in part or in full the technical management and crewing of six container carrier vessels and six LNG carrier vessels to third parties.

Crewing and Staff

Capital-Executive, through a Capital Maritime subsidiary in Romania and crewing offices in Romania, Russia and the Philippines, recruits senior officers and crews for our vessels. Our vessels are currently manned primarily by Romanian and Russian officers and Filipino ratings. We believe that Capital-Executive has significant experience in operating vessels in this configuration and has access to a pool of certified and experienced crew members whom it can recruit to man our vessels.

Capital Gas also recruits crew through a third-party manager.

The LNG vessels are currently manned primarily by Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian officers and Filipino ratings. The recent hostilities between Russia and Ukraine might adversely impact our ability to safely repatriate Russian and Ukrainian officers and make the ability to perform regular crew changes problematic, as travel may not be available. This could impact the smooth operations of vessels as new officers and crews are sourced which may not have the familiarity of the vessel that they are joining. The extent to which this war will impact the Partnership’s future results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Accordingly, an estimate of the impact cannot be made at this time.

Classification, Inspection and Maintenance

Every oceangoing vessel must be “classed” and certified by a classification society. The classification society is responsible for verifying that the vessel has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules and regulations of the classification society and ship’s country of registry, as well as the international conventions which that country has accepted and signed. In addition, where surveys are required by international conventions and corresponding laws and ordinances of a flag state, the classification society will undertake them on application or by official order, acting on behalf of the authorities concerned.

The classification society also undertakes on request other surveys and inspections that are required by regulations and requirements of the flag state administration or port authority.

These surveys are subject to agreements made in each individual case and/or to the regulations of the country concerned.

For the maintenance of the class certificate, regular and occasional surveys of hull and machinery, including the electrical plant, and any special equipment classed are required to be performed as follows:

These processes are referred to as Continuous Hull Survey (“CHS”) and Continuous Machinery Survey. However, the CHS notation is not valid for vessels that are subject to Enhanced Survey Program surveys, as required by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”).

Occasional Surveys are carried out as a result of unexpected events (e.g., an accident or other circumstances requiring unscheduled attendance by the classification society for reconfirming that the vessel maintains its class) following such an unexpected event.

All areas subject to survey, as defined by the classification society, are required to be surveyed at least once per class period, unless shorter intervals between surveys are prescribed elsewhere.

Most insurance underwriters make it a condition for insurance coverage that a vessel be certified as “in class” by a classification society which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). All of our vessels are certified as being “in class” by IACS members including ABS, BV, DNV, KR, and Lloyd’s Register. All new and second-hand vessels that we may purchase must be certified prior to their delivery under our standard agreements. If any vessel we contract to purchase is not certified as “in class” on the date of closing, under our standard purchase agreements, we will have no obligation to take delivery of such vessel.

Risk Management and Insurance

The operation of any ocean-going vessel carries an inherent risk of catastrophic marine disasters, death or personal injury and property losses caused by adverse weather conditions, mechanical failures, human error, war, terrorism, piracy and other circumstances or events. The occurrence of any of these events may result in loss of revenues or increased costs or, in the case of marine disasters, catastrophic liabilities. Although we believe our current insurance program is usual and comprehensive in our industry, we cannot insure against all risks, and we cannot be certain that all covered risks are adequately insured against or that we will be able to achieve or maintain similar levels of coverage throughout a vessel’s useful life. Furthermore, there can be no guarantee that any specific claim will be paid by the insurer or that it will always be possible to obtain insurance coverage at reasonable rates. More stringent environmental regulations have resulted in increased costs for, and may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against the risks of environmental damage or pollution. Any uninsured or under-insured loss could harm our business and financial condition or could materially impair or end our ability to trade or operate.

We believe our current insurance program is prudent. We currently carry the traditional range of marine and liability insurance coverage for each of our vessels to protect against most of the accident-related risks involved in the conduct of our business. Specifically we carry:

Not all risks are insured and not all risks are insurable. The principal insurable risks which nevertheless remain uninsured across our fleet are “loss of hire” and “strikes”.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our insurance coverage as of December 31, 2021:

Competition

We operate in a highly fragmented, highly diversified global market with many charterers, owners and operators of vessels.

Competition for charters can be intense. The ability to obtain favorable charters depends, in addition to price, on a variety of other factors, including the location, size, age, condition and acceptability of the vessel and its operator to the charterer. Although we believe that at the present time no single company has a dominant position in the markets in which we operate, that could change and we may face substantial competition for medium-to long-term charters from a number of experienced companies who may have greater resources or experience than we do when we try to re-charter our vessels. However, we believe our ability to comply better with the rigorous standards of major charterers relative to less qualified or experienced operators allows us to effectively compete for new charters.

Regulation

General

Our operations and our status as an operator and manager of ships are extensively regulated by international conventions, National Maritime Regulations of Country of Registry, Classification Rules and Regulations, IACS Quality Standards, U.S. federal, state and local as well as non-U.S. health, safety and environmental protection laws and regulations, including, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), the U.S. Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the U.S. Clean Air Act (“Clean Air Act”), the U.S. Water Pollution Control Act (“Clean Water Act”), Japanese Marine traffic safety laws, Australian Marine Orders regarding stevedores safety, as well as regulations adopted by the IMO and the EU, State air emission requirements, IMO/United States Coast Guard (“USCG”)/Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) pollution regulations and various SOLAS amendments, International Labour Organization (“ILO”) regulations, International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”) regulations, as well as insurance requirements and other regulations described below. In addition, various jurisdictions either have or are adopting ballast water management conventions to prevent the introduction of non-indigenous invasive species, and designating local air emission control areas. Compliance with these laws, regulations and other requirements could entail additional expense, including vessel modifications and implementation of additional operating procedures.

We are also required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies and international organizations to obtain permits, licenses and certificates for our vessels, depending upon such factors as the country of registry, the cargo transported, the trading area, the nationality of the vessel’s crew, the age and size of the vessel and our status as owner or charterer. Failure to maintain necessary permits, licenses or certificates could require us to incur substantial costs or temporarily suspend the operation of one or more of our vessels.

We believe that the heightened environmental and quality concerns of insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers will impose greater inspection, training and safety requirements on all types of vessels in the shipping industry. In addition to inspections by us, our vessels are subject to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections by a variety of governmental and private entities, each of which may have unique requirements. These entities include the local port authorities (such as USCG, harbor master or equivalent), classification societies, flag state administration, P&I Clubs, Port State Control (“PSC”) officers, ILO inspectors, charterers, and particularly terminal operators which conduct frequent vessel inspections.

It is our policy to operate our vessels in full compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. However, regulatory programs are complex, frequently change and may impose increasingly strict requirements, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with these and any future requirements, or their impact on the resale value or useful life of our vessels.

United States Requirements

The United States regulates the shipping industry with extensive environmental protection requirements and a liability regime addressing violations and the cleanup of oil spills, primarily through the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA 90”), CERCLA and certain coastal state laws.

Under OPA 90, vessel operators, including vessel owners, managers and bareboat or “demise” charterers, are “responsible parties” who share strict joint and several liability for all containment and clean-up costs and other damages arising from oil spills from their vessels. These “responsible parties” would not be liable if the spill results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war. The limits of OPA90 liability are the greater of $2,200 per gross ton or $18.8 million for any tanker other than single-hull tank vessels, over 3,000 gross tons (subject to possible adjustment for inflation). OPA 90 specifically permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes with regard to oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries, and some states have enacted legislation providing for unlimited liability for discharge of pollutants within their waters.

CERCLA applies to the discharge of hazardous substances (other than oil) whether on land or at sea, and contains a liability regime that provides for cleanup costs and damages to natural resources. Liability under CERCLA is limited to the greater of $300 per gross ton or $5.0 million for vessels carrying any hazardous substances as cargo, or the greater of $300 per gross ton or $0.5 million for any other vessel, per release of or incident involving hazardous substances. As with OPA 90, these limits of liability do not apply if the incident is caused by gross negligence, willful misconduct, violation of certain regulations or if the responsible party fails or refuses to report the incident or cooperate and assist in the substance removal activities, in which case, liability is unlimited. While OPA 90 and CERCLA would not apply to the discharge of LNG, these laws may affect us because we carry oil as fuel and lubricants for our engines, and the discharge of these could cause an environmental hazard. We believe that we are in material compliance with OPA 90, CERCLA and all applicable state and local regulations in U.S. ports where our vessels call.

The Clean Water Act requires owners and operators of vessels to adopt contingency plans for reporting and responding to oil spill scenarios up to a “worst case” scenario and to identify and ensure, through contracts or other approved means, the availability of necessary private response resources to respond to a “worst case discharge.” In addition, periodic training programs, drills for shore and response personnel, and for vessels and their crews, are required. Our vessel response plans have been approved by the USCG. The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of oil or hazardous substances in U.S. navigable waters and imposes strict liability in the form of penalties for unauthorized discharges. The Clean Water Act also imposes substantial liability for the costs of removal, remediation and damages.

U.S. EPA regulations govern the discharge into U.S. waters of ballast water and other substances incidental to the normal operation of vessels. Under EPA regulations, commercial vessels greater than 79 feet in length are required to obtain coverage under the EPA 2013 Vessel General Permit (“VGP”) by submitting a Notice of Intent. The VGP incorporates current USCG requirements for ballast water management as well as supplemental ballast water requirements, and includes technology-based and water-quality based limits for other discharges, such as deck runoff, bilge water and gray water. USCG regulations will phase in stricter VGP ballast management requirements in the future.

Administrative obligations, such as monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements also apply. Implementation of the water treatment standards adopted by the USCG/EPA is required earlier than the implementation of equivalent standards agreed by the IMO. For trading in the U.S. waters, vessels are to be fitted with ballast water treatment systems approved by the USCG at the first bottom survey after January 1, 2016. A number of BWTS technologies have Alternate Management System (“AMS”) extension approvals and a number of other systems have recently received a USCG type BWTS approval. As of the date of this Annual Report, six of our vessels have been retrofitted with a BWTS while 12 vessels, including our six LNG carriers, were delivered from the building yard with BWTS attached.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to promulgate standards applicable to emissions of volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants and other air contaminants. The Clean Air Act also requires states to draft State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”) designed to attain national health-based air quality standards, which have significant regulatory impacts in major metropolitan and/or industrial areas. Several SIPs regulate emissions resulting from vessel loading and unloading operations by requiring the installation of vapor control equipment. Individual states, including California, also regulate vessel emissions within state waters. California also has adopted fuel content regulations that will apply to all vessels sailing within 24 miles of the California coastline or whose itineraries call for them to enter any California ports, terminal facilities, or internal or estuarine waters. In addition, the IMO designates areas extending 200 miles from the U.S. territorial sea baseline adjacent to the Atlantic/Gulf and Pacific coasts and the eight main Hawaiian Islands as Sulphur Emission Control Areas and NOx Emission Control Areas under amendments to the Annex VI of MARPOL (discussed below). In addition, regulatory initiatives to require cold-ironing (shore-based power while docked) or alternative emission reduction measures are under consideration or in the process of adoption in a number of jurisdictions to reduce air emissions from docked ships. Compliance with these regulations entails significant capital expenditures or otherwise increases the costs of our operations.

China Requirements

China established coastal emission control areas (ECA) that capped the sulphur content of marine fuels. The three ECAs are the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Bay. These coastal ECAs are designated under Chinese domestic law and are not MARPOL Annex VI designated ECAs and exclude the waters under the jurisdiction of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Since 1 January 2019, vessels operating within such a coastal ECA have been required to use fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.50%. The China Maritime Safety Administration issued an “Implementation Scheme of 2020 Global Marine Fuel Oil Sulphur Cap” according to which, among other requirements, from 1 January 2022 a sulphur cap of 0.10% will apply to seagoing vessels entering Hainan Waters within the coastal ECA.

Korea Requirements

From 1 September 2020, the South Korea government implemented mandatory SOx Emission Control Areas (SECAs) requiring the use of 0.1% sulphur fuel by ships in specified port areas. The following seaport areas became Korean SECAs, Incheon (including Gyeongin port), Pyeongtaek·Dangjin Yeosu·Gwangyang (including Hadong port) Busan Ulsan.

Effective from 1 September 2020, all ships (including foreign-flagged vessels) berthed or at anchorage in the above SECAs must ensure that, one hour after mooring (or anchoring) and one hour before de-berthing (or heaving anchor), sulphur content of fuel oils used on board does not exceed 0.1% m/m (or an approved equivalent arrangement is used).

Effective from 1 January 2022, all ships (including foreign-flagged vessels) entering or leaving the SECAs must comply with the same 0.1% m/m sulphur fuel limit using the appropriate fuel oils (or approved equivalent arrangement).

EU requirements

In September 2020, the EU agreed to cut GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to become climate neutral by 2050. The “Fit for 55” proposed legislative package issued on July 2021 to meet the new targets. It includes:

European Trading System (ETS) Directive: Shipping will become subject to the ETS as of 2023, with the ships presently reporting emissions under the EU MRV regulation required to purchase CO2 emission credits. All intra-EU emissions will be included, but only 50% of the emissions for voyages when arriving in or departing from the EU. There will also be a phase-in period starting with 20% coverage in 2023 and increasing to 100% in 2026. Non-compliance is fined and may eventually lead to a ban from EU waters. A recent draft issued by the EU Parliament dated January 2022 envisages a more stringent ETS scheme, moving forward the date of full implementation of the ETS for the maritime sector by one year, from 2026 to 2025. It also provides for the option of being able to extend the EU measures to cover 100% of the emissions for in/out voyages (currently 50% as per Commission’s text), in the event that there has been insufficient progress at IMO level. In the event of adoption by IMO of a global market-based measure to reduce GHG before the 2028, the EU Parliament and the Council shall examine any such measure and consider to amend accordingly the EU ETS for shipping.

Fuel EU Maritime Regulation: This is a new regulation coming into effect in 2025, imposing life cycle GHG footprint requirements on the energy used onboard vessels. It will apply to the same vessels that are covered by the EU MRV regulation and will, in addition to CO2, cover methane and nitrous oxide, from a well-to-wake perspective. The GHG intensity of the energy used will be required to improve by 2% in 2025 relative to 2020, ramping up to 75% by 2050. Credits will be granted for energy generated on board, such as by wind power. The regulation will also require container and passenger vessels to connect to shore power from 2030 for stays longer than two hours. Similar to the ETS, non-compliance may lead to fines and vessels being banned from EU waters.

Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation: This regulation is an update of an existing directive and will require EU member states to ramp up the availability of LNG by 2025 and onshore electrical power supply by 2030 in core EU ports.

Energy Taxation Directive: This directive is being revised to remove the tax exemption for conventional fuels used between EU ports as of 1 January 2023. International bunker for extra-EU voyages remains tax exempt. For heavy fuel oil, the new tax rate will be approximately €37 per tonne. LNG will initially be taxed at a rate of €0.6 per GJ. Alternative fuels will be tax exempt for a ten-year period.

International Requirements

In September 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships to address air pollution from ships. Annex VI sets limits on sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons. Annex VI also includes a global cap on the sulphur content of fuel oil and allows for special sulphur emission control areas to be established with more stringent controls on sulphur emissions (“SECA areas”).

Amendments to Annex VI to the MARPOL address particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide emissions. The revised Annex VI reduces air pollution from vessels by, among other things (i) implementing a progressive reduction of sulphur oxide emissions from ships, and (ii) establishing new tiers of stringent nitrogen oxide emissions standards for new marine engines, depending on their date of installation. A global 0.5% sulphur cap on marine fuels came into force on January 1, 2020, as agreed in amendments adopted in 2008 for Annex VI to the MARPOL.

Annex VI sets progressively stricter regulations to control sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrous oxides (NOx) emissions from ships, which present both environmental and health risks. The 0.5% sulphur cap marks a significant reduction from the prior global sulphur cap of 3.5%, which came into effect on January 1, 2012. Shipowners can meet the new requirements by continuing to use fuel types which exceed the 0.5% sulphur limit and retrofitting an approved Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (also known as scrubbers) to remove sulphur from exhaust, which would require a substantial capital expenditure and prolonged off-hire of the vessel during installation, or use petroleum fuels such as marine gasoil (MGO), which meet the 0.5% sulphur limit. According to Clarksons Shipping Intelligence Network, the premium of MGO over 380 CST 3.5% bunker fuel in Rotterdam has averaged $176.56/mt over the last five years and $138 /mt in the first week of April 2021. Depending on the vessel type and size, this could mean a substantial increase in the cost of bunkers for the vessel. This cost could increase further if the refining sector is unable to cope with the higher distillate demand, resulting in a tight distillate market and wider spread between HSFOs and MGOs, or by retrofitting the vessel to handle alternative fuels, such as LNG, methanol, biofuels, LPG, etc. Retrofitting vessels for the consumption of these type of alternative fuels would involve a substantial capital expenditure and might be uneconomical for most conventional vessel types given current technology and design challenges.

Additionally, as of January 1, 2015, more stringent sulphur emission standards apply in coastal areas designated as Sulphur Emission Control Areas. We incur additional costs to comply with these revised standards. A failure to comply with Annex VI requirements could result in a vessel not being able to operate. All of our vessels are subject to Annex VI regulations. We believe that our existing vessels meet relevant Annex VI requirements. Nevertheless, as most existing vessels are not designed to operate on ultra-low sulphur distillate fuel continuously, we are introducing mitigating measures and or modifications enabling vessels to operate continuously within SECA areas. These mitigation measures and modifications may increase our operating expenses.

In general, as our vessels are employed under time charter arrangements, our charterers are responsible for procuring compliant bunkers for our vessels and incur the cost of these bunkers.

The ISM code, promulgated by the IMO, also requires the party with operational control of a vessel to develop an extensive safety management system that includes, among other things, the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for operating its vessels safely and describing procedures for responding to emergencies. The ISM code requires that vessel operators obtain a safety management certificate for each vessel they operate. No vessel can obtain a certificate unless its manager has been awarded a document of compliance, issued by each flag state, under the ISM code. All of our ocean-going vessels are ISM certified.

Vessels that transport gas, including LNG carriers, are also subject to the International Gas Carrier Code (“IGC”) which provides a standard for the safe carriage of LNG and certain other liquid gases by prescribing the design and construction standards of vessels involved in such carriage. Each of our vessels is in compliance with the IGC Code. Our ship manager holds a document of compliance under the ISM code for operation of Gas Carriers.

Noncompliance with the ISM code and other IMO regulations may subject the shipowner or bareboat charterer to increased liability, may lead to increased premiums and decreases in available insurance coverage for affected vessels and may result in the denial of access to, or detention in, some ports.

Many countries have ratified and follow the liability plan adopted by the IMO and set out in the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969 (the “CLC”) (the United States, with its separate OPA 90 regime, is not a party to the CLC). Under this convention and depending on whether the country in which the damage results is a party to the 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, a vessel’s registered owner is strictly liable for pollution damage caused in the territorial waters of a contracting state by discharge of persistent oil, subject to certain defenses. Under the Protocol for vessels of 5,000 to 140,000 gross tons, liability is limited to approximately $7.1 million plus $989.2 for each additional gross ton over 5,000. For vessels of over 140,000 gross tons, liability is limited to approximately $140.7 million. As the convention calculates liability in terms of a basket of currencies, these figures are based on currency exchange rates on December 31, 2010. The right to limit liability is forfeited under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage where the spill is caused by the owner’s actual fault and under the 1992 Protocol where the spill is caused by the owner’s intentional or reckless conduct. Vessels trading to states that are parties to these conventions must provide evidence of insurance covering the liability of the owner. In jurisdictions where the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage has not been adopted, various legislative schemes or common law regimes govern, and liability is imposed either on the basis of fault or in a manner similar to that convention. We believe that our P&I insurance will cover the liability coverage requirements under the plan adopted by the IMO.

In 2001, the IMO adopted the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (the “Bunker Convention”), which imposes strict liability on ship owners for pollution damage caused by discharges of bunker oil in jurisdictional waters of ratifying states. The Bunker Convention also requires registered owners of ships over a certain size to maintain insurance for pollution damage in an amount equal to the limits of liability under the applicable national or international limitation regime (but not exceeding the amount calculated in accordance with the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims of 1976, as amended). Our fleet has been issued with a certificate attesting that insurance is in force in accordance with the insurance provisions of the convention.

As of the date of this Annual Report, seven of our vessels have been retrofitted with scrubbers and six have been retrofitted with a BWTS while 12 vessels, including our six LNG carriers, were delivered from the building yard with BWTS attached. We may also decide to retrofit the rest of our fleet with scrubbers over the coming years, subject to market developments and yard availability.

Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Regulation

Increasing concerns about climate change have resulted in a number of international, national and regional measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and additional stricter measures can be expected in the future.

The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or Kyoto Protocol, requires participating countries to implement national programs to reduce emissions of certain gases, generally referred to as greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming. Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol. However, new treaties may be adopted in the future that include restrictions on shipping emissions. The EU also has indicated that it intends to propose an expansion of the existing EU emissions trading scheme to include emissions of greenhouse gases from vessels. In addition, the EPA has begun regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and climate change initiatives have been adopted by state and local jurisdictions and are being considered in the U.S. Congress. A consensus agreement reached at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris and ratified in October 2016 commits participating nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of keeping global temperature increases well below two degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels with regular five-year reviews of progress beginning in 2023. National and multilateral efforts to meet these goals could result in reductions in the use of carbon fuels generally, and stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions from ships in particular. Any passage of climate control legislation or other regulatory initiatives by the IMO, EU, the U.S. or other countries where we operate that restrict emissions of greenhouse gases could have a financial impact on our operations that we cannot predict with certainty at this time. In addition, scientific studies have indicated that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can produce climate changes with significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and other severe weather events that could affect our operations. Increased concern over the effects of climate change may also affect energy strategies and consumption patterns which could adversely affect demand for the marine transport of petroleum products.

IMO continues to contribute to the global fight against climate change, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13, to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. In 2018, IMO adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, setting out a vision which confirms IMO’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and to phasing them out as soon as possible. The initial GHG strategy envisages, in particular, a reduction in carbon intensity of international shipping (to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work, as an average across international shipping, by at least 40% by 2030, pursuing efforts towards 70% by 2050, compared to 2008), and that total annual GHG emissions from international shipping be reduced by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008. In June 2021, the IMO adopted extensive new CO2 regulations applicable to existing ships. The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) addressing the technical efficiency of ships, the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating scheme addressing the operational efficiency. The EEXI will impose a requirement similar to EEDI to existing ships of specific ship types as a one-off certification. The EEXI is to be verified and a new Energy Efficiency Certificate issued no later than the first annual, intermediate or renewal IAPP survey or the initial IEE survey after 1 January 2023. An EEXI Technical File must be issued including the calculation of the attained EEXI, which must be below a required EEXI value. From 2023, the CII requirements will take effect for the entire fleet where vessels will need to demonstrate reductions of carbon intensity between January 2023 and 2030. Within 3 months after the end of each calendar year, ships shall calculate the attained annual operational CII over a 12-month period using data from the IMO Data Collection System and shall report it to its flag administration or recognized organization who shall: 

- determine whether the data has been properly reported,

- verify the attained annual operational CII,

- determine the operational carbon intensity rating (A, B, C, D or E)

- will issue a Statement of Compliance related to fuel oil consumption reporting and annual operational carbon intensity rating. 

For ships rated as D for 3 consecutive years or rated as E, the SEEMP shall be amended with a plan of corrective actions to achieve the required annual operational CII.

Disclosure of activities pursuant to Section 13(r) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934

During 2021, none of our vessels made any port calls to Iran.

In 2021, three vessels owned by CMTC made port call to Iran to discharge vegetable oils, while chartered out to an unaffiliated sub-charterer under the instructions of such sub-charterer. The aggregate revenue generated from this voyage charters represented approximately 2.4% of CMTC’s total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021. The United States maintains broad authorizations and exceptions that allow for the sale of agricultural commodities and food to Iran. The position is similar under the relevant EU Regulations. CMTC does not attribute profits to specific voyages. As part of the voyage charter arrangements between CMTC and third-party charterers or sub-charterers, CMTC or its manager may pay fees and expenses related to the port calls made in Iran through a private third-party agent in Iran appointed by the third-party charterer or sub-charterer.

CPLP is a limited partnership organized in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. As of the date of this annual report, it has 26 subsidiaries which are incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Liberia and Cyprus. Of our significant subsidiaries, 21 either own or leaseback vessels in our fleet. Our subsidiaries are wholly-owned by us. A list of our significant subsidiaries as of the date of this annual report, is set forth in Exhibit 8.1 to this annual report.

Please also see Note 1 (Basis of Presentation and General Information) to our Financial Statements for a list of our significant subsidiaries as of December 31, 2021.

Other than our vessels, we do not have any material property. For further details regarding our vessels, including any environmental issues that may affect our utilization of these assets, please read “—B: Business Overview—Our Fleet” and “—Regulation” above. Our obligations under our financing arrangements are secured by all our vessels. For further details regarding our financing arrangements, please read “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements).”

None.

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our Financial Statements. Among other things, the Financial Statements include more detailed information regarding the basis of presentation for the following information. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are presented in thousands of U.S. Dollars.

For a discussion of the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, please refer to Part A, Item 5, “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on April 27, 2021.

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that are made based upon management’s current plans, expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting us and therefore involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties discussed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” These risks, uncertainties and assumptions involve known and unknown risks and are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

We are an international owner of ocean-going vessels.

We were organized in January 2007 by Capital Maritime, an international shipping company with a long history of operating and investing in the shipping market.

Our primary business objective is to make distributions to our unitholders on a quarterly basis and increase the level of our distributable cash flow over time, subject to shipping and charter market developments and our ability to obtain required financing and access financial markets.

We seek to rely on medium- to long-term, fixed-rate period charters and our Managers’ cost-efficient management of our vessels to provide visibility of revenues, earnings and distributions in the medium- to long-term. As our vessels come up for re-chartering, we seek to redeploy them on terms that reflect our expectations of the market conditions prevailing at the time.

We intend to further evaluate potential opportunities to acquire both newly built and second-hand vessels from Capital Maritime and its affiliates or third parties (including, potentially, through the acquisition of, or combination with, other shipping businesses) in a prudent manner that is accretive to our unitholders and long-term distribution cash flow growth, subject to approval of our board of directors, overall market conditions and our ability to obtain required financing and access financial markets.

We generally rely on external financing sources, including bank borrowings and sale-leaseback arrangements and, depending on market conditions, the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund the acquisition of new vessels. See “—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources” below.

As of December 31, 2021, the Marinakis family, including Evangelos M. Marinakis, the chairman of Capital Maritime, our sponsor, may be deemed to beneficially own a 27.3% interest in us through, among others, Capital Maritime and CGC Operating.

Our Charters

We generate revenues by charging our charterers for the use of our vessels.

Historically, our vessels were chartered under time or bareboat charter agreements. As of December 31, 2021, with the exception of the M/V Cape Agamemnon, all of our vessels, were trading in the period market.

Our vessels are currently under contracts with HMM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, ONE, BP, Cheniere and Engie.

The loss of, default by or restructuring of any significant charterer or a substantial decline in the amount of services requested by a significant charterer could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Please read “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors— Risks Related to Our Business and Operations—We currently derive all of our revenues from a limited number of charterers and the loss of any charterer or charter or vessel could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flows.”.

Factors Affecting Our Future Results of Operations

We believe that the principal factors affecting our future results of operations are the economic, regulatory, financial, credit, political and governmental conditions prevailing in the shipping industry generally and in the countries and markets in which our vessels are chartered.

As of the date of this Annual Report, we are exposed to the container and LNG markets to a significant extent, as our fleet is comprised of 14 container carrier vessels, six LNG carrier vessels and one drybulk vessel. We have one time charter that will expire in the coming 12 months and one vessel trading in the spot market.

The world economy has experienced significant economic and political upheavals in recent history. In addition, credit supply has been constrained and financial markets have been particularly turbulent for master limited partnerships such as us. Protectionist trends, global growth and demand for the seaborne transportation of goods, including dry and containerized goods and liquified natural gas and overcapacity and deliveries of newly built vessels may affect the shipping industry in general and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in particular.  

Some of the key factors that may affect our business, future financial condition, results of operations and cash flow include the following:

Please read “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” for a discussion of certain risks inherent in our business.

Factors to Consider When Evaluating Our Results

We believe it is important to consider the size of our fleet when evaluating our results of operations. In February 2021, we completed the acquisition of three Panamax container carrier vessels, the M/V Long beach Express, the M/V Seattle Express and the M/V Fos Express. During the second half of the year 2021 we completed the acquisition of six LNG carrier vessels, the LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos on September 3, 2021, the LNG/C Attalos and the LNG/C Asklipios on November 18, 2021, the LNG/C Adamastos on November 29, 2021 and the LNG/C Aristidis I on December 16, 2021. In May and December 2021, respectively, we completed the sale of the disposal of two Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels, the M/V CMA-CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis, resulting in an increase in the weighted average number of vessels for the year 2021 of 3.1 compared to the year 2020. As our fleet grows or as we dispose of our vessels, our results of operations reflect the contribution to revenue of, and the expenses associated with, a varying number of vessels over time, which may affect the comparability of our results year-on-year.

Results of Operations

We have derived the following selected historical financial data for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 from our Financial Statements. The table below should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the Financial Statements. Our Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) as described in Note 2 (Significant Accounting Policies) to the Financial Statements. All numbers are in thousands of U.S. Dollars, except numbers of units and earnings per unit. 

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

Our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 differ primarily due to:

Total Revenues

Total revenues, consisting of time and voyage charter revenues, amounted to $184.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $140.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The increase of $43.8 million was primarily a result of the net increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet by 3.1 vessels during the year ended December 31, 2021, the higher average charter rates earned by certain of our vessels and the decrease in off-hire days incurred in connection to special surveys which certain of the Partnership’s vessels underwent during the year 2020 compared to none during the year 2021.

Time and voyage charter revenues are mainly comprised of the charter hires received from unaffiliated third-party charterers and are generally affected by the number of vessel operating days, the average number of vessels in our fleet and the charter rates.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, HMM and Hapag-Lloyd accounted for 29% and 24% of our total revenues from continuing operations, respectively.

For information on the risks arising from a concentration of counterparties, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Inherent in Our Operations—We currently derive all of our revenues from a limited number of charterers and the loss of any charterer or charter or vessel could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flows”.

Please read “Item 4. Information on the Partnership—B. Business Overview—Our Fleet” and “—Our Charters” for information about the charters on our vessels, including daily charter rates.

Voyage Expenses

Total voyage expenses amounted to $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of $4.4 million was primarily attributable to the increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet and one of the vessels in our fleet being employed under voyage charters for the entirety of 2021, whereas it was only partially employed under a voyage charter in 2020, resulting in increased voyage expenses incurred by that vessel in 2021.

Voyage expenses primarily consist of bunkers, port expenses, canal dues and commissions. Commissions are paid to shipbrokers for negotiating and arranging charter party agreements on our behalf. Voyage expenses incurred during time charters are paid for by the charterer, except for commissions, which are paid for by us. Voyage expenses incurred during voyage charters or off hire periods are paid for by us. Please also refer to Note 11 (Voyage Expenses and Vessel Operating Expenses) to the Financial Statements for information on the composition of our voyage expenses.

Vessel Operating Expenses

For the year ended December 31, 2021, our total vessel operating expenses amounted to $47.1 million compared to $38.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The $8.4 million increase in total vessel operating expenses primarily reflects the increase in the number of vessels in our fleet during 2021 including the six LNG carriers which are incurring operating expenses at a higher rate compared to the rest of our fleet, partly offset by the disposal of two Neo Panamax container carrier vessels and the operating expenses incurred by certain of our vessels passing their special survey during the year 2020.

Total vessel operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 include expenses of $5.9 million incurred under the management agreements we have with our Managers, compared to $5.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.

See Note 11 (Voyage Expenses and Vessel Operating Expenses) to the Financial Statements for information on the composition of our vessel operating expenses. 

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses amounted to $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The $1.5 million increase in general and administrative expenses is primarily attributable to fees and expenses incurred in connection to the acquisition of vessels during 2021 and the Bonds issued on the Athens Stock Exchange which were not eligible for capitalization.

General and administrative expenses include board of directors’ fees and expenses, audit and certain legal fees, compensation cost related to our Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan and other fees related to the expenses of the publicly traded partnership.

Gain on sale of vessels

Gain on sale of vessels amounted to $46.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to nil for the year ended December 31, 2020. Gain on sale of vessels includes the gain that we recognized after the sale of the two Neo Panamax container carrier vessels during 2021. No sale occurred during 2020.

Vessel Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization amounted to $46.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $41.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The $5.5 million increase in vessel depreciation and amortization primarily reflects the net increase in the number of vessels in our fleet during the year ended December 31, 2021.

Generally, depreciation is expected to increase if the average number of vessels in our fleet increases.

Total Other Expense, Net

Total other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2021 amounted to $19.9 million, compared to $16.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Total other expense, net includes interest expense and finance costs of $20.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $16.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of $3.4 million primarily reflects higher interest costs incurred mainly as a result of the increase in the weighted average debt outstanding during 2021 partly offset by the decrease in the LIBOR weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 2020.

Interest expense and finance costs include interest expense, amortization of financing charges, commitment fees and bank charges.

The weighted average interest rate on the debt outstanding under our financing arrangements for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 2.9%, compared to 3.6% for the year ended December 31, 2020. Please also refer to Note 8 (Long-Term Debt) to our Financial Statements.

Net Income

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2021 amounted to $98.2 million compared to $30.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

As of December 31, 2021, total cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) were $31.0 million. Restricted cash under our financing arrangements amounted to $10.6 million.

We do not have any undrawn amounts under our financing arrangements. See also “—Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)” below for information regarding our financing arrangements.

Generally, our primary sources of funds have been cash from operations, bank borrowings, sale-leaseback arrangements and equity and debt securities offerings.

Cash from operations depends on our chartering activity. Depending on the prevailing market rates when our charters expire, we may not be able to re-charter our vessels at levels similar to their current charters, which may affect our future cash flows from operations. Cash flows from operations may be further affected by other factors described in “Item 3. Key Information— D. Risk Factors”. We expect that one of our charters will expire in the coming 12 months.

Because we distribute all of our available cash (a contractually defined term, generally referring to cash on hand at the end of each quarter after provision for reserves), we generally rely upon external financing sources, including bank borrowings and equity and debt securities offerings, to fund replacement, expansion and investment capital expenditures, and to refinance or repay outstanding indebtedness.

In particular, since 2011, our board of directors has elected not to provision cash reserves for estimated replacement capital expenditures. Accordingly, our ability to maintain and grow our asset base, including through further dropdown opportunities from Capital Maritime and its affiliates or acquisitions from third parties, and to pay or increase our distributions as well as to maintain a strong balance sheet depends on, among other things, our ability to obtain required financing, access financial markets and refinance part or all of our existing indebtedness on commercially acceptable terms.

In April 2016, in the face of severely depressed trading prices for master limited partnerships, including us, a significant deterioration in our cost of capital and potential loss of revenue, our board of directors took the decision to protect our liquidity position by creating a capital reserve. We used cash accumulated as a result of quarterly allocations to our capital reserve to partially prepay our indebtedness as part of our refinancing in October 2017. We expect to continue to reserve cash in amounts necessary to service our debt in the future, including to make quarterly amortization payments.

Subject to our ability to obtain required financing and access financial markets, we expect to continue to evaluate opportunities to acquire vessels and businesses.

As of December 31, 2021, total partners’ capital amounted to $525.5 million, an increase of $103.4 million compared to $422.1 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase reflects net income for the year ended December 31, 2021, $15.3 million representing the value of 1.15 million common units issued as part of the consideration paid for the acquisition of the LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos on September 3, 2021 and the amortization associated with the equity incentive plan, partly offset by distributions declared and paid during the period in the total amount of $7.6 million and the repurchase of the Partnership’s common units for an aggregate amount of $4.5 million.

Subject to shipping, charter and financial market developments, we believe that our working capital will be sufficient to meet our existing liquidity needs for at least the next 12 months.

For more information on our anticipated future cash requirements and resources please refer to Note 8 (Long-Term Debt) and Note 16 (Commitments and Contingencies) to our Financial Statements.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash and cash equivalents provided by / (used in) operating, financing and investing activities for the years presented below, in millions.

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $111.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $80.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of $30.5 million was mainly attributable to the net increase in the number of vessels in our fleet following the acquisition of the three Panamax container carrier vessels in February 2021 and the six LNG carrier vessels during the second half of the year 2021, an increase in pre-collections of revenue to be earned in future periods, a decrease in the amounts we reimbursed our Managers for expenses paid on our behalf, a decrease in the amounts we owed for operating and other expenses and a decrease in payments for dry-docking costs partly offset by an increase in our trade receivables.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities refers primarily to cash used for vessel acquisitions and improvements, including installation of scrubbers and BWTS, partly offset by proceeds from the sale of vessels. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 amounted to $175.1 million compared to $185.2 million during the year 2020. The decrease of $10.1 million in net cash flows used in investing activities, was primarily attributable to the $193.0 million net proceeds from the sale of two container vessels during 2021, compared to 2020, where no sale of vessel occurred, which partly offset the $365.7 million paid to acquire three Panamax container carrier vessels and six LNG carrier vessels during the year 2021 and $2.4 million paid for vessel improvements compared to $162.6 million paid to acquire three Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels in January 2020 and $22.6 million for vessel improvements including advances relating to the installation of BWTS and scrubbers equipment for the year 2020.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021, was $40.6 million representing mainly cash proceeds of $204.3 million from the financing arrangements we entered into during the year 2021, to partly finance the acquisition of the M/V Long beach Express, the M/V Seattle Express and the M/V Fos Express and the issuance of the Bonds in October 2021, partly offset by $6.1 million paid for the issuance of these financing arrangements, $49.3 million of scheduled principal payments, $96.2 million prepayment of the ICBCFL financing arrangement as a result of the sale of the two Neo-Panamax container carrier vessels in 2021, $7.6 million of dividends paid to our common unit holders and $4.5 million paid to acquire CPLP units under our repurchase program. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020, was $95.4 million representing mainly cash proceeds of $270.9 million from the three new financing arrangements we entered into during the year 2020 to partly finance the acquisition of the M/V Athenian, the M/V Aristomenis and the M/V Athos and to partly refinance the 2017 credit facility, partly offset by $4.8 million paid for the issuance of these financing arrangements, $116.5 million prepayment of the 2017 credit facility in connection with the refinancing, $37.1 million of scheduled principal payments and $17.1 million of dividends paid to our common unit holders.

Borrowings (Financing Arrangements)

Our long-term borrowings are reflected in our balance sheet in non-current liabilities as “Long-term debt, net” and in current liabilities as “Current portion of long-term debt, net”.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020 our total borrowings were $1,317.4 million and $379.7 million respectively. See Note 8 (Long-Term Debt) to our Financial Statements for further discussion of our long-term debt.

The 2017 Credit Facility

On September 6, 2017, we entered into the 2017 credit facility with a syndicate of lenders led by HCOB and ING, as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners, and BNP Paribas and National Bank of Greece S.A., as arrangers. In October 2017, we drew $460.0 million thereunder.

The 2017 credit facility initially consisted of two tranches repayable in 24 equal quarterly instalments of $13.2 million in aggregate in addition to a balloon instalment of $143.0 million payable, together with the final quarterly instalment, in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In connection with the DSS Transaction, on March 27, 2019, we amended the 2017 credit facility and prepaid an amount of $89.3 million thereunder. The amended 2017 credit facility consists of a single tranche required to be repaid in 19 equal quarterly instalments of $7.7 million in addition to a balloon installment of $139.1 million payable, together with the final quarterly installment, in the fourth quarter of 2023. On May 27, 2020 upon the closing of the ICBCFL facility described below, we repaid $116.5 million to release three vessels under the 2017 credit facility. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2017 credit facility was $106.0 million.

The 2020 Credit Facility

On January 17, 2020 we entered into a new term loan facility with Hamburg Commercial Bank A.G. (the “2020 Credit Facility”) of up to $38.5 million for the purpose of partially financing the acquisition of M/V Athenian. The full amount of the facility was drawn on January 22, 2020. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2020 Credit Facility was $32.5 million.

The 2020 CMBFL Sale and Lease Back

On January 20, 2020 we entered into an agreement for the sale and lease back of the vessels M/V Athos and M/V Aristomenis with “CMBFL” for $38.5 million each. The lease agreement has a duration of five years and includes a purchase option for us to acquire each vessel on expiration of the lease at the predetermined price of $22.5 million, and requires us to pay the amount of $7.5 million to CMBFL if the option is not exercised. In addition, we have various purchase options commencing from the first anniversary of the lease. The full amounts were drawn on January 23, 2020. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2020 CMBFL facility was $65.8 million.

The ICBCFL Sale and Lease Back

In December 2019 we entered into a non-binding term sheet and in May 2020 into an agreement with ICBCFL for the sale and lease back of three vessels then mortgaged under the 2017 credit facility, namely the M/V Akadimos (ex CMA CGM Amazon), the M/V Adonis (ex CMA CGM Uruguay) and the M/V CMA CGM Magdalena, for a total amount of $155.4 million. The lease has a duration of seven years after drawdown and includes mandatory purchase obligations for us to repurchase the vessels on expiration of the agreement, at the predetermined price of $77.7 million. In addition, we have various purchase options commencing from the first anniversary of the lease. The full amount was drawn on May 27, 2020. The amount we repaid to release these three vessels under the 2017 credit facility was $116.5 million. On April 7, 2021 the Partnership entered into memorandums of agreement for the sale of the M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis to an unaffiliated third party for a total consideration of $195.0 million. The M/V CMA CGM Magdalena and the M/V Adonis were delivered to their new owners on May 17, 2021 and December 13, 2021, respectively. The amount repaid to ICBCFL on the delivery of the vessels to their new owners was $96.2 million in total. As of December 31, 2021, the balance outstanding under the ICBCFL Facility was $45.7 million.

The 2021 CMBFL Panamax Sale and Lease Back

On January 22, 2021, we entered into an agreement for the sale and lease back of the vessels M/V Long Beach Express, M/V Seattle Express and M/V Fos Express with CMBFL for $10.0 million each. The lease agreement has a duration of five years. In addition, we have various purchase options commencing from the first anniversary of the lease, including an option to purchase the vessel on the 5^th anniversary of the lease for a predetermined price of $4.5 million. The full amounts were drawn on February 25, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the balance outstanding under the 2021 CMBFL Panamax Facility was $27.6 million.

The CMTC Seller’s Credit

In connection to the acquisition of the M/V Long Beach Express, the M/V Seattle Express and the M/V Fos Express, the Partnership entered into a seller’s credit agreement with Capital Maritime to defer $6.0 million of the purchase price of the vessels for up to five years from the delivery of the vessels”.

The 2021 BoComm Sale and Lease Back

Upon the acquisition of the LNG/C Aristos I and the LNG/C Aristarchos on September 3, 2021, we assumed indebtedness, previously entered by the companies owning the vessels, of $148.9 million and $155.4 million, respectively, under sale and lease back transactions (the “2021 BoComm Facility”). At maturity on October 2027 and May 2028, the lease provides for a purchase obligation to acquire each vessel at the predetermined price of $84.7 million. In addition, the lease agreement includes various purchase options commencing from the inception of the lease. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2021 BoComm Facility was $296.0 million.

The CGC Seller’s Credit

In connection to the acquisition of the vessels LNG/C Aristos I and Aristarchos, the Partnership entered into a seller’s credit agreement with CGC to defer $10.0 million of the purchase price of the vessels for up to twelve months from the delivery of the vessels. The CGC Seller’s Credit is unsecured and interest free.

The 2021 CMBFL LNG/C Sale and Lease Back

Upon the acquisition of the LNG/C Attalos and the LNG/C Asklipios on November 18, 2021, we assumed debt previously incurred by the companies owning the vessels, of $146.3 million and $149.6 million, respectively, under sale and lease back transactions with CMBFL. At maturity on August 2028 and September 2028, the lease provides for a purchase option to acquire each vessel at the predetermined price of $90.7 million and $91.4 million respectively. In addition, the lease agreement includes various purchase options commencing from the first anniversary of the lease. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2021 CMBFL LNG/C Facility was $293.8 million.

The 2021 Shin Doun Sale and Lease Back

Upon the acquisition of the LNG/C Adamastos on November 29, 2021, we assumed debt previously incurred by the company owning the vessel, of $143.1 million, under sale and lease back transaction with Shin Doun. The lease agreement has a duration of 15 years maturing in July 2036 and includes a purchase obligation at the end of the lease at a predetermined price of $30.0 million. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2021 Shin Doun Facility was $142.6 million.

The 2021 Credit Facility

Upon the acquisition of the LNG/C Aristidis I on December 16, 2021, we assumed debt previously incurred by the Seller, of $123.0 million, under a syndicate credit facility led by ING. As of December 31, 2021 the 2021 Credit Facility has a remaining duration of six years, maturing in December 2027. As of December 31, 2021 the balance outstanding under the 2021 Credit Facility was $120.6 million.

Senior Unsecured Bonds

On October 20, 2021, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership, CPLP Shipping Holdings PLC, issued €150.0 million of senior unsecured bonds in Greece. The Bonds are guaranteed by the Partnership, mature in October 2026 and have a coupon of 2.65%, payable semi-annually. The trading of the Bonds on the Athens Stock Exchange commenced on October 25, 2021.

The required annual payments to be made subsequently to December 31, 2021 with reference to our financing arrangements are as follows:

On December 2, 2021 we entered into a cross currency agreement with Piraeus Bank SA exchanging €120.0 million with $139.7 million paying fixed annual rate of 3.655%. The agreements effective date is October 21, 2021 and its maturity date is October 21, 2025.

On December 13, 2021 we entered into a cross currency agreement with Alpha Bank SA exchanging €30.0 million with $34.9 million paying fixed annual rate of 3.69%. The agreements effective date is October 21, 2021 and its maturity date is October 21, 2025.

Our financing arrangements other than the Bonds, contain customary ship finance covenants, including restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the mortgaged vessels, the incurrence of additional indebtedness and the mortgaging of vessels.

Our financing arrangements including the Bonds also contain financial covenants:

In addition, the Bonds require that:

Furthermore, all our financing arrangements other than the Bonds provide that: