K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. Announces Results for First Quarter of Fiscal 2007; Increases Quarterly Cash Distribution by $0.02 to $0.64 Per Unit

Business Wire, Oct 27, 2006

NEW YORK -- K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. (NYSE: KSP) today announced operating results for the first fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2006. The Company also announced that its distribution to unitholders for the first quarter will increase by $0.02, or 3.2%, to $0.64 per unit, or $2.56 per unit annualized. This is the sixth consecutive quarter of increased distributions, and the eighth such increase since the Company's IPO in January 2004. The distribution will be payable on November 15, 2006 to unitholders of record on November 9, 2006.

Three Months Ended September 30, 2006

For the three months ended September 30, 2006, the Company reported operating income of $7.5 million, an increase of $1.4 million, or 22%, compared to $6.1 million of operating income for the three months ended September 30, 2005. The increase resulted from expansion of the Company's fleet barrel-carrying capacity over the past year, including the acquisition of Sea Coast Transportation in October 2005 and the addition of five tank barges, including four newbuilds, one of which was delivered during the fiscal 2007 first quarter. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization (EBITDA) increased by $3.6 million, or 31%, to $15.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006, compared to $11.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2005. EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that is reconciled to net income, its most directly comparable GAAP measure, in the table below.

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2006 was $4.1 million, or $0.40 per fully diluted limited partner unit, compared to net income of $4.2 million, or $0.47 per fully diluted limited partner unit, for the three months ended September 30, 2005. The $0.1 million decrease in net income resulted from the $1.4 million increase in operating income, offset by an increase in $1.6 million in interest expense resulting from higher debt balances incurred to finance vessel acquisitions in connection with the Company's fleet expansion and upgrading program over the past year, and higher interest rates.

The Company's distributable cash flow for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 was a record $8.3 million, or 1.25 times the amount needed to cover the increased cash distribution of $6.7 million declared in respect of the period. Distributable cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is reconciled to net income, its most directly comparable GAAP measure, in the table below.

President and CEO Timothy J. Casey said, "We are pleased with our operating results for the fiscal 2007 first quarter, and expect our annual results to be strengthened further by our ongoing fleet expansion. We took delivery of one 28,000 barrel tank barge during this past quarter, and currently have eight additional tank barges under construction for delivery by the end of fiscal 2008. We also recently agreed to purchase three small tugboats in New York harbor to reduce our operating costs and improve efficiency. In light of our results and expectations, our Board of Directors has approved a two cent per unit increase in our quarterly distribution, the eighth distribution increase since our initial public offering in January 2004."

Earnings Conference Call

The Company has scheduled a conference call for Monday, October 30, 2006, at 9:00 am Eastern time, to review the first quarter results. Dial-in information for this call is (866) 356-3377 (Domestic) and (617) 597-5392 (International). The Participant Passcode is 33364454. The conference call can also be accessed by webcast, which will be available at www.k-sea.com. Additionally, a replay of the call will be available by telephone until November 6, 2006; dial in information for the replay is (888) 286-8010 (Domestic) and (617) 801-6888 (International). The Passcode is 25126190.

About K-Sea Transportation Partners

K-Sea Transportation Partners is the largest coastwise tank barge operator, measured by barrel-carrying capacity, in the United States. The Company provides refined petroleum products marine transportation, distribution and logistics services in the U.S. domestic marine transportation market, and its common units trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol KSP. For additional information, please visit the Company's website, including the Investor Relations section, at www.k-sea.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

The Company reports its financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. However, certain non-GAAP financial measures such as EBITDA and distributable cash flow, used in the business, are also presented. EBITDA is used as a supplemental financial measure by management and by external users of financial statements to assess (a) the financial performance of the Company's assets and the Company's ability to generate cash sufficient to pay interest on indebtedness and make distributions to partners, (b) the Company's operating performance and return on invested capital as compared to other companies in the industry, and (c) compliance with certain financial covenants in the Company's debt agreements. Management believes distributable cash flow is useful as another measure of the Company's financial and operating performance, and its ability to declare and pay distributions to partners. Distributable cash flow does not represent the amount of cash required to be distributed under the Company's partnership agreement. Neither EBITDA nor distributable cash flow should be considered as alternatives to net income, operating income, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP. EBITDA and distributable cash flow as presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. A reconciliation of each of these measures to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is presented in the tables below.