Ordered 15 mid-size, ultra-high-reefer, wide-beam, latest generation newbuilds for an aggregate contract price of $1.33 billion, over 75% of which is covered by expected Adj. EBITDA from initial charters

100% contract cover for 2026 and 90% for 2027

Annualized dividend of $2.50 per Class A Common Share

Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) (the “Company”, “Global Ship Lease” or “GSL”), an owner of containerships, announced its unaudited results for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2026.

Second Quarter of 2026 and Year to Date Highlights and Other Recent Developments

- 2Q 2026 operating revenue of $198.7 million. 1H 2026 operating revenue of $396.8 million.

- 2Q 2026 net income available to common shareholders of $89.3 million, or $2.48 Earnings per Share (EPS). 1H 2026 net income available to common shareholders of $180.7 million, or $5.02 EPS.

- 2Q 2026 normalized net income (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) of $89.3 million, or $2.48 normalized EPS. 1H 2026 normalized net income of $181.4 million, or $5.04 normalized EPS.

- 2Q 2026 Adjusted EBITDA (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, described below) of $131.4 million. 1H 2026 Adjusted EBITDA of $264.6 million.

- In June 2026, announced that we have agreed individual newbuilding contracts for 15 mid-size, ultra-high-reefer, wide-beam, latest-generation containerships (“Newbuildings”) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.3 billion. These highly flexible ships have been designed and specified to ensure a superior fit for existing and future market needs, with deliveries scheduled to take place between the fourth quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2030. Upon delivery from the respective shipyards, the Newbuildings are contracted to commence employment on multi-year charters, with an average TEU-weighted firm charter term of 7.1 years and at rates expected to generate more than $1.0 billion of Adjusted EBITDA.

- Added $1.45 billion of contracted revenues during 1H 2026 from new charters and extensions on our existing fleet and initial firm charters from the 15 Newbuildings, bringing total contracted revenues as of June 30, 2026, to $3.2 billion, over a TEU-weighted average remaining duration (assuming median firm charter periods) of 3.3 years.

- Declared a dividend of $0.625 per Class A common share for the second quarter of 2026, to be paid on September 3, 2026 to Class A common shareholders of record as of August 21, 2026. Paid a dividend of $0.625 per Class A common share for the first quarter of 2026 on June 3, 2026.

- On June 16, 2026, announced updates by two leading credit rating agencies. Moody’s Investor Service maintained our Ba2 Corporate Family Rating, and upgraded to a positive outlook from a stable outlook. Kroll Bond Rating Agency maintained our corporate credit rating at BB+, with a stable outlook, while also affirming the BBB/stable investment grade rating and stable outlook for our 5.69% Senior Secured Notes due July 15, 2027 (the “2027 Secured Notes”). In addition, on July 7, 2026, S&P Global issued a press release maintaining our Issuer Credit Rating for GSL of BB+, with a stable outlook.

- During April and May of 2026, we entered into agreements for the forward sales of four non-core ships, built 2000 – 2002, for an aggregate price of $65.5 million and an anticipated gain on sale of approximately $33.0 million. The ships are scheduled to be delivered to the buyers upon expiry of the vessels’ respective charters: Manet, Kumasi and Julie (2,200 TEU, 2001/2-built) in 4Q 2026, 1Q 2027 and 3Q 2027, respectively, and Ian H (5,900 TEU, 2000-built) in 4Q 2027.

- On December 1, 2025, announced the purchase of three 8,586 TEU Korean-built containerships with ECO upgrades (the “Three Newly Acquired Vessels”) for an aggregate purchase price of $90.0 million. Two of the vessels were delivered to us in December 2025 and the third was delivered to us in January 2026. In June 2026, we entered into a loan agreement with Bank of America for $55.5 million to finance these acquisitions. The loan bears interest at SOFR + 1.40% and has a maturity of five years.

George Youroukos, our Executive Chairman, stated: “We are proud to have delivered another quarter of strong results, as our strategic focus on optionality and flexible tonnage continues to serve us well in a highly volatile and unpredictable world. While underlying containerized freight flows remained quite firm throughout the quarter, geopolitics once again played an outsized role in re-arranging and complicating global trade. This was evident not only in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but also in the continued decentralization of global supply chains outside of China and beyond the East-West mainlane trades serviced by ultra-large containership tonnage. As a result, our liner customers are placing a premium on flexibility and reliability in the supply chain, actively expanding their access to flexible, mid-size containerships like those in the GSL fleet. In these conditions, we have taken the opportunity to continue locking in multi-year charters at attractive rates. With 100% charter coverage for 2026, 90% coverage for 2027, and over $3 billion in contracted revenues over 3.3 years, including our Newbuildings, we are in a strong position now and moving forward.

“We have long appreciated that a combination of patience, discipline and the ability to act quickly is essential to successful fleet investment. On that basis, we are very pleased to have complemented our ongoing on-the-water investment strategy with the addition of highly attractive newbuilding orders for 15 mid-size, ultra-high-reefer, wide-beam, latest generation ECO newbuildings. The initial charters for the Newbuildings, averaging just over 7 years in duration, de-risk the investment right out of the gate, providing expected adjusted EBITDA equivalent to over 75% of the contracted purchase price within 25% of the ships’ expected economic life. Thereafter, we believe that the highly optimized specification and flexibility of these vessels position them to be the workhorses of global containerized trade for many years to come. With charters for five of the 15 Newbuildings structured to include extension options at rates 25% above their initial levels, it is clear that we are not alone in this view. In summary, these high-upside, low-downside risk Newbuildings meet our long-established, demanding investment criteria while also significantly reducing our average fleet age and providing a runway for reliable cash generation throughout the years ahead.”

Thomas Lister, our Chief Executive Officer, stated: “Optionality remains at the core of our approach to an ever more complex and dynamic containerized trade landscape. As the industry grapples with an ever-expanding series of unpredictable and sometimes dangerous geopolitical developments, it remains imperative that we all keep the welfare of seafarers front-of-mind. Amid this environment, we have continued to find prudent, attractive opportunities to unlock value across finance, operations, chartering, selective divestments and fleet renewal. The strength of our fortress balance sheet and our disciplined capital allocation and decision-making have been affirmed by successive enhancements to our credit ratings and outlooks, and those in turn have provided yet further support to our ability to pay a robust dividend while also being nimble enough to pounce on exciting opportunities to partner with top liners in the newbuild market. Our joint commitment to optionality maximization and decisive, opportunistic action is driving this progress on all fronts, enabling us to create lasting shareholder value amidst both natural cyclicality and unprecedented geopolitical tumult."

Full press release: Global Ship Lease