UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON D.C. 20549

FORMFORM 20-F

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20142017

OR

OR

Commission file number001-36797

STEALTHGAS INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Not applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)

Republic of the Marshall Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

331 Kifissias Avenue, Erithrea 14561 Athens, Greece

(Address of principal executive offices)

Harry N. Vafias

331 Kifissias Avenue, Erithrea 14561, Athens, Greece

Telephone: (011) (30) (210) 625 0001

Facsimile: (011) (30) (210) 625 0018

(Name, Telephone,E-mail and/or Facsimile Number and Address of Company Contact Person)

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

SECURITIES 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

The number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of December 31, 20142017 was: 42,889,77339,860,563 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  ¨☐ Yes  x☒ 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  x☒ 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.  x☒ Yes  ¨☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of RegulationS-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  x☒ Yes  ¨☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, anon-accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer.an emerging growth company. See definitionthe definitions of “accelerated filer and large“large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule12b-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.  ☐

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 statement 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 Rule12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  ¨☐ Yes  x☒ No

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This Annual Report on Form20-F includes assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events. These statements are intended as “forward-looking statements.” We caution that assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events may and often do vary from actual results and the differences can be material.

All statements in this document that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements as defined in 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 include, but are not limited to, such matters as:

When used in this document, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” “plan,” “potential,” “may,” “should” and “expect” reflect forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views and assumptions and all forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect our future financial results are discussed more fully under “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors,” as well as elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form20-F and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We caution readers of this Annual Report not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

PARTPart I

StealthGas Inc. is a Marshall Islands company that is referred to in this Annual Report on Form20-F, together with its subsidiaries, as “StealthGas,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our.” This Annual Report should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto, which are included in Item 18 to this Annual Report.

We use the term cubic meters, or “cbm,” in describing the size of our liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) carriers and the term deadweight tons, or “dwt,” in describing the size of our product carriers and crude oil tanker. We use the term “handysize”“small” to describe LPG carriers of between 3,000 and 8,000 cbm in capacity. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to currency amounts in this annual report are in U.S. dollars.

Not Applicable.

Not Applicable.

A. Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial data and other operating data shown in U.S. dollars, other than share and fleet data. The table should be read together with “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.”

Our audited consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income,income/(loss), stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2013,2015, 2016, and 20142017 and the audited consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 20132016 and 2014,2017, together with the notes thereto, are included in “Item 18. Financial Statements” and should be read in their entirety. The selected consolidated income statement data for the years ended December 31, 20102013 and 20112014 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2010, 20112015, 2016 and 20122017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in “Item 18. Financial Statements.”Statements”.

(6)	Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels were available for revenue generating voyage days, and is determined by dividing voyage days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.

(7)	Fleet operational utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels generated revenue, and is determined by dividing voyage days (excluding commercially idle days) by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.

(8)

Adjusted average charter rate is a measure of the average daily revenue performance of a vessel on a per voyage basis. We determine the adjusted average charter rate by dividing voyage revenues (net of voyage expenses) by voyage days for the relevant time period. Voyage expenses primarily consist of port, canal and fuel costs that are unique to a particular voyage and are payable by us under a spot charter (which would otherwise be paid by the charterer under a time or bareboat charter contract), as well as commissions. Charter equivalent revenues and adjusted average charter rate arenon-GAAP measures which provide additional meaningful information in conjunction with voyage revenues, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, because they assist Company management in making decisions regarding the deployment and use of its vessels and in evaluating their financial performance. They are also standard shipping industry performance measures used primarily to compareperiod-to-period changes in a shipping company’s performance despite changes in the mix of charter types (i.e., spot charters or time charters, but not bareboat charters) under which the vessels may be employed between the periods. Our calculation of charter equivalent revenues and adjusted average charter rate may not be comparable to that reported by other companies in the shipping or other industries. Under bareboat charters, we are not responsible for either voyage expenses, unlike spot charters, or vessel operating expenses, unlike spot charters and time charters; however, no adjustment for such reduced vessel operating expenses for our vessels deployed under bareboat charters is reflected in the adjusted average charter rate. Reconciliation of charter equivalent revenues as reflected in the consolidated statements of incomeoperations and calculation of adjusted average charter rate follow:

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable

C. Reasons For the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not Applicable.

D. Risk Factors

Risks Related To Our Industry

The cyclical nature of the demand for LPG transportation may lead to significant changes in our chartering and vessel utilization, which may adversely affect our revenues, profitability and financial position.

Historically, the international LPG carrier market has been cyclical with attendant volatility in profitability, charter rates and vessel values. The degree of charter rate volatility among different types of gas carriers has varied widely. Because many factors influencing the supply of, and demand for, vessel capacity are unpredictable, the timing, direction and degree of changes in the international gas carrier market are also not predictable. After increasing throughout 2007 and into 2008, charter rates for handysize LPG carriers declinedimproving from low levels in the second half of 2008 and in 2009 as a result of slowdown in the world economy. Sincelate 2011 until the third quarter of 2014, charter rates havefor small LPG carriers thereafter declined significantly, largely due to the declinefall in oil priceprices, before experiencing modest improvement in the second half of 2017 and rates remain well below levels reached in 2007 and 2008.early 2018. If charter rates decline further, our earnings may decrease, particularly with respect to our vessels deployed in the spot market or those vessels whose charters will be subject to renewal during 2015,2018, as they may not be extended or renewed on favorable terms when compared to the terms of the expiring charters. As of April 1, 2015,2018, of our 4351 operating LPG carriers in the water, including twothree vessels that are chartered in, 109 were deployed in the spot market while another 1420 were scheduled to complete their existing charters (bareboat and time charters) during 2015.2018. In addition we expect to take delivery of ninehave arranged aone- year time charter up until April 2019 for our newbuilding LPG carrierscarrier delivered in the remainder of 2015 for which we have only arranged employment for five of the vessels to be delivered.April 2018. Any of the foregoing factors could have an adverse effect on our revenues, profitability, liquidity, cash flow and financial position.

Future growth in the demand for LPG carriers and charter rates, including for the vessel size segments comprising our fleet, will depend on economic growth in the world economy and demand for LPG product transportation that exceeds the capacity of the growing worldwide LPG carrier fleet’s ability to match it. We believe that the future growth in demand for LPG carriers and the charter rate levels for LPG carriers will depend primarily upon the supply and demand for LPG, particularly in the economies of China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, as well as U.S. shale production, and upon seasonal and regional changes in demand and changes to the capacity of the world fleet. The capacity of the world shipping fleet appears likely to increase in the near term, although growth in the 3,000 to 8,000 cbm segment of handysizesmall LPG carriers is expected to be relatively limited in 2015. Economicthe period 2018-2019. Oil prices may remain low and economic growth may be limited in the near term, and possibly for an extended period, as a result of the current global economic conditions, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The factors affecting the supply and demand for LPG carriers are outside of our control, and the nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions are unpredictable.

The factors that influence demand for our vessels include:

The factors that influence the supply of vessel capacity include:

economy has recovered somewhat, it remains relatively weak in many parts ofeconomic conditions and oil prices remain well below the world and worldlevels reached before the economic downturn. World and regional demand for LPG products and LPG shipping can be adversely affected by a number of factors, such as:

increases

market while the remaining two are under bareboat charter arrangements scheduled to expire in 2016, while theFebruary 2019 and September 2020 respectively. The charter for our crude oil tanker is not scheduled to expire until 2020.in March 2019. If prevailing market conditions in these sectors, which have declined sharply sincemid-2016 after a period of increasing rates from depressed levels beginning in 2008 and 2009 and remained weak before recovering somewhat since the fourth quarter of 2014, are depressed at such times as these charters expire or otherwise are terminated, we may not be able to renew or replace existing charters for these vessels at the same or similar rates. If we were required to enter into a charter when charter hire rates are low, our results of operations could be adversely affected. Charter rates in the product carrier and crude oil tanker sectors, increased from depressed levels in the fourth quarter of 2014 and early 2015, however, the sustainability of this recovery is uncertain and rates could decline again.

An over-supply of ships may lead to a reduction in charter rates, vessel values and profitability.

The market supply of LPG carriers and tankers is affected by a number of factors, such as supply and demand for LPG, natural gas and other energy resources, including oil and petroleum products, supply and

demand for seaborne transportation of such energy resources, and the current and expected purchase orders for newbuildings. If the capacity of new LPG carriers and tankers delivered exceeds the capacity of such vessel types being scrapped and converted tonon-trading vessels, global fleet capacity will increase. If the supply of LPG carrier or tanker capacity, for the vessel class sizes comprising our fleet in particular, increases, and if the demand for the capacity of such vessel types decreases, or does not increase correspondingly, charter rates could materially decline. A reduction in charter rates and the value of our vessels may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

The market values of our vessels may remain at relatively low levels for a prolonged period and over time may fluctuate significantly. When the market values of our vessels are low, we may incur a loss on sale of a vessel or record an impairment charge, as we did in 2014,each of the last four fiscal years, which may adversely affect our earnings and possibly lead to defaults under our loan agreements.

The market value of our vessels may fluctuate significantly, and these experienced significant declines during the economic crisis. AlthoughSmall LPG carrier values recovered somewhat from 2011 to the third quarter of 2014 before again declining, and tanker rates remainedvalues are currently at relatively low until beginning to recover in the fourth quarter of 2014, vessel valueslevels despite some improvement since late 2017, and remain well below the highs reached in 2007 and 2008. The market values of our vessels are subject to potential significant fluctuations depending on a number of factors including:

In 2014,2017, we recognized an impairment loss of $6.2$6.5 million resulting fromrelating to seven of our decisionoldest vessels, four of which were sold in 2017. In 2016, we recognized an impairment loss of $5.7 million relating to sell twosix of theour oldest vessels. In 2015, we recognized an impairment loss of $8.2 million relating to three of our older LPG carriers in our fleetvessels whose market values had declined below their carrying values. If we sell vessels at a time when vessel prices have fallen, the sale may be for less than the vessel’s carrying value in our financial statements, resulting in a loss and reduction in earnings. Furthermore, if vessel values experience significant declines, we may have to record an impairment adjustment in our financial statements, which would also result in a reduction in our earnings.profits. If the market value of our fleet declines, we may not be in compliance with certain provisions of our existing loan agreements and we may not be able to refinance our debt or obtain additional financing or, if reinstated, pay

dividends. If we are unable to pledge additional collateral, our lenders could accelerate our debt and foreclose on our fleet. The loss of our vessels would mean we could not run our business.

Technological innovation could reduce our charterhirecharter hire income and the value of our vessels.

The charter hire 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. Efficiency includes speed, fuel economy and the ability to load and discharge cargo quickly. Flexibility includes the ability to enter harbors, utilize related docking facilities and pass through canals and straits. The length of a vessel’s physical life is related to its original design and construction, its maintenance and the impact of the stress of operations. If new LPG carriers or tankers are built that are more efficient or more flexible or have longer physical lives than our vessels, competition from these more technologically advanced vessels could adversely affect the amount of

charter hire payments we receive for our vessels, and the resale value of our vessels could significantly decrease. Consequently, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Changes in fuel, or bunker, prices may adversely affect profits.

While we do not bear the cost of fuel or bunkers under time and bareboat charters, fuel is a significant expense in our shipping operations when vessels are deployed under spot charters. Changes in the price of fuel may adversely affect our profitability. The price and supply of fuel is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by the OPEC (“Organization Of Petroleum Exporting Countries”) and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns. Further,Furthermore fuel, which has been less expensive since the price of oil began declining in the third quarter of 2014 but began to increase in price in 2017, may become much more expensive in the future, which may reduce profitability.

We are subject to regulation and liability under environmental laws that could require significant expenditures and affect our financial conditions and results of operations.

Our business and the operation of our vessels are materially affected by government regulation in the form of international conventions and national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which the vessels operate, as well as in the country or countries of their registration. These regulations include, but are not limited to the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or OPA, that establishes an extensive regulatory and liability regime for the protection and cleanup of the environment from oil spills and applies to any discharges of oil from a vessel, including discharges of fuel oil (bunkers) and lubricants, the U.S. Clean Air Act, U.S. Clean Water Act and the U.S. Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002, and regulations of the International Maritime Organization, or the IMO, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1975, the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution of 1973, and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974. To comply with these and other regulations, including the new MARPOL Annex VI sulfur emission requirements instituting a global 0.5% sulphur cap on marine fuels from January 1, 2020 and the IMO ballast water management (“BWM”) convention, which requires vessels to install expensive ballast water treatment systems (“BWTS”), we may be required to incur additional costs to meet new maintenance and inspection requirements, develop contingency plans for potential spills, and obtain insurance coverage. Because thoseThose laws and regulations are often revised, and we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with them, or the impact they may have on the resale prices or useful lives of our vessels. However, a failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of our operations. Additional laws and regulations may be adopted which could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of our doing business and which could materially adversely affect our operations. For example, the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may result in new regulatory initiatives, including raising liability caps under OPA. We are also required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain permits, licenses, certificates and financial assurances with respect to our operations. These permits, licenses, certificates and financial assurances may be issued or renewed with terms that could materially and adversely affect our operations.

The operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set forth in the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention (“ISM Code”). The ISM Code requires ship owners and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive “Safety Management System” (“SMS”) that includes the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. The failure of a ship owner or bareboat charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject the owner or charterer to increased liability, may decrease available insurance coverage for the affected vessels, may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports or may result in breach of our bank covenants. Currently, each of the vessels in our fleet is ISM Code-certified. Because these certifications are critical to our business, we place a high priority on maintaining them. Nonetheless, there is the possibility that such certifications may not be renewed.

We currently maintain, for each of our vessels, pollution liability insurance coverage in the amount of $1.0 billion per vessel per incident. In addition, we carry hull and machinery and protection and indemnity insurance to

cover the risks of fire and explosion. Under certain circumstances, fire and explosion could result in a catastrophic loss. We believe that our present insurance coverage is adequate, but not all risks can be insured, and there is the possibility that any specific claim may not be paid, or that we will not always be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates. If the damages from a catastrophic spill exceeded our insurance coverage, the effect on our business would be severe and could possibly result in our insolvency.

We believe that regulation of the shipping industry will continue to become more stringent and compliance with such new regulations will be more expensive for us and our competitors. Substantial violations of applicable requirements or a catastrophic release from one of our vessels could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions may adversely impact our operations and markets.

Due to concern over the risks of climate change, a number of countries and the International Maritime Organization, or “IMO”, have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emission from ships. These regulatory measures may include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, increased efficiency standards and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. Emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping currently are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the “Kyoto Protocol”, or any amendments or successor agreements, including the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015, which contemplates commitments from each nation party thereto to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit increases in global temperatures but did not include any restrictions or other measures specific to shipping emissions. However, restrictions on shipping emissions are likely to continue to be considered, and a new treaty may be adopted in the future that includes additional restrictions on shipping emissions to those already adopted under the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships, or the “MARPOL Convention”. Compliance with future changes in laws and regulations relating to climate change could increase the costs of operating and maintaining our ships and could require us to install new emission controls, as well as acquire allowances, pay taxes related to our greenhouse gas emissions or administer and manage a greenhouse gas emissions program.

Adverse effects upon the oil and gas industry relating to climate change, including growing public concern about the environmental impact of climate change, may also have an effect on demand for our services. For example, increased regulation of greenhouse gases or other concerns relating to climate change may reduce the demand for oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas in the future or create greater incentives for use of alternative energy sources. Any long-term material adverse effect on the oil and gas industry could have significant financial and operational adverse impacts on our business that we cannot predict with certainty at this time.

Our vessels are subject to periodic inspections by a classification society.

The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be classed 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. Our fleet is currently classed with Lloyds Register of Shipping, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, or NKK, the American Bureau of Shipping, RINA SpA,DNV and Bureau Veritas.

A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a vessel’s machinery may be on a continuous survey cycle, under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a five-year period. Our vessels are on special survey cycles for hull inspection and continuous survey cycles for machinery inspection. Every vessel is also required to be dry docked every two to three years for inspection of the underwater parts of such vessel. However, for vessels not exceeding 15 years that have means to facilitate underwater inspection in lieu of dry docking, the dry docking can be skipped and be conducted concurrently with the special survey.

If a vessel does not maintain its class and/or fails any annual survey, intermediate survey or special survey, the vessel will be unable to trade between ports and will be unemployable and we could be in violation of covenants in our loan agreements and insurance contracts or other financing arrangements. This would adversely impact our operations and revenues.

Maritime claimants could arrest our vessels, which could interrupt our cash flow.

Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and others may be entitled to a maritime lien against that vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lien holder may enforce its lien by arresting a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could interrupt our cash flow and require us to pay large sums of funds to have the arrest lifted.

In addition, in some jurisdictions, such as South Africa, under the “sister ship” theory of liability, a claimant may arrest both the vessel which is subject to the claimant’s maritime lien and any “associated” vessel, which is any vessel owned or controlled by the same owner. Claimants could try to assert “sister ship” liability against one vessel in our fleet for claims relating to another of our ships or, possibly, another vessel managed by Stealth Maritime, as was the Vafias Group.case with the arrest of one of our vessels in August 2015.

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

A government could requisition for title or seize our vessels. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes the owner. Also, a government could 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 would adversely impact our operations and revenues, thereby resulting in loss of revenues.

Risks involved with operating ocean-going vessels could affect our business and reputation, which would adversely affect our revenues and stock price.

The operation of an ocean-going vessel carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of:

Any of these circumstances or events could increase our costs or lower our revenues. The involvement of our vessels in a serious accident could harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel operator and lead to a loss of business.

Our vessels may suffer damage and we may face unexpected repair costs, which could affect our cash flow and financial condition.

If our vessels suffer damage,damages, they may need to be repaired at a shipyard facility. The costs of repairs are unpredictable and can be substantial. We may have to pay repair costs that our insurance does not cover. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, would have an adverse effect on our cash flow and financial condition. We do not intend to carry business interruption insurance.

Acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels have recently increased in frequency, which 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 and in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia. Although the frequency of sea piracy worldwide decreased during 2014 as compared to 2013,leveled off somewhat in recent years, sea piracy incidents continue to occur, particularly in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and increasingly in the Gulf of Guinea. If these piracy attacks occur in regions in which our vessels are deployed and are characterized by insurers as “war risk” zones, as the Gulf of Aden continues to be, or Joint War Committee (JWC) “war and strikes” listed areas, premiums payable for such coverage, for which we are responsible with respect to vessels employed on spot charters, but not vessels employed on bareboat or time charters, could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. In addition, crew costs, including due to employing onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. We usually employ armed guardguards on board the vessels on time and spot charters that transit areas where Somali pirates operate. We may not be adequately insured to cover losses from these incidents, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, detention hijacking as a result of an act of piracy against our vessels, or an increase in cost, or unavailability of insurance for our vessels, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations outside the United States expose us to global risks, such as political conflict and terrorism, that may interfere with the operation of our vessels.

We are an international company and primarily conduct our operations outside the United States. Changing economic, political and governmental conditions in the countries where we are engaged in business or where our vessels are registered affect us. In the past, political conflicts, particularly in the Arabian Gulf, resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt shipping in the area. For example, in October 2002, the vessel Limburg (which is not affiliated with our Company) was attacked by terrorists in Yemen. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea. Following the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001 and more recent attacks in other parts of the world, and the military response of the United States and other nations, including the conflict in Iraq, the likelihood of future acts of terrorism may increase with the continuing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, and therefore our vessels may face higher risks of being attacked. In addition, future hostilities or other political instability in regions where our vessels trade could affect our trade patterns and adversely affect our operations and performance. If certain shipping lanes are closed,were to close, such as Iran’s recentpast threat to close the Straits of Hormuz, it could adversely affect the availability of, and the demand for crude oil and petroleum products, as well as LPG, andLPG. This would negatively affect our investmentbusiness and our customers’ investment decisions over an extended period of time. In addition, sanctions against oil exporting countries such as Iran Sudan and Syria, and the events in Ukraine and related sanctions against Russia may also impact the availability of crude oil, petroleum products and LPG and which would increase the availability of applicable vessels, thereby impacting negatively charter rates. In addition, under any charters that we enter into with Chinese customers may be subject to new regulations in China that may require us to incur new or additional

compliance or other administrative costs and may require that we pay to the Chinese government new taxes or other fees. Changes in laws and regulations, including with regards to tax matters, and their implementation by local authorities could affect our vessels chartered to Chinese customers, as well as our vessels calling to Chinese ports, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Terrorist attacks, or the perception that LPG or natural gas facilities or oil refineries and LPG carriers, natural gas carriers or product carriers are potential terrorist targets, could materially and adversely affect the continued supply of LPG, natural gas and refined petroleum products to the United States and to other countries. Concern that LPG and natural gas facilities may be targeted for attack by terrorists has contributed to a significant community and environmental resistance to the construction of a number of natural gas facilities, primarily in North America. If a terrorist incident involving a gas facility or gas carrier did occur, the incident may adversely affect necessary LPG facilities or natural gas facilities currently in operation. Furthermore, future terrorist attacks could result in increased volatility of the financial markets in the United States and globally and could result in an economic recession in the United States or the world. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our operating results, revenues and costs.

Our vessels may call on ports located in countries that are subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. or other governments, which could adversely affect our reputation and the market for our common stock.

From time to time on charterers’ instructions, our vessels have called and may again call on ports located in countries subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the United States government and countries identified by the United States government as state sponsors of terrorism, such as Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria and Syria.North Korea. The U.S. sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or strengthened over time. In 2010,On January 16, 2016, “Implementation Day” for the Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States lifted its nuclear-related secondary sanctions against Iran which prohibited certain conduct bynon-U.S. companies and individuals that occurred entirely outside of U.S. jurisdiction involving specified industry sectors in Iran, including the energy, petrochemical, automotive, financial, banking, mining, shipbuilding and shipping sectors. By lifting the secondary sanctions against Iran, the U.S. enacted the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act (“CISADA”), which expanded the scope of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. Among other things, CISADA expands the application of the prohibitions involving Iran to include ships or shipping servicesgovernment effectively removed U.S. imposed restraints on dealings bynon-U.S. companies, such as our company,Company, and introduces limitsindividuals with these formerly targeted Iranian business sectors.Non-U.S. companies continue to be prohibited under U.S. sanctions from (i) knowingly engaging in conduct that seeks to evade U.S. restrictions on the ability of companies and persons to do businesstransactions or tradedealings with Iran when such activities relate toor that causes the investment, supply or export of refined petroleumgoods or petroleum products. In addition, in October 2012, President Obama issued an executive order implementing the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (the “ITRA”) which extends the application of

all U.S. laws and regulations relating to Iran to non-U.S. companies controlled by U.S. companies or persons as if they were themselves U.S. companies or persons, expands categories of sanctionable activities, adds additional forms of potential sanctions and imposes certain related reporting obligations with respect to activities of SEC registrants and their affiliates. The ITRA also includes a provision requiring the President ofservices from the United States to impose fiveIran, (ii) exporting,re-exporting or more sanctionstransferring to Iran any goods, technology, or services originally exported from Section 6(a) of the Iran Sanctions Act, as amended, on a person the President determines is controlling beneficial owner of,U.S. and / or otherwise owns, operates or controls or insures a vessel that was used to transport crude oil from Iran to another country and (1) if the person is a controlling beneficial owner of the vessel, the person had actual knowledge the vessel was so used or (2) if the person otherwise owns, operates, controls, or insures the vessel, the person knew or should have known the vessel was so used. Such a person could be subject to a variety of sanctions, including exclusion from U.S. capital markets, exclusion from financial transactions subject to U.S. export jurisdiction and exclusion(iii) conducting transactions with of the Iranian or Iran-related individuals and entities that person’s vesselsremain or are placed in the future on OFAC’s list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List), notwithstanding the lifting of secondary sanctions. The U.S. has the ability tore-impose sanctions against Iran, including if, in the future, Iran does not comply with its obligations under the nuclear agreement. In January 2018, President Trump executed necessary waivers with respect to the JCPOA required by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act in order to continue the United States’ nuclear sanctions relief to Iran provided by the JCPOA, but in a statement he indicated that he will not again waive sanctions unless the JCPOA is amended.

The U.S. government’s primary Iran sanctions remain largely unchanged after Implementation Day and as a consequence, U.S. persons continue to be broadly prohibited from U.S. ports for upengaging in transactions or dealings with the Government of Iran and Iranian financial institutions, which effectively impacts the transfer of funds to, two years. Finally, in January 2013,from, or through the U.S. enactedfinancial system whether denominated in US dollars or any other currency. As a result of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (the “IFCPA”) which expanded the scopelifting of U.S. secondary sanctions (and relevant EU sanctions), we can anticipate that some of our charterers may direct us to carry cargoes to or from Iran. This could have various effects on any person that is partus, such as affecting our reputation and our relationships with our investors and financing sources, affecting the cost of Iran’s energy, shipping or shipbuilding sectorour insurance and operators of ports in Iran, and imposes penalties on any person who facilitates or otherwise knowingly provides significant financial, material or other supportenhancing our exposure to these entities. foreign currency fluctuations due to the need fornon-US dollar payments with respect to such voyages.

None of our vessels called in any ports in anyCuba, Sudan, North Korea, Syria or in Iran in 2013, 2014 or 2015. In 2016, two of our vessels made two port calls to Iran, representing less than 0.1% of the 2,412 total port calls made by all the vessels owned by us in 2016. In 2017 six of our vessels made 82 port calls to Iran which represents 2.67% of the 3,074 port calls made by all of our operating fleet within the stated year. We believe all such port calls were made in full compliance with applicable economic sanctions laws and regulations, including those of the United States, the European Union and other relevant jurisdictions. See also “Item 4B: Business Overview—Disclosure of activities pursuant to Section 13(r) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934” for information on the port calls made to Iran. Our charter agreements include provisions that restrict trades of our vessels to countries thattargeted by economic sanctions unless such transportation activities involving sanctioned countries are subject topermitted under applicable economic sanctions and embargoes duringembargo regimes. Our ordinary chartering policy is to seek to include similar provisions in all of our period charters. Prior to agreeing to waive existing charter party restrictions on carrying cargoes to or from ports that may implicate sanctions risks, we ensure that the three year period ended December 31, 2014.charterers have proof of compliance with international and U.S. sanctions requirements, or applicable licenses or other exemptions.

Although we believe that we are in compliance with all applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations and intend to maintain such compliance, there can be no assurance that we will be in compliance in the future, particularly as the scope of certain laws may vary or may be subject to changing interpretations and we may be unable to prevent our charterers from violating contractual and legal restrictions on their operations of the vessels. Any such violation could result in fines or other penalties for us and could result in some investors deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or not to invest, in the Company. Additionally, some investors may decide to divest their interest, or not to invest, in the Company simply because we do business with companies that do lawful business in sanctioned countries. Moreover, our charterers may violate applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations as a result of actions that do not involve us or our vessels, and those violations could in turn negatively affect our reputation. Investor perception of the value of our common stock may also be adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in these and surrounding countries.

Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery legislation in other jurisdictions could result in fines, criminal penalties, contract terminations and an adverse effect on our business.

We may operate in a number of countries through the world, including countries known to have a reputation for corruption. We are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics which is consistent and in full compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”). We are subject, however, to the risk that we, our affiliated entities or our or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents may take actions determined to be in violation of such anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties, curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business. Furthermore, detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management.

A cyber-attack could materially disrupt our business.

Our business 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 of our operations, 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 effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related To Our Business

We are dependent on the ability and willingness of our charterers to honor their commitments to us for all our revenues.

We derive all our revenues from the payment of charter hire by charterers.charterers of our vessels. The ability and willingness of each of our counterparties to perform their obligations under charter agreements with us will depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the LPG carrier sector, or in the case of our product carriers the refined petroleum product carrier sector and in the case of our crude oil tanker sectorsthe crude oil tanker sector, of the shipping industry and the overall financial condition of the counterparties. In addition, in depressed market conditions, there have been reports of charterers renegotiatingmay seek to renegotiate their charters or defaultingmay default on their obligations under charters and our charterers may fail to pay charter hire or attempt to renegotiate charter rates. For instance, in the third quarter of 2012 we agreed to 13% and 16% reductions in the daily charter rate payable under the bareboat charters for two of our product carriers for one year. The bareboat charters on which we deploy the tankers in our fleet, generally provide for charter rates that are above current spot market rates. Should a counterparty fail to honor its obligations under agreements with us, it may be difficult to secure substitute employment for such vessel, and any new charter arrangements we secure in the spot market or on bareboat or time charters could be at lower rates. If we lose a charter, we may be unable tore-deploy the related vessel on terms as favorable to us. We would not receive any revenues from such a vessel while it remained unchartered, but we may be required to pay expenses necessary to maintain the vessel in proper operating condition, insure it and service any indebtedness secured by such vessel. The failure by charterers to meet their obligations to us or an attempt by charterers to

renegotiate our charter agreements could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

We are exposed to the volatile spot market and charters at attractive rates may not be available when the charters for our vessels expire or when we are attempting to charter the 15 newbuilding LPG carriers which we have agreed to acquire, which would have an adverse impact on our revenues and financial condition.

As of April 1, 2015,2018, of our 4755 vessels, including twothree chartered in vessels, 3745 were under period charters (bareboat charters and time charters), while 10 were deployed in the spot market. As of April 1, 2015, 63%2018, 67% of our anticipated fleet days arewere covered by period charter contracts for the remainder of 20152018 and 34%33% for 20162019 (in each case, excluding our contracted newbuilding vessels)vessel), with period charters for 1420 of our vessels scheduled to expire in 2015,2018 and 911 of our period charters scheduled to expire in 2016. We have not yet arranged employment for 10 of the remaining 15 newbuilding LPG carriers2019. In addition we have agreed to acquire scheduledarranged aone-year time charter for deliveryour 22,000 cbm LPG carrier newbuilding which was delivered in 2015, 2016 and 2017.April 2018.

We are exposed to fluctuations in the charter market for the remaining anticipated voyage days that are not covered byfixed-rate contracts, and to the extent the counterparties to our fixed-rate charter contracts fail to honor their obligations to us. The successful operation of our vessels in the competitive and highly volatile spot charter market depends on, among other things, obtaining profitable spot charters, which depends greatly on vessel supply and demand, and minimizing, to the extent possible, time spent waiting for charters and time spent traveling unladenunloaded to pick up cargo. When the current charters for our fleet expire or are terminated, it may not be possible tore-charter these vessels at similar rates, or at all, or to secure charters for our contractedany additional LPG carrier acquisitions at similarly profitable rates, or at all. As a result, we may have to accept lower rates or experience off hire time for our vessels, which would adversely impact our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend upon a few significant customers for a large part of our revenues. The loss of one or more of these customers could adversely affect our financial performance.

In our operating history we have derived a significant part of our revenue from a small number of charterers. For the yearsyear ended December 31, 2012, 2013 and 20142015 we had only one customer from which we derived more than 10% of our revenues, accounting for 12%13%, 11%while for 2016 and 13%2017 we had no customers from which we derived more than 10% of our revenues, respectively. Furthermore, forrevenues. For the year ended December 31, 2014,2017, our three largest customers accounted for 29%26% of our revenues. Overall, we anticipate a limited number of customers will continue to represent significant amounts of our revenue. If these customers cease doing business or do not fulfill their obligations under the charters for

our vessels, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected. Further, if we encounter any difficulties in our relationships with these charterers, our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our loan agreements or other financing arrangements contain restrictive covenants that may limit our liquidity and corporate activities.

Our loan agreements impose, and our future financing arrangements may impose, operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions may limit our ability to:

loan to the principal amount outstanding under such loan. The market value of LPG carriers, product carriers and crude oil tankers is sensitive to, among other things, changes in the LPG carrier, product carrier and crude oil tanker charter markets, respectively, with vessel values deteriorating in times when LPG carrier, product carrier and tanker charter rates, as applicable, are falling and improving when charter rates are anticipated to rise. Lower charter rates in the LPG carrier, product carrier and crude oil tanker markets coupled with the difficulty in obtaining financing for vessel purchases have adversely affected product carrier and Aframax tanker values, in the recent past, and the impact of the dramatic decline in oil prices on demand for LPG has adversely affected LPG carrier values since the fourth quarter of 2014.2014, with modest improvement alongside increasing oil prices in the latter part of 2017 and early 2018. A continuation of these conditions would lead to a significant decline in the fair market values of our vessels, which may result in our not being in compliance with these loan covenants. If the value of our vessels deteriorates significantly, we may have to record an impairment adjustment in our financial statements as we did in each of our last four fiscal years which would adversely affect our financial results and could further hinder our ability to raise capitalcapital.

For instance, upon expiry of consecutive waivers that reduced the security coverage requirement for the period from December 31, 2010 to June 30, 2013 we expected to not be in compliance with the security cover covenant in one of our credit facilities involving a product tanker. As a result, an amount of approximately $3.7 million had been classified as restricted cash as of December 31, 2012 in anticipation of the need to cure such expected non-compliance. As of December 31, 2013 and 2014 we were in compliance with the original loan covenants.

A failure to comply with our covenants and/or obtain covenant waivers or modifications could result in our lenders requiring us to post additional collateral, enhance our equity and liquidity, increase our interest payments or pay down our indebtedness to a level where we are in compliance with our loan covenants, sell vessels in our fleet or accelerate our indebtedness, which would impair our ability to continue to conduct our business. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not be able to refinance our debt or obtain additional financing and could lose our vessels if our lenders foreclose their liens. In addition, if we find it necessary to sell our vessels at a time when vessel prices are low, we will recognize losses and a reduction in our earnings, which could affect our ability to raise additional capital necessary for us to comply with our loan agreements.

We may be unable to obtain financing for the acquisition of the additional LPG carriers for which we have entered into purchase agreements.

As of April 1, 2015, we had entered into separate agreements to acquire 15 LPG carrier newbuildings under construction for an aggregate of $ 428.3 million, of which $349.9 million remains to be paid. Nine of these vessels are scheduled to be delivered to us in 2015 while two of the remaining vessels under construction are scheduled to be delivered to us in 2016 and four in 2017. We have entered into loan agreements or obtained financing commitments for the acquisition of eleven of these newbuilding eco vessels. Should such financing not be available at the time of delivery, this could severely impact our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements, meet our obligations, finance future obligations and expand the size of our fleet. Although we have entered into discussions with a financial institution for additional financing commitments we may be unable to obtain the necessary financing for the acquisition of the remaining four newbuilding LPG vessels on attractive terms or at all. If financing is not available when needed, including potentially through equity financings, or is available only on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our purchase price payment obligations and complete the acquisition of these vessels. Our failure to obtain the funds for these capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as our cash flows.

To the extent that we are unable to enter into new credit facilities and obtain such additional secured indebtedness on terms acceptable to us, we will need to find alternative financing. If we are unable to find alternative financing, we may not be capable of funding all of our commitments for capital expenditures relating to our contracted vessels. A failure to fulfill our commitments generally results in a forfeiture of the advance paid to the shipyard or the third-party seller with respect to the vessels and a write-off of expenses capitalized. In addition, we may also be liable for other damages for breach of contract. Such events, if they occurred, would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

We may be unable to draw down the full amount of our committed credit facilities if the market values of our vessels decline, which could adversely affect our ability to complete the acquisition of our LPG carrier newbuildings.

There are restrictions on the amount of cash that can be advanced to us under our committed credit facilities for 11 vessels based on the market value and employment of the vessel or vessels in respect of which the advance is being made. If the market value of our vessels decline, or, in some cases, we are not able to secure suitable employment for our vessels, we may not be able to draw down the full amount of our committed credit facilities, obtain other financing or incur debt on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, if we are unable to enter into definitive agreements for such credit facilities, for which we have commitment letters, we may be unable to obtain replacement financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. In such an event, our ability to complete the acquisition of our newbuilding LPG carriers, which we intend to partially finance with borrowings under such committed credit facilities, could be adversely affected and we could lose the deposits made on such vessels, or we may have to reduce our existing cash balances in order to pay for the delivery of the vessels.

Global economic conditions and disruptions in world financial markets and the resulting governmental action in the United States and in other parts of the world could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Global economic conditions and financial markets have been severely disrupted and volatile in recent years and remain subject to significant vulnerabilities, such as the, deterioration of fiscal balancescontinued deleveraging and the rapid accumulation of public debt, continued deleveragingcontraction in the banking sector and limited supply of credit. Credit markets and the debt and equity capital markets were exceedingly distressed in 2008 and 2009, and have been volatile since that time. The current sovereign debt crisis in countries such as Greece, for example, and concerns over debt levels of certain other European Union member states and in other countries around the world, as well as concerns about international banks, have led to increased volatility in global credit and equity markets. These issues, along with there-pricing of credit risk and the difficulties currently experienced by financial institutions, have made, and will likely continue to make, it difficult to obtain financing. As a result of the disruptions in the credit markets and higher capital requirements, many lenders have increased margins on lending rates, enacted tighter lending standards, required more restrictive terms (including higher collateral ratios for advances, shorter maturities and smaller loan amounts), or refused to refinance existing debt on terms similar to our current debt or at all. Furthermore, certain banks that have historically been significant lenders to the shipping industry have reduced or ceased lending activities in the shipping industry. New banking regulations, including tightening of capital requirements and the resulting policies adopted by lenders, could further reduce lending activities. We may experience difficulties in obtaining financing commitments, or be unable to fully draw on the capacity under our committed credit facilities in the future, or refinance our credit facilities when our current facilities mature if our lenders are unwilling to extend financing to us or unable to meet their funding obligations due to their own liquidity, capital or solvency issues. We cannot be certain that financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all. In the absence of available financing, we also may be unable to take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures.

We currently maintain all of our cash and cash equivalents with a limited number of financial institutions, including financial institutions located in Greece, which subjects us to credit risk.

We currently maintain all of our cash and cash equivalents with a limited number of financial institutions located in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Greece. Those financial institutions located in Greece may be subsidiaries of international banks or Greek financial institutions. Economic conditions in Greece have been, and continue to be, severely disrupted and volatile, and as a result of sovereign weakness, continued recession and fragile political stability, as well as the deposit and debt ratings of

several Greek banks that reflect their weakening stand-alone financial strength and the anticipated additional pressures stemming from the country’s challenged economic prospects. In addition, in 2015 Greece implemented capital controls restricting the transfer of funds out of Greece; we hold a limited amount of cash in Greece, therefore our business and operations were not, and will not be affected by these capital controls. We do not expect any of our balances to be covered by insurance in the event of default by any of these financial institutions. The occurrence of such a default, or in the case of restrictions in capital movements by these institutions or countries, could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and we may lose part or all of our cash that we have deposited with such financial institutions. If we are unable to fund our capital expenditures, we may not be able to continue to operate some of our vessels, which would have a material effect on our business.

Our ability to obtain additional debt financing may be dependent on the performance of our then existing charters and the creditworthiness of our charterers.

The actual or perceived credit quality of our charterers, and any defaults by them, may materially affect our ability to obtain the additional capital resources that we will require in order to purchase additional vessels or may significantly increase our costs of obtaining such capital. Our inability to obtain additional financing at a higher than anticipated cost or at all may materially affect our results of operation and our ability to implement our business strategy.

A significant increase in our debt levels may adversely affect us and our cash flows.

As of December 31, 20142017 we had outstanding indebtedness, net of $325.5 millioncapitalized arrangement fees of $384.9 million. In 2018 we have incurred additional indebtedness in connection with financing three newbuilding vessels delivered to us, and we would expect to incur further indebtedness as we finance the remaining purchase pricein connection with any further expansion of our 16 contracted vessels and further expand our fleet. This increase in the level of indebtedness and the need to service the indebtedness may impact our profitability and cash available for growth of our fleet, working capital and dividends if any. Additionally, any increaseincreases in the present low interest rate levels, which have started to increase over the past year, may increase the cost of servicing our indebtedness with similar results.

To finance our future fleet expansion program beyond our current fleet, including our contracted vessels, we expect to incur additional secured debt. We have to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to pay the principal and interest on our debt. These payments limit funds otherwise available for working capital, capital expenditures, and other purposes, including any distributions of cash to our stockholders, and our inability to service our debt could lead to acceleration of our debt and foreclosure on our fleet.

Moreover, carrying secured indebtedness exposes us to increased risks if the demand for LPG, oil oroil-related marine transportation decreases and charter rates and vessel values are adversely affected.

We are exposed to volatility in the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”).

The amounts outstanding under our senior secured credit facilities have been, and we expect borrowings under additional credit facilities we have entered into and may enter into in the future will generally be, advanced at a floating rate based on LIBOR, which has been stable, but was volatile in prior years, which can affect the amount of interest payable on our debt, and which, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our earnings and cash flow. In addition, in recent years, LIBOR, has beenwhich was at relatively low levels for an extended period of time, has increased in 2017 and early 2018 and may rise in the futurecontinue to increase from these levels as the current low interest rate environment comes to an end. Our financial condition could be materially adversely affected at any time that we have not entered into interest rate hedging arrangements to hedge our exposure to the interest rates applicable to our credit facilities and any other financing arrangements we may enter into in the future, including those we enter into to finance a portion of the amounts payable with respect to newbuildings. Moreover, evenAs of December 31, 2017, we had 17.8% of our loan exposure under interest rate swap arrangements. Even if we have entered into interest rate swaps or other derivative instruments for purposes of managing our interest rate exposure, our hedging strategies may not be effective and we may incur substantial losses.

The derivative contracts we have entered into to hedge our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates could result in higher than market interest rates and charges against our income, as well as reductions in our stockholders’ equity.

We have entered into interest rate swaps for purposes of managing our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates applicable to indebtedness under our credit facilities which were advanced at floating rates based on LIBOR. Our hedging strategies, however, may not be effective and we may incur substantial losses if interest rates or currencies move materially differently from our expectations.

To the extent our existing interest rate swaps do not, and future derivative contracts may not qualify for treatment as hedges for accounting purposes, which as of April 1, 20152018 had an aggregate notional amount of $27.5 million,nil we recognize fluctuations in the fair value of such contracts in our statement of income.operations. In addition, changes in the fair value of any derivative contracts that do qualify for treatment as hedges, which as of April 1, 20152018 had an aggregate notional amount of $17.6$88.4 million, are recognized in “Other Comprehensive Income”“Accumulated other comprehensive income” on our balance sheet, and can affect compliance with the net worth covenant requirements in our credit facilities. Our financial condition could also be materially adversely affected to the extent we do not hedge our exposure to interest rate fluctuations under our financing arrangements under which loans have been advanced at a floating rate based on LIBOR.

In addition, we mayhad entered in the past and may enter in the future enter into foreign currency derivative contracts in order to hedge an exposure to foreign currencies related to shipbuilding contracts. During 2014, we had entered into a series of

foreign currency forward contracts to hedge part of our exposure to fluctuations of our anticipated cash payments in Japanese Yen relating to certain vessels under construction under which we converted U.S. dollars to approximately ¥900 million of cash outflows at various dates through 2014 and 2015. As of April 1, 2015 we had remaining contractual payment obligations to a yard of ¥ 1.8 billion through the delivery of the vessel in the first quarter of 2016, and we may enter into new transactions in the spot or forward exchange rate market. We recognize fluctuations in the fair value of such contracts in our statement of income.operations.

Any hedging activities we engage in may not effectively manage our interest rate and foreign exchange exposure or have the desired impact on our financial conditions or results of operations.

Because we generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars but incur a portion of our expenses in other currencies, exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our results of operations.

We generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars and the majority of our expenses are also in U.S. dollars. However, a small portion of our overall expenses, mainly executive compensation, is incurred in Euros. This could lead to fluctuations in net income due to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the other currencies, in particular the Euro. Expenses incurred in foreign currencies against which the U.S. dollar falls in value can thereby increase, decreasing our net income.

We are dependent on our relationship with the Vafias Group and Stealth Maritime Corporation S.A.

As of April 1, 2015,2018, Stealth Maritime Corporation S.A. (“Stealth Maritime”) served as commercial manager for all 45 owned55operating vessels in our fleet and technical manager for 23 of38of the 42 operating vessels in our fleet not deployed on bareboat charters, while subcontracting the technical management of the remaining eight vesselsfourvessels in our fleet not deployed on bareboat charters to Brave Maritime, which is affiliated with Stealth Maritime.

We are accordingly dependent upon our fleet manager, Stealth Maritime, for:

The loss of Stealth Maritime’s services or its failure to perform its obligations to us properly for financial or other reasons could materially and adversely affect our business and the results of our operations. Although we

may have rights against Stealth Maritime if it defaults on its obligations to us, you would have no recourse against Stealth Maritime. In addition, we might not be able to find a replacement manager on terms as favorable as those currently in place with Stealth Maritime. Further, we expect that we will need to seek approval from our lenders to change our manager. In addition, if Stealth Maritime suffers material damage to its reputation or relationships, including as a result of a spill or other environmental incident or an accident involving ships managed by Stealth Maritime whether or not owned by us, it may harm the ability of us or our subsidiaries to successfully compete in our industry.

We depend on third party managers to manage part of our fleet.

Stealth Maritime subcontracts the technical management for some of our vessels to third parties, including crewing, operation, maintenance and repair. The loss of their services or their failure to perform their obligations could materially and adversely affect the results of our operations. Although we may have rights against these managers if they default on their obligations, you would have no recourse against these parties. In addition, we might not be able to find replacement technical managers on terms as favorable as those currently in place.

We may enter into certain significant transactions with companies affiliated with members of the Vafias Groupfamily which may result in conflicts of interests.

In addition to our management contract with Stealth Maritime, a company controlled by the Vafias Group andother members of the Vafias family, of which our Chief Executive Officer is a member, we may enter into other transactions with companies affiliated with members of the Vafias Groupfamily such as the two charters we entered into in April 2012 and the agreements for the acquisition of four newbuilding LPG carriers in September 2012. Such transactions could create conflicts of interest that could adversely affect our business or your interests as holders of our common stock, as well as our financial position, results of operations and our future prospects.

Our directors and officers may in the future hold direct or indirect interests in companies that compete with us.

Our directors and officers each have a history of involvement in the shipping industry and may in the future, directly or indirectly, hold investments in companies that compete with us. In that case, they may face conflicts between their own interests and their obligations to us.

Companies affiliated with us, including Stealth Maritime and Brave Maritime, may manage or acquire vessels that compete with our fleet.

It is possible that Stealth Maritime or companies affiliated with Stealth Maritime, including Brave Maritime, could, in the future, agree to manage vessels that compete directly with ours. As long as Stealth Maritime (or an entity with respect to which Harry N. Vafias is an executive officer, director or the principal shareholder) is our fleet manager or Harry Vafias is an executive officer or director of the Company, Stealth Maritime has granted us a right of first refusal to acquire any LPG carrier, which Stealth Maritime may acquire in the future. In addition, Stealth Maritime has agreed that it will notcharter-in any LPG carrier without first offering the opportunity tocharter-in such vessel to us. Our President and Chief Executive Officer, Harry N. Vafias, has granted us an equivalent right with respect to any entity that he is an executive officer, director or principal shareholder of, so long as he is an executive officer or a director of us.our company. Were we, however, to decline any such opportunity offered to us or if we do not have the resources or desire to accept any such opportunity, Stealth Maritime or the entity controlled by Mr. Vafias could retain and manage the vessel. This right of first refusal does not cover product carriers or crude oil tankers. In addition, these restrictions, including the right of first refusal, do not apply to Brave Maritime. Furthermore, this right of first refusal does not prohibit Stealth Maritime from managing vessels owned by unaffiliated third parties in competition with us. In such cases, they could compete with our fleet and may face conflicts between their own interests and their obligations to us. In the future, we may also consider further diversifying into wet, dry or other gas shipping sectors, which, like product

carriers and crude oil tankers, are not covered by this right of first refusal agreement. Any such vessels would be in competition with Stealth Maritime and companies affiliated with Stealth Maritime. Stealth Maritime might be faced with conflicts of interest with respect to their own interests and their obligations to us that could adversely affect our business and your interests as stockholders.

As our fleet has grown in size, we have needed to improve our operations and financial systems, staff and crew; if we cannot maintain these systems or continue to recruit suitable employees, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We have significantly expanded our fleet since our initial public offering in October 2005, and as a consequence of this, Stealth Maritime has invested considerable sums in upgrading its operating and financial systems, as well as hiring additionalwell-qualified personnel to manage the vessels now managed by Stealth Maritime. In addition, as we have expanded our fleet, we have had to rely on our technical managers to recruit suitable additional seafarers and shoresideashore administrative and management personnel. Stealth Maritime and those technical managers may not be able to continue to hire suitable employees to the extent we continue to expand our fleet. Our vessels, in particular our LPG carriers, require a technically skilled staff with specialized training.

If the technical managers’ crewing agents are unable to employ such technically skilled staff, they may not be able to adequately staff our vessels. If Stealth Maritime is unable to operate our financial and operations systems effectively or our technical managers are unable to recruit suitable employees as we expand our fleet, our results of operation and our ability to expand our fleet may be adversely affected.

Delays in the delivery of ourany newbuilding or secondhand LPG carriers under construction or our secondhand LPG carrierswe agree to acquire could harm our operating results.

As of April 1, 2015,20, 2018, we had agreedcompleted our newbuilding program and had no agreements to acquire 15 newbuilding eco LPG carriers under construction to be delivered to us in 2015, 2016 and 2017 upon their construction by South Korean and Japanese shipyards. Delaysany additional vessels. However, delays in the delivery of these vessels, or any additional newbuilding or secondhand vessels we may agree to acquire in the future, would delay our receipt of revenues generated by these vessels and, to the extent we have arranged charter employment for these vessels, could possibly result in the cancellation of those charters, and therefore adversely affect our anticipated results of operations. Although this would delay our funding requirements for the installment payments to purchase these vessels, it would also delay our receipt of revenues under any charters we managearrange for such vessels. The delivery of newbuilding vessels could be delayed, other than at our request, because of, among other things:things, work stoppages or other labor disturbances; bankruptcy or other financial crisis of the shipyard building the vessel; hostilities or political or economic disturbances in the countries where the vessels are being built, including any escalation of recent tensions involving North Korea; weather interference or catastrophic event, such as a major earthquake, tsunami or fire; our requests for changes to the original vessel specifications; requests from our customers, with whom we have arranged any charters for such vessels, to delay construction and delivery of such vessels due to weak economic conditions and shipping demand and a dispute with the shipyard building the vessel.

In addition, the refund guarantors under the newbuilding contracts, which are banks, financial institutions and other credit agencies, may also be affected by financial market conditions in the same manner as our lenders and, as a result, may be unable or unwilling to meet their obligations under their refund guarantees. If the shipbuilders or refund guarantors are unable or unwilling to meet their obligations to the sellers of the vessels, this may impact our acquisition of vessels and may materially and adversely affect our operations and our obligations under our credit facilities. Moreover, because we have agreed to acquire some of the LPG carriers under construction as “resales,” we do not have any direct contractual rights under the construction contracts, but rather have agreements with the seller that ordered the construction of such vessels and must rely on the seller to pursue its rights under the construction contract.

The delivery of any secondhand vessels could be delayed because of, among other things, hostilities or political disturbances,non-performance of the purchase agreement with respect to the vessels by the seller, our inability to obtain requisite permits, approvals or financing or damage to or destruction of the vessels while being operated by the seller prior to the delivery date.

If we fail to manage our growth properly, we may not be able to successfully expand our market share.

As and when market conditions permit, we intend to continue to prudently grow our fleet over the long term, including through the acquisition of the fifteen vessels for which we have contracted.term. The acquisition of these andsuch additional vessels could impose significant additional responsibilities on our

management and staff, and may necessitate that we, and they, increase the number of personnel. In the future, we may not be able to identify suitable vessels, acquire vessels on advantageous terms or obtain financing for such acquisitions. Any future growth will depend on:

In the highly competitive international LPG carrier, product carrier and crude oil tanker markets, we may not be able to compete for charters with new entrants or established companies with greater resources.

We deploy our vessels in highly competitive markets that are capital intensive. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners, some of which have greater resources than we do. Competition for the transportation

of LPG, refined petroleum products and crude oil can be intense and depends on price, location, size, age, condition and the acceptability of the vessel and its managers to the charterers. Competitors with greater resources could enter and operate larger LPG carrier fleets through consolidations or acquisitions, and many larger fleets that compete with us in each of these sectors may be able to offer more competitive prices and fleets.

We have three medium range product carriers and one Aframax crude oil tanker; however, we principally operate LPG carriers and our lack of a diversified business could adversely affect us.

Unlike many other shipping companies, which may carry dry bulk, crude oil, oil products or products or goods shipped in containers, we currently depend primarily on the transport of LPG. The vast majority of our revenue has been and is expected to be derived from this single source—the seaborne transport of LPG. Due to our lack of a more diversified business model, adverse developments in the seaborne transport of LPG and the market for LPG products have a significantly greater impact on our financial conditions and results of operations than if we maintained more diverse assets or lines of business.

We have expanded into the product carrier sector and into the crude oil tanker sector and we may not be able to successfully execute this expansion, or any further expansion, in such sectors or any other sectors, such as dry or other wet or gas shipping sectors we choose to expand into, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

We have expanded into the product carrier sector with the acquisition of three medium range product carriers and into the crude oil tanker sector with one Aframax tanker. In the future, we may further expand in these sectors or into dry or other wet or other gas shipping sectors if opportunities arise. We have limited experience in these sectors, including the product carrier and crude oil tanker sectors, and an inability to successfully execute our recent expansion into these sectors or any such future expansion plans could:

each of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition. We may also from time to time consider various alternatives for our product carriers and crude oil tankers that could involve the sale of all or a portion of our interest in these vessels and sectors.

Purchasing and operating previously owned, or secondhand, vessels may result in increased operating costs and vesselsoff-hire, which could adversely affect our revenues.

Our examination of secondhand vessels, which may not include physical inspection prior to purchase, does not provide us with the same knowledge about their condition and cost of any required (or anticipated) repairs that we would have had if these vessels had been built for and operated exclusively by us. Generally, we do not receive the benefit of warranties on secondhand vessels.

In general, the cost of maintaining a vessel in good operating condition increases with its age. As of April 1, 2015,2018, the average age of the vessels in our fleet, including chartered in vessels, was approximately 10.89.3 years. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient and more costly to maintain and operate than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. Cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers.

Governmental regulations, safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may require expenditures for alterations, or the addition of new equipment, to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which the vessels may engage. As our vessels age, market conditions may not justify those

expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives. If we sell vessels, the sales prices may not equal and could be less than their carrying values at that time.

The shipping industry has inherent operational risks that may not be adequately covered by our insurance.

We procure hull and machinery insurance, protection and indemnity insurance, which includesinclude environmental damage and pollution insurance coverage, and war risk insurance for our fleet. While we endeavor to be adequately insured against all known risks related to the operation of our ships, there remains the possibility that a liability may not be adequately covered and we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage for our fleet in the future. The insurers may also not pay particular claims. Even if our insurance coverage is adequate, we may not be able to timely obtain a replacement vessel in the event of a loss. Our insurance policies contain deductibles for which we will be responsible and limitations and exclusions which may increase our costs or lower our revenue. In addition, if one of our ships, or other ships managed by our manager and owned by an affiliated entity of our manager, were to incur significant costs from an accident, spill or other environmental liability, our insurance premiums and costs could increase significantly.

Our major stockholder exerts considerable influence on the outcome of matters on which our stockholders are entitled to vote and his interests may be different from yours.

Our major stockholder, our Chief Executive Officer, including through a company he controls, owns approximately 10.5%16.3% of our outstanding common stock as of April 1, 20152018 and exerts considerable influence on the outcome of matters on which our stockholders are entitled to vote, including the election of our Board of Directors and other significant corporate actions. The interests of this stockholder may be different from your interests.

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

Under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of vessel owning or chartering corporations, such as our subsidiaries, that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but does not both begin and end, in the United States is characterized as United States-source shipping income. United States-source shipping income is subject to either a (i) 4% United States federal income tax without allowance for deductions or (ii) taxation at the standard United States federal income tax rates (and potentially to a 30% branch profits tax), unless derived by a corporation that qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.

Generally, we and our subsidiaries will qualify for this exemption for a taxable year if our shares are treated as “primarily and regularly traded” on an established securities market in the United States. Our shares of common stock will be so treated if (i) the aggregate number of our shares of common stock traded during such year on an established securities market in the United States exceeds the aggregate number of our shares of common stock traded during that year on established securities markets in any other single country, (ii) either (x) our shares of common stock are regularly quoted during such year by dealers making a market in our shares or (y) trades in our shares of common stock are effected, other than in de minimis quantities, on an established securities market in the United States on at least 60 days during such taxable year and the aggregate number of our shares of common stock traded on an established securities market in the United States during such year equals at least 10% of the average number of our shares of common stock outstanding during such taxable year and (iii) our shares of common stock are not “closely held” during such taxable year. For these purposes, our shares of common stock will be treated as closely held during a taxable year if, for more thanone-half the number of days in such taxable year, one or more persons each of whom owns either directly or under applicable

attribution rules, at least 5% of our shares of common stock, own, in the aggregate, 50% or more of our shares of common stock, unless we can establish, in accordance with applicable documentation requirements, that a sufficient number of the shares of common stock in the closely-held block are owned, directly or indirectly, by persons that are residents of foreign jurisdictions that provide United States shipping companies with an exemption from tax that is equivalent to that provided by Section 883 to preclude other stockholders in theclosely-held block from owning 50% or more of the closely-held block of shares of common stock.

We believe that it is currently the case, and may also be the case in the future, that, one or more persons each of whom owns, either directly or under applicable attribution rules, at least 5% of our shares of common stock own, in the aggregate, 50% or more of our shares of common stock. In such circumstances, we and our subsidiaries may qualify for the exemption provided in Section 883 of the Code only if a sufficient number of shares of the closely-held block of our shares of common stock were owned or treated as owned by “qualified stockholders” so it could not be the case that, for more than half of the days in the taxable year, the shares of common stock in the closely-held block not owned or treated as owned by qualified stockholders represented 50% or more of our shares of common stock. For these purposes, a “qualified stockholder” includes an individual that owns or is treated as owning shares of our common stock and is a resident of a jurisdiction that provides an exemption that is equivalent to that provided by Section 883 of the Code and certain other persons; provided in each case that such individual or other person complies with certain documentation and certification requirements set forth in the Section 883 regulations and designed to establish status as a qualified stockholder.

Our Chief Executive Officer, who beneficially owned approximately 10.5%16.3% of our shares of common stock as of April 1, 2015,2018, has entered into an agreement with us regarding his compliance, and the compliance by certain entities that he controls and through which he owns our shares, with the certification procedures designed to establish status as a qualified stockholder. In certain circumstances, his compliance and the compliance of such entities he controls with the terms of that agreement may enable us and our subsidiaries to qualify for the benefits of Section 883 even where persons (each of whom owns, either directly or under applicable attribution rules, 5% or more of our shares) own, in the aggregate, more than 50% of our outstanding shares. However, his compliance and the compliance of such entities he controls with the terms of that agreement may not enable us or our subsidiaries to qualify for the benefits of Section 883. We or any of our subsidiaries may not qualify for the benefits of Section 883 for any year.

If we or our subsidiaries do not qualify for the exemption under Section 883 of the Code for any taxable year, then we or our subsidiaries would be subject for those years to the 4% United States federal income tax on gross United States shipping income or, in certain circumstances, to net income taxation at the standard United States federal income tax rates (and potentially also to a 30% branch profits tax). The imposition of such tax could have a negative effect on our business and would result in decreased earnings available for distribution to our stockholders.

We could become a “passive foreign investment company,” which would have adverse United States federal income tax consequences to United States holders and, in turn, us.

A foreign corporation will be treated as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of “passive income” or (2) at least 50% of the average value of the corporation’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, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which 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” and working capital and similar assets held pending investment in vessels will generally be treated as an asset which produces passive income. United States stockholders of a PFIC are subject to a disadvantageous United States 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.

In connection with determining our PFIC status we treat and intend to continue to treat the gross income that we derive or are deemed to derive from our time chartering and voyage chartering activities as services income, rather than rental income. We believe that our income from time chartering and voyage chartering activities does not constitute “passive income” and that the assets that we own and operate in connection with the production of that income do not constitute assets held for the production of passive income. We treat and intend to continue to

treat, for purposes of the PFIC rules, the income that we derive from bareboat charters as passive income and the assets giving rise to such income as assets held for the production of passive income. There is, however, no legal authority specifically under the PFIC rules regarding our current and proposed method of operation and it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, may not accept our positions and that a court may uphold such challenge, in which case we and certain of our subsidiaries could be treated as PFICs. In this regard we note that a recent federal court decision addressing the characterization of time charters concludes that they constitute leases for federal income tax purposes and employs an analysis which, if applied to our time charters, could result in our treatment and the treatment of our vessel-owning subsidiaries as PFICs. In addition, in making the determination as to whether we are a PFIC, we intend to treat the deposits that we make on our newbuilding contracts and that are with respect to vessels we do not expect to bareboat charter as assets which are not held for the production of passive income for purposes of determining whether we are a PFIC. We note that there is no direct authority on this point and it is possible that the IRS may disagree with our position.

We do not believe that we were a PFIC for 2014.2017. This belief is based in part upon our beliefs regarding the value of the assets that we hold for the production of or in connection with the production of passive income relative to the value of our other assets. Should these beliefs turn out to be incorrect, then we and certain of our subsidiaries could be treated as PFICs for 2014.2017. In this regard we note that our beliefs and expectations regarding the relative values of our assets place us close to the threshold for PFIC status, and thus a relatively small deviance between our beliefs and expectations and actual values could result in the treatment of us and certain of our subsidiaries as PFICs. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or a court will not determine values for our assets that would cause us to be treated as a PFIC for 20142017 or a subsequent year.

In addition, although we do not believe that we were a PFIC for 2014,2017, we may choose to operate our business in the current or in future taxable years in a manner that could cause us to become a PFIC for those years. Because our status as a PFIC for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of the taxable year, and depends upon our assets, income and operations in that taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC for 20142018 or any future taxable year.

If the IRS were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, our United States stockholders would face adverse United States tax consequences. Under the PFIC rules, unless those stockholders make an election available under the Code (which election could itself have adverse consequences for such stockholders, as discussed below under “Item 10.10 Additional Information—Tax Consequences—United States Federal Income Taxation of United States Holders”), such stockholders would be liable to pay United States federal income tax at the then prevailing income tax rates on ordinary income plus interest upon excess distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our shares of common stock, as if the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the stockholder’s holding period of our shares of common stock. See “Item 10. Additional Information—Tax Consequences—United States Federal Income Tax Consequences—United States Federal Income Taxation of United States Holders” for a more comprehensive discussion of the United States federal income tax consequences to United States stockholders if we are treated as a PFIC. As a result of these adverse tax consequences to United States stockholders, such a finding by the IRS may result in sales of our common stock by United States stockholders, which could lower the price of our common stock and adversely affect our ability to raise capital.

As a foreign private issuer we are entitled to claim an exemption from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards, and if we elected to rely on this exemption, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.

As a foreign private issuer, we are entitled to claim an exemption from many of Nasdaq’s corporate governance practices other than the requirements regarding the disclosure of a going concern audit opinion, submission of a listing agreement, notification of materialnon-compliance with Nasdaq corporate governance practices, and the establishment and composition of an audit and compensation committee and a formal written audit and compensation committee charter. Currently, our corporate governance practices comply with the Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. listed companies other than that, while Nasdaq requires listed companies to obtain prior shareholder approval for certain issuances of authorized stock in

transactions not involving a public offering, as permitted under Marshall Islands law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws, we do not need prior shareholder approval to issue shares of authorized stock. To the extent we rely on this exemption for stock issuance or otherwise you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.

We are incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of corporate law.law or a bankruptcy act.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our articles of incorporation and bylaws and by the Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act, or BCA. The provisions of the BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the United States. However, there have been few judicial cases in the Republic of the Marshall Islands interpreting the BCA. The rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under the law 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. Stockholder rights may differ as well. While the BCA does specifically incorporate thenon-statutory law, or judicial case law, of the State of Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative provisions, our public stockholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling stockholders than would stockholders of a corporation incorporated in a U.S. jurisdiction. The Marshall Islands has no established bankruptcy act, and as a result, any bankruptcy action involving our company would have to be initiated outside the Marshall Islands, and our public stockholders may find it difficult or impossible to pursue their claims in such other jurisdictions.

It may be difficult to enforce service of process and judgments against us and our officers and directors.

We are a Marshall Islands company, and our executive offices are located outside of the United States. All of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States, and most of our assets and their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, you may have difficulty serving legal process within the United States upon us or any of these persons. You may also have difficulty enforcing, both in and outside the United States, judgments you may obtain in the U.S. courts against us or these persons in any action, including actions based upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal or state securities laws.

There is also substantial doubt that the courts of the Marshall Islands would enter judgments in original actions brought in those courts predicated on U.S., federal or state securities laws.

Because the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is not currently permitted to inspect our independent accounting firm, you may not benefit from such inspections.

Auditors of U.S. public companies are required by law to undergo periodic Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or “PCAOB”, inspections that assess their compliance with U.S. law and professional standards in connection with performance of audits of financial statements filed with the SEC. Certain European Union countries, including Greece, do not currently permit the PCAOB to conduct inspections of accounting firms established and operating in such European Union countries, even if they are part of major international firms. The PCAOB conducted inspections in Greece in 2008 and evaluated our auditor’s performance of audits of SEC registrants and our auditor’s quality controls. Currently, however, the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections in Greece until a cooperation agreement between the PCAOB and the Greek Accounting & Auditing Standards Oversight Board is reached. Accordingly, unlike for most U.S. public companies, should the PCAOB again wish to conduct an inspection it is currently prevented from evaluating our auditor’s performance of audits and its quality control procedures, and, unlike shareholders of most U.S. public companies, our shareholders would be deprived of the possible benefits of such inspections.

Risks Related To Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate in the future.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated widely since our initial public offering in October 2005 and may continue to do so as a result of many factors, including our actual results of operations

and perceived prospects, the prospects of our competition and of the shipping industry in general and in particular the LPG carrier and product carrier sectors,sector, differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors

and analysts, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections, changes in general valuations for companies in the shipping industry, particularly the LPG carrier and product carrier sectors,sector, changes in general economic or market conditions and broad market fluctuations.

If the market price of our common stock again dropsremains below $5.00 per share, under stock exchange rules, our stockholders will not be able to use such shares as collateral for borrowing in margin accounts. This inability to use shares of our common stock as collateral may depress demand and certain institutional investors are restricted from investing in or holding shares priced below $5.00, which could lead to sales of such shares creating further downward pressure on and increased volatility in the market price of our common stock.

Our Board of Directors suspended the payment of cash dividends as a result of market conditions in the international shipping industry.

In light of the volatile global economic situation, which could reduce the revenues obtained from chartering our vessels and reduce the market value of our vessels, our Board of Directors decided, in the first quarter of 2009, to suspend dividend payments. As our contracted newbuildings are delivered, paid for and begin to generate revenue, ourOur board of directors will evaluate our dividend policy consistent with our cash flows and liquidity requirements. In addition, other external factors, such as our existing loan agreements, future financing arrangements and capital expenditures, as well as Marshall Islands law, may also restrict or prohibit our declaration and payment of dividends under some circumstances. For instance, we are not permitted to declare or pay cash dividends, or repurchase shares, in any twelve month period that exceed 50% of our free cash flow in the preceding twelve month period. Due to these constraints on dividend payments we may not be able to pay regular quarterly dividends in the future. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Credit Facilities—Financial Covenants.”

The declaration and payment of dividends will be subject at all times to the discretion of our Board of Directors. The timing and amount of future dividends will depend on the state of the LPG carrier and tanker markets, our earnings, financial condition, cash requirements and availability, fleet renewal and expansion, restrictions in our loan agreements or other financing arrangements, the provisions of Marshall Islands law affecting the payment of dividends and other factors. Marshall Islands law generally prohibits the payment of dividends other than from surplus or while a company is insolvent or would be rendered insolvent upon the payment of such dividends.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and other agreements could make it difficult for our stockholders to replace or remove our current Board of Directors or have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing a merger or acquisition, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Several provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation and bylaws could make it difficult for our stockholders to change the composition of our Board of Directors in any one year, preventing them from changing the composition of management. In addition, the same provisions may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that stockholders may consider favorable.

These provisions include:

We have adopted a stockholder rights plan, which expires on December 22, 2015, pursuant to which our board of directors may cause the substantial dilution of the holdings of any person that attempts to acquire us without the approval of our board of directors. Our current loan agreements also require that members of theour Chief Executive Officer, Harry Vafias, together with his immediate family, at all times own at least 10% of our outstanding capital stock and certain of our loan agreements provide that it would be an event of default if Harry Vafias ceased to serve as an executive officer or director of our company, theHarry Vafias together with his immediate family, ceased to control our company or any other person or group controlled 25% or more of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change in control and, as a result, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and your ability to realize any potential change of control premium.

A. History and Development of the Company

StealthGas Inc. was incorporated in December 2004 in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 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 principal executive offices are located at 331 Kifissias Avenue, Erithrea 14561 Athens, Greece. Our telephone number for calls originating from the United States is(011) (30) (210) 625-0001.

In October 2005, we completed an initial public offering of our common stock in the United States and our common stock began trading on the Nasdaq National Market and now tradetrades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “GASS”.

Prior to the initial public offering, we owned nine LPG carriers. Since the initial public offering, we acquired an additional 5063 LPG carriers, three product carriers and one Aframax crude oil tanker and sold 1826 LPG carriers so that as of December 31, 2014,2017, we had a fleet of 4348 LPG carriers, including two LPG carriers wecharter-in, three product carriers, and one Aframax crude oil tanker.

During 2014, In January 2018, we took delivery of fivetwo 22,000 cbm newbuilding LPG carriers and sold two LPG carriers which were then chartered back by our Company on a bareboat basis.carriers. As of April 1, 2015,2018, we also had also taken delivery of one newbuilding LPG carrier in January 2015 and had agreementsan agreement to acquire 15one LPG carrierscarrier under construction with expected deliveriesdelivery in the period April 2015 to December 2017. We sold one LPG vessel on April 1, 2015 for demolition. Oncesecond quarter of 2018. As the delivery of these newbuildings is completed and giving effect to the sale of Gas Crystal for demolition whichthis newbuilding was concluded on April 16, 2015,17, 2018, our fleet will beis composed of 5752 LPG carriers, including twothree vessels that are chartered inchartered-in which aggregate 14,71719,734 cbm in capacity, with a total capacity of approximately 352,389329,149 cubic meters (cbm), three medium range product carriers with a total capacity of 140,000 dwt and one 115,804 dwt Aframax tanker, assuming no other acquisitions or disposalstanker. The above vessel numbers do not take into consideration the memoranda of agreement for the disposal of the vesselsGas Legacy andGas Enchanted to unaffiliated third parties.

Our company operates through a number of subsidiaries which either directly or indirectly own or charter in the vessels in our fleet. A list of our subsidiaries, including their respective jurisdiction of incorporation, as of April 1, 2015,2018, all of which are wholly-owned by us, is set forth in Exhibit 8 to this Annual Report on Form20-F.

B. Business Overview

We own a fleet of LPG carriers providing international seaborne transportation services to LPG producers and users, as well as crude oil and product carriers chartered to oil producers, refiners and commodities traders.

Our LPG carriers carry various petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene and vinyl chloride monomer, which are all byproducts of the production of crude oil and natural gas. The three medium range product carriers in our fleet are capable of carrying refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals, while our Aframax tanker is used for carrying crude oil. We believe that we have established a reputation as a safe, cost-efficient

operator of modern and well-maintained LPG carriers. We also believe that these attributes, together with our strategic focus on meeting our customers’ chartering needs, has contributed to our ability to attract leading charterers as our customers and to our success in obtaining charter renewals. We are managed by Stealth Maritime, a privately owned company controlled by other members of the Vafias Group.family, of which our Chief Executive Officer is a member.

As of April 1, 2015,2018, our fleet consisted of 4351 LPG carriers, including two threechartered-in LPG carriers, with an average age of 11.29.3 years, two 2008-built product carriers, one 2009-built product carrier and one 2010-built Aframax crude oil tanker. We also have agreementshad an agreement to acquire 15one LPG carriers,carrier newbuilding of 22,000 cbm capacity, which are scheduled to bewas delivered in the periodon April 2015 to December 2017.17, 2018.

The table below describes our fleet and its deployment as of April 1, 2015.2018.

LPG Carriers (43(51 Vessels)