Pyxis Tankers Inc. (NASDAQ: PXS) reported Q2 EPS of ($0.06), in-line with the analyst estimate of ($0.06). Revenue for the quarter came in at $5.5 million versus the consensus estimate of $5.94 million.

Valentios Valentis, our Chairman and CEO commented:

“The chartering environment for product tankers in the second quarter of 2020 was extremely volatility. The spot market for MR’s experienced a brief spike during late April to early May, which was then followed by a rapid drop in rates until the recent stabilization of rates. The period market, albeit more stable, did encounter a material decline in activity during the quarter. The initially strong charter rates at the outset of the second quarter were primarily due to demand for floating storage of crude oil and refined petroleum products, the movement of a fair number of long-range tankers into dirty or crude trades and various arbitrage opportunities. Despite the start of a gradual but uneven economic recovery worldwide from the COVID-19 pandemic during the quarter, a drawdown of high existing product inventories has resulted in lower vessel demand. Consequently, we expect the product tanker sector to continue to experience significant volatility due to the uncertain recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, we have focused our employment strategy for our MR’s on shorter-term, staggered time charters which has benefited the Company. In the second quarter of 2020, the average TCE for our MR’s was over $14,800/day. As of August 6, 2020, we had booked 62% of available days for the third quarter of 2020, exclusive of charterers’ options, at an average rate of $15,125 for our MR’s.

During this challenging period, we have continued to focus on the efficiencies of our operating platform, as fleet-wide daily operating expenses declined to less than $5,500 per vessel for the quarter. Total daily operational costs, which include vessel management fees and allocable G&A expenses, for our modern eco-efficient MR’s were less than $8,000. In addition, we have improved our balance sheet liquidity by selling older tonnage and refinancing some of our bank debt on attractive terms.

Overall, we maintain a positive outlook about the long-term prospects for the product tanker sector. Solid global GDP growth is expected to return with rising demand for seaborne transportation of a broad range of petroleum products. In the meantime, the supply picture looks better due to the aging global fleet, continued low ordering of new tankers and significant delays in newbuild deliveries. We look forward to taking advantage of various opportunities as they may arise in order to enhance shareholder value.

Lastly, we would like to extend our gratitude to the crews on board our vessels and onshore personnel for their continued support and professionalism to provide high quality and reliable service to our customers particularly during this difficult period of the pandemic.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Pyxis Tankers Inc. (PXS) click here.