SEC Form S-8 POS filed by Global Ship Lease Inc New

Global Ship Lease, Inc. (the “Company”) is filing this Post- Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration Statement No. 333-264113) that was filed on April 4, 2022 (the “Original Registration Statement”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to amend, pursuant to General Instruction C.3 of the Form S-8, the prospectus included in Part I of the Original Registration Statement (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Reoffer Prospectus”) to (i) supplement the list of selling securityholders named in the Reoffer Prospectus and to update the amounts of Class A common shares available to be resold by them, and (ii) update certain other information included in the Reoffer Prospectus. As a filing fee was paid by the Company under the Original Registration Statement in connection with the registration of the Class A common shares offered under the Reoffer Prospectus, no additional registration fee is required to add these Class A common shares to the Reoffer Prospectus pursuant to Rule 457(h)(3) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

This Reoffer Prospectus may be used for reoffers and resales of up to an aggregate of 1,669,533 Class A common shares on a continuous or delayed basis that may be deemed to be “control securities” or “restricted securities” under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, that were issued, or are issuable, to certain employees, directors and/or officers of the Company identified in the Reoffer Prospectus, as may be supplemented, who are, or may be deemed to be, “affiliates” of the Company within the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Such selling securityholders may reoffer or resell all, a portion, or none of the Class A common shares which have been or will be acquired pursuant to the Company’s 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

The inclusion of such Class A common shares herein does not necessarily represent a present intention to sell any or all such Class A common shares by the selling securityholders.

All other portions of the Original Registration Statement, as previously filed, remain unchanged.

The information required by Part I of the Form S-8 is omitted from this filing in accordance with the instructions to Part I of the Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to employees of the Company as required by Rule 428(b)(1).

This reoffer prospectus (this “Reoffer Prospectus” or this “prospectus”) relates to the offer and sale from time to time by the selling shareholders named in this Reoffer Prospectus (the “selling securityholders”), or their permitted transferees, of up to 1,669,533 shares (the “Shares”) of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), of Global Ship Lease, Inc. This Reoffer Prospectus covers the Shares acquired by or issuable to the selling securityholders pursuant to, or in settlement of, awards granted to the selling securityholders under the Global Ship Lease, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended and restated (the “Plan”). We are not offering any of the Shares and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Shares by the selling securityholders made hereunder. The selling securityholders are certain of our employees, officers and directors who may be deemed to be an “affiliate” of our company (as defined in Rule 405 under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)).

Subject to the satisfaction of any conditions to vesting of the Shares offered hereby pursuant to the terms of the relevant award agreements, the selling securityholders may sell the Shares described in this Reoffer Prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices, including sales in the open market, sales in negotiated transactions, and sales by a combination of these methods. The selling securityholders may sell any, all, or none of the Shares and we do not know when or in what amount the selling securityholders may sell their Shares hereunder. The price at which any of the Shares may be sold, and the commissions, if any, paid in connection with any such sale, are unknown and may vary from transaction to transaction. The Shares may be sold at the market price of the Common Stock at the time of a sale, at prices relating to the market price over a period of time, or at prices negotiated with the buyers of Shares. The Shares may be sold through underwriters or dealers which the selling securityholders may select. If underwriters or dealers are used to sell the Shares, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. We provide more information about how the selling securityholders may sell their Shares in the section titled “Plan of Distribution.” The selling securityholders will bear all sales commissions and similar expenses. Any other expenses incurred by us in connection with the registration and offering that are not borne by the selling securityholders will be borne by us.

Our Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “GSL.” On October 8, 2024, the last quoted sale price for our Common Stock as reported on the NYSE was $25.31.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) may take the view that, under certain circumstances, the selling securityholders and any broker-dealers or agents that participate with the selling securityholders in the distribution of the Shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Commissions, discounts or concessions received by any such broker-dealer or agent may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.”

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before buying any securities, you should carefully read the discussion of the risks of investing in our securities in the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of this Reoffer Prospectus.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Reoffer Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

You should rely only on the information contained in this Reoffer Prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with information that is different from that contained in this Reoffer Prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The selling securityholders are offering to sell and seeking offers to buy these securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. You should assume that the information contained in this Reoffer Prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this Reoffer Prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this Reoffer Prospectus or of any sale of our Shares. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. We are not making an offer of any Shares in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

This prospectus and the information and documents we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will,” “scheduled” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Examples of forward-looking statements in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our disclosure concerning our operations, cash flows, financial position, dividend policy, and the likelihood of success in acquiring additional vessels to expand our business.

Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this prospectus and in Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 20, 2024, which is incorporated herein (our “2023 Annual Report”), as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and that are incorporated by reference herein.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements for many reasons, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. The risks described under “Risk Factors” are not exhaustive. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and the development of the industries in which we operate. New risks can emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such risks, nor can we assess the impact of all such risks on our business or the extent to which any risks, or combination of risks and other factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus, as predictions of future events. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the SEC after the date of this prospectus.

The cautionary statements made in this prospectus are intended to be applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they may appear in this prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference herein. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

You should read this prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference herein with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.

Certain market data and industry statistics and forecasts are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information are incorporated by reference herein that. Although we believe that these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. Although we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the market and industry data incorporated by reference in this prospectus, these estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment in our securities, you should carefully consider all of the information included in this prospectus, the risk factors and all of the other information included in any prospectus supplement and the documents that have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, including those in “Item 3.D. Risk Factors” in our 2023 Annual Report, as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and that are incorporated by reference herein. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information-Information Incorporated by Reference.” The occurrence of one or more of those risk factors could adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder. All of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this Reoffer Prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. See the sections titled “Selling Securityholders” and “Plan of Distribution” described below.

We are registering for resale the Shares covered by this Reoffer Prospectus to permit the selling securityholders identified below and their pledgees, donees, transferees and other successors-in-interest that receive their securities from a securityholder as a gift, partnership distribution or other non-sale related transfer after the date of this Reoffer Prospectus to resell the shares when and as they deem appropriate. The selling securityholders acquired, or may acquire, these shares from us pursuant to the Plan. The Shares may not be sold or otherwise transferred by the selling securityholders unless and until the applicable awards vest and are exercised, as applicable, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan.

The number of Shares in the column “Number of Shares Being Offered” represents all of the Shares that each selling securityholder may offer under this Reoffer Prospectus. We do not know how long the selling securityholders will hold the Shares before selling them or how many Shares they will sell, and we currently have no agreements, arrangements or understandings with any of the securityholders regarding the sale of any of the resale Shares. The Shares offered by this Reoffer Prospectus may be offered from time to time by the securityholders listed below. We cannot assure you that any of the selling securityholders will offer for sale or sell any or all of the Shares offered by them by this Reoffer Prospectus.

We are registering the Shares covered by this Reoffer Prospectus to permit the selling securityholders to conduct public secondary trading of the Shares from time to time after the date of this Reoffer Prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares offered by this Reoffer Prospectus. The aggregate proceeds to the selling securityholders from the sale of the Shares will be the purchase price of the Shares less any discounts and commissions. We will not pay any brokers’ or underwriters’ discounts and commissions in connection with the registration and sale of the Shares covered by this Reoffer Prospectus. The selling securityholders reserve the right to accept and, together with their respective agents, to reject, any proposed purchases of the Shares to be made directly or through agents.

The Shares offered by this Reoffer Prospectus may be sold from time to time to purchasers:

Any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents who participate in the sale or distribution of the Shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act. As a result, any discounts, commissions or concessions received by any such broker-dealer or agents who are deemed to be underwriters will be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Underwriters are subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act and may be subject to certain statutory liabilities under the Securities Act and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We will make copies of this Reoffer Prospectus available to the selling securityholders for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. To our knowledge, there are currently no plans, arrangements or understandings between the selling securityholders and any underwriter, broker-dealer or agent regarding the sale of the Shares by the selling securityholders. The Shares may be sold in one or more transactions at:

These sales may be effected in one or more transactions:

These transactions may include block transactions or crosses. Crosses are transactions in which the same broker acts as an agent on both sides of the trade.

At the time a particular offering of the Shares is made, a prospectus supplement, if required, will be distributed, which will set forth the name of the selling securityholders, the aggregate amount of Shares being offered and the terms of the offering, including, to the extent required, (1) the name or names of any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, (2) any discounts, commissions and other terms constituting compensation from the selling securityholders and (3) any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed to be paid to broker-dealers.

The selling securityholders will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner, and size of each resale or other transfer. There can be no assurance that the selling securityholders will sell any or all of the Shares under this Reoffer Prospectus. Further, we cannot assure you that the selling securityholders will not transfer, distribute, devise or gift the Shares by other means not described in this Reoffer Prospectus. In addition, any Shares covered by this Reoffer Prospectus that qualify for sale under Rule 144 of the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than under this Reoffer Prospectus. The Shares may be sold in some states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the Shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and complied with.

The selling securityholders and any other person participating in the sale of the Shares will be subject to the Exchange Act. The Exchange Act rules include, without limitation, Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the Shares by the selling securityholders and any other person. In addition, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the Shares to engage in market-making activities with respect to the particular securities being distributed. This may affect the marketability of the Shares and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the Shares. Once sold under the registration statement of which this Reoffer Prospectus forms a part, the shares of Common Stock will be freely tradable in the hands of persons other than our affiliates.

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus and certain other legal matters with respect to the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and with respect to matters of U.S. law will be passed upon for us by our counsel, Watson Farley & Williams LLP.

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers S.A., an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The industry information attributed to Maritime Strategies International Limited (“MSI”) by incorporation by reference to our 2023 Annual Report, has been reviewed by MSI, which has confirmed to us that such information accurately describes the container shipping market.

Global Ship Lease, Inc. (the “Registrant”) hereby incorporates by reference into this registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) the following documents previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”):

All documents, reports and definitive proxy or information statements filed pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; provided, however, that documents, reports and definitive proxy or information statements, or portions thereof, which are furnished and not filed in accordance with the rules of the SEC shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes that statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not constitute a part of this Registration Statement, except as so modified or superseded.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

The Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that the Company shall indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by law. The Company is also expressly authorized to advance expenses to the fullest extent authorized by law, to pay reasonable costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees (including expenses) in connection with the enforcement of rights to the indemnification granted thereunder, and to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the Company or serving in such capacity in another company at the request of the Company against some liabilities.

Section 60 of the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ Business Corporations Act (“Section 60”) provides that a corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of no contest, or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonable believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

Under Section 60, a corporation shall also have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him or in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.

To the extent that a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or in the defense of a claim, issue or matter therein, Section 60 dictates that he shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith. Additionally, expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding may be paid in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized by the board of directors in the specific case upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in Section 60. Such indemnification and advancement of expenses shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholder or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, Section 60 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

Under Section 60, a corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in such capacity whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of such section.

Not applicable.

The Exhibits to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 are listed in the Exhibit Index attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Athens, Greece, on October 9, 2024.

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Filana R. Silberberg as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No 1. to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 9th day of October, 2024.

Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly undersigned representative in the United States of the aforementioned Registrant, has signed this Registration Statement in Newark, Delaware on October 9, 2024.