d946530b_424b-3.htm
Filed Pursuant to Rule
424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333 -
156843
$250,000,000
Common Shares, Preferred Shares, Debt
Securities,
Warrants, Purchase Contracts and
Units
And
14,305,599 of our Common Shares and
1,132,500 of our Warrants
Offered by Selling Shareholders
Through
this prospectus, we may periodically offer:
(1) our common
shares,
(2) our preferred
shares,
(3) our debt securities, including
guaranteed debt securities,
(4) our warrants,
(5) our purchase contracts,
and
(6) our units.
The
aggregate offering price of all securities issued under this prospectus,
which in no case will exceed the total number of authorized but unissued
common shares or preferred shares under our then existing amended and restated
articles of incorporation, may not exceed $250.0
million. In addition, the selling shareholders named in the section
“Selling Shareholders” may sell in one or more offerings pursuant to this
registration statement up to 14,305,599 of our common shares, which
includes up to 1,132,500 of our common shares which may be issued upon the
exercise of the warrants and up to 1,132,500 of our warrants that were
previously acquired in private transactions. We will not receive any of the
proceeds from the sale of either of our common shares or our warrants by the
selling shareholders.
Our
common shares and warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq Global Market under
the symbols “SBLK” and “SBLKW,” respectively.
The
securities issued under this prospectus may be offered directly or through
underwriters, agents or dealers. The names of any underwriters,
agents or dealers will be included in a supplement to this
prospectus.
An
investment in these securities involves risks. See the section
entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 of this prospectus, and other
risk factors contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and in the
documents incorporated by reference herein and therein.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is
truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
The
date of this prospectus is February 17, 2009
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
THE
INTERNATIONAL DRY BULK SHIPPING INDUSTRY |
30
|
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS |
41
|
PER
SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION |
42
|
PER SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION |
43
|
ENFORCEMENT
OF CIVIL LIABILITIES |
46
|
DESCRIPTION
OF CAPITAL STOCK |
51
|
DESCRIPTION
OF OTHER SECURITIES |
53
|
INDUSTRY
AND MARKET DATA |
65
|
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
66
|
INDEX
TO AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
F-1
|
Unless
otherwise indicated, all dollar references in this prospectus are to U.S.
dollars and financial information presented in this prospectus that is derived
from financial statements incorporated by reference is prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
This
prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Commission, using a shelf
registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may sell the
common shares, preferred shares, debt securities (and related guarantees),
warrants, purchase contracts and units described in this prospectus in one or
more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $250.0 million. In
addition, the selling shareholders may sell in one or more offerings pursuant to
this registration statement up to 14,305,599 of our common shares and up to
1,132,500 of our warrants that were previously acquired in private
transactions. This prospectus provides you with a general description
of the securities we or any selling shareholder may offer. Each time we or a
selling shareholder offer securities, we will provide you with a prospectus
supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and terms of the
offered securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change the
information contained in this prospectus. You should read carefully both this
prospectus and any prospectus supplement, together with the additional
information described below.
This
prospectus does not contain all the information provided in the registration
statement we filed with the Commission. For further information about
us or the securities offered hereby, you should refer to that registration
statement, which you can obtain from the Commission as described below under
“Where You Can Find More Information.”
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
Unless
we otherwise specify, when used in this prospectus, the terms “Star Bulk
Carriers Corp.,” “Star Bulk,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Star
Bulk Carriers Corp. and its subsidiaries. Our functional currency is in the U.S.
dollar as all of our revenues are received in U.S. dollars and a majority of our
expenditures are made in U.S. dollars. All references in this prospectus to
“$” or “dollars” are to U.S. dollars.
Our
Company
We
are an international company providing worldwide transportation of drybulk
commodities through our vessel-owning subsidiaries for a broad range of
customers of major and minor bulk cargoes including iron ore, coal, grain,
cement and fertilizer. We were incorporated in the Marshall Islands on December
13, 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Star Maritime Acquisition Corp., or
Star Maritime. We merged with Star Maritime on November 30, 2007 and commenced
operations on December 3, 2007, which was the date we took delivery of our first
vessel.
We
maintain our principal executive offices at 7, Fragoklisias Street, 2nd floor,
Maroussi 151 25, Athens, Greece. Our telephone number at that address is
011-30-210-617-8400.
Our
Fleet
We
own and operate a fleet of 12 vessels consisting of four Capesize and eight
Supramax drybulk carriers with an average age of 9.8 years and a combined cargo
carrying capacity of approximately 1.1 million dwt.
Our
fleet carries a variety of drybulk commodities including coal, iron ore, and
grains, or major bulks, as well as bauxite, phosphate, fertilizers and steel
products, or minor bulks. We charter all of our vessels under
medium- to long-term time charters with terms of approximately one to five
years, other than the Star Sigma,
which is currently employed in the spot market and the Star Alpha, which is committed to the first of
four scheduled shipments under a contract of affreightment, or
COA, expected to commence in the first quarter of 2009. Please see the
section of this prospectus entitled "The International Dry Bulk Shipping
Industry - Charter Hire Rates" for a detailed description of a COA. We expect
the Star
Sigma to trade in the spot market until it commences a three year time
charter at a gross daily average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March
2009.
The
following table represents a list of all of the vessels in our fleet as of
February 2, 2009:
Vessel
Name
|
Vessel
Type
|
|
Size (dwt.)
|
Year Built
|
|
Daily
Gross
Hire
Rate
|
Type/ Remaining
Term
|
Star
Alpha (ex
A Duckling)(1)
|
Capesize
|
|
|
175,075
|
|
1992
|
|
|
N/A |
|
COA
|
Star Beta (ex B
Duckling)(2)
|
Capesize
|
|
|
174,691
|
|
1993
|
|
|
$32,500
|
|
Time
charter/1.1 years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commencing
in February 2009
|
Star
Gamma (ex
C Duckling)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
53,098
|
|
2002
|
|
|
$38,000 |
(6) |
Time
charter/3.0
years
|
Star
Delta (ex
F Duckling)(3) |
Supramax
|
|
|
52,434
|
|
2000
|
|
|
$11,250
|
|
Time
charter/1.0
year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commencing
in February 2009
|
Star
Epsilon (ex
G Duckling)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
52,402
|
|
2001
|
|
|
$32,400 |
|
Time
charter/5.0
years
|
Star
Zeta (ex
I Duckling)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
52,994
|
|
2003
|
|
|
$42,500 |
|
Time
charter/2.1 years
|
Star
Theta (ex
J Duckling)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
52,425
|
|
2003
|
|
|
$32,500 |
|
Time
charter/0.1 year
|
Star
Kappa (ex
E Duckling)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
52,055
|
|
2001
|
|
|
$47,800 |
|
Time
charter/1.5 years
|
Star
Sigma (ex
Sinfonia)(4) |
Capesize
|
|
|
184,403
|
|
1991
|
|
|
$63,000
|
(6) |
Time
charter/3.0 years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commencing
in March 2009
|
Star
Omicron (ex
Nord Wave)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
53,489
|
|
2005
|
|
|
$43,000 |
|
Time
charter/2.0
years
|
Star
Cosmo (ex
Victoria)
|
Supramax
|
|
|
52,247
|
|
2005
|
|
|
$39,868 |
(6)
|
Time
charter/2.2 years
|
Star
Ypsilon (ex
Falcon Cape)
|
Capesize
|
|
|
150,940
|
|
1991
|
|
|
$91,932 |
(6)
|
Time
charter/2.4
years
|
Recently
Sold
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Star
Iota (ex
Mommy Duckling)(5)
|
Panamax
|
|
|
78,585
|
|
1983
|
|
|
$18,000 |
|
|
(1) |
The Star Alpha recently underwent
unscheduled repairs which resulted in a 25 day off-hire period.
Following the completion of repairs, the Star Alpha was
redelivered to us by its charterers approximately one month prior to the
earliest redelivery date allowed under the time charter
agreement. Prior to the redelivery, arbitration proceedings had
commenced pursuant to separate disputes that had arisen with the
charterers of the Star
Alpha relating to vessel performance characteristics and
hire. We have notified the charterers of the vessel that we
intend to seek additional damages in connection with the early redelivery
of the Star Alpha
in the current arbitration proceedings.
|
|
|
|
On
January 20, 2009, we entered into a contract of affreightment, or COA,
with Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. Under the terms of the COA, we
expect to transport approximately 700,000 metric tons of iron ore
between Brazil and China in four separate Capesize vessel shipments with
the first shipment scheduled in the first quarter of 2009. On
February 5, 2009, we committed the Star
Alpha to the first shipment under the
COA. |
|
|
(2) |
On
February 10, 2009, we entered into a 13 to 15 month time charter
agreement for the Star Beta at a
gross daily rate of $32,500. The vessel is expected
to be delivered to the new charterer in February
2009. |
|
|
(3) |
On
February 2, 2009, we entered into a one year time charter agreement for
the Star Delta at
a gross daily rate of $11,250. The vessel is expected to be
delivered to the new charterer by
mid-February 2009.
|
|
|
(4) |
The Star
Sigma, which was on time charter to a Japanese charterer at a gross
daily charter rate of $100,000 per day until March 1, 2009 (earliest
redelivery), was redelivered to us earlier pursuant to an agreement
whereby the charterer agreed to pay the contracted rate less $8,000 per
day, which is the approximate operating cost for the vessel, from the date
of the actual redelivery in November 2008 through March
1,
2009. We received payment in full and the vessel is
currently trading in the spot market at a rate of approximately $14,100
per day, resulting in revenue for the vessel that is effectively higher
than it would have been under the original charter at the rate of
$100,000. The vessel is scheduled to commence a three year time charter at
a gross daily average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March
2009.
|
|
|
(5)
|
On
April 24, 2008, we entered into an agreement to sell Star
Iota for
gross proceeds of $18.4 million. We delivered this
vessel to its purchasers on October 6,
2008.
|
|
|
(6) |
Calculated
by taking the average daily gross hire rate over the term of the
charter. |
Certain
Risks
Our
business depends on our ability to manage a number of risks relating to our
industry and our operations. These risks include the following:
●
|
Cyclical
nature of charter hire rates. The cyclical nature of the
drybulk shipping industry and the volatility in charter hire rates for our
vessels may affect our ability to successfully charter our vessels in the
future or renew existing charters at rates sufficient to allow us to meet
our obligations or to pay dividends. Charter rates are affected
by, among other factors, the demand for carriage of drybulk cargo and the
supply of drybulk vessels in the global fleet, which, according to Drewry,
as of November 2008, amounted to 70.6% of the existing drybulk carrier
fleet based on current newbuilding orders. Charter hire rates
have decreased sharply from their historical highs and the value
of secondhand vessels has also decreased sharply from their historically
high levels. The Baltic Dry Index, or BDI, a daily average of charter
rates in 26 shipping routes measured on a time charter and voyage basis
and covering Supramax, Panamax, and Capesize drybulk carriers, has fallen
over 83% from May 2008 through February 10,
2009.
|
|
Our
operations are subject to international laws and
regulations. Our business and the operation of our
vessels are materially affected by applicable government regulation in the
form of international conventions and national, state and local laws and
regulations. Because such conventions, laws, and regulations
are often revised, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with
them or with additional regulations that may be applicable to our
operations that are adopted in the
future.
|
|
Servicing
our current and future debt limits funds available for other purposes,
including the payment of dividends. As of February 2, 2009, we had total
outstanding borrowings under our three loan facilities in the aggregate
amount of $295.0 million. To finance our future fleet
expansion, we expect to incur additional secured debt. We must
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 and capital expenditures and may limit funds
available for other purposes, including distributing cash to our
shareholders, and our inability to service debt could lead to acceleration
of our debt payments and foreclosure on our fleet. On December 5,
2008, we paid a cash and stock dividend on our common stock totaling $0.36
per common share in respect of the third quarter of 2008. The declaration
and payment of any dividend is subject to the discretion of our board of
directors. Under the terms of the proposed amendments to our three credit
facilities, payment of dividends and repurchases of our shares and
warrants have been suspended. Please see the section of this
prospectus entitled "Recent Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements
With Lenders."
|
Prospective investors
in our securities should also carefully consider the factors set forth in the
section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page
6.
Drybulk
Shipping Industry Trends
The
maritime shipping industry is fundamental to international trade with
ocean-going vessels representing the most efficient and often the only method of
transporting large volumes of many essential commodities, finished goods and
crude and refined petroleum products between the continents and across the
seas. It is a global industry whose performance is closely tied to
the level of economic activity in the world.
The
drybulk shipping industry involves the carriage of bulk
commodities. According to Drewry Shipping Consultants, Ltd., or
Drewry, charter hire rates have fallen sharply from the highs recorded in
2008. The Baltic Dry Index, or BDI, a daily average of charter rates
in 26 shipping routes measured on a time charter and voyage basis and covering
Supramax, Panamax, and Capesize drybulk carriers, declined from a high of 11,793
in May 2008 to 920 on January 14, 2009 after reaching a low of 663 in December
2008, which represents a decline of 92%. The BDI fell over 70% in
October alone.
We
currently employ the Star Sigma in
the spot market on a voyage charter which will expire at the end of
February 2009. The Star Sigma
is scheduled to commence a three year time charter at a gross daily
average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March 2009. Vessels
trading in the spot market are exposed to increased risk of declining charter
rates and freight rate volatility compared to vessels employed on time
charters. Since mid-August 2008, the spot day rates in the drybulk
charter market have declined very significantly, and drybulk vessel values have
also declined both as a result of a slowdown in the availability of global
credit and the significant deterioration in charter rates. Charter
rates and vessel values have been affected in part by the lack of availability
of credit to finance both vessel purchases and purchases of commodities carried
by sea, resulting in a decline in cargo shipments, and the excess supply of iron
ore in China which resulted in falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles
in Chinese ports.
Capesize
rates, which averaged $100,000/day in August 2008, fell to an average of
approximately $10,334 per day during the fourth quarter of 2008. We
believe that the root cause of the fall has been a sharp slowdown in Chinese
steel demand and prices leading to reduced demand for iron ore. Iron ore price
negotiations between Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and Chinese steel mills in the
third and fourth quarter of 2008 resulted in a number of Chinese mills turning
to domestic mining companies for iron ore. Additionally, the
unwillingness of banks to issue letters of credit resulted in reduced financing
for the purchase of commodities carried by sea which has led to a significant
decline in cargo shipments.
Corporate
Structure
Star Bulk
is a holding company that owns its vessels through separate wholly-owned
subsidiaries. Star Bulk’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Star Bulk
Management Inc., or Star Bulk Management, performs operational and
technical management services for all of our vessels, including chartering,
marketing, making capital expenditures, managing personnel, accounting, paying
vessel taxes and maintaining insurance.
Star
Maritime Acquisition Corp., or Star Maritime, was organized under the laws of
the State of Delaware on May 13, 2005 as a blank check company formed to
acquire, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or similar
business combination, one or more assets or target businesses in the shipping
industry. Following the formation of Star Maritime, our officers and
directors were the holders of 9,026,924 shares of common stock representing all
of our then issued and outstanding capital stock. On December 21,
2005, Star Maritime consummated its initial public offering of 18,867,500 units,
at a price of $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of Star
Maritime common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of Star Maritime
common stock at an exercise price of $8.00 per share. In addition, Star
Maritime completed during December 2005 a private placement of an aggregate of
1,132,500 units, or the Private Placement, each unit consisting of one share of
common stock and one warrant, to Messrs. Tsirigakis and Syllantavos, our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively, and
Messrs. Pappas and Erhardt, our Chairman of the Board and one of our
directors. The gross proceeds of the Private Placement of $11.3 million
were used to pay all fees and expenses of the initial public offering and as a
result, the entire gross proceeds of the initial public offering amounting to
$188.7 million were deposited in a trust account maintained by American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, or the Trust Account. Star Maritime’s
common stock and warrants started trading on the American Stock Exchange under
the symbols, SEA and SEA.WS, respectively on December 21, 2005.
On
January 12, 2007, Star Maritime and Star Bulk entered into definitive agreements
to acquire a fleet of eight drybulk carriers with a combined cargo-carrying
capacity of approximately 692,000 dwt. from certain subsidiaries of TMT Co.
Ltd., or TMT, a shipping company headquartered in Taiwan. These eight
drybulk carriers are referred to as the initial fleet, or initial
vessels. The aggregate purchase price specified in the Master
Agreement by and among the Company, Star Maritime and TMT, or the Master
Agreement for the initial fleet was $224.5 million in cash and 12,537,645 shares
of common stock of Star Bulk. As additional consideration for eight
vessels, we agreed to issue 1,606,962 shares of common stock of Star Bulk to TMT
in two installments as follows: (i) 803,481 additional shares of Star Bulk’s
common stock, no more than 10 business days following Star Bulk’s filing of its
Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and
(ii) 803,481 additional shares of Star Bulk’s common stock, no more than 10
business days following Star Bulk’s filing of its Annual Report on Form 20-F for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. The shares in respect of the
first installment were issued to a nominee of TMT on July 17, 2008.
On
November 2, 2007, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC or
Commission, declared effective our joint proxy/registration statement filed
on Forms F-1/F-4 and on November 27, 2007 we obtained shareholder approval for
the acquisition of the initial fleet and for effecting the Redomiciliation
Merger as a result of which Star Maritime merged into Star Bulk with Star
Maritime merging out of existence and Star Bulk being the surviving
entity. Each share of Star Maritime common stock was exchanged for one
share of Star Bulk common stock and each warrant of Star Maritime was assumed by
Star Bulk with the same terms and conditions except that each became exercisable
for common stock of Star Bulk. The Redomiciliation Merger became
effective after stock markets closed on Friday, November 30, 2007 and the common
shares and warrants of Star Maritime ceased trading on the American Stock
Exchange under the symbols SEA and SEAU, respectively. Star Bulk
shares and warrants started trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on Monday,
December 3, 2007 under the ticker symbols SBLK and SBLKW,
respectively. Immediately following the effective date of the
Redomiciliation Merger, TMT and its affiliates owned 30.2% of Star Bulk’s
outstanding common stock.
We began
our operations on December 3, 2007 with the delivery of our first vessel the
Star
Epsilon. Three of the eight vessels comprising our initial
fleet were delivered to us by the end of December 2007. Additionally,
on December 3, 2007, we entered into an agreement to acquire an additional
Supramax vessel, the Star
Kappa from TMT, which was not included in the initial fleet and was
delivered to us on December 14, 2007. In 2008, we took delivery of
the remaining five vessels that we purchased from TMT, plus an additional four
vessels. In April 2008, we sold the Star
Iota bringing our fleet to a total of twelve vessels.
We
maintain our principal executive offices at 7, Fragoklisias Street, 2nd floor,
Maroussi 151 25, Athens, Greece. Our telephone number at that address
is 30-210-617-8400.
The
Securities We May Offer
We may
use this prospectus to offer up to $250.0 million of:
|
debt
securities, including guaranteed debt
securities,
|
We may
also offer securities of the types listed above that are convertible or
exchangeable into one or more of the securities listed above.
Our debt
securities may be guaranteed pursuant to guarantees by our
subsidiaries.
In
addition, the selling shareholders named in this prospectus or in a prospectus
supplement to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part may
sell in one or more offerings pursuant to this registration statement up
to 14,305,599 of our common shares and up to 1,132,500 of our warrants that
were previously acquired in private transactions. We will not receive
any proceeds from the sale of either our common shares or our warrants sold by
the selling shareholders.
A
prospectus supplement will describe the specific types, amounts, prices, and
detailed terms of any of these offered securities and may describe certain risks
in addition to those set forth below associated with an investment in the
securities. Terms used in the prospectus supplement will have the meanings
described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.
RISK
FACTORS
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You
should carefully consider the following risks, the risks and the discussion of
risks under the heading “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the
year ended December 31, 2007, and the documents we have incorporated by
reference in this prospectus that summarize the risks that may materially affect
our business before making an investment in our securities. Please
see “Where You Can Find Additional Information – Information Incorporated by
Reference.” In addition, you should also consider carefully the risks set forth
under the heading “Risk Factors” in any prospectus supplement before investing
in any securities offered by this prospectus. The occurrence of one or more of
those risk factors could adversely impact our results of operations or financial
condition.
Industry
Specific Risk Factors
Charterhire
rates for drybulk carriers are volatile and may decrease in the future, which
would adversely affect our earnings and ability to pay dividends
The
drybulk shipping industry is cyclical with attendant volatility in charterhire
rates and profitability. The degree of charterhire rate volatility
among different types of drybulk carriers varies widely. According to
Drewry, charterhire rates for Capesize, Panamax and Supramax drybulk carriers
have decreased sharply from their historically high levels. The Baltic Dry
Index, or BDI, a daily average of charter rates in 26 shipping routes measured
on a time charter and voyage basis and covering Supramax, Panamax, and Capesize
drybulk carriers, fell over 83% from May 2008 through February 10, 2009,
including a decline of over 70% in October 2008 alone. The decline in
charter rates is due to various factors, including the economic recession in the
U.S. and other parts of the world, the lack of trade financing for purchases of
commodities carried by sea, which has resulted in a significant decline in cargo
shipments, and the excess supply of iron ore in China which has resulted in
falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles in Chinese ports. If the
drybulk shipping market remains depressed in the future our earnings and
available cash flow may decrease. Our ability to re-charter our
vessels on the expiration or termination of their current time charters and the
charter rates payable under any renewal or replacement charters will depend
upon, among other things, economic conditions in the drybulk shipping
market. Fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values result from
changes in the supply and demand for drybulk cargoes carried internationally at
sea, including coal, iron, ore, grains and minerals.
The
factors affecting the supply and demand for vessel capacity are outside of our
control, and the nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions are
unpredictable.
The
factors that influence demand for vessel capacity include:
|
demand
for and production of drybulk
products;
|
|
global
and regional economic and political
conditions;
|
|
the
distance drybulk cargo is to be moved by sea;
and
|
|
changes
in seaborne and other transportation
patterns.
|
The
factors that influence the supply of vessel capacity include:
|
the
number of new building deliveries;
|
|
port
and canal congestion;
|
|
the
scrapping of older vessels;
|
|
the
number of vessels that are out of
service.
|
We
anticipate that the future demand for our drybulk carriers will be dependent
upon continued economic growth in the world’s economies, including China and
India, seasonal and regional changes in demand, changes in the capacity of the
global drybulk carrier fleet and the sources and supply of drybulk cargo to be
transported by sea. The capacity of the global drybulk carrier fleet
seems likely to increase and economic growth may not
continue. Adverse economic, political, social or other developments
could also have a material adverse effect on our business and operating
results.
Sharp
declines in the spot drybulk charter market may affect our earnings and cash
flows from the vessels we operate in the spot market
We currently employ
the Star Sigma in
the spot market on a voyage charter that will expire at the end of Februaty
2009. The Star Sigma
is scheduled to commence a three year time charter at a gross daily average
charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March 2009. Vessels
trading in the spot market are exposed to increased risk of declining charter
rates and freight rate volatility compared to vessels employed on time
charters. Since mid-August 2008, the spot day rates in the drybulk
charter market have declined very significantly, and drybulk vessel values have
also declined both as a result of a slowdown in the availability of global
credit and the significant deterioration in charter rates. Charter
rates and vessel values have been affected in part by the lack of availability
of credit to finance both vessel purchases and purchases of commodities carried
by sea, resulting in a decline in cargo shipments, and the excess supply of iron
ore in China which resulted in falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles
in Chinese ports. There can be no assurance as to how long charter
rates and vessel values will remain at their currently low levels or whether
they will improve to any significant degree. Charter rates may remain
at depressed levels for some time which will adversely affect our revenue and
profitability.
The
market values of our vessels have declined and may further decrease, which could
limit the amount of funds that we can borrow or trigger certain financial
covenants under our current or future credit facilities and/or we may incur a
loss if we sell vessels following a decline in their market value
The fair
market values of our vessels have generally experienced high volatility and have
recently declined significantly. According to Drewry, the market
prices for secondhand Capesize, Panamax and Supramax drybulk carriers have
recently decreased sharply from their historically high levels.
The fair
market value of our vessels may continue to fluctuate (i.e., increase and
decrease) depending on a number of factors including:
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prevailing
level of charter rates;
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general
economic and market conditions affecting the shipping
industry;
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types
and sizes of vessels;
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supply
and demand for vessels;
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other
modes of transportation;
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governmental
or other regulations; and
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In
addition, as vessels grow older, they generally decline in value. If
the fair market value of our vessels declines, we may not be in compliance with
certain provisions of our term loans and we may not be able to refinance our
debt or obtain additional financing. In addition, if we sell one or
more of our vessels at a time when vessel prices have fallen and before we have
recorded an impairment adjustment to our consolidated financial statements, the
sale may be less than the vessel’s carrying value on our consolidated financial
statements, resulting in a loss and a reduction in
earnings. Furthermore, if vessel values fall significantly we may
have to record an impairment adjustment in our financial statements which could
adversely affect our financial results.
World
events could affect our results of operations and financial
condition
Terrorist
attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, in London on July 7, 2005 and in
Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and the continuing response of the United States and
others to these attacks, as well as the threat of future terrorist attacks in
the United States or elsewhere, continues to cause uncertainty in the world’s
financial markets and may affect our business, operating results and financial
condition. The continuing presence of U.S. and other armed forces in
Iraq and Afghanistan may lead to additional acts of terrorism and armed conflict
around the world, which may contribute to further economic instability in the
global financial markets. These uncertainties could also adversely
affect our ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us or
at all. In the past, political conflicts have also resulted in
attacks on vessels, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt
international shipping, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. Acts
of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as
the South China Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of
Somalia. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse
impact on our operating results, revenues and costs.
Terrorist
attacks on vessels, such as the October 2002 attack on the M.V. Limburg,
a very large crude carrier not related to us, may in the future also negatively
affect our operations and financial condition and directly impact our vessels or
our customers. Future terrorist attacks could result in increased
volatility and turmoil of the financial markets in the United States and
globally. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse
impact on our revenues and costs.
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 Gulf of Aden and off the Nigerian
coast. Throughout 2008, the frequency of incidents of piracy has
increased significantly, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, with drybulk vessels
and tankers particularly vulnerable to such attacks. For example, in
November 2008, the Sirius
Star, a tanker vessel not affiliated with us, was captured by pirates in
the Indian Ocean while carrying crude oil estimated to be worth $100.0
million. If these piracy attacks result in regions in which our
vessels are deployed being characterized as “war risk” zones by insurers, as the
Gulf of Aden temporarily was in May 2008, premiums payable by charterers for
such coverage could increase significantly. We may not be adequately
insured to cover losses from these incidents, which could have a material
adverse effect on us. In addition, any act of piracy against our
vessels or unavailability of insurance for our vessels, could have a material
adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and
ability to pay dividends.
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, and could cause
the market price of our common stock to further decline
The
United States and other parts of the world are exhibiting deteriorating economic
trends and have been in a recession. For example, the credit markets
in the United States have experienced significant contraction, deleveraging and
reduced liquidity, and the United States federal government and state
governments have implemented and are considering a broad variety of governmental
action and/or new regulation of the financial markets. Securities and
futures markets and the credit markets are subject to comprehensive statutes,
regulations and other requirements. The Commission, other regulators,
self-regulatory organizations and exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary
actions in the event of market emergencies, and may effect changes in law or
interpretations of existing laws.
Recently,
a number of financial institutions have experienced serious financial
difficulties and, in some cases, have entered bankruptcy proceedings or are in
regulatory enforcement actions. The uncertainty surrounding the
future of the credit markets in the United States and the rest of the world has
resulted in reduced access to credit worldwide. As of February 2, 2009, we
have total outstanding indebtedness of $295.0 million under our existing credit
facilities.
We face
risks attendant to changes in economic environments, changes in interest rates,
and instability in the banking and securities markets around the world, among
other factors. Major market disruptions and the current adverse
changes in market conditions and regulatory climate in the United States and
worldwide may adversely affect our business or impair our ability to borrow
amounts under our credit facilities or any future financial
arrangements. We cannot predict how long the current market
conditions will last. However, these recent and developing economic
and governmental factors, together with the concurrent decline in charter rates
and vessel values, may have a material adverse effect on our results of
operations, financial condition or cash flows, have caused the trading price of
our common shares on the Nasdaq Global Market to decline precipitously and could
cause the price of our common shares to continue to decline or impair our
ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
A
further economic slowdown in the Asia Pacific region could exacerbate the effect
of recent slowdowns in the economies of the United States and the European Union
and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations
We
anticipate a significant number of the port calls made by our vessels will
continue to involve the loading or discharging of dry bulk commodities in ports
in the Asia Pacific region. As a result, negative changes in economic
conditions in any Asia Pacific country, particularly in China, may exacerbate
the effect of recent slowdowns in the economies of the United States and the
European Union and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
position and results of operations, as well as our future
prospects. In recent years, China has been one of the world’s fastest
growing economies in terms of gross domestic product, which has had a
significant impact on shipping demand. Through the end of the third
quarter of 2008, China’s gross domestic product was approximately 2.3% lower
than it was during the same period in 2007, and it is likely that China and
other countries in the Asia Pacific region will continue to experience slowed or
even negative economic growth in the near future. Moreover, the
current economic slowdown in the economies of the United States, the European
Union and other Asian countries may further adversely affect economic growth in
China and elsewhere. China has recently announced a $586.0 billion
stimulus package aimed in part at increasing investment and consumer spending
and maintaining export growth in response to the recent slowdown in its economic
growth. Our business, financial condition, results of operations,
ability to pay dividends as well as our future prospects, will likely be
materially and adversely affected by a further economic downturn in any of these
countries.
Changes
in the economic and political environment in China and policies adopted by the
government to regulate its economy may have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations
The
Chinese economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in such respects
as structure, government involvement, level of development, growth rate, capital
reinvestment, allocation of resources, rate of inflation and balance of payments
position. Prior to 1978, the Chinese economy was a planned
economy. Since 1978, increasing emphasis has been placed on the
utilization of market forces in the development of the Chinese
economy. Annual and five year State Plans are adopted by the Chinese
government in connection with the development of the
economy. Although state-owned enterprises still account for a
substantial portion of the Chinese industrial output, in general, the Chinese
government is reducing the level of direct control that it exercises over the
economy through State Plans and other measures. There is an
increasing level of freedom and autonomy in areas such as allocation of
resources, production, pricing and management and a gradual shift in emphasis to
a “market economy” and enterprise reform. Limited price reforms were
undertaken, with the result that prices for certain commodities are principally
determined by market forces. Many of the reforms are unprecedented or
experimental and may be subject to revision, change or abolition based upon the
outcome of such experiments. If the Chinese government does not
continue to pursue a policy of economic reform the level of imports to and
exports from China could be adversely affected by changes to these economic
reforms by the Chinese government, as well as by changes in political, economic
and social conditions or other relevant policies of the Chinese government, such
as changes in laws, regulations or export and import restrictions, all of which
could, adversely affect our business, operating results and financial
condition.
Charter
rates are subject to seasonal fluctuations and market volatility, which may
adversely affect our financial condition and ability to pay
dividends
We own
and operate a fleet of 12 vessels consisting of four Capesize and eight Supramax
drybulk carriers with an average age of 9.8 years and a combined cargo carrying
capacity of approximately 1.1 million dwt. We employ all of our
vessels on medium-to long-term time charters other than the
Star Sigma, which is currently employed in the spot market and the
Star Alpha, which is committed to the first of
four scheduled shipments under a COA expected to commence in the first quarter
of 2009. We expect the Star
Sigma to trade in the spot market until it commences a three year time
charter at a gross daily average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March
2009. We may in the future employ additional vessels in our fleet in the spot
market. Demand for vessel capacity has historically exhibited
seasonal variations and, as a result, fluctuations in charter
rates. This seasonality may result in quarter-to-quarter volatility
in our operating results for vessels trading in the spot market. The
drybulk sector is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in
anticipation of increased consumption of coal and other raw materials in the
northern hemisphere. As a result, our revenues from our drybulk
carriers may be weaker during the fiscal quarters ended June 30 and
September 30, and, conversely, our revenues from our drybulk carriers may be
stronger in fiscal quarters ended December 31 and March
31. Seasonality in the sector in which we operate could materially
affect our operating results and cash available for dividends in the
future.
Rising
fuel prices may adversely affect our profits
Fuel is a
significant, if not the largest, expense in our shipping operations when vessels
are not under period charter. 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 OPEC
and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and
regions, regional production patterns and environmental
concerns. Further, fuel may become much more expensive in the future,
which may reduce the profitability and competitiveness of our business versus
other forms of transportation, such as truck or rail.
We
are subject to international safety regulations and the failure to comply with
these regulations may subject us to increased liability, may adversely affect
our insurance coverage and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in,
certain ports
Our
business and the operation of our vessels are materially affected by government
regulation in the form of international conventions, 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. Because
such conventions, laws, and regulations are often revised, we cannot predict the
ultimate cost of complying with such conventions, laws and regulations or the
impact thereof on the resale prices or useful lives of our
vessels. Additional conventions, laws and regulations may be adopted
which could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of our doing
business and which may materially adversely affect our operations. We
are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain
certain permits, licenses, certificates, and financial assurances with respect
to our operations.
The
operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set forth in the United
Nations’ International Maritime Organization’s International Management Code for
the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, or ISM
Code. The ISM Code requires shipowners, ship managers and bareboat
charterers to develop and maintain an extensive “Safety Management System” 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 shipowner or bareboat
charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject it to increased liability, may
invalidate existing insurance or decrease available insurance coverage for the
affected vessels and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in,
certain ports. If we are subject to increased liability for
noncompliance or if our insurance coverage is adversely impacted as a result of
noncompliance, we may have less cash available for distribution to our
stockholders as dividends. If any of our vessels are denied access
to, or are detained in, certain ports, this may decrease our
revenues.
Increased
inspection procedures and tighter import and export controls could increase
costs and disrupt our business
International
shipping is subject to various security and customs inspection and related
procedures in countries of origin and destination. Inspection
procedures may result in the seizure of contents of our vessels, delays in the
loading, offloading or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or
other penalties against us.
It is
possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial
and legal obligations on us. Changes to inspection procedures could
also impose additional costs and obligations on our customers and may, in
certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or
impractical. Any such changes or developments may have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
Maritime
claimants could arrest one or more of our vessels, which could interrupt our
cash flow
Crew
members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and
other parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for
unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In many jurisdictions, a
claimant may seek to obtain security for its claim 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
money to have the arrest or attachment 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 attempt to assert
“sister ship” liability against one vessel in our fleet for claims relating to
another of our vessels.
Governments
could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency, resulting in
a loss of earnings
A
government could requisition one or more of our vessels for title or for
hire. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of
a vessel and becomes her owner, while requisition for hire occurs when a
government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes her charterer at
dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during periods
of war or emergency, although governments may elect to requisition vessels in
other circumstances. Although we would be entitled to compensation in
the event of a requisition of one or more of our vessels, the amount and timing
of payment would be uncertain. Government requisition of one or more
of our vessels may negatively impact our revenues and reduce the amount of cash
we have available for distribution as dividends to our
stockholders.
Company
Specific Risk Factors
Star
Bulk has a limited operating history and may not operate profitably in the
future
Star
Bulk was
formed December 13, 2006 and in January 2007 entered into agreements to acquire
eight drybulk carriers. Star Bulk took delivery of its first vessel
in December 2007. Accordingly, the consolidated financial
statements do not provide a meaningful basis for you to evaluate its operations
and ability to be profitable in the future. Star Bulk may not be
profitable in the future.
We
may be unable to comply with the covenants contained in our loan agreements,
which would affect our ability to conduct our business if we are unable to
obtain waivers or covenant modifications from our lenders.
Our loan
agreements for our borrowings, which are secured by liens on our vessels,
contain various financial covenants. Among those covenants are requirements that
relate to our financial position, operating performance and liquidity.
For example, under certain provisions of our loan agreements we are required to
maintain a ratio of the fair market value of our vessels to the aggregate
amounts outstanding of 125% for the first three years and 135%
thereafter.
The market value of
drybulk vessels is sensitive, among other things, to changes in the drybulk
charter market, with vessel values deteriorating in times when drybulk charter
rates are falling and improving when charter rates are anticipated to rise. The
current decline in charter rates in the drybulk market coupled with the
prevailing difficulty in obtaining financing for vessel purchases have adversely
affected drybulk vessel values, including the vessels in our
fleet. As a result, we may not meet certain collateral
maintenance covenants in our loan agreements.
We have
reached agreements in principle with our lenders to obtain waivers for certain
covenants including minimum asset coverage covenants contained in our loan
agreements. The related terms are described below.
With
respect to the $120.0 million facility, the lender will waive the loan-to-value
ratio covenant through January 31, 2010. We will provide a first
preferred mortgage on the currently debt-free vessel Star
Alpha and pledge an account containing $6.0 million as further security
for this facility.
With
respect to the $150.0 million facility, the lenders will waive the security
cover requirement through February 28, 2010, and the minimum asset coverage
ratio for the year 2010 will be reduced to 110% from 125%. We will provide first
preferred mortgages on the currently debt-free vessels Star
Kappa and Star
Ypsilon and will pledge an account containing $9.0 million as further
security for this facility.
With
respect to the $35.0 million facility, the lender will waive the security cover
requirement through February 28, 2010, and the minimum asset coverage ratio for
the year 2010 will be reduced to 110% from 125%. We will pledge an
account containing $5.0 million to as further security for this
facility.
Under the
terms of the above referenced agreements, our dividends and our share
repurchases are being suspended, and the interest spread for each of the above
loans will be adjusted to 2% per annum for the duration of the respective waiver
period.
The above
agreements require final approval by the credit committees of the respective
lenders.
If we are
unable to obtain waivers of covenant compliance or modifications to our
covenants, or refinance our indebtedness, we may have to sell vessels in our
fleet and/or seek to raise additional capital in the equity markets.
Furthermore, if the value of our vessels deteriorates significantly, we may have
to record an impairment adjustment in our financial statements, which would
adversely affect our financial results and further hinder our ability to raise
capital.
If we are
not in compliance with our covenants and are not able to obtain covenant waivers
or modifications, our lenders could require 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 they could accelerate our indebtedness, which would
impair our ability to continue to conduct our business. If our indebtedness is
accelerated, we might 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
are dependent on medium- to long-term time charters in a volatile shipping
industry and a decline in charterhire rates would affect our results of
operations and ability to pay dividends
We
charter all of our vessels on medium- to long-term time charters with
remaining terms of approximately one to five years other than the Star
Sigma, which is currently employed in the spot market and the Star Alpha, which is committed to the first of
four scheduled shipments under a COA expected to commence in the first quarter
of 2009. We expect the Star
Sigma to trade in the spot market until it commences a three year time
charter at a gross daily average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March
2009. The time charter market is highly competitive and spot market charterhire
rates (which affect time charter rates) may fluctuate significantly based upon
available charters and the supply of, and demand for, seaborne shipping
capacity. Our ability to re-charter our vessels on the expiration or
termination of their current time charters and the charter rates payable under
any renewal or replacement charters will depend upon, among other things,
economic conditions in the drybulk shipping market. The drybulk
carrier charter market is volatile, and in the past, time charter and spot
market charter rates for drybulk carriers have declined below operating costs of
vessels. If future charterhire rates are depressed, we may not be
able to operate our vessels profitably or to pay you dividends. Under the
terms of the proposed amendments to our three credit facilities, payment of
dividends and repurchases of our shares and warrants have been suspended.
Please see the section of this prospectus entitled "Recent
Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements With Lenders."
Default
by our charterers may lead to decreased revenues and a reduction in
earnings
Consistent
with drybulk shipping industry practice, we have not independently analyzed the
creditworthiness of the charterers. Our revenues may be dependent on the
performance of our charterers and, as a result, defaults by our charterers may
materially adversely affect our revenues.
We
depend upon a few significant customers for a large part of our revenues and the
loss of one or more of these customers could adversely affect our financial
performance
We derive
a significant part of our charterhire (net of commissions) from a small number
of customers, with 68% of our revenues for the nine-month period ended September
30, 2008 generated from six charterers. Currently, nine of our
vessels are employed under fixed rate period charters to six customers
and by the end of March 2009, 11 of our vessels will be employed under fixed
rate period charters to eight customers. If one or more of these customers
is unable to perform under one or more charters with us and we are not able to
find a replacement charter, or if a customer exercises certain rights to
terminate the charter, we could suffer a loss of revenues that could materially
adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and
cash available for distribution as dividends to our shareholders.
We could
lose a customer or the benefits of a time charter if, among other
things:
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the
customer fails to make charter payments because of its financial
inability, disagreements with us or
otherwise;
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the
customer terminates the charter because we fail to deliver the vessel
within a fixed period of time, the vessel is lost or damaged beyond
repair, there are serious deficiencies in the vessel or prolonged periods
of off-hire, default under the charter;
or
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the
customer terminates the charter because the vessel has been subject to
seizure for more than a specified number of
days.
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If
we lose a key customer, we may be unable to obtain charters on comparable terms
or may become subject to the volatile spot market, which is highly competitive
and subject to significant price fluctuations. The time charters on
which we deploy all of our vessels provide for charter rates that are
significantly above current market rates, particularly spot market rates that
most directly reflect the current depressed levels of the drybulk charter
market. If it were necessary to secure substitute employment, in the
spot market or on time charters, for any of these vessels due to the loss of a
customer in these market conditions, such employment would be at a significantly
lower charter rate than currently generated by such vessel, or we may be unable
to secure a charter at all, in either case, resulting in a significant reduction
in revenues. The loss of any of our customers, time charters or
vessels, or a decline in payments under our charters, could have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition
and our ability to pay dividends.
We
are subject to certain risks with respect to our counterparties on contracts,
and failure of such counterparties to meet their obligations could cause us to
suffer losses or otherwise adversely affect our business
We
enter into, among other things, charter parties with our customers. Such
agreements subject us to counterparty risks. The ability of each of our
counterparties to perform its obligations under a contract 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 maritime and offshore
industries, the overall financial condition of the counterparty, charter rates
received for specific types of vessels, and various
expenses. Consistent with drybulk shipping industry practice, we have
not independently analyzed the creditworthiness of the charterers. In addition,
in depressed market conditions, our charterers may no longer need a vessel that
is currently under charter or may be able to obtain a comparable vessel at lower
rates. As a result, charterers may seek to renegotiate the terms of
their existing charter parties or avoid their obligations under those
contracts. Should a counterparty fail to honor its obligations under
agreements with us, we could sustain significant losses which could have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of
operations and cash flows.
Investment
in derivative instruments such as freight forward agreements could result in
losses
From time
to time, we may take positions in derivative instruments including freight
forward agreements, or FFAs. Generally, FFAs and other derivative
instruments may be used to hedge a vessel owner’s exposure to the charter market
for a specified route and period of time. Upon settlement, if the contracted
charter rate is less than the average of the rates, as reported by an identified
index, for the specified route and time period, the seller of the FFA is
required to pay the buyer an amount equal to the difference between the
contracted rate and the settlement rate, multiplied by the number of days in the
specified period. Conversely, if the contracted rate is greater than the
settlement rate, the buyer is required to pay the seller the settlement sum. If
we take positions in FFAs or other derivative instruments we could suffer losses
in the settling or termination of the FFA. This could adversely affect our
results of operation and cash
flow.
In December 2008 and
January 2009, we entered into a limited number of FFAs on the Capesize
index. The Capesize index refers to the daily hire rate of a modern Capesize dry
bulk carrier. The FFAs are intended to serve as an approximate hedge
for our Capesize vessels trading in the spot market for 2009 and
2010, effectively locking-in the approximate amount of revenue that we
expect to receive from such vessels for the relevant periods. We do not expect
any of our FFAs to qualify as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes
and expect that such FFAs will be recorded on our balance sheet at
fair value. All of our FFAs are cleared transactions and are intended
as approximate hedges to our physical exposure in the spot market.
Our
earnings may be adversely affected if we are not able to take advantage of
favorable charter rates
We
charter all of our drybulk carriers to customers on medium- to long-term time
charters, which generally last from one to five years other than the Star Sigma, which is
currently employed in the spot market and the Star Alpha, which is committed to the first of
four scheduled shipments under a COA expected to commence in the first quarter
of 2009. We expect the Star
Sigma to trade in the spot market until it commences a three year time
charter at a gross daily average charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March
2009. We may in the future extend the charter periods for the vessels in our
fleet. Our vessels that are committed to longer-term charters may not
be available for employment on short-term charters during periods of increasing
short-term charterhire rates when these charters may be more profitable than
long-term charters.
If
we fail to manage our planned growth properly, we may not be able to
successfully expand our fleet which would adversely affect our overall financial
position
We
intend to continue to expand our fleet. Our growth will depend
on:
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locating
and acquiring suitable vessels;
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identifying
and consummating acquisitions or joint
ventures;
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obtaining
required financing;
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integrating
any acquired vessels successfully with our existing
operations;
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enhancing
our customer base; and
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Growing
any business by acquisition presents numerous risks such as undisclosed
liabilities and obligations, difficulty experienced in obtaining additional
qualified personnel and managing relationships with customers and suppliers and
integrating newly acquired operations into existing
infrastructures. We may not be successful in executing our growth
plans and may incur significant expenses and losses.
Our
loan agreements may contain restrictive covenants that may limit our liquidity
and corporate activities
Our
current term loan agreements with Commerzbank AG and Piraeus Bank A.E., and any
future loan agreements may impose operating and financial restrictions on
us. These restrictions may limit our ability to:
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incur
additional indebtedness;
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create
liens on our assets;
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sell
capital stock of our subsidiaries;
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engage
in mergers or acquisitions;
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make
capital expenditures;
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change
the management of our vessels or terminate or materially amend the
management agreement relating to each vessel;
and
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Therefore,
we may need to seek permission from our lenders in order to engage in some
important corporate actions. The lenders’ interests may be different
from ours, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain the lenders’
permission when needed. This may prevent us from taking actions that
are in our best interest.
Servicing
debt will limit funds available for other purposes, including capital
expenditures and payment of dividends
On December 27,
2007, we entered into a term loan agreement with Commerzbank AG in the amount of
$120.0 million to partially finance the Star
Gamma, the Star
Delta, the Star
Epsilon, the Star
Zeta, and the Star
Theta, which also provide the security for this loan
agreement. This loan bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin and is
repayable in twenty-eight consecutive quarterly installments commencing
twenty-seven months after our initial borrowings, which was on January 2,
2008. As of February 2, 2009, we had outstanding borrowings in the
amount of $120.0 million under this facility. On April 14, 2008, we
entered into a loan agreement, which was subsequently amended on April 17, 2008
and September 18, 2008, for up to $150.0 million with Piraeus Bank A.E. in order
to partially finance the acquisition cost of vessels the Star
Omicron, the Star
Sigma and the
Star Ypsilon and also to provide us with additional
liquidity. The loan is secured by a first priority mortgage on the
Star
Omicron, the Star
Beta, and the Star
Sigma. The loan bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin and is
repayable in twenty-four quarterly installments through September
2014. As of February 2, 2009, we had outstanding borrowings in the
amount of $143.0 million under this loan. On July 1, 2008, the
Company entered into a loan agreement of up to $35.0 million with Piraeus Bank
A.E. to partially finance the acquisition of the Star
Cosmo which
also provides the security for this loan
agreement. The loan bears interest at LIBOR plus
a margin and is repayable in twenty-four quarterly installments through July
2014. As of February 2, 2009, we had outstanding borrowings in the
amount of $32.0 million under this loan facility.
As of
February 2, 2009, we had total outstanding borrowings under our three loan
facilities in the aggregate amount of $295.0 million.
We may be
required 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 expenditures and other purposes,
including payment of dividends. Under the terms of the proposed amendments
to our three credit facilities, payment of dividends and repurchases of our
shares and warrants have been suspended. Please see the section of this
prospectus entitled "Recent Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements With
Lenders." If we are unable to service our debt, it may have a
material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations.
In
the highly competitive international drybulk shipping industry, we may not be
able to compete for charters with new entrants or established companies with
greater resources which may adversely affect our results of
operations
We employ
our vessels in a highly competitive market that is capital intensive and highly
fragmented. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners,
some of whom have substantially greater resources than
us. Competition for the transportation of drybulk cargoes can be
intense and depends on price, location, size, age, condition and the
acceptability of the vessel and its managers to the charterers. Due
in part to the highly fragmented market, competitors with greater resources
could operate larger fleets through consolidations or acquisitions and may be
able to offer more favorable terms.
We
may be unable to attract and retain key management personnel and other employees
in the shipping industry, which may negatively affect the effectiveness of our
management and our results of operations
Our
success depends to a significant extent upon the abilities and efforts of our
management team. As of February 2, 2009, we had 22
employees. Twenty of our employees, through Star Bulk Management, are
engaged in the day to day management of the vessels in our fleet. Our
success depends upon our ability to retain key members of our management team
and the ability of Star Bulk Management to recruit and hire suitable
employees. The loss of any members of our senior management team
could adversely affect our business prospects and financial
condition. Difficulty in hiring and retaining personnel could
adversely affect our results of operations. We do not maintain
“key-man” life insurance on any of our officers or employees of Star Bulk
Management.
As
we expand our fleet, we will need to expand our operations and financial systems
and hire new shoreside staff and seafarers to staff our vessels; if we cannot
expand these systems or recruit suitable employees, our performance may be
adversely affected
Our
operating and financial systems may not be adequate as we expand our fleet, and
our attempts to implement those systems may be ineffective. In
addition, we rely on our wholly-owned subsidiary, Star Bulk Management, to
recruit shoreside administrative and management personnel. Shoreside
personnel are recruited by Star Bulk Management through referrals from other
shipping companies and traditional methods of securing personnel, such as
placing classified advertisements in shipping industry
periodicals. Star Bulk Management has sub-contracted crew management,
which includes the recruitment of seafarers, to Bernhardt, a major international
third-party technical management company, and Union. Star Bulk
Management and its crewing agent may not be able to continue to hire suitable
employees as Star Bulk expands its fleet. If we are unable to operate
our financial and operations systems effectively, recruit suitable employees or
if Star Bulk Management’s unaffiliated crewing agent encounters business or
financial difficulties, our performance may be materially adversely
affected.
Risks
involved with operating ocean going vessels could affect our business and
reputation, which would adversely affect our revenues
The
operation of an ocean-going vessel carries inherent risks. These
risks include the possibility of:
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crew
strikes and/or boycotts;
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cargo
and property losses or damage; and
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business
interruptions caused by mechanical failure, human error, war, terrorism,
piracy, political action in various countries or adverse weather
conditions.
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Any of
these circumstances or events could increase our costs or lower our
revenues.
Our
vessels may suffer damage and may face unexpected drydocking costs, which could
adversely affect our cash flow and financial condition
If our
vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking
facility. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and can be
substantial. We may have to pay drydocking costs that our insurance
does not cover. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being
repaired and reconditioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, would
decrease our earnings.
Purchasing
and operating secondhand vessels may result in increased operating costs and
vessel off-hire, which could adversely affect our earnings
Our
inspection of secondhand vessels 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. We will not receive the benefit of warranties on
secondhand vessels.
Typically,
the costs to maintain a vessel in good operating condition increase with the age
of the vessel. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient and
more costly to maintain than more recently constructed vessels. 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.
We
inspected the thirteen vessels that we acquired from both related and unrelated
third parties, considered the age and condition of the vessels in budgeting for
their operating, insurance and maintenance costs, and if we acquire additional
secondhand vessels in the future, we may encounter higher operating and
maintenance costs due to the age and condition of those additional
vessels.
We
may not have adequate insurance to compensate us for the loss of a vessel, which
may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operation
We have
procured hull and machinery insurance, protection and indemnity insurance, which
includes environmental damage and pollution insurance coverage and war risk
insurance for our fleet. We do not maintain, for our vessels,
insurance against loss of hire, which covers business interruptions that result
from the loss of use of a vessel. We may not be adequately insured
against all risks. We may not be able to obtain adequate insurance
coverage for our fleet in the future. The insurers may not pay
particular claims. Our insurance policies may contain deductibles for
which we will be responsible and limitations and exclusions which may increase
our costs or lower our revenue. Moreover, insurers may default on
claims they are required to pay. If our insurance is not enough to
cover claims that may arise, the deficiency may have a material adverse effect
on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to pay
dividends
We
previously paid regular dividends on a quarterly basis from our operating
surplus, in amounts that allowed us to retain a portion of our cash flows to
fund vessel or fleet acquisitions, and for debt repayment and other corporate
purposes, as determined by our management and board of directors. Under the
terms of the proposed amendments to our three credit facilities, payment of
dividends and repurchases of our shares and warrants have been suspended.
Please see the section of this prospectus entitled "Recent
Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements With Lenders."
As a result of deteriorating market conditions in the
international shipping industry and in particular the sharp decline in charter
rates and vessel values in the drybulk sector and restrictions imposed by our
lenders, including the restriction on dividend payments under the terms of
the proposed amendments to our credit facilities, we may not reinstate the
payment of dividends until the end of the waiver period in early 2010 or
the restriction on our payment of dividends is removed from our amended
credit facility agreements. If reinstated, any dividend payments may be at
reduced levels.
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
dividends will depend on our earnings, financial condition, cash requirements
and availability, fleet renewal and expansion, restrictions in our loan
agreements, 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, or if there
is no surplus, dividends may be declared or paid out of net profits for the
fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and for the preceding fiscal
year.
We
are a holding company, and depend on the ability of our subsidiaries to
distribute funds to us in order to satisfy our financial obligations or to make
dividend payments
We are a
holding company and our wholly-owned subsidiaries, conduct all of our operations
and own all of our operating assets. We will have no significant
assets other than the equity interests in our wholly-owned
subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make dividend payments
depends on our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute funds to
us. If we are unable to obtain funds from our subsidiaries, our board
of directors may exercise its discretion not to pay dividends. We and
our subsidiaries will be permitted to pay dividends under our credit facilities
only for so long as we are in compliance with all applicable financial
covenants, terms and conditions.
We
depend on officers who may engage in other business activities in the
international shipping industry which may create conflicts of
interest
Prokopios
Tsirigakis, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors,
and George Syllantavos, our Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and member of our
board of directors participate in business activities not associated with the
Company. As a result, Mr. Tsirigakis and Mr. Syllantavos
may devote less time to the Company than if they were not engaged in other
business activities and may owe fiduciary duties to the shareholders of both the
Company as well as shareholders of other companies with which they may be
affiliated, which may create conflicts of interest in matters involving or
affecting the Company and its customers. It is not certain that any
of these conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor.
In
accordance with Star Bulk’s Code of Ethics, all ongoing and future transactions
between Star Bulk and any of its officers and directors or their respective
affiliates, will be on terms believed by Star Bulk to be no less favorable than
are available from unaffiliated third parties, and such transactions will
require prior approval, in each instance by a majority of Star Bulk’s
uninterested “independent” directors or the members of Star Bulk’s board who do
not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at Star
Bulk’s expense, to its attorneys or independent legal counsel.
We
are incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which does not have a
well-developed body of corporate law, which may negatively affect the ability of
public shareholders to protect their interests
We are
incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and 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 United States
jurisdictions. Shareholder rights may differ as
well. While the BCA does specifically incorporate the non-statutory
law, or judicial case law, of the State of Delaware and other states with
substantially similar legislative provisions, public shareholders may have more
difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by the
management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a
corporation incorporated in a United States jurisdiction.
All of
our assets are located outside of the United States. Our business is
operated primarily from our offices in Athens, Greece. In addition,
our directors and officers are non-residents of the United States, and all or a
substantial portion of the assets of these non-residents are located outside the
United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you
to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States
if you believe that your rights have been infringed under securities laws or
otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this
kind, the laws of the Marshall Islands and of other jurisdictions may prevent or
restrict you from enforcing a judgment against our assets or the assets of our
directors and officers. Although you may bring an original action
against us, our officers and directors in the courts of the Marshall Islands
based on U.S. laws, and the courts of the Marshall Islands may impose civil
liability, including monetary damages, against us, our officers or directors for
a cause of action arising under Marshall Islands law, it may be impracticable
for you to do so given the geographic location of the Marshall
Islands.
There
is a risk that we could be treated as a U.S. domestic corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes after the merger of Star Maritime with and into Star
Bulk, with Star Bulk as the surviving corporation, or Redomiciliation Merger,
which would adversely affect our earnings
Section 7874(b)
of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the Code, provides that, unless
certain requirements are satisfied, a corporation organized outside the United
States which acquires substantially all of the assets (through a plan or a
series of related transactions) of a corporation organized in the United States
will be treated as a U.S. domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes if shareholders of the U.S. corporation whose assets are being acquired
own at least 80% of the non-U.S. acquiring corporation after the
acquisition. If Section 7874(b) of the Code were to apply to
Star Maritime and the Redomiciliation Merger, then, among other consequences,
the Company, as the surviving entity of the Redomiciliation Merger, would be
subject to U.S. federal income tax as a U.S. domestic corporation on its
worldwide income after the Redomiciliation Merger. Upon completion of
the Redomiciliation Merger and the concurrent issuance of stock to TMT under the
acquisition agreements, the stockholders of Star Maritime owned less than 80% of
the Company. Therefore, the Company believes that it should not be
subject to Section 7874(b) of the Code after the Redomiciliation
Merger. Star Maritime obtained an opinion of its counsel,
Seward & Kissel LLP, that Section 7874(b) should not apply to the
Redomiciliation Merger. However, there is no authority directly
addressing the application of Section 7874(b) to a transaction such as the
Redomiciliation Merger where shares in a foreign corporation such as the Company
are issued concurrently with (or shortly after) a merger. In
particular, since there is no authority directly applying the “series of related
transactions” or “plan” provisions to the post-acquisition stock ownership
requirements of Section 7874(b), the United States Internal Revenue
Service, or IRS, may not agree with Seward & Kissel’s opinion on this
matter. Moreover, Star Maritime has not sought a ruling from the IRS
on this point. Therefore, IRS may seek to assert that we are subject
to U.S. federal income tax on our worldwide income for taxable years after the
Redomiciliation Merger, although Seward & Kissel is of the opinion that such
an assertion should not be successful.
We
may have to pay tax on United States source income, which would reduce our
earnings
Under the
Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel owning or chartering
corporation, such as the Company and its subsidiaries, that is attributable to
transportation that begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the
United States is characterized as U.S. source shipping income and such income is
subject to a 4% U.S. federal income tax without allowance for deduction, unless
that corporation qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the
Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder.
We expect
that we will qualify for this statutory tax exemption and we have
taken this position for U.S. federal income tax return reporting purposes
for 2007 and we intend to take this position for 2008. However,
there are factual circumstances beyond our control that could cause us to lose
the benefit of this tax exemption and thereby become subject to U.S. federal
income tax on our U.S. source income.
If we are
not entitled to this exemption under Section 883 for any taxable year, we
would be subject for those years to a 4% U.S. federal income tax on its
U.S.-source shipping income. The imposition of this taxation could
have a negative effect on our business and would result in decreased
earnings.
The
preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income are temporary,
and the enactment of proposed legislation could affect whether dividends paid by
us constitute qualified dividend income eligible for the preferential
rate
Certain
of our distributions may be treated as qualified dividend income eligible for
preferential rates of U.S. federal income tax to U.S.
shareholders. In the absence of legislation extending the term for
these preferential tax rates, all dividends received by such U.S. taxpayers in
tax years beginning on January 1, 2011 or later will be taxed at graduated tax
rates applicable to ordinary income.
In
addition, legislation has been proposed in the U.S. Congress that would, if
enacted, deny the preferential rate of U.S. federal income tax currently imposed
on qualified dividend income with respect to dividends received from a non-U.S.
corporation if the non-U.S. corporation is created or organized under the laws
of a jurisdiction that does not have a comprehensive income tax
system. Because the Marshall Islands imposes only limited taxes on
entities organized under its laws, it is likely that if this legislation were
enacted, the preferential tax rates of federal income tax may no longer be
applicable to distributions received from us. As of the date hereof,
it is not possible to predict with certainty whether this proposed legislation
will be enacted.
U.S.
tax authorities could treat us as a “passive foreign investment company,” which
could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S.
holders
We will
be treated as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for U.S. 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 its 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.” U.S. shareholders of a PFIC may be subject to a disadvantageous U.S.
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.
Based on
our method of operation, we take the position for United States federal income
tax purposes we are not a PFIC with respect to any taxable year. In
this regard, we intend to treat the gross income we will derive or will be
deemed to derive from our time chartering activities as services income, rather
than rental income. Accordingly, we take the position that our income
from our time chartering activities does not constitute “passive income,” and
the assets that we will own and operate in connection with the production of
that income do not constitute passive assets.
There is,
however, no direct legal authority under the PFIC rules addressing our method of
operation. In addition, we have not received an opinion of counsel
with respect to this issue. Accordingly, the U.S. Internal Revenue
Service, or the IRS, or a court of law may not accept our position, and there is
a risk that the IRS or a court of law could determine that we are a
PFIC. Moreover, may constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if
there were to be changes in the nature and extent of its
operations. For example, if we were treated as earning rental income
from our chartering activities rather than services income, we would be treated
as a PFIC.
If the
IRS were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, its U.S.
shareholders will face adverse U.S. tax consequences. Under the PFIC
rules, unless those shareholders make an election available under the Code
(which election could itself have adverse consequences for such shareholders),
such shareholders would be liable to pay U.S. federal income tax at the then
highest income tax rates on ordinary income plus interest upon excess
distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common shares, as if
the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the
shareholder’s holding period of our common shares.
Our
internal controls over financial reporting do not currently meet all of the
standards contemplated by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Section
404. Since we failed to achieve and maintain effective internal
controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we may be unable to accurately report our consolidated
financial results or prevent fraud and could be required to restate our
historical financial statements, any of which could have a material adverse
effect on our business and the price of our common stock
Our
management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer have conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the
Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”)) as of December 31, 2007. Based on this evaluation, the
Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as
of December 31, 2007, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not
effective because of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial
reporting described below. Management has assessed the effectiveness
of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2007,
based on the framework established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the aforementioned
assessment, the management concluded that internal control over financial
reporting was not effective due to material weaknesses identified in the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Star Bulk
took delivery of its first vessel in December 2007 and as a result, management
began the process to replace the internal controls over financial reporting
which previously existed while the Company was a blank check company with those
of a company that owns and operates vessels. Although progress was
made, the Company did not have sufficient time to complete designing
and implementing a comprehensive system of internal controls over financial
reporting that would prevent or timely detect material adjustments and identify
financial statement disclosure requirements. Consequently,
adjustments and disclosures that were material in the aggregate to the
consolidated financial statements and necessary to present the consolidated
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2007 in accordance
with U.S. GAAP were made by the Company after being identified by the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm. Specifically, we did
not have in place adequate internal controls over our financial close and
reporting processes and we lacked sufficient accounting personnel with the
necessary level of US GAAP expertise which resulted in the Company not being
able to:
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Properly
evaluate and account for non-routine or complex transactions, including
the determination of the purchase price of the vessels, fair value of time
charter agreements acquired, the application of SFAS 123(R), the
classification of expenses related to the target acquisition process, and
the completeness of the accrual of general and administrative expenses;
and
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Properly
identify all financial statement disclosure requirements in accordance
with U.S. GAAP including disclosure surrounding related party
transactions.
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We have
determined that these adjustments were not prevented or detected due to material
weaknesses in our controls due to the absence of sufficient time for
management to (1) design and implement a comprehensive system of internal
controls and (2) hire sufficient accounting personnel with the requisite US GAAP
expertise that are required to support our operation as a shipping
company. However, management has made the necessary adjustments to
present the annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December
31, 2007 in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
We will
continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures
and internal control over financial reporting on an ongoing basis, including
consideration of the material weaknesses identified above, or other deficiencies
we may identify. The Company has already and will further implement
actions as necessary in its continuing assessment of disclosure controls and
internal controls over financial reporting.
We
may be unable to successfully complete the procedures and attestation
requirements of Section 404 or our auditors may identify significant
deficiencies, as well as material weaknesses, in internal control over financial
reporting in future reporting periods. If we are not able to
implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate
compliance, our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to
certify as to the adequacy of our internal controls over financial
reporting. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be
unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject
us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the Commission or
violations of Nasdaq Global Market listing rules. There could also be
a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor
confidence in us and the reliability of our consolidated financial
statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements
could also suffer if our independent registered public accounting firm were to
report material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial
reporting. This could materially adversely affect us and lead to a
decline in the price of our common stock. We believe that the
out-of-pocket costs, the diversion of management’s attention from running our
day-to-day operations and operational changes caused by the need to comply with
the requirements of Section 404 will be significant. If the time and
costs associated with such compliance exceed our current expectations, our
profitability could be affected.
If
the recent volatility in LIBOR continues, it could affect our profitability,
earnings and cash flow
LIBOR
has recently been volatile, with the spread between LIBOR and the prime lending
rate widening significantly at times. These conditions are the result
of the recent disruptions in the international credit
markets. Because the interest rates borne by our outstanding
indebtedness fluctuate with changes in LIBOR, if this volatility were to
continue, it would affect the amount of interest payable on our debt, which in
turn, could have an adverse effect on our profitability, earnings and cash
flow.
Risks
Relating to Our Common Stock
There
may be no continuing public market for you to resell our common
stock
Our
common shares commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Market in December
2007. We cannot assure you that an active and liquid public market
for our common shares will continue. The price of our common stock
may be volatile and may fluctuate due to factors such
as:
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actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results and those
of other public companies in our
industry;
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mergers
and strategic alliances in the drybulk shipping
industry;
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market
conditions in the drybulk shipping industry and the general state of the
securities markets;
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changes
in government regulation;
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shortfalls
in our operating results from levels forecast by securities analysts;
and
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announcements
concerning us or our competitors.
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You may
not be able to sell your shares of our common stock in the future at the price
that you paid for them or at all. In addition, if the price of our
common stock falls below $1.00, we may be involuntarily delisted from the Nasdaq
Global Market.
Certain
stockholders hold registration rights, which may have an adverse effect on the
market price of our common stock
Initial
Stockholders of Star Maritime who purchased common stock and units in private
transactions prior to Star Maritime’s initial public offering have certain
registration rights which would require us, under certain
circumstances, to register the resale of their shares and warrants at any
time following the release of the shares and warrants from escrow which occurred
on December 15, 2008. Pursuant to those registration rights, we have
included in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part
10,159,424 shares of common stock, which includes 1,132,500 common shares which
may be issued upon the exercise of the warrants, and 1,132,500 warrants, all of
which will be eligible for trading in the public market. The
registration of these common shares and warrants in addition to the registration
of the additional securities included on the registration statement of which
this prospectus is a part, may have an adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock and warrants.
Future
sales of our common stock or warrants could cause the market price of our common
stock or warrants to decline
Sales of
a substantial number of shares of our common stock or warrants in the public
market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market
price for our common stock. These sales could also impair our ability
to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities in the
future.
We may
issue additional shares of our common stock, warrants or other equity securities
or securities convertible into our equity securities in the future and our
stockholders may elect to sell large numbers of shares held by them from time to
time. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize us
to issue 100,000,000 common shares with par value $0.01 per share of which
42,516,433 shares and warrants to purchase 19,048,136 common shares were
outstanding as of December 31, 2007 and 60,301,279 shares and warrants to
purchase 5,916,150 common shares were outstanding as of February 2,
2009.
Anti-takeover
provisions in our organizational documents 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:
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authorizing
our board of directors to issue “blank check” preferred stock without
stockholder approval;
|
|
providing
for a classified board of directors with staggered, three year
terms;
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|
prohibiting
cumulative voting in the election of directors;
and
|
|
authorizing
the board to call a special meeting at any
time.
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The
market price of our common shares and warrants has fluctuated widely and may
fluctuate widely in the future
The
market price of our common shares and warrants has fluctuated widely since our
common shares and warrants began trading in the Nasdaq Global Market in December
2007, and may continue to do so as a result of many factors such as actual or
anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results and those of other
public companies in our industry, mergers and strategic alliances in the
shipping industry, market conditions in the shipping industry, changes in
government regulation, shortfalls in our operating results from levels forecast
by securities analysts, announcements concerning us or our competitors and the
general state of the securities market.
The
market price of our common shares has recently dropped below $5.00 per share,
and the last reported sale price on The Nasdaq Global Market on February 10,
2009 was $2.77 per share. If the market price of our common shares
remains below $5.00 per share, under stock exchange rules, our shareholders will
not be able to use such shares as collateral for borrowing in margin
accounts. This inability to continue to use our common shares as
collateral may lead to sales of such shares creating downward pressure on and
increased volatility in the market price of our common shares.
The
shipping industry has been highly unpredictable and volatile. The market for
common shares in this industry may be equally volatile. Therefore, we
cannot assure you that you will be able to sell any of our common shares you may
have purchased at a price greater than or equal to its original purchase
price.
RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS
On July
1, 2008, we entered into a term loan agreement with Piraeus Bank A.E. in the
amount of $35.0 million to partially finance the acquisition of the Star
Cosmo. Upon signing the term loan facility agreement we
committed to pay a non-refundable arrangement fee of 0.4% of the facility
amount.
As of
July 17, 2008, 803,481 shares of common stock of Star Bulk were issued to TMT
pursuant to the Master Agreement.
In August
2008, TMT Co. Ltd., an indirect shareholder of Star Bulk through its nominee (F5
Capital), alleged that it had suffered unspecified damages arising from an
alleged breach by Star Bulk of a purported obligation under the Master Agreement
to maintain a registration statement in effect so as to permit TMT to sell its
12,537,645 Star Bulk shares freely on the open market. Among other
things, TMT had demanded that Star Bulk repurchase approximately 3.8 million
shares from TMT at a share price of $14.04 per share, which was the closing
price of Star Bulk’s common shares on the Nasdaq Global Market on June
2, 2008, which demand was withdrawn by TMT in connection with discussions
between Star Bulk and TMT. Star Bulk denies that it has any such
obligation under the Master Agreement and is currently discussing the matter
with TMT. On November 3, 2008, the Commission declared effective a
registration statement on Form F-3 relating to the resale of shares held by F5
Capital, the nominee of TMT Co. Ltd. (“TMT”). As of the date hereof, no claim
has been filed by TMT or any affiliate thereof against Star Bulk.
On
September 18, 2008, we entered into an agreement to amend our Piraeus Bank loan
agreement dated April 14, 2008. We drew down $69.0 million to
partially finance the acquisition of the Star
Ypsilon. This loan bears interest at LIBOR plus a
margin, is repayable in twenty-four quarterly installments through
September 2014 and is secured by a first priority mortgage on the Star
Omicron, the Star
Beta and the Star
Sigma.
On
October 6, 2008, we delivered to its purchasers the Star
Iota, which we had entered into an agreement to sell for gross proceeds
of $18.4 million on April 24, 2008.
On
October 20, 2008, Mr. Nobu Su resigned from our board of directors.
On
October 30, 2008, we entered into a time charter with Companhia Vale do Rio Doce
(Vale) for the Star
Beta for a minimum of two months and maximum of four months at the gross
daily rate of $15,500 for the first fifty days and $25,000 for the balance of
the time charter plus a repositioning fee of $525,000. Upon the conclusion
of this time charter in January 2009, the Star
Beta was employed in the spot market.
The Star Sigma, which was on time
charter to a Japanese charterer at a gross daily charter rate of $100,000 per
day until March 1, 2009 (earliest redelivery), was redelivered to us earlier
pursuant to an agreement whereby the charterer agreed to pay the contracted rate
less $8,000 per day, which is the approximate operating cost for the vessel,
from the date of the actual redelivery in November 2008 through March 1, 2009.
We received payment in full and the vessel is currently trading in the spot
market on a voyage charter at a gross rate of approximately $14,100 per day,
resulting in revenue for the vessel that is effectively higher than it would
have been under the original charter at the rate of $100,000 per day. The vessel
is scheduled to commence a three year time charter at a gross daily average
charter rate of $63,000 beginning in March 2009.
On
November 17, 2008, we declared a cash and stock dividend on our common stock
totaling $0.36 per common share for the quarter ended September 30,
2008. This dividend was paid on December 5, 2008 to stockholders of
record on November 28, 2008. The dividend payment consisted of a cash
portion in the amount of $0.18 per share with the remaining half of the dividend
paid in the form of newly issued common shares. The stock portion of
this dividend was 0.078179 for every share held as of the record date. The
amount of newly issued shares was based on the volume weighted average price of
Star Bulk’s shares on the Nasdaq Global Market during the five trading days
before the ex-dividend date or November 25, 2008. In addition, as of
January 20, 2009 management and the directors reinvested the cash portion
of their dividend for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 into 818,877 newly
issued shares in a private placement at the same weighted average price as the
stock portion of such dividend, effectively electing to receive the full amount
of the dividend in the form of newly issued shares, which shares have been
included in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part.
In December 2008 and January 2009,
we entered into a limited number of FFAs on the Capesize index. The
Capesize index refers to the daily hire rate of a modern Capesize dry bulk
carrier. The FFAs are intended to serve as an approximate hedge for our
Capesize vessels trading in the spot market for 2009 and 2010, effectively
locking-in the approximate amount of revenue that we expect to receive from such
vessels for the relevant periods. We do not expect any of our FFAs to qualify as
cash flow hedges for accounting purposes and expect that such
FFAs will be recorded on our balance sheet at fair value. All of our
FFAs are cleared transactions and are intended as approximate hedges to our
physical exposure in the spot market. Generally,
FFAs and other derivative instruments may be used to hedge a vessel owner’s
exposure to the charter market for a specified route and period of time. Upon
settlement, if the contracted charter rate is less than the average of the
rates, as reported by an identified index, for the specified route and time
period, the seller of the FFA is required to pay the buyer an amount equal to
the difference between the contracted rate and the settlement rate, multiplied
by the number of days in the specified period. Conversely, if the contracted
rate is greater than the settlement rate, the buyer is required to pay the
seller the settlement sum.
On
January 27, 2009, the Star
Gamma commenced a three year time charter at a gross daily average
rate of $38,000.
On
January 28 2009, the Star
Epsilon commenced a five year time charter at a gross daily rate of
$32,400.
On
February 2, 2009, we entered into a one year time charter agreement for the
Star Delta at a gross
daily rate of $11,250. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the new
charterer by mid-February 2009.
On February 10, 2009, we entered into a 13 to 15 month time
charter agreement for the Star Beta at a
gross daily rate of $32,500. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the
new charterer in February 2009.
Arbitration
proceedings have commenced pursuant to disputes that have arisen with the
charterers of the Star
Alpha. The disputes relate to vessel performance characteristics
and hire. Arbitrators have been appointed by two parties and claim submissions
are expected to be filed by parties with the arbitration panel by February 28,
2009. We expect that the arbitration proceeding may be joined by
additional parties that sub-charter the vessel. The
vessel recently underwent unscheduled repairs which resulted in a 25 day
off-hire period. Following the completion of the repairs, the Star Alpha was redelivered to
us by its charterers approximately one month prior to the earliest
redelivery date allowed under the time charter agreement. We have notified
the charterers of the vessel that we intend to seek additional damages in
connection with the early redelivery of the Star Alpha in the current
arbitration proceedings.
On
January 20, 2009, we entered into a COA with Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce. Under the terms of the COA, we are obligated to
transport approximately 700,000 metric tons of iron ore between Brazil and China
in four separate Capesize vessel shipments with the first shipment scheduled in
the first quarter of 2009. On February 5, 2009, we committed the
Star Alpha to the first
shipment under the COA. Under a COA, we transport multiple shipments
of drybulk cargo during the term of the contract on specified routes, either at
a fixed or variable price. Unlike time charters, COAs do not require
us to dedicate any particular vessel to fulfill our contractual obligations to
transport cargo; however, we intend to dedicate the Star Alpha to fulfill our obligations under
this agreement. COAs are typically priced on a per metric ton of cargo
basis as opposed to a daily time charter basis.
Preliminary
Waiver Agreements With Lenders
Our loan
agreements for our borrowings, which are secured by liens on our vessels,
contain various financial covenants. Among those covenants are requirements that
relate to our financial position, operating performance and liquidity. For
example, under certain provisions of our loan agreements we are required to
maintain a ratio of the fair market value of our vessels to the aggregate
amounts outstanding of 125% for the first three years and 135%
thereafter.
The
market value of drybulk vessels is sensitive, among other things, to changes in
the drybulk charter market, with vessel values deteriorating in times when
drybulk charter rates are falling and improving when charter rates are
anticipated to rise. The current decline in charter rates in the drybulk market
coupled with the prevailing difficulty in obtaining financing for vessel
purchases have adversely affected drybulk vessel values, including the vessels
in our fleet. As a result, we may not meet certain collateral
maintenance covenants in our loan agreements.
We have
reached agreements in principle with our lenders to obtain waivers for certain
covenants including minimum asset coverage covenants contained in our loan
agreements. The related terms are described below.
With
respect to the $120.0 million facility, the lender will waive the loan-to-value
ratio covenant through January 31, 2010. We will provide a first
preferred mortgage on the currently debt-free vessel Star
Alpha and pledge an account containing $6.0 million as further security
for this facility.
With
respect to the $150.0 million facility, the lenders will waive the security
cover requirement through February 28, 2010, and the minimum asset coverage
ratio for the year 2010 will be reduced to 110% from 125%. We will provide first
preferred mortgages on the currently debt-free vessels Star
Kappa and Star
Ypsilon and will pledge an account containing $9.0 million as further
security for this facility.
With
respect to the $35.0 million facility, the lender will waive the security cover
requirement through February 28, 2010, and the minimum asset coverage ratio for
the year 2010 will be reduced to 110% from 125%. We will pledge an
account containing $5.0 million to as further security for this
facility.
Under the
terms of the above referenced agreements, our dividends and our share
repurchases are being suspended, and the interest spread for each of the above
loans will be adjusted to 2% per annum for the duration of the respective waiver
period.
The above
agreements require final approval by the credit committees of the respective
lenders.
On
December 5, 2008, pursuant to the terms of our Equity Incentive Plan we
authorized the issuance of an aggregate of 130,000 unvested restricted common
shares to all of our employees and an aggregate of 940,000 unvested restricted
common shares to the members of our board of directors. All of these
shares vested on January 31, 2009.
Share
and Warrant Repurchase Program
As of
February 2, 2009, we have repurchased under the share and warrant repurchase
program announced on January 24, 2008, a total of 1,247,000 of our common shares
at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $8.0 million (average of $6.40
per common share) and a total of 1,362,500 of our warrants at an aggregate
purchase price of approximately $5.5 million (average of $4.02 per
warrant). During the three months ended September 30, 2008, we repurchased
a total of 700,000 of our common shares at an aggregate purchase price of
approximately $5.7 million (average of $8.07 per share). During the
fourth quarter ended December 31, 2008, we repurchased a total of 495,000 of our
common shares at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.7 million
(average of $3.51 per share).
As of February 2,
2009, we paid an aggregate of $13,449,469 for the repurchased securities
leaving $36,550,531 of repurchasing capacity in our $50,000,000 share and
warrant buyback program.
Warrant
Conversions
As of
February 2, 2009, 12,721,350 warrants had been converted into shares of common
stock resulting in proceeds to us of $101,770,800.
As of
November 30, 2007, the date of the Redomiciliation Merger, we had 41,564,569
shares of common stock and 20,000,000 warrants outstanding. As of
February 2, 2009, we had 60,301,279 shares of common stock and 5,916,150
warrants outstanding.
Dividend
Policy
We
previously paid regular dividends on a quarterly basis from our operating
surplus, in amounts that allowed us to retain a portion of our cash flows to
fund vessel or fleet acquisitions, and for debt repayment and other corporate
purposes, as determined by our management and board of directors. Under the
terms of the proposed amendments to our three credit facilities, payment of
dividends and repurchases of our shares and warrants have been suspended. Please
see the section of this prospectus entitled "--Preliminary Waiver Agreements
With Lenders."
As a
result of deteriorating market conditions in the international shipping industry
and in particular the sharp decline in charter rates and vessel values in the
drybulk sector and restrictions imposed by our lenders, including the
restriction on dividend payments under the terms of the proposed amendments to
our credit facilities, we may not reinstate the payment of dividends until the
end of the waiver period in early 2010 or the restriction on our payment of
dividends is removed from our amended credit facility agreements. If reinstated,
any dividend payments may be at reduced levels.
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 dividends will
depend on our earnings, financial condition, cash requirements and availability,
fleet renewal and expansion, restrictions in our loan agreements, 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, or if there is no surplus, dividends may be
declared or paid out of net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is
declared and for the preceding fiscal year.
Other
Developments
According
to an amended Schedule 13D filed by F5 Capital with the Commission on July 29,
2008, on June 20, 2008, TMT and certain of its affiliates entered into a private
agreement (the “Agreement”) with Oceanbulk Shipping and Trading, or OBST, a
company founded by our non-executive Chairman and director, Mr. Petros Pappas,
to transfer shares of Star Bulk common stock to certain parties nominated by
OBST in settlement of certain commercial obligations of TMT (which obligations
were and are unrelated to Star Bulk and its business), and pursuant to the
Agreement, on July 10, 2008, F5 Capital, TMT’s nominee, transferred an aggregate
of 9,537,645 shares of Star Bulk common stock to Glassy Sea Navigation Limited
(2,384,411 shares), Legion Finance Inc. (2,384,412 shares), Marquis Shipholding
Ltd (2,384,411 shares) and Venere Shipholding S.A (2,384,411 shares). Mr. Nobu
Su, the sole director and shareholder of F5 Capital, is a former member of
the board of directors of Star Bulk. Star Bulk was not a party to this
transaction.
We
commenced an arbitration proceeding as complainant against Oldendorff Gmbh &
Co. KG of Germany (“Oldendorff”), seeking damages resulting from Oldendorff’s
repudiation of a charter relating to the Star
Beta. The Star
Beta had been time chartered by a subsidiary of the Company to Industrial
Carriers Inc. of Ukraine (“ICI”). Under that time charter, ICI was obligated to
pay a gross daily charter hire rate of $106,500 until February 2010. In January
2008, ICI sub-chartered the vessel to Oldendorff for one year at a gross daily
charter hire rate of $130,000 until February 2009. In October 2008, ICI assigned
its rights and obligations under the sub-charter to one of our subsidiaries in
exchange for ICI being released from the remaining term of the ICI charter.
According to press reports, ICI subsequently filed for protection from its
creditors in a Greek insolvency proceeding. Oldendorff notified the Company that
it considers the assignment of the sub-charter to be an effective repudiation of
the sub-charter by ICI. In January 2009, we made a written submission
to our appointed arbitrator asserting claims against Oldendorff and alleged
damages in the amount of approximately $14,709,000. We believe that
the assignment was valid and that Oldendorff has erroneously repudiated the
sub-charter.
Transactions
with Related Parties
Interchart
Shipping Inc. or Interchart, a company affiliated to Oceanbulk acts as a
chartering broker of the Star
Zeta, the Star
Omicron and the Star
Cosmo. As of December 31, 2007 and September 30, 2008, Star
Bulk had an outstanding liability of $0 and $52,000 respectively, to
Interchart. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008,
the brokerage commission of 1.25% on charter revenue paid to Interchart amounted
to $0 and $220,000, respectively.
On June 3, 2008, the
Company entered into an agreement with a company affiliated with Oceanbulk
Maritime, S.A., or the Oceanbulk Affiliate, a company founded by Star Bulk’s
Chairman, Mr. Petros Pappas, to acquire the Star
Ypsilon, a Capesize drybulk carrier for the aggregate purchase price of
$87.2 million, which was the same price that the Oceanbulk Affiliate had paid
when it acquired the vessel from an unrelated third party. We entered into a
time charter agreement for approximately three years with Vinyl Navigation, a
company affiliated with Oceanbulk, to employ the Star
Ypsilon at an average daily hire rate of $91,932 following its delivery
to us on September 18, 2008. Vinyl Navigation has a back-to-back charter
agreement with TMT, a company controlled by a former director of the Company,
Mr. Nobu Su, on the same terms as our charter agreement with Vinyl Navigation.
No commissions were charged to Star Bulk either on the sale or the chartering of
the Star
Ypsilon.
Recent
Developments in Environmental and Other Regulations
International
Maritime Organization
Air
Emissions
The
United Nations' International Maritime Organization, or IMO, has negotiated
international conventions that impose liability for oil pollution in
international waters and a signatory’s territorial waters. In
September 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to the International Convention
for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of
1978 relating thereto, or MARPOL, to address air pollution from ships. Annex VI
was ratified in May 2004 and became effective in May 2005. Annex VI
sets limits on sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and
prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances, such as
chlorofluorocarbons. Annex VI also includes a global cap on the sulfur content
of fuel oil and allows for special areas to be established with more stringent
controls on sulfur emissions. We believe that all our vessels are currently
compliant in all material respects with Annex VI. Additional or new conventions,
laws and regulations may be adopted that could adversely affect our ability to
manage our vessels. For example, at its 58th session
in October 2008, the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the IMO voted
unanimously to adopt amendments to Annex VI, regarding particulate matter,
nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions standards. The revised Annex VI
reduces air pollution from vessels by, among other things (i) implementing a
progressive reduction of sulfur oxide emissions from ships, with the global
sulfur cap reduced initially to 3.50% (from the current cap of 4.50%), effective
from January 1, 2012, then progressively to 0.50%, effective from January 1,
2020, subject to a feasibility review to be completed no later than 2018; and
(ii) establishing new tiers of stringent nitrogen oxide emissions standards for
new marine engines, depending on their date of installation. These
amendments to Annex VI are expected to enter into force on July 1, 2010, which
is six months after the deemed acceptance date of January 1, 2010. Once these
amendments become effective, we may incur costs to comply with these revised
standards.
Oil
Pollution Liability
Although
the U.S. is not a party to these conventions, many countries have ratified and
follow the liability plan adopted by the IMO and set out in the International
Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as amended in
2000, or the CLC. Under this convention and depending on whether the country in
which the damage results is a party to the 1992 Protocol to the CLC, a vessel’s
registered owner is strictly liable for pollution damage caused in the
territorial waters of a contracting state by discharge of persistent oil,
subject to certain complete defenses. Under an amendment to the
Protocol that became effective on November 1, 2003, for vessels of 5,000 to
140,000 gross tons (a unit of measurement for the total enclosed spaces within a
vessel), liability will be limited to approximately $6.7 million
plus $943 for each additional gross ton over 5,000. For vessels of over
140,000 gross tons, liability will be limited to approximately $134.0
million. As the convention calculates liability in terms of a basket of
currencies, these figures are based on currency exchange rates
on February 5, 2009. The right to limit liability is forfeited under
the CLC where the spill is caused by the owner’s actual fault and under the 1992
Protocol where the spill is caused by the owner’s intentional or reckless
conduct. Vessels trading to states that are
parties to these conventions must provide evidence of insurance covering the
liability of the owner. In jurisdictions where the International Convention on
Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage has not been adopted, various
legislative schemes or common law govern, and liability is imposed either on the
basis of fault or in a manner similar to that convention. We believe that our
P&I insurance will cover the
liability under the plan adopted by the IMO.
In 2001,
the IMO adopted the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil
Pollution Damage, or the Bunker Convention, which imposes strict liability on
ship owners for pollution damage in jurisdictional waters of ratifying states
caused by discharges of bunker fuel. The Bunker Convention requires
registered owners of ships over 1,000 gross tons to maintain insurance for
pollution damage in an amount equal to the limits of liability under the
applicable national or international limitation regime (but not exceeding the
amount calculated in accordance with the Convention on Limitation of Liability
for Maritime Claims of 1976, as amended). The Bunker Convention has
been ratified by a sufficient number of nations for entry into force, and
it became effective on November 21, 2008.
In 2005,
the European Union adopted a directive on ship-source pollution, imposing
criminal sanctions for intentional, reckless or negligent pollution discharges
by ships. The directive could result in criminal liability for
pollution from vessels in waters of European countries that adopt implementing
legislation. Criminal liability for pollution may result in
substantial penalties or fines and increased civil liability
claims.
U.S.
Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act
In 1990,
the U.S. Congress enacted the Oil Pollution Act, or OPA, to establish an
extensive regulatory and liability regime for environmental protection and
cleanup of oil spills. OPA affects all owners and operators whose vessels trade
with the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or whose vessels operate in the
waters of the U.S., which include the U.S. territorial sea and the 200 nautical
mile exclusive economic zone around the U.S. The Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA, was adopted in 1980 and it
imposes liability for cleanup and natural resource damage from the release of
hazardous substances (other than oil) whether on land or at sea. Both OPA and
CERCLA impact our operations.
Under
OPA, vessel owners, operators and bareboat charterers are “responsible parties”
and are jointly, severally and strictly liable (unless the spill results solely
from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war) for
all containment and clean-up costs and other damages arising from discharges or
threatened discharges of oil from their vessels. OPA defines these other damages
broadly to include:
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natural
resources damage and the costs of assessment
thereof;
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real
and personal property damage;
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net
loss of taxes, royalties, rents, fees and other lost
revenues;
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lost
profits or impairment of earning capacity due to property or natural
resources damage;
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net
cost of public services necessitated by a spill response, such as
protection from fire, safety or health hazards; and
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loss of subsistence
use of natural resources.
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Amendments
to OPA that came into effect on July 11, 2006 increased the liability limits for
responsible parties for any vessel other than a tank vessel to $950 per gross
ton or $800,000, whichever is greater. These limits of liability do not apply if
an incident was directly caused by violation of applicable U.S. federal safety,
construction or operating regulations or by a responsible party’s gross
negligence or willful misconduct, or if the responsible party fails or refuses
to report the incident or to cooperate and assist in connection with oil removal
activities.
In
addition, CERCLA applies to the discharge of hazardous substances (other
than oil) whether on land or at sea, contains a liability regime similar to OPA
and provides for cleanup, removal and natural resource damages. Liability per
vessel under CERCLA is limited to the greater of $300 per gross ton or $5
million, unless the incident is caused by gross negligence, willful misconduct,
or a violation of certain regulations, in which case liability is
unlimited.
OPA
requires owners and operators of vessels to establish and maintain with the U.S.
Coast Guard evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to meet their
potential liabilities under OPA. Effective October 17, 2008, the U.S. Coast
Guard regulations requiring evidence of financial responsibility were amended to
conform the OPA financial responsibility requirements to the July 2006 increases
in liability limits. Current U.S. Coast Guard regulations require
evidence of financial responsibility in the amount of $900 per gross ton for
non-tank vessels, which includes the OPA limitation on liability of $600 per
gross ton and the CERCLA liability limit of $300 per gross ton. Under the
regulations, vessel owners and operators may evidence their financial
responsibility by showing proof of insurance, surety bond, self-insurance or
guaranty. Under OPA, an owner or operator of a fleet of vessels is required only
to demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility in an amount sufficient to
cover the vessels in the fleet having the greatest maximum liability under
OPA. We have complied with the U.S. Coast Guard regulations by
providing a certificate of responsibility from third party entities that are
acceptable to the U.S. Coast Guard evidencing sufficient
self-insurance.
We
currently maintain pollution liability coverage insurance in the amount of
$1 billion per incident for each of our vessels. If the damages from a
catastrophic spill were to exceed our insurance coverage it could have an
adverse effect on our business and results of operation.
The U.S.
Coast Guard’s regulations concerning certificates of financial responsibility
provide, in accordance with OPA, that claimants may bring suit directly against
an insurer or guarantor that furnishes certificates of financial responsibility.
In the event that such insurer or guarantor is sued directly, it is prohibited
from asserting any contractual defense that it may have had against the
responsible party and is limited to asserting those defenses available to the
responsible party and the defense that the incident was caused by the willful
misconduct of the responsible party. Certain organizations, which had typically
provided certificates of financial responsibility under pre-OPA laws, including
the major protection and indemnity organizations, have declined to furnish
evidence of insurance for vessel owners and operators if they are subject to
direct actions or are required to waive insurance policy defenses.
OPA
specifically permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes
with regard to oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries, and
some states have enacted legislation providing for unlimited liability for oil
spills. In some cases, states, which have enacted such legislation, have not yet
issued implementing regulations defining vessels owners’ responsibilities under
these laws. We intend to comply with all applicable state regulations in the
ports where our vessels call.
The
U.S. Clean Water Act
The U.S.
Clean Water Act, or CWA, prohibits the discharge of oil or hazardous substances
in U.S. navigable waters unless authorized by a duly-issued permit or exemption,
and imposes strict liability in the form of penalties for any unauthorized
discharges. The CWA also imposes substantial liability for the costs of removal,
remediation and damages and complements the remedies available under OPA and
CERCLA.
The
United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, historically exempted the
discharge of ballast water and other substances incidental to the normal
operation of vessels in U.S. waters from CWA permitting requirements. However,
on March 31, 2005, a U.S. District Court ruled that the EPA exceeded its
authority in creating an exemption for ballast water. On September 18, 2006, the
court issued an order invalidating the exemption in the EPA’s regulations for
all discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel as of September
30, 2008, and directed the EPA to develop a system for regulating all discharges
from vessels by that date. The District Court’s decision was affirmed by the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 23, 2008. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling
meant that owners and operators of vessels traveling in U.S. waters would soon
be required to comply with the CWA permitting program to be developed by the EPA
or face penalties. Seeking to provide relief to certain types of vessels, the
U.S. Congress enacted laws in July 2008 that exempted from the impending CWA
vessel permitting program recreational vessels, commercial fishing vessels, and
any other commercial vessel less than 79 feet in length.
In
response to the invalidation and removal of the EPA’s vessel exemption by the
Ninth Circuit, the EPA has enacted rules governing the regulation of ballast
water discharges and other discharges incidental to the normal operation of
vessels within U.S. waters. Under the new rules, which took effect February 6,
2009, commercial vessels 79 feet in length or longer (other than commercial
fishing vessels), which we refer to as regulated vessels, are required to obtain
a CWA permit regulating and authorizing such normal discharges. This permit,
which the EPA has designated as the Vessel General Permit for Discharges
Incidental to the Normal Operation of Vessels, or VGP, incorporates the current
U.S. Coast Guard requirements for ballast water management as well as
supplemental ballast water requirements, and includes limits applicable to 26
specific discharge streams, such as deck runoff, bilge water and gray
water.
For each
discharge type, among other things, the VGP establishes effluent limits
pertaining to the constituents found in the effluent, including best management
practices, or BMPs, designed to decrease the amount of constituents entering the
waste stream. Unlike land-based discharges, which are deemed acceptable by
meeting certain EPA-imposed numerical effluent limits, each of the 26 VGP
discharge limits is deemed to be met when a regulated vessel carries out the
BMPs pertinent to that specific discharge stream. The VGP imposes additional
requirements on certain regulated vessel types, including tankers, that emit
discharges unique to those vessels. Administrative provisions, such as
inspection, monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements are also
included for all regulated vessels.
On August
31, 2008, the District Court ordered that the date for implementation of the VGP
be postponed from September 30, 2008 until December 19, 2008. This date was
further postponed until February 6, 2009 by the District
Court. Although the VGP became effective on February 6, 2009,
the VGP application procedure, known as the Notice of Intent, or NOI, has yet to
be finalized. Accordingly, regulated vessels will effectively be covered under
the VGP from February 6, 2009 until June 19, 2009, at which time the “eNOI”
electronic filing interface will become operational. Thereafter, owners and
operators of regulated vessels must file their NOIs prior to September 19, 2009.
Any regulated vessel that does not file an NOI by this deadline will, as of that
date, no longer be covered by the VGP and will not be allowed to discharge into
U.S. navigable waters until it has obtained a VGP. Any regulated vessel that was
delivered on or before the September 19, 2009 deadline will receive final VGP
permit coverage on the date that the EPA receives such regulated vessel’s
complete NOI. Regulated vessels delivered after the September 19, 2009 deadline
will not receive VGP permit coverage until 30 days after their NOI submission.
Our fleet is composed entirely of regulated vessels, and we intend to submit
NOIs for each vessel in our fleet as soon after June 19, 2009 as practicable.
In
addition, pursuant to section 401 of the CWA which requires each state to
certify federal discharge permits such as the VGP, certain states have enacted
additional discharge standards as conditions to their certification of the VGP.
These local standards bring the VGP into compliance with more stringent state
requirements, such as those further restricting ballast water discharges and
preventing the introduction of non-indigenous species considered to be invasive.
The VGP and its state-specific regulations and any similar restrictions enacted
in the future will increase the costs of operating in the relevant
waters.
National
Invasive Species Act
The U.S.
National Invasive Species Act, or NISA, was enacted in 1996 in response to
growing reports of harmful organisms being released into U.S. ports through
ballast water taken on by vessels in foreign ports. The U.S. Coast Guard adopted
regulations under NISA in July 2004 that impose mandatory ballast water
management practices for all vessels equipped with ballast water tanks entering
U.S. waters. These requirements can be met by performing mid-ocean ballast
exchange, by retaining ballast water on board the vessel, or by using
environmentally sound alternative ballast water management methods approved by
the U.S. Coast Guard. Mid-ocean ballast exchange is the primary method for
compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard regulations, since holding ballast water
can prevent vessels from performing cargo operations upon arrival in the U.S.,
and alternative methods are still under development. Vessels that are unable to
conduct mid-ocean ballast exchange due to voyage or safety concerns may
discharge minimum amounts of ballast water, provided that they comply with
recordkeeping requirements and document the reasons they could not follow the
required ballast water management requirements. The U.S. Coast Guard is
developing a proposal to establish ballast water discharge standards, which
could set maximum acceptable discharge limits for various invasive species,
and/or lead to requirements for active treatment of ballast water. The U.S.
House of Representatives has recently passed a bill that amends NISA by
prohibiting the discharge of ballast water unless it has been treated with
specified methods or acceptable alternatives. Similar bills have been introduced
in the U.S. Senate, but we cannot predict which bill, if any, will be enacted
into law. In the absence of federal standards, states have enacted legislation
or regulations to address invasive species through ballast water and hull
cleaning management and permitting requirements. For instance, the state of
California has recently enacted legislation extending its ballast water
management program to regulate the management of “hull fouling” organisms
attached to vessels and adopted regulations limiting the number of organisms in
ballast water discharges. A U.S. District Court dismissed challenges
to the state of Michigan’s ballast water management legislation mandating the
use of various techniques for ballast water treatment, and, on November 21,
2008, this decision was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Other
states may proceed with the enactment of similar requirements that could
increase the costs of operating in state waters.
Other
Environmental Initiatives
The
European Union is considering legislation that will affect the operation of
vessels and the liability of owners for oil pollution. It is difficult to
predict what legislation, if any, may be promulgated by the European Union or
any other country or authority.
In
addition to the requirements of MARPOL Annex VI (described above), the U.S.
Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and
1990, or the CAA, required the EPA to promulgate standards applicable to
emissions of volatile organic compounds and other air contaminants. Our vessels
are subject to vapor control and recovery requirements for certain cargoes when
loading, unloading, ballasting, cleaning and conducting other operations in
regulated port areas. Our vessels that operate in such port areas with
restricted cargoes are equipped with vapor recovery systems that satisfy these
requirements. The CAA also requires states to draft State Implementation Plans,
or SIPs, designed to attain national health-based air quality standards in
primarily major metropolitan and/or industrial areas. Several SIPs regulate
emissions resulting from vessel loading and unloading operations by requiring
the installation of vapor control equipment. As indicated above, our vessels
operating in covered port areas are already equipped with vapor recovery systems
that satisfy these existing requirements. The EPA and some states, however,
have proposed more stringent regulations of air emissions from ocean-going
vessels. For example, on July 24, 2008, the California Air Resources Board of
the State of California, or CARB, approved clean-fuel regulations applicable to
all vessels sailing within 24 miles of the California coastline whose
itineraries call for them to enter any California ports, terminal facilities, or
internal or estuarine waters. The new CARB regulations require such vessels to
use low sulfur marine fuels rather than bunker fuel. By July 1, 2009, such
vessels are required to switch either to marine gas oil with a sulfur content of
no more than 1.5% or marine diesel oil with a sulfur content of no more than
0.5%. By 2012, only marine gas oil and marine diesel oil fuels with 0.1% sulfur
will be allowed. In the event our vessels were to travel within such waters,
these new regulations would increase our costs.
Additionally,
EPA has proposed new emissions standards for new Category 3 marine diesel
engines. These are engines with per-cylinder displacement at or above
30 liters and are typically found on large ocean-going vessels such as drybulk
vessels. The EPA proposes to require the application of advanced
emission control technologies as well as controls on the sulfur content of
fuels.
Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act
Our
operations occasionally generate and require the transportation, treatment and
disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous solid wastes that are subject to
the requirements of the U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act or
comparable state, local or foreign requirements. In addition, from time to time
we arrange for the disposal of hazardous waste or hazardous substances at
offsite disposal facilities. If such materials are improperly disposed of by
third parties, we may still be held liable for clean up costs under applicable
laws.
Greenhouse
Gas Regulation
In
February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, which we refer to as the Kyoto Protocol, entered into force.
Pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol, adopting countries are required to implement
national programs to reduce emissions of certain gases, generally referred to as
greenhouse gases, which are suspected of contributing to global warming.
Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not
subject to the Kyoto Protocol. However, the European Union has indicated that it
intends to propose an expansion of the existing European Union emissions trading
scheme to include emissions of greenhouse gases from vessels. In the U.S., the
California Attorney General and a coalition of environmental groups in October
2007 petitioned the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ocean-going
vessels under the CAA. Any passage of climate control legislation or other
regulatory initiatives by the IMO, European Union or individual countries where
we operate that restrict emissions of greenhouse gases could entail financial
impacts on our operations that we cannot predict with certainty at this
time.
Vessel
Security Regulations
Since the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there have been a variety of
initiatives intended to enhance vessel security. On November 25, 2002, the
Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, or the MTSA, came into effect. To
implement certain portions of the MTSA, in July 2003, the U.S. Coast Guard
issued regulations requiring the implementation of certain security requirements
aboard vessels operating in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S.
Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to the International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS, created a new chapter of the convention
dealing specifically with maritime security. The new chapter came into effect in
July 2004 and imposes various detailed security obligations on vessels and
port authorities, most of which are contained in the newly created International
Ship and Port Facilities Security Code or ISPS Code. Among the various
requirements are:
|
on-board
installation of automatic information systems to enhance vessel-to-vessel
and vessel-to-shore communications;
|
|
on-board
installation of ship security alert
systems;
|
|
the
development of vessel security plans;
and
|
|
compliance
with flag state security certification
requirements.
|
The U.S.
Coast Guard regulations, intended to align with international maritime security
standards, exempt non-U.S. vessels from MTSA vessel security measures provided
such vessels have on board a valid International Ship Security Certificate that
attests to the vessel’s compliance with SOLAS security requirements and the ISPS
Code as ratified by the ship’s flag state. We have implemented the various
security measures addressed by the MTSA, SOLAS and the ISPS Code.
Other
Environmental Initiatives
We refer you to the
section of our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007
entitled “Environmental and Other Regulations” for a discussion of the
government regulations and laws that significantly affect the ownership and
operation of our fleet.
THE
INTERNATIONAL DRY BULK SHIPPING INDUSTRY
The
information and data in this section relating to the international dry bulk
shipping industry has been provided by Drewry Shipping Consultants (Drewry), and
is taken from Drewry databases and other sources available in the public
domain. Drewry has advised us that it accurately describes the
international dry bulk shipping industry, subject to the availability and
reliability of the data supporting the statistical and graphical information
presented. In particular, the data contained in this section is
compiled on a periodic basis and may not reflect the most recent events and
current trends in the drybulk shipping market. Drewry’s methodologies for
collecting information and data, and therefore the information discussed in this
section, may differ from those of other sources, and does not reflect all or
even necessarily a comprehensive set of the actual transactions occurring in the
dry bulk shipping industry. The source of all tables and charts is
Drewry unless otherwise indicated.
Introduction
The
marine industry is a vital link in international trade, with oceangoing vessels
representing the most efficient, and often the only means of transporting large
volumes of basic commodities and finished products. Seaborne cargo is
categorized as dry cargo or liquid cargo. Dry cargo includes dry bulk
cargo, container cargo and non container cargo. Container cargo is
shipped in 20 or 40 foot containers and includes a wide variety of finished
products. Non-container cargo includes other dry cargo that cannot be
shipped in a container due to size, weight or handling requirements, such as
large manufacturing equipment or large industrial vehicles. Liquid
cargo includes crude oil, refined oil products, liquefied gases, chemicals and
associated products, all of which are shipped in tankers.
In 2007,
approximately 5.1 billion tons of dry cargo were transported by sea, of which
dry bulk cargo accounted for 2.96 billion tons. The following table
presents the breakdown of the global trade by type of cargo in 2000 and
2007.
World
Seaborne Trade 2000 and 2007
|
Millions of Tons
|
CAGR(1)
|
% Total Seaborne Trade
|
|
2000
|
2007(p)
|
2000-2007
|
2000
|
2007
|
Drybulk
Cargo
|
|
|
|
|
|
Major Bulks
|
1,249
|
1,809
|
5.4%
|
19.1%
|
20.2%
|
Coal
|
539
|
769
|
5.0%
|
8.2%
|
8.6%
|
Iron Ore
|
489
|
812
|
7.5%
|
7.5%
|
9.1%
|
Grain
|
221
|
228
|
0.4%
|
3.4%
|
2.6%
|
Minor Bulks
|
901
|
1,155
|
3.6%
|
13.8%
|
12.9%
|
Total
Drybulk
|
2,150
|
2,964
|
4.6%
|
|
|
Container
Cargo
|
620
|
1,272
|
10.8%
|
9.5%
|
14.2%
|
Non Container/General
Cargo
|
720
|
820
|
1.9%
|
11.0%
|
9.2%
|
Total Dry
Cargo
|
3,490
|
5,056
|
5.4%
|
53.4%
|
56.6%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liquid
Cargo
|
3,051
|
3,881
|
3.5%
|
46.6%
|
43.4%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL ALL
CARGO
|
6,541
|
8,937
|
4.5%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
(p) Provisional.
(1) Compound annual growth
rate.
Source: Drewry
Dry
bulk cargo can be further defined as either major bulk cargo or minor bulk
cargo, all of which is shipped in bulk carriers. Major bulk cargo
includes, among other things, iron ore, coal and grain. Minor bulk
cargo includes agricultural products, mineral cargo (including metal
concentrates), cement, forest products and metal products. Dry bulk
cargo is normally shipped in large quantities and can be easily stowed in a
single hold with little risk of cargo damage.
Dry
Bulk Shipping
Drybulk
Carrier Demand
The
demand for drybulk carriers is determined by the volume and geographical
distribution of seaborne dry bulk trade, which in turn is influenced by trends
in the global economy. During the 1980s and 1990s seaborne dry bulk
trade increased by slightly more than 2% per annum. However, between
2000 and 2007, seaborne dry bulk trade increased at a CAGR of 4.7%. Although no
final data is available for dry bulk seaborne in 2008 it is clear that the
slowdown in the world economy has had an adverse impact on trade and growth
rates for 2008 will be below those recorded in the period
2002-2007.
The
following chart illustrates the changes in seaborne trade between the major and
minor bulks in the period 2000 to 2007.
Dry
Bulk Trade Development
(Millions of Tons)
P=provisional
Source: Drewry
Historically,
certain economies have acted as the “primary driver” of dry bulk
trade. In the 1990s Japan was the driving force, when buoyant
Japanese industrial production stimulated demand for imported bulk
commodities. More recently China has been the main driver behind the
recent increase in seaborne dry bulk trade as high levels of economic growth
have generated increased demand for imported raw materials. However,
Chinese demand for imported dry bulk commodities weakened in 2008 in line with
the downturn in the global and Chinese economies. The following table
illustrates China’s gross domestic product growth rate compared to that of the
United States and the world during the periods indicated.
Real
GDP Growth
(% change previous
period)
GNP
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008(p)
|
Global Economy
|
4.8
|
2.4
|
3.0
|
4.1
|
5.3
|
4.4
|
5.1
|
5.0
|
3.85
|
USA
|
3.8
|
0.3
|
1.6
|
2.7
|
3.9
|
3.1
|
2.9
|
2.0
|
1.4
|
Europe
|
3.4
|
1.7
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
2.1
|
1.8
|
3.0
|
2.7
|
1.2
|
Japan
|
2.8
|
0.4
|
-0.3
|
1.8
|
2.7
|
1.9
|
2.4
|
2.1
|
0.4
|
China
|
8.0
|
7.5
|
8.3
|
10.0
|
10.1
|
10.4
|
11.6
|
11.9
|
9.5
|
India
|
5.1
|
4.4
|
4.7
|
7.4
|
7.0
|
9.1
|
9.8
|
9.3
|
7.6
|
P = provisional
Source: Drewry
In
particular Chinese imports or iron ore alone increased from 70.0 million tons in
2000 to 384.0 million tons in 2007, which has generated much additional
employment for the larger vessels in the drybulk carrier fleet. In
addition to coal and iron ore, Chinese imports of steel products also increased
sharply between 2002 and 2007, thereby creating additional demand for drybulk
carriers. Nevertheless, provisional data for 2008 suggests that the
growth in Chinese imports of dry bulk commodities has slowed down
considerably.
Chinese Iron Ore
Imports
(Millions of Tons)
Year
|
Imports
|
% of
Change
|
2000
|
70.0
|
26.6
|
2001
|
92.5
|
32.1
|
2002
|
111.3
|
20.3
|
2003
|
148.2
|
33.2
|
2004
|
208.1
|
40.4
|
2005
|
275.2
|
32.2
|
2006
|
326.0
|
18.5
|
2007
|
383.7
|
17.6
|
Source: Drewry
The
extent to which increases in dry bulk trade have affected demand for drybulk
carriers is shown in estimates of ton-mile demand. Ton-mile demand is
calculated by multiplying the volume of cargo moved on each route by the
distance of the voyage.
The
following table and chart below detail the changes in trade and ton-mile demand
for the primary dry bulk commodities.
Drybulk Carrier Seaborne Trade:
2000-2007
(Millions of Tons)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAGR
|
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2000/2007
%
|
Coal
|
539
|
587
|
590
|
619
|
650
|
675
|
709
|
761
|
5.0%
|
Iron Ore
|
489
|
503
|
544
|
580
|
644
|
715
|
759
|
812
|
7.5%
|
Grain
|
221
|
213
|
210
|
211
|
208
|
212
|
221
|
228
|
0.4%
|
Minor Bulks
|
901
|
890
|
900
|
957
|
1,025
|
1,049
|
1,103
|
1,155
|
3.6%
|
Total
|
2,151
|
2,193
|
2,244
|
2,367
|
2,526
|
2,651
|
2,793
|
2,956
|
4.6%
|
Annual Change
%
|
8.3
|
2.0
|
2.3
|
5.5
|
6.7
|
4.9
|
5.3
|
5.9
|
|
(1) Compound annual growth
rate.
Source: Drewry
Ton Mile Demand:
2000-2007
(Billion Ton-Miles)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAGR
|
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2000/2007
%
|
Coal
|
2,831
|
3,082
|
3,098
|
3,250
|
3,412
|
3,544
|
3,547
|
3,845
|
4.5%
|
Iron Ore
|
2,690
|
2,766
|
2,990
|
3,192
|
3,525
|
3,899
|
4,097
|
4,383
|
7.2%
|
Grain
|
1,161
|
1,118
|
1,103
|
1,108
|
1,089
|
1,112
|
1,161
|
1,196
|
0.4%
|
Minor Bulks
|
4,457
|
4,404
|
4,452
|
4,724
|
5,059
|
5,172
|
5,431
|
5,697
|
3.6%
|
Total
|
11,139
|
11,370
|
11,643
|
12,274
|
13,085
|
13,727
|
14,236
|
15,121
|
4.5%
|
Source: Drewry
Between
2000 and 2007, ton-mile demand in the dry bulk sector increased by a CAGR of
4.5%. This is however above the long term growth rate in ton mile
demand in the dry bulk sector and reflects the rise in long haul movements,
especially for commodities such as iron ore.
Drybulk
carriers are one of the most versatile elements of the global shipping fleet in
terms of employment alternatives. They seldom operate on round trip
voyages and the norm is often triangular or multi-leg voyages. Hence,
trade distances assume greater importance in the demand equation and increases
in long haul shipments will have greater impact on overall vessel
demand. The following map represents the major global dry bulk trade
routes.
Major Dry Bulk Seaborne Trade
Routes
Source: Drewry
Demand
for drybulk carrier capacity is also affected by the operating efficiency of the
global fleet. In recent years the growth in trade has led to port
congestion, with ships at times being forced to wait outside port to either load
or discharge due to limited supply of berths at major ports. This
inefficiency has been a further factor contributing to the general tightness in
the market.
Seasonal
variations in the commodity markets, including iron ore, steam coal and grain
can also have a further impact on demand for drybulk carriers. For
example, steam coal’s link to the energy and electricity markets results in
increased demand when power companies increase their stock in winter months and
when refrigeration and air conditioning increase electricity demand in summer
months.
Drybulk
Carrier Supply
The
world drybulk fleet is generally divided into six major categories, based on a
vessel’s cargo carrying capacity. These categories consist of: Very
Large Ore Carrier, Capesize, Post Panamax, Panamax, Handymax and
Handysize.
Category
|
Size Range -
Dwt
|
Handysize
|
10-39,999
|
Handymax
|
40-59,999
|
Panamax
|
60-79,999
|
Post
Panamax
|
80-109,999
|
Capesize
|
110-199,999
|
VLOC
|
200,000
+
|
|
Handysize. Handysize
vessels have a carrying capacity of up to 39,999 dwt. These
vessels almost exclusively carry minor bulk
cargo. Increasingly, ships of this type operate on regional
trading routes, and may serve as trans-shipment feeders for larger
vessels. Handysize vessels are well suited for small ports with
length and draft restrictions. Their cargo gear enables them to
service ports lacking the infrastructure for cargo loading and
unloading.
|
|
Handymax. Handymax
vessels have a carrying capacity of between 40,000 and 59,999
dwt. These vessels operate on a large number of geographically
dispersed global trade routes, carrying primarily grains and minor
bulks. Within the Handymax category there is also a sub-sector
known as Supramax. Supramax
bulk carriers are ships between 50,000 to 59,999 dwt, normally offering
cargo loading and unloading flexibility with on-board cranes, while at the
same time possessing the cargo carrying capability approaching
conventional Panamax bulk carriers. Hence, the earnings
potential of a Supramax drybulk carrier, when compared to a conventional
Handymax vessel of 45,000 dwt, is
greater.
|
|
Panamax. Panamax
vessels have a carrying capacity of between 60,000 and 79,999
dwt. These vessels carry coal, grains, and, to a lesser extent,
minor bulks, including steel products, forest products and
fertilizers. Panamax vessels are able to pass through the
Panama Canal, making them more versatile than larger
vessels.
|
|
Post
Panamax. Typically between 80,000 and 109,999 dwt, they
tend to be shallower and have a larger beam than a standard Panamax vessel
with a higher cubic capacity. They have been designed
specifically for loading high cubic cargoes from draught restricted
ports.
|
|
Capesize. Capesize
vessels have carrying capacities 110,000 and 199,999 dwt. Only
the largest ports around the world possess the infrastructure to
accommodate vessels of this size. Capesize vessels are mainly
used to transport iron ore or coal and, to a lesser extent, grains,
primarily on long-haul routes.
|
|
VLOC. Very
large ore carriers are in excess of 200,000 dwt and are a comparatively
new sector of the drybulk carrier fleet. VLOCs are built to
exploit economies of scale on long-haul iron ore. The following
table illustrates the size and breakdown of the global dry bulk fleet as
of September 2008.
|
Drybulk
Carrier Fleet – December 2008
Size Category
|
Deadweight Tonnes
|
Number
of Vessels
|
%
of Total Fleet
|
Total
Capacity
|
%
of Total Fleet
|
|
|
|
(number)
|
(million
dwt)
|
(dwt)
|
Handysize
|
10-39,999
|
3,010
|
42.5
|
80.4
|
19.2
|
Handymax
|
40-59,999
|
1,694
|
23.9
|
82.2
|
19.6
|
Panamax
|
60-79,999
|
1,364
|
19.3
|
97.7
|
23.3
|
Post
Panamax
|
80-109,999
|
204
|
2.9
|
17.9
|
4.3
|
Capesize
|
110-199,999
|
676
|
9.6
|
111.3
|
26.6
|
Vloc
|
200,000+
|
128
|
1.8
|
29.3
|
7.0
|
Total
|
|
7,076
|
100.0
|
418.8
|
100.0
|
Source: Drewry
The
supply of drybulk carriers is dependent on the delivery of new vessels from the
orderbook and the removal of vessels from the global fleet, either through
scrapping or loss. As of December 2008 the global dry bulk orderbook
amounted to 295.0 million dwt, or 70.4% of the existing drybulk carrier
fleet.
Drybulk
Carrier Orderbook – December 2008
Size Category
|
Deadweight Tonnes
|
Number
of Vessels
|
Orderbook
as % of Existing Fleet - No
|
Total
Capacity _ Million Dwt
|
Orderbook
as % of Existing Fleet - Dwt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Handysize
|
10-39,999
|
868
|
28.8
|
27.2
|
33.8
|
Handymax
|
40-59,999
|
969
|
57.2
|
54.4
|
66.2
|
Panamax
|
60-79,999
|
235
|
17.2
|
16.8
|
17.2
|
Post
Panamax
|
80-109,999
|
541
|
265.2
|
46.7
|
260.9
|
Capesize
|
110-199,999
|
652
|
96.4
|
109.9
|
98.7
|
Vloc
|
200,000+
|
146
|
114.1
|
40
|
136.5
|
Total
|
|
3,411
|
48.2
|
295.0
|
70.4
|
Source: Drewry
The
number of ships removed from the fleet in any period is dependent upon
prevailing market conditions, scrap prices in relation to current and
prospective charter market conditions and the age profile of the existing
fleet. Generally, as a vessel ages, its operational efficiency
declines due to rising maintenance requirements to the point where it becomes
unprofitable to keep the ship in operation. The following chart
illustrates the age profile of the global drybulk carrier fleet in December
2008.
Drybulk
Carrier Age Profile – December 2008
Source: Drewry
The
average age at which a drybulk carrier has been scrapped over the last five
years has been 28 years. However, due to recent strength in the dry
bulk shipping industry, over the last two years the average age at which dry
bulk carriers have been scrapped has increased and a number of well-maintained
vessels have continued to operate past the age of 30.
Drybulk
Carrier Scrapping
|
|
Handysize
|
|
|
Handymax
|
|
|
Panamax
|
|
|
Capesize
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
% of
Fleet
|
Year
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Dwt
|
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Dwt
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Dwt
|
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Dwt
|
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Dwt
|
|
|
Scrapped
|
|
2000
|
|
|
50 |
|
|
|
1,192,000 |
|
|
|
40 |
|
|
|
1,454,000 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
667,000 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
452,000 |
|
|
|
105 |
|
|
|
3,765,000 |
|
|
|
1.4
|
|
2001
|
|
|
62 |
|
|
|
1,408,000 |
|
|
|
40 |
|
|
|
1,492,000 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
1,870,000 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
401,000 |
|
|
|
133 |
|
|
|
5,171,000 |
|
|
|
1.9
|
|
2002
|
|
|
64 |
|
|
|
1,556,000 |
|
|
|
25 |
|
|
|
938,000 |
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
997,000 |
|
|
|
115 |
|
|
|
4,691,000 |
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
2003
|
|
|
25 |
|
|
|
597,000 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
1,103,000 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
465,000 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
248,000 |
|
|
|
63 |
|
|
|
2,413,000 |
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
2004
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
113,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
95,000 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
123,000 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
331,000 |
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
2005
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
109,000 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
165,000 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
202,000 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
247,000 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
723,000 |
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
2006
|
|
|
21 |
|
|
|
474,843 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
380,439 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
538,785 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
296,000 |
|
|
|
41 |
|
|
|
1,690,067 |
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
2007
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
198,792 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
33,527 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
141,346 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
373,665 |
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
* Total fleet – end
period
Source: Drewry
Charter
Hire Rates
Drybulk
carriers are employed in the market through a number of different chartering
options. The general terms typically found in these types of
contracts are described below.
|
A
bareboat charter
involves the use of a vessel usually over longer periods of time ranging
up to several years. In this case, all voyage related costs,
including vessel fuel, or bunker, and port dues as well as all vessel
operating expenses, such as day-to-day operations, maintenance, crewing
and insurance, transfer to the charterer’s account. The owner
of the vessel receives monthly charter hire payments on a per day basis
and is responsible only for the payment of capital costs related to the
vessel.
|
|
A
time charter
involves the use of the vessel, either for a number of months or years or
for a trip between specific delivery and redelivery positions, known as a
trip charter. The charterer pays all voyage related
costs. The owner of the vessel receives semi-monthly charter
hire payments on a per day basis and is responsible for the payment of all
vessel operating expenses and capital costs of the
vessel.
|
|
A single or spot voyage charter involves
the carriage of a specific amount and type of cargo on a load-port to
discharge-port basis, subject to various cargo handling
terms. Most of these charters are of a single or spot voyage
nature, as trading patterns do not encourage round voyage
trading. The owner of the vessel receives one payment derived
by multiplying the tons of cargo loaded on board by the agreed upon
freight rate expressed on a per cargo ton basis. The owner is
responsible for the payment of all expenses including voyage, operating
and capital costs of the vessel.
|
●
|
A
contract of
affreightment, or COA, relates to the carriage of multiple cargoes
over the same route and enables the COA holder to nominate different ships
to perform individual voyages. Essentially, it constitutes a
number of voyage charters to carry a specified amount of cargo during the
term of the COA, which usually spans a number of years. All of
the ship’s operating, voyage and capital costs are borne by the ship
owner. The freight rate normally is agreed on a per cargo ton
basis.
|
Charter
hire rates fluctuate by varying degrees amongst the drybulk carrier size
categories. The volume and pattern of trade in a small number of
commodities (major bulks) affect demand for larger vessels. Because
demand for larger dry bulk vessels is affected by the volume and pattern of
trade in a relatively small number of commodities, charter hire rates (and
vessel values) of larger ships tend to be more volatile. Conversely,
trade in a greater number of commodities (minor bulks) drives demand for smaller
drybulk carriers. Accordingly, charter rates and vessel values for
those vessels are subject to less volatility.
Charter
hire rates paid for drybulk carriers are primarily a function of the underlying
balance between vessel supply and demand, although at times other factors, such
as sentiment may play a role. Furthermore, the pattern seen in
charter rates is broadly mirrored across the different charter types and between
the different drybulk carrier categories.
In
the time charter market, rates vary depending on the length of the charter
period and vessel specific factors such as age, speed and fuel
consumption.
In
the voyage charter market, rates are influenced by cargo size, commodity, port
dues and canal transit fees, as well as delivery and redelivery
regions. In general, a larger cargo size is quoted at a lower rate
per ton than a smaller cargo size. Routes with costly ports or canals
generally command higher rates than routes with low port dues and no canals to
transit. Voyages with a load port within a region that includes ports
where vessels usually discharge cargo or a discharge port within a region that
includes ports where vessels load cargo also are generally quoted at lower
rates. This is because such voyages generally increase vessel
utilization by reducing the unloaded portion (or ballast leg) that is included
in the calculation of the return charter to a loading area.
Within
the dry bulk shipping industry, the charter hire rate references most likely to
be monitored are the freight rate indices issued by the Baltic
Exchange. These references are based on actual charter hire rates
under charter entered into by market participants as well as daily assessments
provided to the Baltic Exchange by a panel of major shipbrokers. The
Baltic Panamax Index is the index with the longest history.
Baltic Exchange Freight
Indices
(Index points)
The BSI replaced the BHMI on January 3,
2006, although the index has been calculated since July 1,
2005
Source: Baltic
Exchange
The
following chart illustrates one-year time charter rates for Handysize, Handymax,
Panamax and Capesize drybulk carriers between 1996 and December
2008.
Time Charter Rates – 1
Year
(US Dollars per Day)
Source: Drewry
In
2003 and 2004, rates for drybulk carriers of all sizes strengthened appreciably
in comparison to historical levels as vessel supply and demand were finely
balanced. The main driver of this dramatic upsurge in charter rates
was primarily the high level of demand for raw materials imported by
China.
During
2006, rates stabilized above historically high levels. In 2007, rates
rose to new highs, reflecting the very tight balance between vessel supply and
demand. In 2008, rates remained at comparatively high levels in the
first half of the year, but fell sharply from August in the face of weaker
demand, rising supply and market perception and are now are market
lows.
Vessel
Prices
Newbuilding
prices are determined by a number of factors, including the underlying balance
between shipyard output and capacity, raw material costs, freight markets and
sometimes exchange rates. In the last few years high levels of new
ordering were recorded across all sectors of shipping. As a result,
most of the major shipyards in Japan, South Korea and China have full orderbooks
until the end of 2010, although the downturn in freight rates and the lack of
funding to the wider global financial crisis will lead to some of these orders
being cancelled or delayed.
The
following chart indicates the change in newbuilding prices for drybulk carriers
in the period from 1996. As can be seen newbuilding prices have
increased significantly since 2003, due to tightness in shipyard capacity, high
levels of new ordering and stronger freight rates. However, with the
sudden and steep decline in freight rates, secondhand values and lack of new
vessel ordering, newbuilding prices have started to decline.
Drybulk Carrier Newbuilding
Prices
(Millions of U.S.
Dollars)
Source: Drewry
In
the secondhand market, the steep increase in newbuilding prices and the strength
of the charter market have also affected values, to the extent that prices rose
sharply in 2004/2005, before dipping in the early part of 2006, only to rise
thereafter to new highs in the first half of 2008. However, the sudden
and sharp downturn in freight rates since August has had a very negative
impact on secondhand values, as the chart below indicates.
Drybulk Carrier Secondhand Prices – 5
Year Old Vessels
(Millions U.S.
Dollars)
Source: Drewry
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Our
disclosure and analysis in this prospectus concerning our operations, cash flows
and financial condition, including, in particular, the likelihood of our success
in developing and expanding our business, include forward-looking
statements. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend
upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as
“expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,”
“projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “should,” and similar expressions are
forward-looking statements.
All
statements in this prospectus that are not statements of historical fact are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but
are not limited to, such matters as:
|
our
future operating or financial
results;
|
|
economic
and political conditions;
|
|
our
pending acquisitions, our business strategy and expected capital spending
or operating expenses, including dry-docking and insurance
costs;
|
|
competition
in the seaborne transportation
industry;
|
|
statements
about seaborne transportation trends, including charter rates and factors
affecting supply and demand;
|
|
our
financial condition and liquidity, including our ability to obtain
financing in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions and
other general corporate activities;
and
|
|
our
expectations of the availability of vessels to purchase, the time that it
may take to construct new vessels, or vessels’ useful
lives.
|
Many
of these statements are based on our assumptions about factors that are beyond
our ability to control or predict and are subject to risks and uncertainties
that are described more fully in the “Risk Factors” section of this
prospectus. Any of these factors or a combination of these factors
could materially affect future results of operations and the ultimate accuracy
of the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause future
results to differ include, but are not limited to, the following:
|
changes
in law, governmental rules and regulations, or actions taken by regulatory
authorities;
|
|
changes
in economic and competitive conditions affecting our
business;
|
|
potential
liability from future litigation;
|
|
length
and number of off-hire periods and dependence on third-party managers;
and
|
|
other
factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of this
prospectus.
|
You
should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this
prospectus, because they are statements about events that are not certain to
occur as described or at all. All forward-looking statements in this
prospectus are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements
contained in this prospectus. These forward-looking statements
are not guarantees of our future performance, and actual results and future
developments may vary materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements.
Except
to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we
undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to such
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the
date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
PER
SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION
Our
common stock and warrants have traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the
symbol “SBLK” and “SBLKW” since December 3, 2007. You should
carefully review the tables, for the quarters and years indicated, the high and
low prices of Star Bulk common shares and warrants under the heading Item 9. “The
Offer and Listing” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended
December 31, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein.
The table
below sets forth the high and low price history of our common shares and warrants in
2008 and 2009.
COMMON
STOCK
2008
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
1st
Quarter ended March 31, 2008
|
|
|
$12.37
|
|
|
|
$
9.36 |
|
2nd
Quarter ended June 30, 2008
|
|
|
$14.34
|
|
|
|
$11.39 |
|
3rd
Quarter ended September 30, 2008
|
|
|
$11.47 |
|
|
|
$
6.73 |
|
4th
Quarter ended December 31, 2008
|
|
|
$
7.03 |
|
|
|
$
1.80 |
|
Six
months ended December 31, 2008
|
|
|
$11.47 |
|
|
|
$
1.80 |
|
August
2008
|
|
|
$10.75 |
|
|
|
$
9.33 |
|
September
2008
|
|
|
$10.18 |
|
|
|
$
6.73 |
|
October
2008
|
|
|
$
7.03 |
|
|
|
$
3.30 |
|
November
2008
|
|
|
$
4.23 |
|
|
|
$
2.03 |
|
December
2008
|
|
|
$
3.11
|
|
|
|
$
1.80 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009 |
|
|
High
|
|
|
|
Low |
|
January
2009
|
|
|
$
3.34
|
|
|
|
$
2.20 |
|
1st
Quarter through February 9, 2009 |
|
|
$
3.34
|
|
|
|
$
2.08
|
|
WARRANTS
2008
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
1st
Quarter ended March 31, 2008
|
|
|
$
4.46
|
|
|
|
$
1.99
|
|
2nd
Quarter ended June 30, 2008
|
|
|
$
6.40
|
|
|
|
$
3.70
|
|
3rd
Quarter ended September 30, 2008
|
|
|
$
3.74
|
|
|
|
$
1.52
|
|
4th
Quarter ended December 31, 2008
|
|
|
$
1.50
|
|
|
|
$
0.10
|
|
Six
months ended December 31, 2008
|
|
|
$
3.74
|
|
|
|
$
0.10
|
|
August
2008
|
|
|
$
3.24
|
|
|
|
$
2.21
|
|
September
2008
|
|
|
$
2.86
|
|
|
|
$
1.52
|
|
October
2008
|
|
|
$
1.50
|
|
|
|
$
0.40
|
|
November
2008
|
|
|
$
0.85
|
|
|
|
$
0.10
|
|
December
2008
|
|
|
$
0.29
|
|
|
|
$
0.11
|
|
2009
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
January
2009 |
|
|
$
0.25
|
|
|
|
$
0.14
|
|
1st
Quarter through February 9, 2009
|
|
|
$
0.25 |
|
|
|
$
0.10
|
|
RATIO
OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
The
following table sets forth our unaudited ratio of earnings to fixed charges for
the preceding fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and the nine months ended
September 30, 2008.(1)
(dollars
in thousands)
|
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|
|
Year
Ended
|
|
|
|
September
30, 2008
|
|
|
December
31, 2007
|
|
Earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
83,537
|
|
|
|
3,411
|
|
Add:
Fixed charges
|
|
|
5,776
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less:
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
Earnings
|
|
|
$89,313
|
|
|
|
3,411
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed
Charges
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
expensed and capitalized
|
|
|
5,629
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Amortization
and write-off of capitalized expenses relating to
indebtedness
|
|
|
147
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
Fixed Charges
|
|
|
$
5,776
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ratio
of Earnings to Fixed Charges
|
|
|
15.5
|
|
|
|
N/A |
|
----------
(1) We
have not issued any preferred stock as of the date of this
prospectus.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
Unless
we specify otherwise in any prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds
from the sale of securities offered by this prospectus for capital expenditures,
repayment of indebtedness, working capital, to make vessel or other acquisitions
and for general corporate purposes. We will not receive any proceeds
from sales by selling shareholders.
CAPITALIZATION
The
following table sets forth our consolidated capitalization:
|
on
an actual basis, as of September 30, 2008;
and
|
|
on
an adjusted basis, as of February 2, 2009 to give effect to (i) the loan
installment payments of $10.0 million paid during the fourth quarter of
2008 and the first quarter of 2009 ; (ii) the repurchase of 495,000 shares
of our common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $1.7 million; (iii)
the payment of a dividend in the amount of $0.36 per common share based on
54,427,400 shares outstanding as of November 28, 2008, consisting of the
payment of the cash portion of the dividend in the amount of $9.8 million,
and the issuance of 4,255,002 common shares representing the stock portion
of the dividend; (iv) the reinvestment of the cash portion of the
dividends received by our management and our directors into 818,877 shares
amounting to $1.9 million; and (v)
the December 5, 2008 grant of an aggregate of 130,000 unvested
restricted common shares to all of our employees and an aggregate of
940,000 unvested restricted common shares to the members of our board of
directors, all of which shares vested on January
31, 2009.
|
There have been no significant adjustments to our
capitalization since February 2, 2009, as so adjusted.
You
should read this capitalization table together with the sections entitled
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” and the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial
statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in the Report on Form 6-K/A
furnished to the Commission on December 3, 2008 and incorporated
herein.
(In thousands of U.S.
dollars)
|
|
Actual
|
|
|
As
adjusted(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
debt (including current portion)
|
|
305,000
|
|
|
|
|
295,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
stock, $0.01 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized, none
issued
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Common
stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized 54,652,400 shares
issued
and
outstanding at September 30, 2008; 60,301,279 shares issued and
outstanding as adjusted
|
|
546
|
|
|
|
|
602
|
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
|
472,384 |
|
|
|
|
482,058
|
|
Retained
earnings
|
|
47,223 |
|
|
|
|
27,841
|
|
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
|
520,153 |
|
|
|
|
510,501
|
|
Total
capitalization
|
|
825,153 |
|
|
|
|
805,501
|
|
(1)
|
The
payment of the stock portion of the dividend in respect of the third
quarter of 2008 and the issuance of the shares mentioned above in (v) is
reflected in the table above based on a share price of $1.80 which was the
reported closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on
December 5, 2008.
|
ENFORCEMENT
OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
Star
Bulk Carriers Corp. is a Marshall Islands company and our executive offices are
located outside of the U.S. in Athens, Greece. A majority of our
directors, officers and the experts named in the prospectus reside outside the
U.S. In addition, a substantial portion of our assets and the assets
of our directors, officers and experts are located outside of the
U.S. As a result, you may have difficulty serving legal process
within the U.S. upon us or any of these persons. You may also have
difficulty enforcing, both in and outside the U.S., judgments you may obtain in
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.
Furthermore,
there is substantial doubt that the courts of the Marshall Islands or Greece
would enter judgments in original actions brought in those courts predicated on
U.S. federal or state securities laws.
SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS
Based
solely upon information furnished to us, the following table sets forth the
identity and other information about the selling shareholders. The
selling shareholders are offering an aggregate of up to 14,305,599 of our
common shares, which includes up to 1,132,500 common shares which may issued
upon the exercise of the warrants, and up to 1,132,500 of our warrants which
were issued to them in the Private Placement prior to our initial public
offering.
The
tabular information relating to share and percent of class ownership provided in
the table below is based upon information provided to us by the selling
shareholders and assumes the exercise of each of the Company’s outstanding
warrants. The tabular information below further assumes that all of the shares
registered will be offered and sold by the selling shareholders, including
shares received upon exercise of the warrants.
Selling
Shareholder
|
Common
Shares Owned Prior to the Offering
|
Percentage of Class
Prior to the Offering (1)
|
Total
Common Shares Offered Hereby
|
Percentage
of the class following the offering
|
Petros Pappas (2)
|
9,738,354
|
16.15%
|
9,738,354
|
0%
|
Prokopios Tsirigakis
(3)
|
2,127,345
|
3.53%
|
2,127,345
|
0%
|
George Syllantavos
(4)
|
875,703
|
1.45%
|
875,703
|
0%
|
Koert Erhardt (5)
|
573,471
|
*
|
573,471
|
0%
|
Tom Softeland
|
297,827
|
*
|
297,827
|
0%
|
Peter Espig (6)
|
303,452
|
*
|
303,452
|
0%
|
Christo Anagnostou
|
152,412
|
*
|
152,412
|
0%
|
Niko Nikiforos
|
125,185
|
*
|
125,185
|
0%
|
Georgia
Mastagaki(7)
|
13,050
|
*
|
13,050
|
0%
|
John Pektesidis
(7)
|
13,050
|
*
|
13,050
|
0%
|
George Drakatos
(7)
|
12,500
|
*
|
12,500
|
0%
|
George Mantalos
(7)
|
10,000
|
*
|
10,000
|
0%
|
John Telios (7)
|
7,300
|
*
|
7,300
|
0%
|
Dimitris
Koutsogiannis (7)
|
6,500
|
*
|
6,500
|
0%
|
Stamatis Neris (7)
|
6,350
|
*
|
6,350
|
0%
|
Litsa Alexopoulou
(7)
|
5,750
|
*
|
5,750
|
0%
|
Spiros Anagnostakis
(7)
|
5,600
|
*
|
5,600
|
0%
|
Panagiotis
Kourkoumelis (7)
|
5,450
|
*
|
5,450
|
0%
|
Despina Savvopoulou
(7)
|
5,100
|
*
|
5,100
|
0%
|
Miliadis Antonis
(7)
|
4,750
|
*
|
4,750
|
0%
|
Tassos
Chrisostomidis (7)
|
4,000
|
*
|
4,000
|
0%
|
Katerina Sofikitou
(7)
|
3,650
|
*
|
3,650
|
0%
|
Vasilis Lytas (7)
|
2,700
|
*
|
2,700
|
0%
|
Stella Tsagari (7)
|
2,050
|
*
|
2,050
|
0%
|
Evagelia Spyroglou
(7)
|
1,750
|
*
|
1,750
|
0%
|
Stratos
Pentafronimos (7)
|
1,400
|
*
|
1,400
|
0%
|
Matina Karali (7)
|
900
|
*
|
900
|
0%
|
* less than one percent.
(1)
|
Percentage
based on 60,301,279 common shares outstanding as of February 2,
2009.
|
(2)
|
Mr.
Pappas, the Chairman of our board of directors, is the beneficial owner
of 9,738,354 common shares, consisting of 8,735,854 common
shares and 1,002,500 common shares which may be issued upon the exercise
of our warrants.
|
(3)
|
Mr.
Tsirigakis, our Chief Executive Officer, President and one of our
directors, is the beneficial owner of 2,127,345 common shares, consisting
of 2,017,345 vested and 60,000 unvested common shares and 50,000
common shares which may be issued upon the exercise of our
warrants.
|
(4)
|
Mr.
Syllantavos, our Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and one of our
directors, is the beneficial owner of 875,703 common shares, consisting of
795,703 vested and 50,000 unvested common shares and 30,000 common shares
which may be issued upon the exercise of our
warrants.
|
(5)
|
Mr.
Erhardt, one of our directors, is the beneficial owner of 573,471
common shares, consisting of 523,471 common shares and 50,000 common
shares which may be issued upon the exercise of our
warrants.
|
(6)
|
Mr.
Espig, one of our directors, is the beneficial owner of 303,452
common shares, consisting of 228,452 vested and 75,000 unvested
common shares.
|
(7)
|
On December 5, 2008, pursuant to
the terms of our Equity Incentive Plan we authorized the issuance of an aggregate of 130,000 unvested
restricted common shares to all of our employees. All of these
shares vested on January 31,
2009.
|
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
We
may sell or distribute the securities included in this prospectus and the
selling shareholders may sell our common shares or our warrants through
underwriters, through agents, to dealers, in private transactions, at market
prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing
market prices, or at negotiated prices.
In
addition, we may sell some or all of our securities and the selling shareholders
may sell our common shares or our warrants, included in this prospectus
through:
|
a
block trade in which a broker-dealer may resell a portion of the block, as
principal, in order to facilitate the
transaction;
|
|
purchases
by a broker-dealer, as principal, and resale by the broker-dealer for its
account; or
|
|
ordinary
brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker solicits
purchasers.
|
In
addition, we or the selling shareholders may enter into option or other types of
transactions that require us or them to deliver our securities to a
broker-dealer, who will then resell or transfer the securities under this
prospectus. We or any selling shareholder may enter into hedging
transactions with respect to our securities. For example, we or any
selling shareholder may:
|
enter
into transactions involving short sales of our shares of common stock by
broker-dealers;
|
|
sell
shares of common stock short themselves and deliver the shares to close
out short positions;
|
|
enter
into option or other types of transactions that require us or any selling
shareholder to deliver shares of common stock to a broker-dealer, who will
then resell or transfer the shares of common stock under this prospectus;
or
|
|
loan
or pledge the shares of common stock to a broker-dealer, who
may sell the loaned shares or, in the event of default, sell the pledged
shares.
|
We
or any selling shareholder may enter into derivative transactions with third
parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in
privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus
supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties
may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus
supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third
party may use securities pledged by us or any selling shareholder or borrowed
from us, any selling shareholder or others to settle those sales or to close out
any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us or
any selling shareholder in settlement of those derivatives to close out any
related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale
transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus,
will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective
amendment). In addition, we or a selling shareholder may otherwise
loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that
in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. Such
financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short
position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent
offering of other securities.
Any
broker-dealers or other persons acting on our behalf or the behalf of the
selling shareholders that participates with us or the selling shareholders in
the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters and any
commissions received or profit realized by them on the resale of the securities
may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. As of the date of
this prospectus, we are not a party to any agreement, arrangement or
understanding between any broker or dealer and us with respect to the offer or
sale of the securities pursuant to this prospectus.
At
the time that any particular offering of securities is made, to the extent
required by the Securities Act, a prospectus supplement will be distributed,
setting forth the terms of the offering, including the aggregate number of
securities being offered, the purchase price of the securities, the initial
offering price of the securities, the names of any underwriters, dealers or
agents, any discounts, commissions and other items constituting compensation
from us and any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or
paid to dealers.
Underwriters
or agents could make sales in privately negotiated transactions and/or any other
method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an at-the-market offering
as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, which includes
sales made directly on or through the Nasdaq Global Market, the existing trading
market for our common shares and warrants, or sales made to or through a market
maker other than on an exchange.
We
will bear costs relating to all of the securities being registered under the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
As
a result of requirements of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA),
formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), the
maximum commission or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent
broker/dealer may not be greater than eight percent (8%) of the gross proceeds
received by us or any selling shareholder for the sale of any securities being
registered pursuant to Commission Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended. If more than 10% of the net proceeds of any offering of
shares of common stock made under this prospectus will be received by
FINRA members participating in the offering or affiliates or associated persons
of such FINRA members, the offering will be conducted in accordance with NASD
Conduct Rule 2710(h).
DESCRIPTION
OF CAPITAL STOCK
The
following is a description our capital stock. You should read this description
of capital stock together with our registration statement on Form 8-A which was
filed with the Commission on December 4, 2007. We also refer you to
our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated
bylaws, copies of which have been filed as exhibits 3.1 and 3.2, respectively,
to our registration statement on Forms F-1/F-4 (Registration No. 333-141296),
filed with the Commission on March 14, 2007, as amended, which such exhibits are
incorporated by reference herein.
Authorized
and Outstanding Capital Stock
Under
our amended and restated articles of incorporation, our authorized capital stock
consists of 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of
which 60,301,279 shares are issued and outstanding, and 25,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, none of which were issued as of February 2, 2009. All of our
shares of stock are in registered form.
On
November 30, 2007, the date of consummation of the Redomiciliation Merger, Star
Bulk had 20,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the
exercise of the warrants. Each outstanding Star Maritime warrant was assumed by
Star Bulk with the same terms and restrictions except that each would be
exercisable for common stock of Star Bulk. Each warrant entitles the
registered holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $8.00 per
share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the
completion of a business combination. Following the effectiveness of
the Redomiciliation Merger, the warrants became exercisable. The
warrants will expire on December 16, 2009. There is no cash
settlement option for the warrants and Star Bulk may call the warrants for
redemption under certain circumstances.
As
of February 2, 2009, 5,916,150 warrants were issued and
outstanding.
Share
History
Star
Maritime, our predecessor, was organized under the laws of the State of Delaware
on May 13, 2005 as a blank check company formed to acquire, through a merger,
capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or similar business combination, one
or more assets or target businesses in the shipping
industry. Following the formation of Star Maritime, our officers and
directors were the holders of 9,026,924 shares of common stock representing all
of our then issued and outstanding capital stock. On December 21,
2005, Star Maritime consummated its initial public offering of 18,867,500 units,
at a price of $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of Star
Maritime common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of Star Maritime
common stock at an exercise price of $8.00 per share. In addition,
Star Maritime completed the Private Placement of an aggregate of 1,132,500
units, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant,
to Messrs. Tsirigakis and Syllantavos, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, respectively, and Messrs. Pappas and Erhardt, our Chairman of
the Board and one of our directors. Star Maritime’s common stock and
warrants started trading on the American Stock Exchange under the symbols, SEA
and SEA.WS, respectively on December 21, 2005.
On
January 12, 2007, Star Maritime and Star Bulk entered into definitive agreements
to acquire a fleet of eight drybulk carriers with a combined cargo-carrying
capacity of approximately 692,000 dwt. from certain subsidiaries of
TMT. The aggregate purchase price specified in the Master Agreement
by and among the Company, Star Maritime and TMT, or the Master Agreement for the
initial fleet was $224.5 million in cash and 12,537,645 shares of common stock
of Star Bulk. As additional consideration for eight vessels, we
agreed to issue 1,606,962 shares of common stock of Star Bulk to TMT in two
installments as follows: (i) 803,481 additional shares of Star Bulk’s common
stock, no more than 10 business days following Star Bulk’s filing of its Annual
Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and (ii)
803,481 additional shares of Star Bulk’s common stock, no more than 10 business
days following Star Bulk’s filing of its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2008. The shares in respect of the purchase
price the 12,537,645 shares were issued to a nominee of TMT in December 2007 and
the first installment of additional shares was issued to a nominee of TMT
on July 17, 2008.
On
November 2, 2007, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC or
Commission, declared effective our joint proxy/registration statement filed on
Forms F-1/F-4 and on November 27, 2007 we obtained shareholder approval for the
acquisition of the initial fleet and for effecting the Redomiciliation Merger as
a result of which Star Maritime merged into Star Bulk with Star Maritime
merging out of existence and Star Bulk being the surviving entity. Each
share of Star Maritime common stock was exchanged for one share of Star Bulk
common stock and each warrant of Star Maritime was assumed by Star Bulk with the
same terms and conditions except that each became exercisable for common stock
of Star Bulk. The Redomiciliation Merger became effective after stock
markets closed on Friday, November 30, 2007 and the common shares and warrants
of Star Maritime ceased trading on the American Stock Exchange under the symbols
SEA and SEAU, respectively. Star Bulk shares and warrants started
trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on Monday, December 3, 2007 under the ticker
symbols SBLK and SBLKW, respectively. Immediately following the
effective date of the Redomiciliation Merger, TMT and its affiliates owned 30.2%
of Star Bulk’s outstanding common stock.
On
July 17, 2008, we issued 803,481 additional shares to TMT as the first
installment of additional shares in accordance with the Master
Agreement.
In
September 2008, we filed a registration statement on Form F-3 on behalf of F5
Capital, as the nominee of TMT and an affiliate of Nobu Su, a former director of
the Company, registering for resale an aggregate of 4,606,962 shares of our
common stock.
On
November 17, 2008, we declared a cash and stock dividend on our common stock
totaling $0.36 per common share for the quarter ended September 30,
2008. This dividend was paid on December 5, 2008 to stockholders of
record on November 28, 2008. The dividend payment consisted of a cash
portion in the amount of $0.18 per share with the remaining half of the dividend
paid in the form of newly issued common shares. The stock portion of
this dividend was 0.078179 for every share held as of the record date, or
approximately 4,255,002 common shares. The amount of newly issued
shares was based on the volume weighted average price of Star Bulk’s shares on
the Nasdaq Global Market during the five trading days before the ex-dividend
date or November 25, 2008. Under the terms of the proposed amendments
to our three credit facilities, payment of dividends and repurchases of our
shares and warrants have been suspended. Please see the section of this
prospectus entitled "Recent Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements With
Lenders."
As of February 2,
2009, we have repurchased under the share and warrant repurchase program
announced on January 24, 2008, a total of 1,247,000 of our common shares at an
aggregate purchase price of approximately $8.0 million (average of $6.40 per
common share) and a total of 1,362,500 of our warrants at an aggregate purchase
price of approximately $5.5 million (average of $4.02 per
warrant). During the three months ended September 30, 2008, we
repurchased a total of 700,000 of our common shares at an aggregate purchase
price of approximately $5.7 million (average of $8.07 per
share). During the fourth quarter ended December 31,
2008, we repurchased a total of 495,000 of our common shares at an
aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.7 million (average of $3.51 per share). As
of February 2, 2009, we paid an aggregate of $13,449,469 for the repurchased
securities leaving $36,550,531 of repurchasing capacity in our $50,000,000 share
and warrant buyback program. Under the terms of the proposed amendments to
our three credit facilities, payment of dividends and repurchases of our shares
and warrants have been suspended. Please see the section of this
prospectus entitled "Recent Developments--Preliminary Waiver Agreements With
Lenders."
As
of January 20, 2009, management and the directors reinvested the cash portion of
their dividend for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 into 818,877 newly
issued shares in a private placement at the same weighted average price as the
stock portion of such dividend, effectively electing to receive the full amount
of the dividend in the form of newly issued shares, which shares have been
included in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part.
Pursuant to our Equity Incentive Plan, we have issued
the following securities:
|
On
December 3, 2007, 90,000 restricted common shares to Prokopios (Akis)
Tsirigakis, our President and Chief Executive Officer, subject to
applicable vesting of 30,000 common shares on each of July 1, 2008, 2009
and 2010; and
|
|
On
December 3, 2007, 75,000 restricted common shares to George Syllantavos,
our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, subject to applicable vesting
of 25,000 common shares on each of July 1, 2008, 2009 and
2010.
|
|
On
March 31, 2008, 150,000 restricted common shares to Peter Espig, our
Director, subject to applicable vesting of 75,000 common shares on each of
April 1, 2008 and 2009;
|
|
On December 5, 2008, an aggregate
of 130,000 unvested restricted common shares to all of our employees and
an aggregate of 940,000 unvested restricted common shares to the members
of our board of directors. All of these shares vested on
January 31, 2009.
|
DESCRIPTION
OF OTHER SECURITIES
Debt
Securities
We
may issue debt securities from time to time in one or more series, under one or
more indentures, each dated as of a date on or prior to the issuance of the debt
securities to which it relates. We may issue senior debt securities
and subordinated debt securities pursuant to separate indentures, a senior
indenture and a subordinated indenture, respectively, in each case between us
and the trustee named in the indenture. These indentures will be
filed either as exhibits to an amendment to this registration statement or a
prospectus supplement, or as an exhibit to a Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or
Exchange Act, report that will be incorporated by reference to the registration
statement or a prospectus supplement. We will refer to any or all of
these reports as “subsequent filings”. The senior indenture and the
subordinated indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time, are
sometimes referred to individually as an “indenture” and collectively as the
“indentures”. Each indenture will be subject to and governed by the
Trust Indenture Act. The aggregate principal amount of debt
securities which may be issued under each indenture will be unlimited and each
indenture will contain the specific terms of any series of debt securities or
provide that those terms must be set forth in or determined pursuant to, an
authorizing resolution, as defined in the applicable prospectus supplement,
and/or a supplemental indenture, if any, relating to such series.
Certain
of our subsidiaries may guarantee the debt securities we offer. Those
guarantees may or may not be secured by liens, mortgages, and security interests
in the assets of those subsidiaries. The terms and conditions of any
such subsidiary guarantees, and a description of any such liens, mortgages or
security interests, will be set forth in the prospectus supplement that will
accompany this prospectus.
Our
statements below relating to the debt securities and the indentures are
summaries of their anticipated provisions, are not complete and are subject to,
and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of
the applicable indenture and any applicable United States federal income tax
considerations as well as any applicable modifications of or additions to the
general terms described below in the applicable prospectus supplement or
supplemental indenture.
General
Neither
indenture limits the amount of debt securities which may be
issued. The debt securities may be issued in one or more
series. The senior debt securities will be unsecured and will rank on
a parity with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated
indebtedness. Each series of subordinated debt securities will be
unsecured and subordinated to all present and future senior
indebtedness. Any such debt securities will be described in an
accompanying prospectus supplement.
You
should read the subsequent filings relating to the particular series of debt
securities for the following terms of the offered debt securities:
|
the
designation, aggregate principal amount and authorized
denominations;
|
|
the
issue price, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal
amount;
|
|
the
interest rate per annum, if any;
|
|
if
the offered debt securities provide for interest payments, the date from
which interest will accrue, the dates on which interest will be payable,
the date on which payment of interest will commence and the regular record
dates for interest payment dates;
|
|
the
date, if any, after which and the price or prices at which the offered
debt securities may be optionally redeemed or must be mandatorily redeemed
and any other terms and provisions of optional or mandatory
redemptions;
|
|
any
events of default not set forth in this
prospectus;
|
|
the
currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in which
principal, premium and interest will be payable, if other than the
currency of the United States of
America;
|
|
whether
interest will be payable in cash or additional securities at our or the
holder’s option and the terms and conditions upon which the election may
be made;
|
|
any
restrictive covenants or other material terms relating to the offered debt
securities, which may not be inconsistent with the applicable
indenture;
|
|
whether
the offered debt securities will be issued in the form of global
securities or certificates in registered or bearer
form;
|
|
any
terms with respect to
subordination;
|
|
any
listing on any securities exchange or quotation system;
and
|
|
the
applicability of any guarantees.
|
Subsequent
filings may include additional terms not listed above. Unless
otherwise indicated in subsequent filings with the Commission relating to the
indenture, principal, premium and interest will be payable and the debt
securities will be transferable at the corporate trust office of the applicable
trustee. Unless other arrangements are made or set forth in
subsequent filings or a supplemental indenture, principal, premium and interest
will be paid by checks mailed to the holders at their registered
addresses.
Unless
otherwise indicated in subsequent filings with the Commission, the debt
securities will be issued only in fully registered form without coupons, in
denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple thereof. No service
charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of the debt securities, but we
may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental
charge payable in connection with these debt securities.
Some
or all of the debt securities may be issued as discounted debt securities,
bearing no interest or interest at a rate which at the time of issuance is below
market rates, to be sold at a substantial discount below the stated principal
amount. United States federal income tax consequences and other
special considerations applicable to any discounted securities will be described
in subsequent filings with the Commission relating to those
securities.
We
refer you to applicable subsequent filings with respect to any deletions or
additions or modifications from the description contained in this
prospectus.
Senior
Debt
We
will issue senior debt securities under the senior debt
indenture. These senior debt securities will rank on an equal basis
with all our other unsecured debt except subordinated debt.
Subordinated
Debt
We
will issue subordinated debt securities under the subordinated debt
indenture. Subordinated debt will rank subordinate and junior in
right of payment, to the extent set forth in the subordinated debt indenture, to
all our senior debt (both secured and unsecured).
In
general, the holders of all senior debt are first entitled to receive payment of
the full amount unpaid on senior debt before the holders of any of the
subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive a payment on account of the
principal or interest on the indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt
securities in certain events.
If
we default in the payment of any principal of, or premium, if any, or interest
on any senior debt when it becomes due and payable after any applicable grace
period, then, unless and until the default is cured or waived or ceases to
exist, we cannot make a payment on account of or redeem or otherwise acquire the
subordinated debt securities.
If
there is any insolvency, bankruptcy, liquidation or other similar proceeding
relating to us or our property, then all senior debt must be paid in full before
any payment may be made to any holders of subordinated debt
securities.
Furthermore,
if we default in the payment of the principal of and accrued interest on any
subordinated debt securities that is declared due and payable upon an event of
default under the subordinated debt indenture, holders of all our senior debt
will first be entitled to receive payment in full in cash before holders of such
subordinated debt can receive any payments.
Senior
debt means:
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the
principal, premium, if any, interest and any other amounts owing in
respect of our indebtedness for money borrowed and indebtedness evidenced
by securities, notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments
issued by us, including the senior debt securities or letters of
credit;
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all
capitalized lease obligations;
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all
obligations representing the deferred purchase price of property;
and
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all
deferrals, renewals, extensions and refundings of obligations of the type
referred to above;
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but
senior debt does not include:
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subordinated
debt securities; and
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any
indebtedness that by its terms is subordinated to, or ranks on an equal
basis with, our subordinated debt
securities.
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Covenants
Any
series of offered debt securities may have covenants in addition to or differing
from those included in the applicable indenture which will be described in
subsequent filings prepared in connection with the offering of such securities,
limiting or restricting, among other things:
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the
ability of us or our subsidiaries to incur either secured or unsecured
debt, or both;
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the
ability to make certain payments, dividends, redemptions or
repurchases;
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our
ability to create dividend and other payment restrictions affecting our
subsidiaries;
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our
ability to make investments;
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mergers
and consolidations by us or our
subsidiaries;
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our
ability to enter into transactions with
affiliates;
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our
ability to incur liens; and
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sale
and leaseback transactions.
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Modification
of the Indentures
Each
indenture and the rights of the respective holders may be modified by us only
with the consent of holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal
amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series under the respective
indenture affected by the modification, taken together as a
class. But no modification that:
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(1)
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changes
the amount of securities whose holders must consent to an amendment,
supplement or waiver;
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(2)
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reduces
the rate of or changes the interest payment time on any security or alters
its redemption provisions (other than any alteration to any such section
which would not materially adversely affect the legal rights of any holder
under the indenture) or the price at which we are required to offer to
purchase the securities;
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(3)
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reduces
the principal or changes the maturity of any security or reduce the amount
of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or
analogous obligation;
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(4)
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waives
a default or event of default in the payment of the principal of or
interest, if any, on any security (except a rescission of acceleration of
the securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in
principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series and a waiver
of the payment default that resulted from such
acceleration);
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(5)
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makes
the principal of or interest, if any, on any security payable in any
currency other than that stated in the
security;
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(6)
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makes
any change with respect to holders’ rights to receive principal and
interest, the terms pursuant to which defaults can be waived, certain
modifications affecting shareholders or certain currency-related issues;
or
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(7)
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waives
a redemption payment with respect to any security or change any of the
provisions with respect to the redemption of any securities will be
effective against any holder without his
consent.
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In
addition, other terms as specified in subsequent filings may be modified without
the consent of the holders.
Events
of Default
Each
indenture defines an event of default for the debt securities of any series as
being any one of the following events:
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default
in any payment of interest when due which continues for 30
days;
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default
in any payment of principal or premium when
due;
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default
in the deposit of any sinking fund payment when
due;
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default
in the performance of any covenant in the debt securities or the
applicable indenture which continues for 60 days after we receive notice
of the default;
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default
under a bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness for
borrowed money by us or our subsidiaries (to the extent we are directly
responsible or liable therefor) having a principal amount in excess of a
minimum amount set forth in the applicable subsequent filing, whether such
indebtedness now exists or is hereafter created, which default shall have
resulted in such indebtedness becoming or being declared due and payable
prior to the date on which it would otherwise have become due and payable,
without such acceleration having been rescinded or annulled or cured
within 30 days after we receive notice of the default;
and
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events
of bankruptcy, insolvency or
reorganization.
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An
event of default of one series of debt securities does not necessarily
constitute an event of default with respect to any other series of debt
securities.
There
may be such other or different events of default as described in an applicable
subsequent filing with respect to any class or series of offered debt
securities.
In
case an event of default occurs and continues for the debt securities of any
series, the applicable trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate
principal amount of the debt securities then outstanding of that series may
declare the principal and accrued but unpaid interest of the debt securities of
that series to be due and payable. Any event of default for the debt
securities of any series which has been cured may be waived by the holders of a
majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series
then outstanding.
Each
indenture requires us to file annually after debt securities are issued under
that indenture with the applicable trustee a written statement signed by two of
our officers as to the absence of material defaults under the terms of that
indenture. Each indenture provides that the applicable trustee may
withhold notice to the holders of any default if it considers it in the interest
of the holders to do so, except notice of a default in payment of principal,
premium or interest.
Subject
to the duties of the trustee in case an event of default occurs and continues,
each indenture provides that the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any
of its rights or powers under that indenture at the request, order or direction
of holders unless the holders have offered to the trustee reasonable
indemnity. Subject to these provisions for indemnification and the
rights of the trustee, each indenture provides that the holders of a majority in
principal amount of the debt securities of any series then outstanding have the
right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any
remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on
the trustee as long as the exercise of that right does not conflict with any law
or the indenture.
Defeasance
and Discharge
The
terms of each indenture provide us with the option to be discharged from any and
all obligations in respect of the debt securities issued thereunder upon the
deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money or U.S. government obligations, or
both, which through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with
their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay any installment of
principal, premium and interest on, and any mandatory sinking fund payments in
respect of, the debt securities on the stated maturity of the payments in
accordance with the terms of the debt securities and the indenture governing the
debt securities. This right may only be exercised if, among other
things, we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States
Internal Revenue Service a ruling to the effect that such a discharge will not
be deemed, or result in, a taxable event with respect to
holders. This discharge would not apply to our obligations to
register the transfer or exchange of debt securities, to replace stolen, lost or
mutilated debt securities, to maintain paying agencies and hold moneys for
payment in trust.
Defeasance
of Certain Covenants
The
terms of the debt securities provide us with the right to omit complying with
specified covenants and that specified events of default described in a
subsequent filing will not apply. In order to exercise this right, we will be
required to deposit with the trustee money or U.S. government obligations, or
both, which through the payment of interest and principal will provide money in
an amount sufficient to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on, and any
mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of, the debt securities on the stated
maturity of such payments in accordance with the terms of the debt securities
and the indenture governing such debt securities. We will also be required to
deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the deposit and
related covenant defeasance should not cause the holders of such series to
recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax
purposes.
A
subsequent filing may further describe the provisions, if any, of any particular
series of offered debt securities permitting a discharge
defeasance.
Subsidiary
Guarantees
Certain
of our subsidiaries may guarantee the debt securities we offer. In
that case, the terms and conditions of the subsidiary guarantees will be set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we indicate
differently in the applicable prospectus supplement, if any of our subsidiaries
guarantee any of our debt securities that are subordinated to any of our senior
indebtedness, then the subsidiary guarantees will be subordinated to the senior
indebtedness of such subsidiary to the same extent as our debt securities are
subordinated to our senior indebtedness.
Global
Securities
The
debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in the form of one
or more global securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, a
depository identified in an applicable subsequent filing and registered in the
name of the depository or a nominee for the depository. In such a case, one or
more global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate
denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal amount of
outstanding debt securities of the series to be represented by the global
security or securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for
debt securities in definitive certificated form, a global security may not be
transferred except as a whole by the depository for the global security to a
nominee of the depository or by a nominee of the depository to the depository or
another nominee of the depository or by the depository or any nominee to a
successor depository for that series or a nominee of the successor depository
and except in the circumstances described in an applicable subsequent
filing.
We
expect that the following provisions will apply to depository arrangements for
any portion of a series of debt securities to be represented by a global
security. Any additional or different terms of the depository
arrangement will be described in an applicable subsequent filing.
Upon
the issuance of any global security, and the deposit of that global security
with or on behalf of the depository for the global security, the depository will
credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the principal
amounts of the debt securities represented by that global security to the
accounts of institutions that have accounts with the depository or its nominee.
The accounts to be credited will be designated by the underwriters or agents
engaging in the distribution of the debt securities or by us, if the debt
securities are offered and sold directly by us. Ownership of beneficial
interests in a global security will be limited to participating institutions or
persons that may hold interest through such participating
institutions. Ownership of beneficial interests by participating
institutions in the global security will be shown on, and the transfer of the
beneficial interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the
depository for the global security or by its nominee. Ownership of
beneficial interests in the global security by persons that hold through
participating institutions will be shown on, and the transfer of the beneficial
interests within the participating institutions will be effected only through,
records maintained by those participating institutions. The laws of some
jurisdictions may require that purchasers of securities take physical delivery
of the securities in certificated form. The foregoing limitations and
such laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in the global
securities.
So
long as the depository for a global security, or its nominee, is the registered
owner of that global security, the depository or its nominee, as the case may
be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities
represented by the global security for all purposes under the applicable
indenture. Unless otherwise specified in an applicable subsequent
filing and except as specified below, owners of beneficial interests in the
global security will not be entitled to have debt securities of the series
represented by the global security registered in their names, will not receive
or be entitled to receive physical delivery of debt securities of the series in
certificated form and will not be considered the holders thereof for any
purposes under the indenture. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial
interest in the global security must rely on the procedures of the depository
and, if such person is not a participating institution, on the procedures of the
participating institution through which the person owns its interest, to
exercise any rights of a holder under the indenture.
The
depository may grant proxies and otherwise authorize participating institutions
to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent,
waiver or other action which a holder is entitled to give or take under the
applicable indenture. We understand that, under existing industry practices, if
we request any action of holders or any owner of a beneficial interest in the
global security desires to give any notice or take any action a holder is
entitled to give or take under the applicable indenture, the depository would
authorize the participating institutions to give the notice or take the action,
and participating institutions would authorize beneficial owners owning through
such participating institutions to give the notice or take the action or would
otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through
them.
Unless
otherwise specified in an applicable subsequent filings, payments of principal,
premium and interest on debt securities represented by global security
registered in the name of a depository or its nominee will be made by us to the
depository or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the
global security.
We
expect that the depository for any debt securities represented by a global
security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium or interest, will
credit participating institutions’ accounts with payments in amounts
proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount
of the global security as shown on the records of the depository. We
also expect that payments by participating institutions to owners of beneficial
interests in the global security held through those participating institutions
will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the
case with the securities held for the accounts of customers registered in street
names, and will be the responsibility of those participating institutions. None
of us, the trustees or any agent of ours or the trustees will have any
responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or
payments made on account of beneficial interests in a global security, or for
maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial
interests.
Unless
otherwise specified in the applicable subsequent filings, a global security of
any series will be exchangeable for certificated debt securities of the same
series only if:
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the
depository for such global securities notifies us that it is unwilling or
unable to continue as depository or such depository ceases to be a
clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, a
successor depository is not appointed by us within 90 days after we
receive the notice or become aware of the
ineligibility;
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we
in our sole discretion determine that the global securities shall be
exchangeable for certificated debt securities;
or
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there
shall have occurred and be continuing an event of default under the
applicable indenture with respect to the debt securities of that
series.
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Upon
any exchange, owners of beneficial interests in the global security or
securities will be entitled to physical delivery of individual debt securities
in certificated form of like tenor and terms equal in principal amount to their
beneficial interests, and to have the debt securities in certificated form
registered in the names of the beneficial owners, which names are expected to be
provided by the depository’s relevant participating institutions to the
applicable trustee.
In
the event that the Depository Trust Company, or DTC, acts as depository for the
global securities of any series, the global securities will be issued as fully
registered securities registered in the name of Cede & Co., DTC’s
partnership nominee.
DTC
is a limited purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a
“banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member
of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of
the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered
pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC
holds securities that its participating institutions deposit with
DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among participating
institutions of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in
deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in
participating institutions’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical
movement of securities certificates. Direct participating
institutions include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies,
clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is owned by a number of its
direct participating institutions and by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., the
American Stock Exchange, Inc. and the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, such as
securities brokers and dealers and banks and trust companies that clear through
or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participating institution,
either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participating
institutions are on file with the Commission.
To
facilitate subsequent transfers, the debt securities may be registered in the
name of DTC’s nominee, Cede & Co. The deposit of the debt
securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. will
effect no change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the
actual beneficial owners of the debt securities. DTC’s records
reflect only the identity of the direct participating institutions to whose
accounts debt securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial
owners. The participating institutions remain responsible for keeping
account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.
Delivery
of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participating institutions,
by direct participating institutions to indirect participating institutions, and
by direct participating institutions and indirect participating institutions to
beneficial owners of debt securities are governed by arrangements among them,
subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in
effect.
Neither
DTC nor Cede & Co. consents or votes with respect to the debt
securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC mails a proxy to the
issuer as soon as possible after the record date. The proxy assigns
Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those direct participating
institution to whose accounts the debt securities are credited on the record
date.
If
applicable, redemption notices shall be sent to Cede & Co. If
less than all of the debt securities of a series represented by global
securities are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount
of the interest of each direct participating institution in that issue to be
redeemed.
To
the extent that any debt securities provide for repayment or repurchase at the
option of the holders thereof, a beneficial owner shall give notice of any
option to elect to have its interest in the global security repaid by us,
through its participating institution, to the applicable trustee, and shall
effect delivery of the interest in a global security by causing the direct
participating institution to transfer the direct participating institution’s
interest in the global security or securities representing the interest, on
DTC’s records, to the applicable trustee. The requirement for physical delivery
of debt securities in connection with a demand for repayment or repurchase will
be deemed satisfied when the ownership rights in the global security or
securities representing the debt securities are transferred by direct
participating institutions on DTC’s records.
DTC
may discontinue providing its services as securities depository for the debt
securities at any time. Under such circumstances, in the event that a
successor securities depository is not appointed, debt security certificates are
required to be printed and delivered as described above.
We
may decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry transfers through the
securities depository. In that event, debt security certificates will
be printed and delivered as described above.
The
information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been
obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no
responsibility for its accuracy.
Purchase
Contracts
We
may issue purchase contracts for the purchase or sale of:
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debt
or equity securities issued by us or securities of third parties, a basket
of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any
combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus
supplement;
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Each
purchase contract will entitle the holder thereof to purchase or sell, and
obligate us to sell or purchase, on specified dates, such securities, currencies
or commodities at a specified purchase price, which may be based on a formula,
all as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may,
however, satisfy our obligations, if any, with respect to any purchase contract
by delivering the cash value of such purchase contract or the cash value of the
property otherwise deliverable or, in the case of purchase contracts on
underlying currencies, by delivering the underlying currencies, as set forth in
the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus
supplement will also specify the methods by which the holders may purchase or
sell such securities, currencies or commodities and any acceleration,
cancellation or termination provisions or other provisions relating to the
settlement of a purchase contract.
The
purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders
thereof or vice versa, which payments may be deferred to the extent set forth in
the applicable prospectus supplement, and those payments may be unsecured or
prefunded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require the
holders thereof to secure their obligations in a specified manner to be
described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Alternatively,
purchase contracts may require holders to satisfy their obligations thereunder
when the purchase contracts are issued. Our obligation to settle such
pre-paid purchase contracts on the relevant settlement date may constitute
indebtedness. Accordingly, pre-paid purchase contracts will be issued
under either the senior indenture or the subordinated indenture.
Units
As
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may issue units consisting
of one or more purchase contracts, warrants, debt securities, preferred
shares, common shares or
any combination of such securities. The applicable prospectus
supplement will describe:
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the
terms of the units and of the purchase contracts, warrants, debt
securities, preferred shares and common shares comprising
the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities
comprising the units may be traded
separately;
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a
description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; and a
description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or
exchange or the units.
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EXPENSES
The
following are the estimated expenses of the issuance and distribution of the
securities being registered under the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part, all of which will be paid by us.
Commission
registration fee
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$ 11,419
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FINRA
Fees |
$
30,100 |
Blue sky fees and
expenses |
$______* |
Printing
and engraving expenses |
$______* |
Legal fees and
expenses |
$______* |
Rating agency
fees |
$______* |
Accounting fees and
expenses |
$______* |
Indenture trustee
fees and experts |
$______* |
Transfer agent and
registrar |
$______* |
Miscellaneous |
$______* |
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Total |
$
* |
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*
To be provided by a prospectus supplement or as an exhibit to a Report on Form
6-K that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
LEGAL
MATTERS
The
validity of the securities offered by this prospectus with respect to Marshall
Islands law and certain other legal matters relating to United States and
Marshall Islands law will be passed upon for us by Seward & Kissel LLP, New
York, New York.
EXPERTS
The
consolidated financial statements appearing in the Annual Report on Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2007 of Star Bulk Carriers Corp. and
incorporated herein by reference have been audited as follows:
The
historical financial information was derived from the audited consolidated
financial statements of Star Maritime and its subsidiaries for the period from
May 13, 2005 (date of Star Maritime’s inception) through December 31, 2005, and
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. The financial statements
of Star Maritime Acquisition Corp. included in the Annual Report were audited by
Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, to
the extent and for the period set forth in their report. Such
consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in
reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.
The
financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2007 incorporated
in this prospectus by reference from Star Bulk’s Annual Report on Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2007, and the effectiveness of Star Bulk’s
internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte
Hadjipavlou Sofianos & Cambanis S.A, an independent registered public
accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which reports express an
unqualified opinion on the financial statements and express an adverse opinion
on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting because of a
material weakness and are incorporated herein by reference. Such
financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of
such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and
auditing.
The
statements of revenue and direct operating expenses of: A Duckling Corporation,
F Duckling Corporation, G Duckling Corporation, I Duckling Corporation, and J
Duckling Corporation have been audited by Deloitte & Touche in Taipei,
Taiwan, the Republic of China, an independent registered public accounting firm,
as stated in their reports appearing herein (which reports express unqualified
opinions and include explanatory paragraphs relating to the basis of
presentation as discussed in Note 2). Such statements of revenue and direct
operating expenses have been so included in reliance upon the reports of such
firm given on their authority as experts in accounting and
auditing.
The
statements in section in this prospectus entitled ‘‘The International Dry Bulk
Shipping Industry’’ has been reviewed by Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd., or
Drewry, which has confirmed to us that they accurately describe the
international drybulk shipping market, subject to the availability and
reliability of the data supporting the statistical and graphical information
presented in this prospectus, as indicated in the consent of Drewry filed as an
exhibit to the registration statement on Form F-3 under the Securities Act of
which this prospectus is a part.
INDUSTRY
AND MARKET DATA
The
industry-related statistical and graphical information we use in this prospectus
has been compiled by Drewry, from its database. Some of the industry information
in this prospectus is based on estimates or subjective judgments in
circumstances where data for actual market transactions either does not exist or
is not publicly available, and consequently, Drewry cannot assure us that it
reflects actual industry and market experience. Drewry compiles and publishes
data for the benefit of its customers. Its methodologies for collecting data,
and therefore the data collected, may differ from those of other sources, and
its data does not reflect all or even necessarily a comprehensive set of the
actual transactions occurring in the market. The published information of other
maritime data collection experts may differ from the data presented in this
prospectus.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As
required by the Securities Act of 1933, we filed a registration statement
relating to the securities offered by this prospectus with the
Commission. This prospectus is a part of that registration statement,
which includes additional information.
Government
Filings
We file
annual and special reports within the Commission. You may read and
copy any document that we file and obtain copies at prescribed rates from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington,
D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling 1 (800) SEC-0330. The Commission
maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and
information statements and other information regarding issuers that file
electronically with the Commission. Further information about our
company is available on our website at
http://www.starbulkcarriers.com.
Information
Incorporated by Reference
The
Commission allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with
it. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to those filed documents. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later
with the Commission prior to the termination of this offering will also be
considered to be part of this prospectus and will automatically update and
supersede previously filed information, including information contained in this
prospectus.
We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made
with the Commission under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934:
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The
description of our securities contained in our registration statement on
Form 8-A (File No. 001-33869 filed with the Commission on December 4, 2007
and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating that
description.
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Annual
Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed with the
Commission on June 30, 2008, which contains audited consolidated financial
statements for the most recent fiscal year for which those statements have
been filed.
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Current
Report on Form 6-K/A furnished to the Commission on December 3, 2008,
which contains the Registrant’s unaudited third quarter of 2008 financial
results.
|
We are
also incorporating by reference all subsequent annual reports on Form 20-F that
we file with the Commission and certain Reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to
the Commission after the date of this prospectus (if they state that they are
incorporated by reference into this prospectus) until we file a post-effective
amendment indicating that the offering of the securities made by this prospectus
has been terminated. In all cases, you should rely on the later
information over different information included in this prospectus or the
prospectus supplement.
You
should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in
this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. We have
not authorized any other person to provide you with different
information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent
information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to
sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not
permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this
prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement as well as the information
we previously filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference, is
accurate as of the dates on the front cover of those documents
only. Our business, financial condition and results of operations and
prospects may have changed since those dates.
You may
request a free copy of the above mentioned filing or any subsequent filing we
incorporated by reference to this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the
following address:
Star
Bulk Carriers Corp.
Attn:
Prokopios Tsirigakis
7,
Fragoklisias street, 2nd floor,
Maroussi
151 25,
Athens,
Greece.
Telephone:
011-210-617-8400
Information
Provided by the Company
We will
furnish holders of our common shares with annual reports containing audited
financial statements and a report by our independent registered public
accounting firm. The audited financial statements will be prepared in accordance
with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. As a “foreign private
issuer,” we are exempt from the rules under the Securities Exchange Act
prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements to shareholders.
While we furnish proxy statements to shareholders in accordance with the rules
of the Nasdaq Global Market, those proxy statements do not conform to Schedule
14A of the proxy rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act. In
addition, as a “foreign private issuer,” our officers and directors are exempt
from the rules under the Securities Exchange Act relating to short swing profit
reporting and liability.
Commission
Position on Indemnification for Securities Act Liabilities
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be
permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been informed that in the opinion of
the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable.
STAR
BULK CARRIERS CORP.
INDEX
TO AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-2
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-3
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-4
|
|
|
|
E
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-6
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-7
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-8
|
|
|
|
F
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-10
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-11
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-12
|
|
|
|
G
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-14
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-15
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-16
|
|
|
|
I
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-18
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-19
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-20
|
|
|
|
J
Duckling Corporation
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
(Deloitte.)
|
|
F-22
|
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
|
|
F-23
|
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating
Expense
|
|
F-24
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of A Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statements of revenue and direct operating
expenses of A Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the periods from
January 1, 2008 to January 9, 2008 (date vessel was delivered to the Buyer),
January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and August 5, 2006 (commencement date of a
time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to December 31, 2006. These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these statements based on our
audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statements were prepared for the purposes of complying with the
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of the
full financial statements required by Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as
described in Note 2 to Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
and are not intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or
the results of operations of the Company.
In our
opinion, such statements presents fairly, in all material respects, the revenue
and direct operating expenses of the Company for the periods from January 1,
2008 to January 9, 2008, January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and August 5,
2006 to December 31, 2006, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
A
Duckling Corporation
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
|
From
January 1, 2008 to
January 9,
2008
|
|
From
January 1, 2007
to December 31, 2007
|
|
From
August 5, 2006
to December 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
$ 411,469
|
|
$ 11,259,940
|
|
$ 7,348,889
|
|
Direct
operating expenses
|
167,105
|
|
9,351,330
|
|
2,222,121
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
|
$ 244,364
|
|
$
1,908,610
|
|
$ 5,126,768
|
|
See notes
to statements of revenue and direct operating expenses.
A
Duckling Corporation
Notes
to Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
January 12, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer”), and A Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “A Duckling”), a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $112,116,680 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the Buyer
on January 9, 2008. The Disposed Asset is a 175,075 dwt dry bulk vessel
which was built in 1992. In addition, the Buyer and TMT Co., Ltd., (“TMT”, a
Taiwan corporation and a related party to the Seller through a common
shareholder) entered into a master agreement on January 12, 2007 (the
“Master Agreement”). Pursuant to the Master Agreement, TMT had guaranteed to
assign an existing three-year time charter agreement to the Buyer at a minimum
daily time charter hire rate of $47,000. A Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset
on June 26, 2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within A Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses have been prepared pursuant to a
request from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of A
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of January 9, 2008, December 31, 2007, and December 31,
2006 and its related accumulated depreciation from the date it was acquired by A
Duckling, to January 9, 2008, December 31, 2007, and December 31, 2006,
respectively, are as follows:
|
January
9, 2008
|
|
December
31, 2007
|
|
December
31, 2006
|
|
Marine
vessel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
$ 34,875,000
|
|
$ 34,875,000
|
|
$ 34,875,000
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
5,026,618
|
|
4,940,625
|
|
1,453,125
|
|
|
$ 29,848,382
|
|
$ 29,934,375
|
|
$ 33,421,875
|
|
Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 9,
2008, January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and August 5, 2006 (commencement
date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to December 31,
2006.
The
accompanying Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the periods
from January 1, 2008 to January 9, 2008, January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007,
and August 5, 2006 to December 31, 2006 have been prepared for the purpose of
complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The
accompanying statements were prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. These statements
are therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statements are also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of A Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, these statements do not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses include revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses,
depreciation, and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the
Disposed Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses are not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of these financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of these financial statements, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over nine years, the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by A Duckling, and with
an estimated $3,487,500 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to $85,993,
$3,487,500 and $1,453,125 for the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 9,
2008, January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and August 5, 2006 to December 31,
2006, respectively.
Revenue
Recognition
A
Duckling generates its revenues from charterers for the charterhire of its
vessel. A vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered
into for the use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily
charterhire rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices,
service is provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured,
revenue is recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of
a time charter agreement as adjusted for off-hire days that the vessel spends
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the condition and
specifications of the vessel. On August 4, 2006, A Duckling entered into a
time charter agreement with its customer, which has duration of 35 to
38 months and a daily charterhire rate of $47,500. A Duckling reports its
revenue net of commission discounts offered to its customer in accordance with
Emerging Issues Task Force Issue (“EITF”) No. 01-9, “Accounting for
Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the
Vendor’s Products).” In addition, A Duckling reports its revenue on a gross
basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its customer when delivering the
vessel to its customer in accordance with EITF No. 99-19, “Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent.”
Operating
Expenses
A
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses, depreciation
and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset.
Vessel operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of
the vessel, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses and
management fees are recognized as incurred.
In May
2007, the Disposed Asset collided with another ship. Repairs to the Disposed
Asset have been completed as of December 31, 2007 and total costs incurred by A
Duckling amounted to $567,681 and are included in operating expenses for the
period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. Recoveries of the repair costs
from insurance company and the other party, if any, are not recorded as amount
is not known at this time.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of E Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statement of revenue and direct operating expenses of E
Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the period from October 8, 2007
(the commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer)
to December 14, 2007 (date vessel was delivered to the Buyer). This
financial statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on this statement based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statement was prepared for the purposes of complying with the rules
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of the full
financial statements required by Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as
described in Note 2 to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
and is not intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or
the results of operations of the Company.
In
our opinion, such statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the
revenue and direct operating expenses of the Company for the period from
October 8, 2007 to December 14, 2007, in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,
Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
E
Duckling Corporation
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
|
|
|
From
October 8, 2007
to
December 14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
$ 3,140,117
|
|
Direct
operating expenses
|
|
|
698,376
|
|
Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
|
|
|
$ 2,441,741
|
|
See notes
to statement of revenue and direct operating expenses.
E
Duckling Corporation
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
December 3, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer”), and E Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “E Duckling”), a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $70,019,639 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the Buyer on
December 14, 2007. The Disposed Asset is a 52,055 dwt dry bulk vessel which
was built in 2001. In addition, the Buyer and TMT Co., Ltd., (“TMT”, a Taiwan
corporation and a related party to the Seller through a common shareholder)
entered into a master agreement on December 3, 2007 (the “Master Agreement”).
Pursuant to the Master Agreement, TMT had guaranteed to assign to the Buyer an
existing three-year time charter agreement at a minimum daily time charter hire
rate of $47,800. E Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset on June 20,
2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within E Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statement of
Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses has been prepared pursuant to a request
from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of E
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of December 14, 2007 and its related accumulated
depreciation from the date it was acquired by E Duckling, to December 14,
2007 is as follows:
|
|
|
December
14, 2007
|
|
Marine
vessel
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
$ 30,185,000
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
|
|
2,182,583
|
|
|
|
|
$ 28,002,417
|
|
Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the period from October 8, 2007 (commencement
date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to
December 14, 2007.
The
accompanying Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the period
from October 8, 2007 to December 14, 2007 has been prepared for the
purpose of complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
The
accompanying statement was prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. This statement is
therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statement is also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of E Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, this statement does not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses includes revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses,
depreciation, and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the
Disposed Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses is not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of this financial statement in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of this financial statement, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over twenty years, the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by E Duckling, and with
an estimated $1,437,381 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to
$266,075, for the period from October 8, 2007 to December 14,
2007.
Revenue
Recognition
E
Duckling generates its revenues from charterers for the charterhire of its
vessel. E vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered
into for the use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily
charterhire rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices,
service is provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured,
revenue is recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of
a time charter agreement as adjusted for off-hire days that the vessel spends
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the condition and
specifications of the vessel. On September 20, 2006, E Duckling entered
into a time charter agreement with its customer, which has duration of 35 to
37 months and a daily charterhire rate of $47,800. E Duckling reports its
revenue net of commission discounts offered to its customer in accordance with
Emerging Issues Task Force Issue (“EITF”) No. 01-9, “Accounting for
Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the
Vendor’s Products).” In addition, E Duckling reports its revenue on a gross
basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its customer when delivering the
vessel to its customer in accordance with EITF No. 99-19, “Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent.”
Operating
Expenses
E
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses, depreciation
and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset.
Vessel operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of
the vessel, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses and
management fees are recognized as incurred.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of F Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statements of revenue and direct operating expenses of
F Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the periods from January 1, 2008
to January 2, 2008 (date vessel was delivered to the Buyer), and May 7, 2007
(the commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer)
to December 31, 2007.These financial statements are the responsibility of
the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statements were prepared
for the purposes of complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities
and Exchange Commission in lieu of the full financial statements required by
Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as described in Note 2 to
Statements of
Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses and are not
intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or the results
of operations of the Company.
In
our opinion, such statements present
fairly, in all material respects, the revenue and direct operating expenses of
the Company for the periods from
January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008, and May 7, 2007 to December 31,
2007 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United
States of America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,
Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
F
Duckling Corporation
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
|
From
January 1, 2008
to January
2, 2008
|
|
From
May 7, 2007
to December
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
$
0
|
|
$ 5,949,947
|
|
Direct
operating expenses
|
55,181
|
|
2,482,003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
(Excess
of direct operating expenses over revenue )
|
($
55,181)
|
|
$ 3,467,944
|
|
See notes
to statements of revenue and direct operating expenses.
Notes
to Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
January 12, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer,”) and F Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “F Duckling”), a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $64,572,205 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the Buyer on
January 2, 2008. The Disposed Asset is a 52,434 dwt dry bulk vessel which was
built in 2000. In addition, the Buyer and TMT Co., Ltd., (“TMT”, a Taiwan
corporation and a related party to the Seller through a common shareholder)
entered into a master agreement on January 12, 2007 (the “Master
Agreement”). Pursuant to the Master Agreement, TMT had guaranteed to procure a
two-year time charter agreement at a minimum daily time charter hire rate of
$24,500. F Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset on May 5,
2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within F Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses have been prepared pursuant to a
request from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of F
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of January 2, 2008 and December 31, 2007, and its
related accumulated depreciation from the date it was acquired by
F Duckling, to January 2, 2008 and December 30, 2007, respectively are
as follows:
|
January
2, 2008
|
|
December
31, 2007
|
|
Marine
vessel
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
$ 28,447,000
|
|
$ 28,447,000
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
2,141,319
|
|
2,133,525
|
|
|
$ 26,305,681
|
|
$ 26,313,475
|
|
Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 2,
2008, and May 7, 2007 (commencement date of a time charter agreement to be
assigned to the Buyer) to December 31, 2007.
The
accompanying Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the periods
from January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008, and May 7, 2007 to
December 31, 2007 have been prepared for the purpose of complying with the
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The
accompanying statements were prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. These statements
are therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statements are also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of F Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, these statements do not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses include revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses,
depreciation and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the
Disposed Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses are not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of these financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of these financial statements, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over nineteen years, the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by F Duckling, and
with an estimated $1,422,350 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to
$7,794 and $ 926,091 for the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008,
and May 7, 2007 to December 31, 2007, respectively.
Revenue
Recognition
F
Duckling generates its revenues from charterers for the charterhire of its
vessel. A vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered
into for the use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily
charterhire rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices,
service is provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured,
revenue is recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of
a time charter agreement as adjusted for off-hire days that the vessel spends
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the condition and
specifications of the vessel. On February 14, 2007, F Duckling entered
into a time charter agreement with its customer, which has duration of 23 to
26 months and a daily charterhire rate of $25,800. F Duckling reports
its revenue on a gross basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its
customer when delivering the vessel to its customer in accordance with Emerging
Issues Task Force Issue No. 99-19, “Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal
versus Net as an Agent.”
Operating
Expenses
F
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses, depreciation
and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset.
Vessel operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of
the vessels, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses and
management fees are recognized as incurred.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.
5.
Related Party Transactions
The
Company has a management agreement with TMT, under which TMT provides management
services in exchange for a fixed monthly fee of $7,500 in 2008 and 2007. Total
management fees paid to TMT amounted to $500 and $58,548 during the periods from
January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008, and May 7, 2007 to December 31,
2007, respectively.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of G Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statement of revenue and direct operating expenses of G
Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the period from January 30, 2007(the
commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to
December 3, 2007(date vessel was delivered to the Buyer). This financial
statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility
is to express an opinion on this statement based on our audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statement was prepared for the purposes of complying with the rules
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of the full
financial statements required by Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as described in
Note 2 to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses and is not intended
to be a complete presentation of the financial position or the results of
operations of the Company.
In our
opinion, such statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the revenue
and direct operating expenses of the Company for the period from January 30,
2007 to December 3, 2007, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,
Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
G
Duckling Corporation
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
|
|
|
From
January 30, 2007 to
December 3, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
$ 7,707,444
|
|
Direct
operating expenses
|
|
|
2,477,453
|
|
Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
|
|
|
$ 5,229,991
|
|
See notes
to statement of revenue and direct operating expenses.
G
Duckling Corporation
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expense
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
January 12, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer”), and G Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “G Duckling”) a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $66,573,309 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the Buyer on
December 3, 2007. The Disposed Asset is a 52,402 dwt dry bulk vessel which
was built in 2001. In addition, the Buyer and TMT Co., Ltd., (“TMT”, a Taiwan
corporation and a related party to the Seller through a common shareholder)
entered into a master agreement on January 12, 2007 (the “Master
Agreement”). Pursuant to the Master Agreement, TMT had guaranteed to procure a
two-year time charter agreement at a minimum daily time charter hire rate of
$24,500. G Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset on July 12,
2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within G Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statement of
Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses has been prepared pursuant to a request
from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of G
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of December 3, 2007 and its related accumulated
depreciation from the date it was acquired by G Duckling to December 3,
2007 is as follows:
|
|
|
December
3, 2007
|
Marine
vessel
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
$ 29,800,000
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
|
|
1,662,684
|
|
|
|
|
$ 28,137,316
|
|
Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the period from January 30, 2007
(commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to
December 3, 2007.
The
accompanying Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the period
from January 30, 2007 to December 3, 2007 has been prepared for the purpose of
complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The
accompanying statement was prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. This statement is
therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statement is also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of G Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, this statement does not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses includes revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses
and depreciation that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed
Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses is not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of this financial statement in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of this financial statement, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over twenty years the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by G Duckling and
with an estimated $1,419,048 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to
$1,189,668 during the period from January 30, 2007 to December 3,
2007.
G
Duckling generates its revenues from charters for the charterline of its vessel.
A vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered into for
the use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily
charterhire rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices,
service is provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured,
revenue is recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of
a time charter agreement as adjusted for off-hire days that the vessel spends
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the condition and
specifications of the vessel. On January 30, 2007, G Duckling entered into
a time charter agreement with its customer, which has duration of 23 to
25 months and a daily charterhire rate of $25,550. G Duckling reports
its revenue net of commission discounts offered to its customer in accordance
with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 01-9, “Accounting for
Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the
Vendor’s Products).” In addition, G Duckling reports its revenue on a gross
basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its customer when delivering the
vessel to its customer in accordance with EITF No. 99-19, “Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent.”
Operating
Expenses
G
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses and
depreciation that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset. Vessel
operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of the
vessel, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses are
recognized as incurred.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.
5.
Related Party Transactions
TMT
provides management services to the Company for no charge.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of I Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statements of revenue and direct operating expenses of
I Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the periods from January 1, 2008 to
January 2, 2008 (date vessel was delivered to the Buyer), and February 13, 2007
(the commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer)
to December 31, 2007. These financial statements are the responsibility of the
Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statements were prepared for the purposes of complying with the
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of the
full financial statements required by Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as described
in Note 2 to Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses and are not
intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or the results
of operations of the Company.
In our
opinion, such statements present fairly, in all material respects, the revenue
and direct operating expenses of the Company for the periods from January 1,
2008 to January 2, 2008, and from February 13, 2007 to December 31, 2007, in
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,
Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
I
Duckling Corporation
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
|
From
January 1, 2008
to January
2, 2008
|
|
From
February 13, 2007
to December
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
$
0
|
|
$ 9,507,290
|
|
Direct
operating expenses
|
29,823
|
|
3,087,107
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
(Excess
of direct operating expenses over revenue )
|
($
29,823)
|
|
$ 6,420,183
|
|
See notes
to statements of revenue and direct operating expenses.
I
Duckling Corporation
Notes
to Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
January 12, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer”), and I Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “I Duckling”) a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $57,853,675 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the
Buyer on January 2, 2008. The Disposed Asset is a 52,994 dwt dry bulk vessel
which was built in 2003. In addition, the Buyer and TMT Co., Ltd., (“TMT”, a
Taiwan corporation and a related party to the Seller through a common
shareholder) entered into a master agreement on January 12, 2007 (the ‘Master
Agreement’). Pursuant to the Master Agreement, TMT had guaranteed to procure a
three-year time charter agreement at a minimum daily time charter hire rate
$28,500. I Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset on May 6,
2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within I Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses have been prepared pursuant to a
request from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of I
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of January 2, 2008 and, December 31, 2007 and its
related accumulated depreciation from the date it was acquired by I Duckling, to
January 2, 2008 and, December 31, 2007, respectively are as
follows:
|
January
2, 2008
|
|
December
31, 2007
|
|
Marine
vessel
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
$ 32,500,000
|
|
$ 32,500,000
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
2,347,110
|
|
2,339,015
|
|
|
$ 30,152,890
|
|
$ 30,160,985
|
|
Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 2,
2008 and February 13, 2007 (commencement date of a time charter agreement to be
assigned to the Buyer) to December 31, 2007.
The
accompanying Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the periods
from January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008 and February 13, 2007 to December
31, 2007 have been prepared for the purpose of complying with the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The
accompanying statements were prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. These statements
are therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statements are also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of I Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, these statements do not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statements
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statements of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses include revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses,
depreciation and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the
Disposed Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statements of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses are not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of these financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of these financial statements, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over twenty-one years, the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by I Duckling, and with
an estimated $1,477,273 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to $8,095
and $1,297,011 during the periods from January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008, and
February 13, 2007 to December 31, 2007, respectively.
Revenue
Recognition
I
Duckling generates its revenues from charterers for the charterhire of its
vessel. A vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered
into for the use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily
charterhire rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices,
service is provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured,
revenue is recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of
a time charter agreement as adjusted for the off-hire days that the vessel
spends undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the
condition and specifications of the vessel. On January 31, 2007,
I Duckling entered into a time charter agreement with its customer, which
has duration of 11 to 13 months and a daily charterhire rate of $30,300. I
Duckling reports its revenue net of commission discounts offered to its customer
in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force Issue (“EITF”) No. 01-9,
“Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a
Reseller of the Vendor’s Products).” In addition, I Duckling reports its revenue
on a gross basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its customer when
delivering the vessel to its customer in accordance with EITF No. 99-19,
“Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent.”
Operating
Expenses
I
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses, depreciation
and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset.
Vessel operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of
the vessel, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses and
management fees are recognized as incurred.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.
5.
Related Party Transactions
The
Company has a management agreement with TMT, under which TMT provides management
services in exchange for a fixed monthly fee of $7,500 in 2007 and 2008. Total
management fees paid to TMT amounted to $500 and $79,018 during the periods from
January 1, 2008 to January 2, 2008, and from February 13, 2007 to December 31,
2007, respectively.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Shareholder of J Duckling Corporation
We have
audited the accompanying statement of revenue and direct operating expenses of
J Duckling Corporation (the “Company”) for the period from May 16,
2007 (the commencement date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the
Buyer) to December 6, 2007(date vessel was delivered to the Buyer). This
financial statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on this statement based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement
is free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were
we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of this statement. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
The
accompanying statement was prepared for the purposes of complying with the rules
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of the full
financial statements required by Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, as
described in Note 2 to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
and is not intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or
the results of operations of the Company.
In our
opinion, such statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the revenue
and direct operating expenses of the Company for the period from May 16,
2007 to December 6, 2007, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
Deloitte
& Touche
Taipei,
Taiwan
The
Republic of China
August
18, 2008
J
Duckling Corporation
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
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From
May 16, 2007 to
December 6, 2007
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Revenue
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$ 6,605,243
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Direct
operating expenses
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1,783,210
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Excess
of revenue over direct operating expenses
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$ 4,822,033
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See notes
to statement of revenue and direct operating expenses.
J
Duckling Corporation
Notes
to Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
(In
U. S. Dollars)
1.
Business and Asset Purchase Agreement
On
January 12, 2007, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the “Buyer”), and J Duckling
Corporation (the “Seller,” the “Company,” or “J Duckling”), a Republic of Panama
company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) for the Buyer
to acquire a marine vessel (the “Disposed Asset”). The total
purchase price amounted to $67,140,790 and included cash and
buyer’s share consideration. The Disposed Asset was delivered to the Buyer on
December 6, 2007. The Disposed Asset is a 52,425 dwt dry bulk vessel which was
built in 2003. J Duckling acquired the Disposed Asset on July 12,
2006.
2.
Basis of Presentation
Historically,
the Disposed Asset operated as an asset within J Duckling and on a consolidated
basis within TMT and had no separate legal status. Accordingly, the Statement of
Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses has been prepared pursuant to a request
from the Buyer and derived from the historical records of J
Duckling.
The cost
of the Disposed Asset as of December 6, 2007 and its related accumulated
depreciation from the date it was acquired by J Duckling to December 6,
2007 is as follows:
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December 6,
2007
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Marine
vessel
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Cost
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$ 30,930,000
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Accumulated
depreciation
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1,591,018
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$ 29,338,982
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Operations
related to the Disposed Asset are reflected in the Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses for the period from May 16, 2007 (commencement
date of a time charter agreement to be assigned to the Buyer) to December 6,
2007.
The
accompanying Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses for the period
from May 16, 2007 to December 6, 2007 has been prepared for the purpose of
complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The
accompanying statement was prepared from the books and records maintained by
TMT, of which the Disposed Asset represented only a portion. This statement is
therefore not intended to be a complete representation of the results of
operations for the Disposed Asset as a stand-alone going concern, nor is it
indicative of the results to be expected from future operations of the Disposed
Asset. The accompanying statement is also not intended to be a complete
presentation of the results of operations of J Duckling as of or for any period.
Further, this statement does not include any other adjustments or allocations of
purchase price that may be required in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America subsequent to the date of
acquisition.
A
statement of stockholder’s equity is not presented, since the Agreement was
structured such that only the Disposed Asset was acquired by the
Buyer.
A
statement of cash flows is not presented, since the Disposed Asset has
historically been managed as part of the operations of TMT and has not been
operated as a stand-alone entity.
Statement
of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses
The
Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses includes revenue and
operating expenses directly attributable to the Disposed Asset.
Directly
attributable expenses of the Disposed Asset include vessel operating expenses,
depreciation and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the
Disposed Asset.
Certain
other expenses and income, such as TMT corporate overhead, interest income and
interest expense are not included in the accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses, since they are not directly associated with the
operations of the Disposed Asset. Corporate overhead expenses include costs
incurred for administrative support, such as expenses for legal, professional
and executive management functions. The accompanying Statement of Revenue and
Direct Operating Expenses is not necessarily indicative of the future financial
position or results of the operations of the Disposed Asset due to the change in
ownership, and the exclusion of certain assets, liabilities and operating
expenses, as described herein.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use
of estimates
Preparation
of this financial statement in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management to make certain
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and the
disclosure of contingencies at the date of the statement of revenue and direct
operating expenses reported.
In the
preparation of this financial statement, estimates and assumptions have been
made by management including the selection of useful lives of tangible assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment consists of the vessel and is recorded at cost. Depreciation is
recorded on a straight-line basis over twenty-two years, the estimated remaining
useful life of the vessel from the date it was acquired by J Duckling, and
with an estimated $1,344,783 salvage value. Depreciation expense amounted to
$750,530, for the period from May 16, 2007 to December 6,
2007.
Revenue
Recognition
J Duckling
generates its revenues from charterers for the charterhire of its vessel. A
vessel is chartered under time charter, where a contract is entered into for the
use of a vessel for a specific period of time and a specified daily charterhire
rate. As a charter agreement exists that includes fixed prices, service is
provided and collection of the related revenue is reasonably assured, revenue is
recognized as it is earned ratably over the duration of the period of a time
charter agreement as adjusted for the off-hire days that the vessel spends
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work depending on the condition and
specifications of the vessel. On April 23, 2007, J Duckling entered
into a time charter agreement with its customer, which has duration of 23 to
25 months and a daily charterhire rate of $32,500. J Duckling reports its
revenue net of commission discounts offered to its customer in accordance with
Emerging Issues Task Force Issue (“EITF”) No. 01-9, “Accounting for
Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the
Vendor’s Products).” In addition, J Duckling reports its revenue on a gross
basis with regard to the vessel fuel charged to its customer when delivering the
vessel to its customer in accordance with EITF No. 99-19, “Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent.”
Revenue
related to a dispute over the charterhire rate from the previous time charter
arrangement is recognized when the dispute is resolved and money is received
from the customer and such revenue amounted to $130,880 during the period from
May 16, 2007 to December 6, 2007.
Operating
Expenses
J
Duckling’s operating expenses consist of vessel operating expenses, depreciation
and management fees that are specifically identifiable with the Disposed Asset.
Vessel operating expenses represent all expenses relating to the operation of
the vessel, including crewing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, commissions,
stores, lubricants, spares and consumables. Vessel operating expenses and
management fees are recognized as incurred.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is a tax-exempt entity in accordance with the Income Tax Code of the
Republic of Panama.
4.
Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
One
customer accounted for 100% of the total revenue of the Disposed
Asset.