AMENDMENT NO. 4 TO FORM F-1
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
February 3, 2006
File
No. 333-129145
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 4
TO
FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
EUROSEAS LTD.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Republic of the Marshall Islands |
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4412 |
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Not Applicable |
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(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or
organization) |
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Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number |
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
Aethrion Center
40 Ag. Konstantinou Street
151 24 Maroussi, Greece
011 30 210 6105110
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
Seward & Kissel LLP
Attention: Lawrence Rutkowski, Esq.
One Battery Park Plaza
New York, New York 10004
Telephone: (212) 574-1200
Facsimile: (212) 480-8421
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Lawrence Rutkowski, Esq.
Seward & Kissel LLP
One Battery Park Plaza
New York, New York 10004
Telephone: (212) 574-1200
Facsimile: (212) 480-8421
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the
public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of
this Registration Statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be
offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to
Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following
box. þ
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an
offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act,
check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same
offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to
Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to
Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. o
If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to
Rule 434, please check the following
box. o
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on
such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective
date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which
specifically states that this registration statement shall
thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a)
of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this registration
statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities
and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said
Section 8(a), may determine.
Information
contained herein is subject to completion or amendment. A
registration statement relating to these securities has been
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We may not
sell these securities until the registration statement filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This
prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is
not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state in
which the offer or sale is not
permitted.
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SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED
FEBRUARY 3, 2006
EUROSEAS LTD.
This prospectus relates to offers and sales from time to time by
the persons identified in this prospectus of up to 7,026,993
currently outstanding shares of our common stock, par value
$0.01 per share, 1,756,743 shares of our common stock
issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of the
date of this prospectus and up to 818,604 shares of our
common stock to be issued to certain affiliates of Cove Apparel
Inc. (Cove) who are holders of outstanding common
stock of Cove, in connection with the merger of Cove with our
subsidiary, Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc.
(EuroSub). We refer to each person that may sell
shares under this prospectus as a selling shareholder. This is
the initial public offering of our common stock. This prospectus
does not cover the issuance of any shares of common stock by us.
We have agreed to pay all expenses incurred in connection with
the registration of the shares of common stock covered by this
prospectus.
Our common stock is not currently listed on any United States of
America national stock exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market. We
have filed an application to list our common stock on the Nasdaq
National Market and have reserved the symbol ESEA.
We cannot assure you that such listing will be obtained. If such
listing is not obtained, we will seek to list our common stock
on the OTC Bulletin Board or another exchange. On
August 25, 2005, we entered into a merger agreement with
Cove. Coves common stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin
Board under the symbol CVAP.OB. Under the merger
agreement, the Cove stockholders will receive
0.102969 shares of our common stock for each share of Cove
common stock owned. On February 2, 2006, the last reported
sales price for Coves common stock was $0.70. Based upon
the exchange ratio under the merger agreement, we anticipate
that the price of our common stock would be $6.80.
Based on the above, the selling shareholders will sell their
shares at a price of between $5.00 to $7.00 per share
until our shares are quoted on the Nasdaq National Market or the
OTC Bulletin Board, and thereafter, at prevailing market prices
or privately negotiated prices. The selling shareholders may
sell the shares of common stock to or through underwriters,
brokers or dealers or directly to purchasers. Underwriters,
brokers or dealers may receive discounts, commissions or
concessions from the selling shareholders, purchasers in
connection with sales of the shares of common stock, or both.
Additional information relating to the distribution of the
shares of common stock by the selling shareholders can be found
in this prospectus under the heading Plan of
Distribution. If underwriters or dealers are involved in
the sale of any securities offered by this prospectus, their
names, and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or
discount arrangement between or among them, will be set forth,
or will be calculable from the information set forth, in an
updated prospectus that will be included in a post-effective
amendment to the registration statement. Any other material
changes to the prospectus will also be included in a
post-effective amendment to the registration statement.
We will not receive any proceeds from sales of shares of our
common stock by the selling shareholders.
Investing in our common stock involves risks. Please see
Risk Factors beginning on page 7.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this
prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The date of this prospectus is
[ ],
2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
Under this registration process, the selling shareholders
referred to in this prospectus may offer and sell from time to
time up to 7,026,993 currently outstanding shares of our common
stock, 1,756,743 shares of our common stock issuable upon
the exercise of warrants outstanding at an exercise price of
$3.60 per share and held by the selling shareholders as of
the date of this prospectus and 818,604 shares of our
common stock to be issued to certain affiliates of Cove who are
holders of outstanding common stock of Cove, in connection with
the merger of Cove with EuroSub.
This prospectus does not cover the issuance of any shares of
common stock by us, and we will not receive any of the proceeds
from any sale of shares by the selling shareholders. We have
agreed to pay all expenses incurred in connection with the
registration of the shares of common stock covered by this
prospectus.
Information about the selling shareholders may change over time.
Any changed information given to us by the selling shareholders
will be set forth in a prospectus supplement if and when
necessary. Further, in some cases, the selling shareholders will
also be required to provide a prospectus supplement containing
specific information about the terms on which they are offering
and selling our common stock. If a prospectus supplement is
provided and the description of the offering in the prospectus
supplement varies from the information in this prospectus, you
should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
HOW TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This prospectus incorporates important business and financial
information about us that is not included in or delivered with
the document. If you would like to receive this information or
if you want additional copies of this document, such information
is available without charge upon written or oral request. Please
contact the following:
Euroseas Ltd.
Aethrion Center
40 Ag. Konstantinou Street
151 24 Maroussi
Greece
Attn: Aristides J. Pittas
Telephone: 011 30 210 6105110
or
Euroseas Ltd.
Mr. Anastasios Aslidis
2693 Far View Drive
Mountainside, New Jersey 07092
Telephone: (908) 301-9091
Please see Where You Can Find Additional Information
to find out where you can find more information about us.
You should only rely on the information contained in this
prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to give any
information or to make any representations other than those
contained in this prospectus. Do not rely upon any information
or representations made outside of this prospectus. The
information contained in this prospectus may change after the
date of this prospectus. Do not assume after the date of this
prospectus that the information contained in this prospectus is
still correct.
ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information from this
prospectus but may not contain all of the information that may
be important to you. Accordingly, we encourage you to read
carefully this entire prospectus. In this prospectus, the words
Euroseas, Company, we,
our, ours and us refer to
Euroseas Ltd., and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise stated or
the context requires.
The Offering
The selling shareholders named in this prospectus are offering
up to 7,026,993 currently outstanding shares of our common
stock, par value $0.01 per share, 1,756,743 shares of
our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants
outstanding as of the date of this prospectus and up to
818,604 shares of our common stock to be issued to certain
affiliates of Cove who are holders of outstanding common stock
of Cove, in connection with the merger of Cove with EuroSub. We
will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the
shares. Each selling shareholder will sell the shares whenever
it chooses to do so at varying prices to be determined at the
time of each sale either based upon prevailing market conditions
or at negotiated prices. Various factors were considered in
determining the offering price of our securities, such as our
revenues and net income, market conditions in the shipping
industry and the stock prices and valuations of other dry bulk
shipping companies. Other factors include the price of the
shares and warrants we issued in our private placement
transaction. In the private placement, we issued
7,026,993 shares of common stock at a price of
$3.00 per share, as well as warrants to purchase an
additional 1,756,743 shares of common stock. The warrants
have a five year term and an exercise price of $3.60. In
addition, on August 25, 2005, we entered into a merger
agreement with Cove. Coves common stock is traded on the
OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol CVAP.OB. Under
the merger agreement, the Cove stockholders will receive
0.102969 shares of our common stock for each share of Cove
common stock owned. On February 2, 2006, the last reported
sales price for Coves common stock was $0.70. Based
upon the exchange ratio under the merger agreement, we
anticipate that the price of our common stock would
be $6.80. However, we cannot predict at what prices our
securities will be sold by the selling shareholders. This
offering will continue until the earlier of (i) two years
following the date the accompanying registration statement is
declared effective, and (ii) such time as all securities
covered by such registration statement have been sold or may be
sold without volume restrictions pursuant to Rule 144(k)
under the Securities Act.
Our Company
We are Euroseas Ltd., an independent commercial shipping company
that operates in the drybulk and container shipping markets
through our wholly-owned subsidiaries. We were formed on
May 5, 2005 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands. Our principal offices are located in Maroussi, Greece
and our telephone number is 011 30 210 6105110.
Our fleet consists of five drybulk carriers and three
containerships with an aggregate of 190,904 deadweight tons, or
dwt, for the five drybulk carriers and 66,100 dwt and 4,636
twenty-foot equivalent units, or teu, total capacity, for the
three containerships. We own our eight vessels through eight
separate wholly-owned subsidiaries. The names of our
wholly-owned subsidiaries that own each vessel and the vessel
each owns are as follows:
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Vessel |
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Owner |
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Country of Incorporation | |
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Name |
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Flag | |
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1)
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Diana Trading Ltd. |
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Republic of the Marshall Islands |
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IRINI |
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Marshall Islands |
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2)
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Alterwall Business Inc. |
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Republic of Panama |
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YM QINGDAO I |
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Panamanian |
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3)
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Allendale Investments S.A. |
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Republic of Panama |
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KUO HSIUNG |
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Panamanian |
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4)
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Alcinoe Shipping Limited |
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Republic of Cyprus |
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PANTELIS P. |
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Cypriot |
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5)
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Searoute Maritime Limited |
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Republic of Cyprus |
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ARIEL |
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Cypriot |
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6)
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Oceanpride Shipping Limited |
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Republic of Cyprus |
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JOHN P. |
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Cypriot |
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7)
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Oceanopera Shipping Limited |
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Republic of Cyprus |
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NIKOLAOS P. |
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Cypriot |
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8)
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Salina Shipholding Corp. |
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Republic of the Marshall Islands |
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ARTEMIS |
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Marshall Islands |
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1
Our Fleet
The following table presents certain information concerning our
current fleet:
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Country | |
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TEU | |
Vessel |
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Dwt | |
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Built | |
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Year Built | |
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Type | |
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Capacity | |
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IRINI
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69,734 |
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Japan |
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1988 |
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Dry Bulk |
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N/A |
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YM QINGDAO I
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18,253 |
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Japan |
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1990 |
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Containership |
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1,269 |
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KUO HSIUNG
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18,154 |
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Japan |
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1993 |
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Containership |
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1,269 |
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PANTELIS P.
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26,354 |
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Scotland |
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1981 |
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Dry Bulk |
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N/A |
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ARIEL
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33,712 |
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Japan |
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1977 |
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Dry Bulk |
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N/A |
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JOHN P.
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26,354 |
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Scotland |
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1981 |
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Dry Bulk |
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N/A |
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NIKOLAOS P.
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34,750 |
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Spain |
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1984 |
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Dry Bulk |
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N/A |
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ARTEMIS
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29,693 |
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Croatia |
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1987 |
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Containership |
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2,098 |
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Management of Our Fleet
The operations of our vessels are managed by Eurobulk Ltd., or
Eurobulk, an affiliated company, under management contracts with
each ship-owning company. These services include technical
management, such as managing
day-to-day vessel
operations including supervising the crewing, insuring the
fleet, supplying, maintaining and drydocking of vessels,
commercial management regarding identifying suitable vessel
charter opportunities and certain accounting services.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe that we possess the following competitive strengths:
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Experienced Management Team. Our management team has
significant experience in operating drybulk carriers and
expertise in all aspects of commercial, technical, operational
and financial areas of our business. Our main shareholding
family has over 100 years experience in shipping and enjoys
a well established reputation. The Pittas family roots in
shipping go back four generations to the
19th
century. Nikolaos Pittas started the family business more than
125 years ago and has been followed by his sons and his
grandsons, one of whom is Mr. John Pittas, a controlling
shareholder of Friends Investment Company Inc.
(Friends), the largest shareholder of Euroseas.
Aristides J. Pittas, his son, is the CEO, President, Chairman of
the Board and a Director of Euroseas. Aristides P. Pittas, his
nephew, is the Vice-Chairman of the Board and a Director of
Euroseas. This experience enables management, among other
things, to identify suitable shipping opportunities and time its
investments in an efficient manner. |
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Strong Customer Relationships. Through Eurobulk, our ship
management company, and Eurochart, our chartering broker, we
have many long-established customer relationships with major
charterers and shipping pools (Klaveness), and we believe we are
well regarded within the international shipping community. |
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Profitable Operations to Date. The Pittas family, the
principal owners of Eurobulk and of our largest shareholder, has
operated vessels over the past 125 years. The vessels have
been operated through various partnerships and different
entities over these years. In 1995, the Pittas family separated
its interests from Oceanbulk Maritime S.A. and formed Eurobulk
in order to manage and operate its own vessels. Since the
inception of Eurobulk, all vessel acquisitions have been
profitable and the groups results, on a consolidated
basis, have been profitable for each of the last five years.
This was achieved by carefully selecting secondhand vessels,
competitively commissioning and actively supervising
cost-efficient shipyards to perform repairs, reconditioning and
systems upgrading work, together with a proactive preventive
maintenance program both ashore and at sea, and employing
professional, well-trained masters, officers and crews. We
believe that this combination allows us to minimize off-hire
periods, effectively manage insurance costs, and control overall
operating expenses. |
2
Our Business Strategy
Our business strategy is focused on providing consistent
shareholder returns by carefully selecting the timing and the
structure of our investments in drybulk and feeder containership
vessels and by reliably, safely and competitively operating the
vessels we own, through our affiliate, Eurobulk. Representing a
continuous shipowning and management history that dates back to
the
19th century,
we believe that one of our advantages in the industry is our
ability to select and safely operate dry bulk and containership
vessels of any age. We continuously evaluate sale-and-purchase
opportunities, as well as long term employment opportunities for
our vessels. Additionally, with the proceeds from our recent
private placement transaction, we plan to expand our fleet to
increase our revenues and make our drybulk carrier and
containership feeder fleet more cost efficient and more
attractive to our customers. In furtherance of our business
strategy, we signed a memorandum of agreement to purchase a
containership called m/v Roseleen (ex Sea
Arrow, to be renamed Artemis) that was built in 1987,
with 2,098 teu. The vessel was delivered into our fleet on
November 25, 2005. The vessel cost approximately
$20.65 million and was initially paid for through the
proceeds of the Private Placement and our working capital. On
December 28, 2005, we concluded debt financing for $15.5 million
to fund part of the acquisition of the vessel. We are presently
in negotiations for the purchase of additional vessels but none
of these negotiations has yet resulted in a binding contract.
Dividend Policy
Our policy is to declare and pay quarterly dividends to
shareholders from our net profits each February, May, August and
November, in amounts the Board of Directors may from time to
time determine are appropriate. The timing and amount of
dividend payments will be dependent upon our earnings, financial
condition, cash requirements and availability, restrictions in
our loan agreements, growth strategy, the provisions of Marshall
Islands law affecting the payment of distributions to
shareholders and other factors, such as the acquisition of
additional vessels. However, we do not believe that the
acquisition of vessels to our fleet will impact our dividend
policy of paying quarterly dividends to our shareholders out of
our net profits. We believe that the addition of vessels to our
fleet in the future should enable us to pay a higher dividend
per share than we would otherwise be able to pay without
additional vessels since such additional vessels should increase
our earnings. However, we cannot give any current estimate of
what dividends may be in the future since any such dividend
amounts will depend upon the amount of revenues those vessels
are able to generate and the costs incurred in operating such
vessels. The payment of dividends is not guaranteed or assured,
and may be discontinued at any time at the discretion of our
Board of Directors.
Recent Developments
Private Placement
On August 25, 2005, we raised approximately
$21 million in gross proceeds from the Private Placement of
our securities to a number of institutional and accredited
investors. In the Private Placement, we issued
7,026,993 shares of common stock at a price of
$3.00 per share, as well as warrants to purchase an
additional 1,756,743 shares of common stock. The warrants
have a five year term and an exercise price of $3.60 per
share. As a condition to the Private Placement, we agreed to
execute a merger agreement with Cove.
Merger with Cove
Considering the size of our company and the number of
shareholders, our placement agent, Roth Capital, advised us that
a merger with a public shell company, such as Cove, was
necessary to have a successful Private Placement. Roth Capital
advised us that the merger with Cove would give us access to a
company with a public listing whose shares could trade and help
develop a market for our common stock. It would also increase
the number of shareholders that could participate in the merger
and become Euroseas shareholders, thus increasing the
likelihood of obtaining a listing on a national stock exchange
and providing greater liquidity for the shareholders. This type
of transaction would also reduce the uncertainty attendant to an
underwritten initial public offering and the possibility that
any such offering might not be successfully consummated in view
3
of our size and the then prevailing market conditions. As part
of the Private Placement transaction documents, the investors
included a condition that we enter into such a merger agreement.
The Private Placement would not have occurred unless we agreed
to enter into the merger with Cove.
On August 25, 2005, Cove, certain stockholders of Cove,
referred to as the Cove Principals, EuroSub and
Euroseas, signed an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the
Merger Agreement), pursuant to which we, through our
wholly-owned subsidiary, EuroSub, agreed to acquire Cove in
exchange for shares of our common stock (the
Merger). Coves stock is listed on the OTC
Bulletin Board under the symbol CVAP.OB.. Cove has
nominal operations. Its revenues from inception through
June 30, 2005 have been $20,966. The Merger Agreement
provides for the merger of Cove into EuroSub, with Cove
stockholders receiving 0.102969 shares of Euroseas common
stock for each share of Cove common stock owned. The Merger is
subject to a number of conditions and we cannot assure you that
the Merger will be consummated. We have filed a registration
statement under
Form F-4 with
respect to the Merger and we refer you to that registration
statement for more information about the Merger.
Declaration and Payment of Dividend
Our Board of Directors recently declared a dividend in the
amount of $0.07 per share which (i) was paid on or about
December 19, 2005 to those holders of record of common
stock of Euroseas on December 16, 2005, and (ii)
(A) is payable to the stockholders of Cove who are entitled
to receive shares of Euroseas common stock in connection with
Coves merger with EuroSub, with such payment being made
only to those holders of record of Cove common stock as of the
effective date of the merger and such dividend payment being
made upon exchange of their Cove shares for shares of Euroseas
common stock (assuming such merger is consummated), or
(B) is payable to Friends if such merger is not consummated
since Friends will be issued the shares that would have
otherwise been issued in the Merger.
Authorization Of 1:2 Reverse Stock Split
On November 2, 2005, our Board of Directors authorized a
1:2 reverse stock split. Management was authorized to decide not
to proceed with the reverse stock split if it determines that it
is no longer in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders. No date for the split has been set and management
has not indicated whether it will or will not proceed with the
split. No effect has been given in this prospectus to the
proposed reverse stock split.
Acquisition of Vessel
On November 25, 2005 we took delivery of a containership
called m/v Roseleen (ex Sea Arrow, to be renamed
Artemis) that was built in 1987, with 2,098 teu and
29,693 dwt. The purchase price of the vessel was approximately
$20.65 million as compared to a book value of $32.98
million of our other seven vessels as of June 30, 2005, and
reflects the type and age of the vessel and market conditions at
the time of the acquisition.
M/V Artemis is larger but older than our other two
containerships. It is larger than three of our dry bulk carriers
in terms of dwt capacity and younger than four of our dry bulk
carriers. Generally, the larger and younger a vessel is, the
higher its market value. Additionally, containerships are
typically more expensive than dry bulk carriers of the same age
and size (in terms of dwt capacity). Furthermore, vessel market
values and rates during 2005 have been significantly higher than
in the period 1993-2002 for both containerships and dry bulk
carriers. All of these factors explain the higher book value of
m/v Artemis as compared to our other vessels which were
purchased over the period 1993-2002 at different market
conditions and have since been depreciated as required.
The acquisition of m/v Artemis increases our
containership fleet to three vessels, all under long term
charters, and expands the fixed revenue base of our operations.
The acquisition was initially to be paid for with the proceeds
of the Private Placement and our working capital. On
December 28, 2005, we concluded debt financing for
$15.5 million to fund part of the acquisition of the
vessel. We are presently in negotiations for the purchase of
additional vessels but none of these negotiations has yet
resulted in a binding contract.
4
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following information shows summary historical financial
data for Euroseas. We derived this information from our audited
financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2002,
2003 and 2004 included in this prospectus and our unaudited
financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2004
and 2005 also included in this prospectus. The information is
only a summary and should be read in conjunction with our
historical financial statements and related notes, and our
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations contained elsewhere herein. The
historical results included below and elsewhere in this
prospectus are not indicative of our future performance.
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Year Ended December 31, | |
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Six Months Ended June 30, | |
Euroseas Ltd. Summary Historical |
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Financials |
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2002 | |
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2003 | |
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2004 | |
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2004 | |
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2005 | |
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| |
|
|
(All amounts in U.S. dollars) | |
Statement of Income Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage revenue
|
|
|
15,291,761 |
|
|
|
25,951,023 |
|
|
|
45,718,006 |
|
|
|
21,321,769 |
|
|
|
23,833,736 |
|
Commissions
|
|
|
(420,959 |
) |
|
|
(906,017 |
) |
|
|
(2,215,197 |
) |
|
|
(1,018,218 |
) |
|
|
(1,340,228 |
) |
Voyage expenses
|
|
|
531,936 |
|
|
|
436,935 |
|
|
|
370,345 |
|
|
|
60,829 |
|
|
|
131,903 |
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
|
|
7,164,271 |
|
|
|
8,775,730 |
|
|
|
8,906,252 |
|
|
|
4,727,324 |
|
|
|
4,270,787 |
|
Management fees
|
|
|
1,469,690 |
|
|
|
1,722,800 |
|
|
|
1,972,252 |
|
|
|
1,007,771 |
|
|
|
965,384 |
|
Amortization and depreciation(1)
|
|
|
4,053,049 |
|
|
|
4,757,933 |
|
|
|
3,461,678 |
|
|
|
1,640,565 |
|
|
|
1,824,322 |
|
Net gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,315,477 |
|
|
|
2,315,477 |
|
|
|
|
|
Interest and finance cost
|
|
|
(799,970 |
) |
|
|
(793,257 |
) |
|
|
(708,284 |
) |
|
|
(297,916 |
) |
|
|
(545,719 |
) |
Derivative gain/(loss)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,029 |
|
|
|
11,000 |
|
|
|
(82,029 |
) |
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
|
|
|
2,849 |
|
|
|
(690 |
) |
|
|
(1,808 |
) |
|
|
(3,734 |
) |
|
|
312 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
6,238 |
|
|
|
36,384 |
|
|
|
187,069 |
|
|
|
18,535 |
|
|
|
89,698 |
|
Other income/(expenses), net
|
|
|
(790,883 |
) |
|
|
(757,563 |
) |
|
|
(495,994 |
) |
|
|
(272,115 |
) |
|
|
(537,738 |
) |
Equity in earnings/(losses)
|
|
|
30,655 |
|
|
|
(167,433 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income for the period
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
14,910,424 |
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
Balance Sheet Data (at period end)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current Assets
|
|
|
3,192,345 |
|
|
|
9,409,339 |
|
|
|
16,461,159 |
|
|
|
12,404,490 |
|
|
|
11,276,109 |
|
Vessels, net book value
|
|
|
45,254,226 |
|
|
|
41,096,067 |
|
|
|
34,171,164 |
|
|
|
35,434,642 |
|
|
|
32,978,300 |
|
Deferred charges, net
|
|
|
596,262 |
|
|
|
929,757 |
|
|
|
2,205,178 |
|
|
|
1,996,885 |
|
|
|
2,357,775 |
|
Investment in associate
|
|
|
1,216,289 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
50,259,121 |
|
|
|
51,458,019 |
|
|
|
52,837,501 |
|
|
|
49,836,017 |
|
|
|
46,612,184 |
|
Current liabilities, including current portion of long-term debt
|
|
|
10,878,488 |
|
|
|
8,481,773 |
|
|
|
13,764,846 |
|
|
|
10,332,710 |
|
|
|
18,341,155 |
|
Long-term debt, including current portion
|
|
|
23,845,000 |
|
|
|
20,595,000 |
|
|
|
13,990,000 |
|
|
|
15,126,220 |
|
|
|
41,400,000 |
|
Common stock
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
21,285,634 |
|
|
|
27,486,246 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
|
|
30,634,170 |
|
|
|
1,651,029 |
|
Other Financial Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
5,631,343 |
|
|
|
10,956,132 |
|
|
|
34,208,693 |
|
|
|
13,382,837 |
|
|
|
8,157,781 |
|
Net cash paid to (received from) related party
|
|
|
(177,169 |
) |
|
|
482,778 |
|
|
|
(3,541,236 |
) |
|
|
(108,277 |
) |
|
|
8,621,660 |
|
Net cash from investing activities
|
|
|
(17,036,079 |
) |
|
|
214,832 |
|
|
|
6,756,242 |
|
|
|
6,722,524 |
|
|
|
(1,230,155 |
) |
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
12,247,355 |
|
|
|
(4,778,000 |
) |
|
|
(33,567,500 |
) |
|
|
(17,231,280 |
) |
|
|
(16,972,500 |
) |
Earnings per share, basic and diluted
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
Cash Dividends/Return of capital, declared per common share
|
|
|
0.02 |
|
|
|
0.04 |
|
|
|
0.91 |
|
|
|
0.40 |
|
|
|
1.49 |
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
Cash paid for common stock dividend declared/return of capital
|
|
|
687,500 |
|
|
|
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
26,962,500 |
|
|
|
11,762,500 |
|
|
|
44,225,000 |
(2) |
5
|
|
(1) |
In 2004, the estimated scrap value of the vessels was increased
from $170 to $300 per light ton to better reflect market price
developments in the scrap metal market. The effect of this
change in estimate was to reduce 2004 depreciation expense by
$1,400,010 and increase 2004 net income by the same amount. In
addition, in 2004, the estimated useful life of the vessel m/v
Ariel was extended from 28 years to 30 years
since the vessel performed dry-docking in the current year and
it is not expected to be sold until year 2007. M/V Widar
was sold in April 2004. Depreciation expense for m/v
Widar for the year ended December 31, 2004 amounted
to $136,384 compared to $409,149 in 2003. |
|
(2) |
This amount reflects a dividend in the amount of $27,525,000 and
a return of capital in the amount of $16,700,000. The total
payment to shareholders made in 2005 is in excess of previously
retained earnings because the Company decided to distribute to
its original shareholders in advance of going public most of the
profits relating to the Companys operations up to that
time and to recapitalize the Company. This one-time dividend
cannot be considered indicative of future dividend payments and
the Company refers you to the other sections in this prospectus
for a clearer understanding of the Companys dividend
policy. |
6
RISK FACTORS
Any investment in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You
should consider carefully the following factors, as well as the
other information set forth in this prospectus, before making an
investment in our common stock. Some of the following risks
relate principally to the industry in which we operate and our
business in general. Other risks relate to the securities market
for and ownership of our common stock. Any of the risk factors
could significantly and negatively affect our business,
financial condition, operating results and common stock price.
The following risk factors describe the material risks that are
presently known to us.
Risk Factors Relating To Our Common Stock
|
|
|
There may not be an active market for our shares, which
may cause our shares to trade at lower prices and make it
difficult to sell your shares. |
There is currently no public market for our shares. We cannot
assure you that we will be successful in obtaining a public
listing for our stock or that an active trading market for our
shares will develop or be sustained. We cannot predict at this
time how actively our shares will trade in the public market or
whether the price of our shares in the public market will
reflect our actual financial performance.
|
|
|
The price of our shares may be volatile and less than you
originally paid for such shares. |
The price of our shares may be volatile, and may fluctuate due
to factors such as:
|
|
|
|
|
actual or anticipated fluctuations in quarterly and annual
results; |
|
|
|
mergers and strategic alliances in the shipping industry; |
|
|
|
market conditions in the industry; |
|
|
|
changes in government regulation; |
|
|
|
fluctuations in our quarterly revenues and earnings and those of
our publicly held competitors; |
|
|
|
shortfalls in our operating results from levels forecasted by
securities analysts; |
|
|
|
announcements concerning us or our competitors; and |
|
|
|
the general state of the securities markets. |
The international drybulk and containership shipping industries
have been highly unpredictable and volatile. The market for
common shares of companies in these industries may be equally
volatile. Our shares may trade at prices lower than you
originally paid for such shares.
|
|
|
Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws contain
anti-takeover provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent
(1) our merger or acquisition and/or (2) the removal
of incumbent directors and officers. |
Our current Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws contain certain
anti-takeover provisions. These provisions include blank check
preferred stock, the prohibition of cumulative voting in the
election of directors, a classified board of directors, advance
written notice for shareholder nominations for directors,
removal of directors only for cause, advance written notice of
shareholder proposals for the removal of directors and
limitations on action by shareholders. These provisions, either
individually or in the aggregate, may discourage, delay or
prevent (1) our merger or acquisition by means of a tender
offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, that a shareholder may
consider in its best interest and (2) the removal of
incumbent directors and officers.
7
Industry Risk Factors
|
|
|
The cyclical nature of the shipping industry may lead to
volatile changes in freight rates which may reduce our revenues
and net income. |
We are an independent shipping company that operates in the
drybulk and containership shipping markets. Our profitability is
dependent upon the freight rates we are able to charge. The
supply of and demand for shipping capacity strongly influences
freight rates. The demand for shipping capacity is determined
primarily by the demand for the type of commodities carried and
the distance that those commodities must be moved by sea. The
demand for commodities is affected by, among other things, world
and regional economic and political conditions (including
developments in international trade, fluctuations in industrial
and agricultural production and armed conflicts), environmental
concerns, weather patterns, and changes in seaborne and other
transportation costs. The size of the existing fleet in a
particular market, the number of new vessel deliveries, the
scrapping of older vessels and the number of vessels out of
active service
(i.e., laid-up,
drydocked, awaiting repairs or otherwise not available for
hire), determines the supply of shipping capacity, which is
measured by the amount of suitable tonnage available to carry
cargo. The cyclical nature of the shipping industry may lead to
volatile changes in freight rates which may reduce our revenues
and net income.
In addition to the prevailing and anticipated freight rates,
factors that affect the rate of newbuilding, scrapping and
laying-up include
newbuilding prices, secondhand vessel values in relation to
scrap prices, costs of bunkers and other operating costs, costs
associated with classification society surveys, normal
maintenance and insurance coverage, the efficiency and age
profile of the existing fleet in the market and government and
industry regulation of maritime transportation practices,
particularly environmental protection laws and regulations.
These factors influencing the supply of and demand for shipping
capacity are outside of our control, and we cannot predict the
nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions.
Some of these factors may have a negative impact on our revenues
and net income.
|
|
|
The value of our vessels may fluctuate, adversely
affecting our earnings, liquidity and causing it us breach our
secured credit agreements. |
The market value of our vessels can fluctuate significantly. The
market value of our vessels may increase or decrease depending
on the following factors:
|
|
|
|
|
general economic and market conditions affecting the shipping
industry; |
|
|
|
supply of drybulk and containership vessels; |
|
|
|
demand for drybulk containership vessels; |
|
|
|
types and sizes of vessels; |
|
|
|
other modes of transportation; |
|
|
|
cost of newbuildings; |
|
|
|
new regulatory requirements from governments or self-regulated
organizations; and |
|
|
|
prevailing level of charter rates. |
As vessels grow older, they generally decline in value. Due to
the cyclical nature of the drybulk and container vessel markets,
if for any reason we sell vessels at a time when prices have
fallen, we could incur a loss and our business, results of
operations, cash flow, financial condition and ability to pay
dividends could be adversely affected.
Due to the fact that the market value of our vessels may
fluctuate significantly, we may incur losses when we sell
vessels, which may adversely affect our earnings. In addition,
any determination that a vessels remaining useful life and
earnings requires an impairment of its value on our financial
statements could result in a charge against our earnings and a
reduction in our shareholders equity. Any change in the
assessed value of any of our vessels might cause a violation of
the covenants of each secured credit agreement which in turn
8
might restrict our cash and affect our liquidity. All of our
credit agreements provide for a minimum security maintenance
ratio. If the assessed value of our vessels declines below
certain thresholds, we will be deemed to have violated these
covenants and may incur penalties for breach of our credit
agreements. For example, these penalties could require us to
prepay the shortfall between the assessed value of our vessels
and the value such vessels are required to maintain pursuant to
the secured credit agreement, or to provide additional security
acceptable to the lenders in an amount at least equal to the
amount of any shortfall. Further, future loans that we may agree
to may include various other covenants, in addition to the
vessel-related ones, that may ultimately depend on the assessed
values of our vessels. Such covenants include, but are not
limited to, maximum fleet leverage covenants and minimum fair
net worth covenants. If for any reason we sell our vessels at a
time when prices have fallen, the sale may be less than such
vessels carrying amount on our financial statements, and
we would incur a loss and a reduction in earnings.
|
|
|
Although charter rates in the international shipping
industry reached historic highs recently, future profitability
will be dependent on the level of charter rates and commodity
prices. |
Charter rates for the international shipping industry have
reached record highs during the past year; however, recently
rates have declined. We anticipate that the future demand for
our drybulk carriers and containership vessels and the charter
rates of the corresponding markets will be dependent upon
continued economic growth in China, India and the world economy,
seasonal and regional changes in demand, and changes to the
capacity of the world fleet. The capacity of the world fleet
seems likely to increase and there can be no assurance that
economic growth will continue. Adverse economic, political,
social or other developments could also have a material adverse
effect on our business and results of operations. If the number
of new ships delivered exceeds the number of vessels being
scrapped and lost, vessel capacity will increase. For instance,
given that as of the end of 2004 the capacity of the worldwide
container vessel fleet was approximately 7.4 million teu,
with approximately 3.4 million teu of additional capacity
on order, the growing supply of container vessels may exceed
future demand, particularly in the short term. If the supply of
vessel capacity increases but the demand for vessel capacity
does not increase correspondingly, charter rates and vessel
values could materially decline.
The factors affecting the supply and demand for vessels are
outside of our control, and the nature, timing and degree of
changes in industry conditions are unpredictable. Some of the
factors that influence demand for vessel capacity include:
|
|
|
|
|
supply and demand for drybulk and containership commodities, and
separately for containerized cargo; |
|
|
|
global and regional economic conditions; |
|
|
|
the distance drybulk and containership commodities are to be
moved by sea; and |
|
|
|
changes in seaborne and other transportation patterns. |
Some of the factors that influence the supply of vessel capacity
include:
|
|
|
|
|
the number of newbuilding deliveries; |
|
|
|
the scrapping rate of older vessels; |
|
|
|
changes in environmental and other regulations that may limit
the useful life of vessels; |
|
|
|
the number of vessels that are laid up; and |
|
|
|
changes in global drybulk and containership commodity production
and manufacturing distribution patterns of finished goods. |
|
|
|
An economic slowdown in the Asia Pacific region could
materially reduce the amount and/or profitability of our
business. |
A significant number of the port calls made by our vessels
involve the loading or discharging of raw materials and
semi-finished products in ports in the Asia Pacific region. As a
result, a negative change in
9
economic conditions in any Asia Pacific country, but
particularly in China or India, may have an adverse effect on
our business, financial position and results of operations, as
well as our future prospects. In particular, in recent years,
China has been one of the worlds fastest growing economies
in terms of gross domestic product. We cannot assure you that
such growth will be sustained or that the Chinese economy will
not experience contraction in the future. Moreover, any slowdown
in the economies of the United States of America, the European
Union or certain Asian countries may adversely effect economic
growth in China and elsewhere. Our business, financial position
and results of operations, as well as our future prospects, will
likely be materially and adversely affected by an economic
downturn in any of these countries.
|
|
|
We may become dependent on spot charters in the volatile
shipping markets, which can result in decreased revenues and/or
profitability. |
Although most of our vessels are currently under longer term
time charters, in the future, we may have more of these vessels
and/or any newly acquired vessels on spot charters. The spot
charter market is highly competitive and rates within this
market are subject to volatile fluctuations, while longer-term
time charters provide income at pre-determined rates over more
extended periods of time. If we decide to spot charter our
vessels, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in
keeping all our vessels fully employed in these short-term
markets or that future spot rates will be sufficient to enable
our vessels to be operated profitably. A significant decrease in
charter rates could affect the value of our fleet and could
adversely affect our profitability and cash flows with the
result that our ability to pay debt service to our lenders and
dividends to our shareholders could be impaired.
|
|
|
We are subject to regulation and liability under
environmental laws that could require significant expenditures
and affect our cash flows and net income. |
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
and certificates with respect to our operations.
The operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set
forth in the International Maritime Organizations
(IMOs) International Management Code for the
Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention (ISM
Code). The ISM Code requires shipowners 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 such party to
increased liability, may decrease available insurance coverage
for the affected vessels, and/or may result in a denial of
access to, or detention in, certain ports. Currently, each of
our vessels and Eurobulk, our ship management company, are ISM
Code-certified, however, there can be no assurance that such
certification will be maintained indefinitely.
Although the United States of America is not a party, many
countries have ratified and follow the liability scheme adopted
by the IMO and set out in the International Convention on Civil
Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969, as amended (the
CLC), and the Convention for the Establishment of an
International Fund for Oil Pollution of 1971, as amended. Under
these conventions, a vessels registered owner is strictly
liable for pollution damage caused on the territorial waters of
a contracting state by discharge of persistent oil, subject to
certain complete defenses. Many of the countries that have
ratified the CLC have increased the liability limits through a
1992 Protocol to the CLC. The right to limit liability is also
forfeited under the CLC where the spill is caused by the
owners actual fault or privity and, under the 1992
Protocol, where the spill is caused by the owners
intentional or reckless conduct. Vessels trading to contracting
states
10
must provide evidence of insurance covering the limited
liability of the owner. In jurisdictions where the CLC 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 the CLC.
The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA)
established an extensive regulatory and liability regime for the
protection and clean-up
of the environment from oil spills. OPA affects all owners and
operators whose vessels trade in the United States of America or
any of its territories and possessions or whose vessels operate
in waters of the United States of America, which includes the
territorial sea of the United States of America and its 200
nautical mile exclusive economic zone. OPA allows for
potentially unlimited liability without regard to fault of
vessel owners, operators and bareboat charterers for all
containment and
clean-up costs and
other damages arising from discharges or threatened discharges
of oil from their vessels, including bunkers (fuel), in the
U.S. waters. OPA also expressly permits individual states
to impose their own liability regimes with regard to hazardous
materials and oil pollution materials occurring within their
boundaries.
While we do not carry oil as cargo, we do carry fuel oil
(bunkers) in our drybulk carriers. We currently maintain,
for each of our vessels, pollution liability coverage insurance
of $1 billion per incident. If the damages from a
catastrophic spill exceeded our insurance coverage, that would
have a material adverse affect on our financial condition.
|
|
|
Capital expenditures and other costs necessary to operate
and maintain our vessels may increase due to changes in
governmental regulations, safety or other equipment
standards. |
Changes in governmental regulations, safety or other equipment
standards, as well as compliance with standards imposed by
maritime self-regulatory organizations and customer requirements
or competition, may require us to make additional expenditures.
In order to satisfy these requirements, we may, from time to
time, be required to take our vessels out of service for
extended periods of time, with corresponding losses of revenues.
In the future, market conditions may not justify these
expenditures or enable us to operate some or all of our vessels
profitably during the remainder of their economic lives.
|
|
|
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 can 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.
Furthermore, 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.
|
|
|
Rising fuel prices may adversely affect our
profits. |
Fuel (bunkers) is a significant, if not the largest,
operating expense for many of our shipping operations when our
vessels are under voyage charter. When a vessel is operating
under a time charter, these costs are paid by the charterer.
However fuel costs are taken into account by the charterer in
determining the amount of time charter hire and therefore fuel
costs also indirectly affect time charters. 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. Fuel prices have been at historically high levels
recently, but shipowners have not really felt the effect of
these high prices because the shipping markets have also been at
high levels. Any increase in the price of fuel may adversely
affect our profitability. Further, fuel may become much more
expensive in future, which may reduce the profitability and
competitiveness of our business versus other forms of
transportation, such as truck or rail.
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If our vessels fail to maintain their class certification
and/or fail any annual survey, intermediate survey, drydocking
or special survey, that vessel would be unable to carry cargo,
thereby reducing our revenues and profitability and violating
certain loan covenants of our third-party indebtedness. |
The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be
classed by a classification society authorized by its country of
registry. The classification society certifies that a vessel is
safe and seaworthy in accordance with the applicable rules and
regulations of the country of registry of the vessel and the
Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS). Our
vessels are currently classed with Lloyds Register of
Shipping, Bureau Veritas and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. ISM and
International Ship and Port Facilities Security
(ISPS) certification have been awarded by Bureau
Veritas and the Panama Maritime Authority to our vessels and
Eurobulk.
A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys,
drydockings and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a
vessels machinery may be on a continuous survey cycle,
under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a
five-year period. Every vessel is also required to be drydocked
every two to three years for inspection of the underwater parts
of such vessel.
If any vessel does not maintain its class and/or fails any
annual survey, intermediate survey, drydocking or special
survey, the vessel will be unable to carry cargo between ports
and will be unemployable and uninsurable which could cause us to
be in violation of certain covenants in our loan agreements. Any
such inability to carry cargo or be employed, or any such
violation of covenants, could have a material adverse impact on
our financial condition and results of operations. That status
could cause us to be in violation of certain covenants in our
loan agreements.
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Maritime claimants could arrest our vessels, which could
interrupt our cash flow. |
Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel,
shippers of cargo and other parties may be entitled to a
maritime lien against that vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims
or damages. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lienholder may
enforce its lien by arresting a vessel through foreclosure
proceedings. The arresting or attachment of one or more of our
vessels could interrupt our cash flow and require us to pay
large sums of funds to have the arrest lifted which would have a
material adverse effect on our financial condition and results
of operations.
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 claimants
maritime lien and any associated vessel, which is
any vessel owned or controlled by the same owner. Claimants
could try to assert sister ship liability against
one of our vessels for claims relating to another of our vessels.
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Governments could requisition our vessels during a period
of war or emergency, resulting in loss of earnings. |
A government could requisition for title or seize our vessels.
Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of
a vessel and becomes the owner. Also, a government could
requisition our vessels for hire. Requisition for hire occurs
when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively
becomes the charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally,
requisitions occur during a period of war or emergency.
Government requisition of one or more of our vessels could have
a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results
of operations.
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World events outside our control may negatively affect our
ability to operate, thereby reducing our revenues and net income
or our ability to obtain additional financing, thereby
restricting the implementation of our business strategy. |
Terrorist attacks such as the attacks on the United States of
America on September 11, 2001, on London, England on
July 7, 2005, and the response to these attacks, as well as
the threat of future terrorist attacks, continue to cause
uncertainty in the world financial markets and may affect our
business, results of operations and financial condition. The
continuing conflict in Iraq may lead to additional acts of
terrorism and armed
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conflict around the world, which may contribute to further
economic instability in the global financial markets. These
uncertainties could also have a material adverse effect on our
ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us
or at all.
Terrorist attacks may also negatively affect our operations and
financial condition and directly impact its vessels or its
customers. Future terrorist attacks could result in increased
volatility of the financial markets in the United States of
America and globally and could result in an economic recession
in the United States of America or the world. Any of these
occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our
financial condition and costs.
Company Risk Factors
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We will depend entirely on Eurobulk to manage and charter
our fleet. |
We currently contract the commercial and technical management of
our fleet, including crewing, maintenance and repair, to
Eurobulk, an affiliated company with which we are under common
control. The loss of Eurobulks services or its failure to
perform its obligations to us could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and results of our operations.
Although we may have rights against Eurobulk if it defaults on
its obligations to us, you will have no recourse against
Eurobulk. Further, we expect that we will need to seek approval
from our lenders to change Eurobulk as our ship manager.
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Because Eurobulk is a privately held company, there is
little or no publicly available information about it and we may
get very little advance warning of operational or financial
problems experienced by Eurobulk that may adversely affect
us. |
The ability of Eurobulk to continue providing services for our
benefit will depend in part on its own financial strength.
Circumstances beyond our control could impair Eurobulks
financial strength. Because Eurobulk is privately held it is
unlikely that information about its financial strength would
become public unless Eurobulk began to default on its
obligations. As a result, there may be little advance warning of
problems affecting Eurobulk, even though these problems could
have a material adverse effect on us.
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We and our principal officers have affiliations with
Eurobulk that could create conflicts of interest detrimental to
us. |
Our principal officers are also principals, officers and
employees of Eurobulk, which is our ship management company.
These responsibilities and relationships could create conflicts
of interest between us and Eurobulk. Conflicts may also arise in
connection with the chartering, purchase, sale and operations of
the vessels in our fleet versus drybulk carriers that may be
managed in the future by Eurobulk. Circumstances in any of these
instances may make one decision advantageous to us but
detrimental to Eurobulk and vice versa. Eurobulk does not
presently manage any vessels other than those owned by Euroseas.
In the past, Eurobulk has managed vessels where the Pittas
family was a minority shareholder but never any where there was
no Pittas participation at all. There have never been any
conflicts of interest that were resolved in a manner unfavorable
to Euroseas or its predecessors. However, it is possible that in
the future Eurobulk may manage vessels which will not belong to
Euroseas and in which the Pittas family may have controlling,
little or even no power or participation and where such
conflicts may arise. There can be no assurance that Eurobulk
will resolve all conflicts of interest in a manner beneficial to
us.
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We are a holding company, and we 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 subsidiaries, which are all
wholly-owned by us either directly or indirectly, conduct all of
our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no
significant assets other than the equity interests in our
wholly-owned subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make
dividend payments to you depends on our subsidiaries and their
ability to distribute funds to us. If we are unable to obtain
funds from our subsidiaries, we may be unable or our Board of
Directors may exercise its discretion not to pay dividends.
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We may not be able to pay dividends. |
Subject to the limitations discussed below, we currently intend
to pay cash dividends on a quarterly basis. However, we may
incur other expenses or liabilities that would reduce or
eliminate the cash available for distribution as dividends. Our
loan agreements may also limit the amount of dividends we can
pay under some circumstances based on certain covenants included
in the loan agreements. Over the period January 1, 2002 to June
30, 2005, we paid substantially all of our net income as
dividends usually on an annual basis without having been
restricted by our loan agreements.
If we are not successful in acquiring additional vessels, any
unused net proceeds from our recent private placement offering
may be used for other corporate purposes or held pending
investment in other vessels. Identifying and acquiring vessels
may take a significant amount time. The result may be that
proceeds of the offering are not invested in additional vessels,
or are so invested but only after some delay. In either case, we
will not be able to earn charterhire consistent with our current
anticipations, and our profitability and our ability to pay
dividends will be affected.
In addition, 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, restrictions in our loan agreements, growth
strategy, 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. However, there can
be no assurance that dividends will be paid.
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Companies affiliated with Eurobulk or our officers and
directors may acquire vessels that compete with our
fleet. |
Companies affiliated with Eurobulk or our officers and directors
own drybulk carriers and may acquire additional drybulk carriers
in the future. These vessels could be in competition with our
fleet and other companies affiliated with Eurobulk might be
faced with conflicts of interest with respect to their own
interests and their obligations to us.
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If we are unable to fund our capital expenditures, we may
not be able to continue to operate some of our vessels, which
would have a material adverse effect on our business and our
ability to pay dividends. |
In order to fund our capital expenditures, we may be required to
incur borrowings or raise capital through the sale of debt or
equity securities. Our ability to access the capital markets
through future offerings may be limited by our financial
condition at the time of any such offering as well as by adverse
market conditions resulting from, among other things, general
economic conditions and contingencies and uncertainties that are
beyond our control. Our failure to obtain the funds for
necessary future capital expenditures would limit our ability to
continue to operate some of our vessels and could have a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations
and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends. Even
if we are successful in obtaining such funds through financings,
the terms of such financings could further limit our ability to
pay dividends.
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If we fail to manage our planned growth properly, we may
not be able to successfully expand our market share. |
We intend to continue to grow 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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integrating any acquired business successfully with our existing
operations; |
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enhancing our customer base; |
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managing our expansion; and |
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obtaining required financing. |
Growing any business by acquisition presents numerous risks,
such as undisclosed liabilities and obligations and difficulty
experienced in (1) obtaining additional qualified
personnel, (2) managing relationships with customers and
suppliers and (3) integrating newly acquired operations
into existing infrastructures. We cannot give any assurance that
we will be successful in executing our growth plans or that we
will not incur significant expenses and losses in connection
with the execution of those growth plans.
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A decline in the market value of our vessels could lead to
a default under our loan agreements and the loss of our
vessels. |
We have incurred secured debt under loan agreements for our
vessels and currently expect to incur additional secured debt in
connection with our acquisition of other vessels. If the market
value of our fleet declines, we may not be in compliance with
certain provisions of our existing loan agreements and we may
not be able to refinance our debt or obtain additional
financing. If we are unable to pledge additional collateral, our
lenders could accelerate our debt and foreclose on our fleet.
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Our existing loan agreements contain restrictive covenants
that may limit our liquidity and corporate activities. |
Our existing loan agreements 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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make investments; |
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engage in mergers or acquisitions; |
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pay dividends; |
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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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sell our vessels. |
Therefore, we may need to seek permission from our lenders in
order to engage in some corporate actions. The lenders
interests may be different from our interests, 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.
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Servicing future debt would limit funds available for
other purposes. |
To finance our fleet, we have incurred secured debt under loan
agreements for our vessels. We also currently expect to incur
additional secured debt to finance the acquisition of additional
vessels. 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
expenditures and other purposes. As of June 30, 2005, we
had total bank debt of approximately $40 million. If we
were unable to service our debt, it could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations.
A rise in interest rates could cause an increase in our costs
and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition
and results of operations. We have purchased, and may purchase
in the future, vessels under loan agreements that provide for
periodic interest payments based on indices that fluctuate with
changes in market interest rates. If interest rates increase
significantly, it would increase our costs of financing our
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acquisition of vessels, which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Any
increase in debt service would also reduce the funds available
to us to purchase other vessels.
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Our ability to obtain additional debt financing may be
dependent on the performance of our then existing charters and
the creditworthiness of our charterers. |
The actual or perceived credit quality of our charterers, and
any defaults by them, may materially affect our ability to
obtain the additional debt financing that we will require to
purchase additional vessels or may significantly increase our
costs of obtaining such financing. Our inability to obtain
additional financing at all or at a higher than anticipated cost
may materially affect our results of operation and our ability
to implement our business strategy.
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As we expand our business, we may need to upgrade our
operations and financial systems, and add more staff and crew.
If we cannot upgrade these systems or recruit suitable
employees, our performance may be adversely affected. |
Our current operating and financial systems may not be adequate
if we expand the size of our fleet, and our attempts to improve
those systems may be ineffective. In addition, if we expand our
fleet, we will have to rely on Eurobulk to recruit suitable
additional seafarers and shoreside administrative and management
personnel. We cannot assure you that Eurobulk will be able to
continue to hire suitable employees as we expand our fleet. If
Eurobulks unaffiliated crewing agent encounters business
or financial difficulties, we may not be able to adequately
staff our vessels. If we are unable to operate our financial and
operations systems effectively or to recruit suitable employees,
our performance may be materially adversely affected.
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Because we obtain some of our insurance through protection
and indemnity associations, we may also be subject to calls in
amounts based not only on our own claim records, but also the
claim records of other members of the protection and indemnity
associations. |
We may be subject to calls in amounts based not only on our
claim records but also the claim records of other members of the
protection and indemnity associations through which we receive
insurance coverage for tort liability, including
pollution-related liability. Our payment of these calls could
result in significant expense to us, which could have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash
flows, financial condition and ability to pay dividends.
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Labor interruptions could disrupt our business. |
Our vessels are manned by masters, officers and crews that are
employed by third parties. If not resolved in a timely and
cost-effective manner, industrial action or other labor unrest
could prevent or hinder our operations from being carried out
normally and could have a material adverse effect on our
business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition
and ability to pay dividends.
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In the highly competitive international drybulk and
containership shipping industry, we may not be able to compete
for charters with new entrants or established companies with
greater resources. |
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 and containership 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 that may be able to offer
better prices and fleets.
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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. Our success will depend upon
our ability to hire additional employees and to retain key
members of our
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management team. The loss of any of these individuals 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 currently intend to
maintain key man life insurance on any of our
officers.
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Risks involved with operating ocean going vessels could
affect our business and reputation, which may reduce our
revenues. |
The operation of an ocean-going vessel carries inherent risks.
These risks include, among others, the possibility of:
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crew strikes and/or boycotts; |
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marine disaster; |
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piracy; |
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environmental accidents; |
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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, political action in various countries,
labor strikes or adverse weather conditions. |
The involvement of any of the vessels in an environmental
disaster may harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel
operator. Any of these circumstances or events could increase
our costs or lower our revenues.
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Our vessels may suffer damage and it may face unexpected
drydocking costs, which could 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.
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Purchasing and operating previously owned, or secondhand,
vessels may result in increased operating costs and vessels
off-hire, which could adversely affect our earnings. |
Although we inspect the secondhand vessels prior to purchase,
this inspection does not provide us with the same knowledge
about their condition and cost of any required (or anticipated)
repairs that it would have had if these vessels had been built
for and operated exclusively by us. Generally, we do not receive
the benefit of warranties on secondhand vessels.
In general, the 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. We cannot assure you that, as our vessels age, market
conditions will justify those expenditures or enable us to
operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their
useful lives. If we sell vessels, we are not certain that the
price for which we sell them will equal their carrying amount at
that time.
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We may not have adequate insurance to compensate us
adequately for damage to, or loss of, our vessels. |
We procure hull and machinery insurance, protection and
indemnity insurance, which includes environmental damage and
pollution insurance and war risk insurance and freight,
demurrage and defence insurance for our fleet. We do not
maintain insurance against loss of hire, which covers business
interruptions that result in the loss of use of a vessel. We can
give no assurance that we are adequately insured against all
risks. We
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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 contain deductibles for which we will be
responsible and limitations and exclusions which may increase
our costs or lower our revenue. Moreover, we cannot assure that
the insurers will not default on any claims they are required to
pay. If our insurance is not enough to cover claims that may
arise, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition and results of operations.
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Our operations outside the United States of America expose
it to risks of mining, terrorism and piracy that may interfere
with the operation of our vessels. |
We are an international company and primarily conducts our
operations outside the United States of America. Changing
economic, political and governmental conditions in the countries
where we are engaged in business or where our vessels are
registered affect our operations. In the past, political
conflicts, particularly in the Arabian Gulf, resulted in attacks
on vessels, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt
shipping in the area. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also
affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea.
The likelihood of future acts of terrorism may increase, and our
vessels may face higher risks of being attacked. We are not
fully insured against any of these risks. In addition, future
hostilities or other political instability in regions where our
vessels trade could have a material adverse effect on our trade
patterns and adversely affect our operations and performance.
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Because the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where we are
incorporated, does not have a well-developed body of corporate
law, shareholders may have fewer rights and protections than
under typical United States law, such as Delaware, and
shareholders may have difficulty in protecting their interest
with regard to actions taken by our Board of Directors. |
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of
Incorporation and Bylaws and by the Marshall Islands Business
Corporations Act (the BCA). The provisions of the
BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of
states in the United States of America. 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 jurisdictions in the
United States of America. Shareholder rights may differ as well.
For example, under Marshall Islands law, a copy of the notice of
any meeting of the shareholders must be given not less than
15 days before the meeting, whereas in Delaware such notice
must be given not less than 10 days before the meeting.
Therefore, if immediate shareholder action is required, a
meeting may not be able to be convened as quickly as it can be
convened under Delaware law. Also, under Marshall Islands law,
any action required to be taken by a meeting of shareholders may
only be taken without a meeting if consent is in writing and is
signed by all of the shareholders entitled to vote, whereas
under Delaware law action may be taken by consent if approved by
the number of shareholders that would be required to approve
such action at a meeting. Therefore, under Marshall Islands law,
it may be more difficult for a company to take certain actions
without a meeting even if a majority of the shareholders approve
of such action. 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 jurisdiction in
the United States of America.
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Obligations associated with being a public company will
require significant company resources and management
attention |
We have operated as a private company since our inception. We
will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange
Act, and the other rules and regulations of the SEC, including
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and determine the
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
If we have a material weakness in our internal control over
financial reporting, we may not detect errors on a timely basis
and our financial statements may be materially misstated. We
will have to dedicate a significant amount of time and resources
to ensure
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compliance with these regulatory requirements. We have applied
to list the common stock on the Nasdaq National Market and, if
approved, will be subject to the listing requirements of the
Nasdaq National Market. We cannot assure you that such listing
will be obtained. If such listing is not obtained, we will seek
to list our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board or another
exchange.
We will work with our legal, accounting and financial advisors
to identify any areas in which changes should be made to our
financial and management control systems to manage our growth
and our obligations as a public company. We will evaluate areas
such as corporate governance, corporate control, internal audit,
disclosure controls and procedures and financial reporting and
accounting systems. We will make changes in any of these and
other areas, including our internal control over financial
reporting, which we believe are necessary. However, these and
other measures we may take may not be sufficient to allow us to
satisfy our obligations as a public company on a timely and
reliable basis. In addition, compliance with reporting and other
requirements applicable to public companies will create
additional costs for us and will require the time and attention
of management. Our limited management resources may exacerbate
the difficulties in complying with these reporting and other
requirements while focusing on executing our business strategy.
We cannot predict or estimate the amount of the additional costs
we may incur, the timing of such costs or the degree of impact
that our managements attention to these matters will have
on our business.
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Our historical financial and operating data may not be
representative of our future results because we are a newly
formed company with no operating history as a stand-alone entity
or as a publicly traded company. |
Our historical financial and operating data may not be
representative of our future results because we are a newly
formed company with no operating history as a stand-alone entity
or as a publicly traded company. Our combined financial
statements included in this prospectus have been carved out of
the consolidated financial statements of shipowning companies
managed by Eurobulk and majority owned by the Pittas family.
Consistent with shipping industry practice, we have not
obtained, nor do we present in this prospectus, historical
operating data for our vessels prior to their acquisition.
Although our results of operations, cash flows and financial
condition reflected in we have combined financial statements
include all expenses allocable to our business, due to factors
such as the additional administrative and financial obligations
associated with operating as a publicly traded company, they may
not be indicative of the results of operations that we would
have achieved had we operated as a public entity for all periods
presented or of future results that we may achieve as a publicly
traded company with our current holding company structure.
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We depend upon a few significant charterers for a large
part of our revenues. The loss of one or more of these
charterers could adversely affect our financial
performance. |
We have historically derived a significant part of our revenue
from a small number of charterers. Our top five customers
accounted for approximately 68% of our total revenues for 2004
and 54% of our total revenues for 2003. During the first half of
2005, our top five customers accounted for 60% of our total
revenues. If we lose any of these charterers, or if any of these
charterers significantly reduce its use of our services or was
unable to make charter payments to us, our results of
operations, cash flows and financial condition would be
adversely affected.
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Exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations will
result in fluctuations in our cash flows and operating
results. |
We generate all our revenues in U.S. dollars, but our ship
manager, Eurobulk, incurs approximately 30% of vessel operating
expenses and we incur general and administrative expenses in
currencies other than the U.S. dollar. This difference
could lead to fluctuations in our vessel operating expenses,
which would affect our financial results. Expenses incurred in
foreign currencies increase when the value of the
U.S. dollar falls, which would reduce our profitability. We
do not currently engage in hedging transactions to minimize our
exposure to currency rate fluctuations, but we may do so in the
future.
19
|
|
|
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. |
A foreign corporation 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
the corporations 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 are 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 proposed method of operation, we do not believe
that we will be a PFIC with respect to any taxable year. In this
regard, we intend to treat the gross income we derive or are
deemed to derive from our time chartering activities as services
income, rather than rental income. Accordingly, we believe that
our income from our time chartering activities does not
constitute passive income, and the assets that we
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 proposed method of operation. Accordingly,
no assurance can be given that the U.S. Internal Revenue
Service, or IRS, or a court of law will accept our position, and
there is a risk that the IRS or a court of law could determine
that we are a PFIC. Moreover, no assurance can be given that we
would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there
were to be changes in the nature and extent of our operations.
If the IRS were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any
taxable year, our 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, as discussed below under Tax
Considerations U.S. Federal Income Taxation of
U.S. Holders), such shareholders would be liable to
pay U.S. federal income tax at the then prevailing income
tax rates on ordinary income plus interest upon excess
distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our
common shares, as if the excess distribution or gain had been
recognized ratably over the shareholders holding period of
our common shares. See Tax Considerations
U.S. Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders for
a more comprehensive discussion of the U.S. federal income
tax consequences to U.S. shareholders if we are treated as
a PFIC.
|
|
|
We may have to pay tax on United States source income,
which would reduce our earnings. |
Under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the
Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel owning or
chartering corporation, such as ourselves and our subsidiaries,
that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but
that does not both begin and end, in the United States may be
subject to a 4% United States federal income tax without
allowance for deduction, unless that corporation qualifies for
exemption from tax under section 883 of the Code and the
applicable Treasury Regulations recently promulgated thereunder.
Both before and after the offering, we expect that we and each
of our subsidiaries qualify for this statutory tax exemption and
we will take this position for United States federal income tax
return reporting purposes. However, there are factual
circumstances beyond our control that could cause us to lose the
benefit of this tax exemption after the offering and thereby
become subject to United States federal income tax on our United
States source income. Due to the factual nature of the issues
involved, we can give no assurances on our tax-exempt status or
that of any of our subsidiaries.
If we or our subsidiaries are not entitled to exemption under
Section 883 for any taxable year, we or our subsidiaries
could be subject for those years to an effective 2% United
States federal income tax on the shipping income these companies
derive during the year that are attributable to the transport or
cargoes to or
20
from the United States. The imposition of this taxation would
have a negative effect on our business and would result in
decreased earnings available for distribution to our
shareholders.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements include information about possible or
assumed future results of our operations or our performance .
Words such as expects, intends,
plans, believes,
anticipates, estimates, and variations
of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify
the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations
will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known
and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and
estimates which are inherently subject to significant
uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our
control. Actual results may differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements include statements regarding:
|
|
|
|
|
our future operating or financial results; |
|
|
|
future, pending or recent acquisitions, business strategy, areas
of possible expansion, and expected capital spending or
operating expenses; and |
|
|
|
drybulk and containership market trends, including charter rates
and factors affecting vessel supply and demand. |
We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, or the
documents to which we refer you in this prospectus, to reflect
any change in our expectations with respect to such statements
or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which
any statement is based.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We will not receive any proceeds from sales of shares of our
common stock by the selling shareholders.
21
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our consolidated capitalization
at September 30, 2005 on a historical basis and as adjusted
to give effect to the Merger.
As at September 30, 2005, the subsequent event that we have
made adjustments for include:
|
|
|
(a) The Merger with Cove in which 1,079,167 newly issued
shares are to be issued to the shareholders of Cove, when the
Merger is consummated (or to Friends if the Merger is not
consummated). Of this amount, 818,604 shares are to be
issued to certain affiliates of Cove and are being registered
for resale under this prospectus. However, for purposes of the
calculations hereunder, we have used the full 1,079,167 amount
since all of these shares are expected to be issued in
connection with the Merger. |
|
|
(b) Cash dividend of $2.65 million declared on
November 2, 2005 to (i) our shareholders of record on
December 16, 2005 and paid on or about December 19,
2005, and (ii) either Coves shareholders that will
exchange their shares to Euroseas shares, if the Merger with
Cove is consummated, or, Friends which will be issued the shares
that would have been issued to Coves shareholders if the
Merger is not consummated. None of the Companys warrants
were exercised. |
|
|
(c) New loan to finance acquisition of m/v Artemis
of $15,500,000 which was drawn down of December 30,
2005; and repayments for loans outstanding as at
September 30, 2005 amounting to $4,170,000. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of September 30, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
As Adjusted for | |
|
|
|
|
Subsequent Event | |
|
|
Actual | |
|
and This Offering | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(In U.S. dollars) | |
Debt:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current portion of long term debt
|
|
|
12,854,998 |
|
|
|
14,430,000 |
|
|
Total long term debt, net of current portion
|
|
|
24,375,002 |
|
|
|
34,130,000 |
|
Total debt
|
|
|
37,230,000 |
|
|
|
48,560,000 |
|
Shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common stock, $.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized on
an actual and as adjusted basis; 36,781,159 shares issued and
outstanding on an actual basis; 37,860,326 shares issued and
outstanding on an as adjusted basis
|
|
|
367,812 |
|
|
|
378,603 |
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
18,383,781 |
|
|
|
18,382,990 |
|
|
Retained earnings (deficit)
|
|
|
6,673,708 |
|
|
|
6,673,708 |
|
|
Dividend declared November 2, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,650,223 |
) |
Total shareholders equity (deficit)
|
|
|
25,425,301 |
|
|
|
22,785,078 |
|
Total capitalization
|
|
|
62,655,301 |
|
|
|
71,345,078 |
|
DILUTION
Dilution information is provided for both subsequent events: the
Private Placement and the Merger with Cove (if consummated, or
the issuance of the same number of shares that would have been
issued to Coves stockholders to Friends otherwise).
At June 30, 2005, we had net tangible book value of
$1.66 million, or $0.06 per share. After giving effect to
the sale of 7,026,993 shares of common stock at the price of
$3.00 per share and the issuance of 1,079,167 shares of common
stock to the shareholders of Cove if the Merger with Cove is
consummated, or to Friends if the Merger is not consummated at
the rate of $3.00 per share, the pro forma net tangible book
value at June 30, 2005 would have been $19.74 million
or $0.52 per share. This represents an immediate appreciation in
net tangible book value of $0.46 per share to existing
shareholders and an immediate dilution of net tangible
22
book value of $2.48 per share to new investors. The following
table illustrates the pro forma per share dilution and
appreciation at June 30, 2005:
|
|
|
|
|
Initial offering price per share in the Private Placement
|
|
$ |
3.00 |
|
Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2005
|
|
$ |
0.06 |
|
Increase in net tangible book value attributable to the new
investors
|
|
$ |
0.46 |
|
Proforma net tangible book value per share after giving effect
to this offering
|
|
$ |
0.52 |
|
Dilution per share to the new investors
|
|
$ |
2.48 |
|
Net tangible book value per share of our common stock is
determined by dividing our tangible net worth, which consists of
tangible assets less liabilities, by the number of shares of our
common stock outstanding. Dilution is determined by subtracting
the net tangible book value per share of common stock after this
offering from the public offering price per share.
The following table summarizes, on a pro forma basis as at
June 30, 2005, the differences between the number of shares
of common stock acquired from us, the total amount paid and the
average price per share paid by the existing holders of shares
of common stock, Cove stockholders (in case the Merger is
consummated; Friends will be issued the shares otherwise to be
issued to the Cove shareholders without any consideration if the
Merger is not consummated) and by the Private Placement
investors based upon the Private Placement share price of $3.00
per share.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pro Forma Shares | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding | |
|
Total Consideration | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Average Price | |
|
|
Number | |
|
Percent | |
|
Amount | |
|
Percent | |
|
per Share | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Existing shareholders
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
78.6% |
|
|
$ |
1,651,029 |
|
|
|
7.3% |
|
|
$ |
0.06 |
|
Cove shareholders
|
|
|
1,079,167 |
|
|
|
2.8% |
|
|
$ |
10,000 |
|
|
|
0.0% |
|
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
New investors
|
|
|
7,026,993 |
|
|
|
18.6% |
|
|
$ |
21,080,979 |
|
|
|
92.7% |
|
|
$ |
3.00 |
|
Total
|
|
|
37,860,326 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
$ |
22,742,008 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
$ |
0.60 |
|
The existing shareholders of the Company, owners of
29,754,166 shares, have acquired their shares by
contributing the equity required to purchase the seven vessels
the Company owned as of June 30, 2005, plus the m/v Widar
which was sold on April 24, 2004 amounting to $18,920,778,
or $0.64 per share. Over the period January 1, 2002 to
June 30, 2005, the existing shareholders have received
dividends and return of capital totaling $73,075,000, or $2.46
per share.
23
SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following information shows selected historical financial
data for us. We derived this information from our audited
financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2002,
2003 and 2004 included in this prospectus, and our unaudited
financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2004
and 2005 also included in this prospectus. The information is
only a summary and should be read in conjunction with our
historical financial statements and related notes, and our
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations contained elsewhere herein. The
historical results included below and elsewhere in this
prospectus are not indicative of our future performance.
EUROSEAS HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
Six Months Ended June 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Euroseas Ltd. Summary Historical Financials(1) |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts in U.S. dollars) | |
Statement of Income Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage revenue
|
|
|
15,291,761 |
|
|
|
25,951,023 |
|
|
|
45,718,006 |
|
|
|
21,321,769 |
|
|
|
23,833,736 |
|
Commissions
|
|
|
(420,959 |
) |
|
|
(906,017 |
) |
|
|
(2,215,197 |
) |
|
|
(1,018,218 |
) |
|
|
(1,340,228 |
) |
Voyage expenses
|
|
|
(531,936 |
) |
|
|
(436,935 |
) |
|
|
(370,345 |
) |
|
|
(60,829 |
) |
|
|
(131,903 |
) |
Vessel operating expenses
|
|
|
(7,164,271 |
) |
|
|
(8,775,730 |
) |
|
|
(8,906,252 |
) |
|
|
(4,727,324 |
) |
|
|
(4,270,787 |
) |
Management fees
|
|
|
(1,469,690 |
) |
|
|
(1,722,800 |
) |
|
|
(1,972,252 |
) |
|
|
(1,007,771 |
) |
|
|
(965,384 |
) |
Amortization and depreciation(2)
|
|
|
(4,053,049 |
) |
|
|
(4,757,933 |
) |
|
|
(3,461,678 |
) |
|
|
(1,640,565 |
) |
|
|
(1,824,322 |
) |
Net gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,315,477 |
|
|
|
2,315,477 |
|
|
|
|
|
Interest and finance cost
|
|
|
(799,970 |
) |
|
|
(793,257 |
) |
|
|
(708,284 |
) |
|
|
(297,916 |
) |
|
|
(545,719 |
) |
Derivative gain/(loss)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,029 |
|
|
|
11,000 |
|
|
|
(82,029 |
) |
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
|
|
|
2,849 |
|
|
|
(690 |
) |
|
|
(1,808 |
) |
|
|
(3,734 |
) |
|
|
312 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
6,238 |
|
|
|
36,384 |
|
|
|
187,069 |
|
|
|
18,535 |
|
|
|
89,698 |
|
Other income/(expenses), net
|
|
|
(790,883 |
) |
|
|
(757,563 |
) |
|
|
(495,994 |
) |
|
|
(272,115 |
) |
|
|
(537,738 |
) |
Equity in earnings/(losses)
|
|
|
30,655 |
|
|
|
(167,433 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income for the period
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
14,910,424 |
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
Balance Sheet Data (at period end)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current Assets
|
|
|
3,192,345 |
|
|
|
9,409,339 |
|
|
|
16,461,159 |
|
|
|
12,404,490 |
|
|
|
11,276,109 |
|
Vessels, net book value
|
|
|
45,254,226 |
|
|
|
41,096,067 |
|
|
|
34,171,164 |
|
|
|
35,434,642 |
|
|
|
32,978,300 |
|
Deferred charges, net
|
|
|
596,262 |
|
|
|
929,757 |
|
|
|
2,205,178 |
|
|
|
1,996,885 |
|
|
|
2,357,775 |
|
Investment in associate
|
|
|
1,216,289 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
50,259,121 |
|
|
|
51,458,019 |
|
|
|
52,837,501 |
|
|
|
49,836,017 |
|
|
|
46,612,184 |
|
Current liabilities, including current portion of long-term debt
|
|
|
10,878,488 |
|
|
|
8,481,773 |
|
|
|
13,764,846 |
|
|
|
10,332,710 |
|
|
|
18,341,155 |
|
Long-term debt, including current portion
|
|
|
23,845,000 |
|
|
|
20,595,000 |
|
|
|
13,990,000 |
|
|
|
15,126,220 |
|
|
|
41,400,000 |
|
Common stock
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
21,285,634 |
|
|
|
27,486,246 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
|
|
30,634,170 |
|
|
|
1,651,029 |
|
24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
Six Months Ended June 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Euroseas Ltd. Summary Historical Financials(1) |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts in U.S. dollars) | |
Other Financial Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
5,631,343 |
|
|
|
10,956,132 |
|
|
|
34,208,693 |
|
|
|
13,382,837 |
|
|
|
8,157,781 |
|
Net cash paid to (received from) related party
|
|
|
(177,169 |
) |
|
|
482,778 |
|
|
|
(3,541,236 |
) |
|
|
(108,277 |
) |
|
|
8,621,660 |
|
Net cash from investing activities
|
|
|
(17,036,079 |
) |
|
|
214,832 |
|
|
|
6,756,242 |
|
|
|
6,722,524 |
|
|
|
(1,230,155 |
) |
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
12,247,355 |
|
|
|
(4,778,000 |
) |
|
|
(33,567,500 |
) |
|
|
(17,231,280 |
) |
|
|
(16,972,500 |
) |
Earnings per share, basic and diluted
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
Cash Dividends/Return of capital, declared per common share
|
|
|
0.02 |
|
|
|
0.04 |
|
|
|
0.91 |
|
|
|
0.40 |
|
|
|
1.49 |
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
Cash paid for common stock dividend declared/return of capital
|
|
|
687,500 |
|
|
|
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
26,962,500 |
|
|
|
11,762,500 |
|
|
|
44,225,000 |
(3) |
|
|
(1) |
The Company has not included financial data for the years ended
2000 and 2001 since the Company was only recently formed in May
2005 and incurred significant expense in the preparation of its
consolidated financial statements for 2002, 2003 and 2004. The
Company believes that it would constitute unreasonable
effort or expense for it to include the first two years of
the Selected Consolidated Financial Data reflecting the
discussion by the Staff of the SEC in International
Reporting and Disclosure Issues in the Division of Corporation
Finance, dated October 1, 2003. The Companys
predecessor (which is the separate ship-owning entities that
became wholly-owned by the Company subsequent to its formation)
prepared financial statements for the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 2001 on a basis different from the
financial statements included in this prospectus. The Company
believes that the effort and cost involved in converting such
financial statements into a basis similar to those financial
statements included in this prospectus would be unreasonably
burdensome. |
|
(2) |
In 2004, the estimated scrap value of the vessels was increased
from $170 to $300 per light ton to better reflect market price
developments in the scrap metal market. The effect of this
change in estimate was to reduce 2004 depreciation expense by
$1,400,010 and increase 2004 net income by the same amount. In
addition, in 2004, the estimated useful life of the vessel m/v
Ariel was extended from 28 years to 30 years
since the vessel performed dry-docking in the current year and
it is not expected to be sold until year 2007. M/ V Widar
was sold in April 2004. Depreciation expense for m/v
Widar for the year ended December 31, 2004 amounted
to $136,384 compared to $409,149 in 2003. |
|
(3) |
This amount reflects a dividend in the amount of $27,525,000 and
a return of capital in the amount of $16,700,000. The total
payment to shareholders made in 2005 is in excess of previously
retained earnings because the Company decided to distribute to
its original shareholders in advance of going public most of the
profits relating to the Companys operations up to that
time and to recapitalize the Company. This one-time dividend
cannot be considered indicative of future dividend payments and
the Company refers you to the other sections in this prospectus
for a clearer understanding of the Companys dividend
policy. |
25
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our
financial statements and footnotes thereto contained in this
prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements,
which are based on our assumptions about the future of our
business. Our actual results will likely differ materially from
those contained in the forward-looking statements. Please read
Forward-Looking Statements for additional
information regarding forward-looking statements used in this
prospectus. Reference in the following discussion to
our and us refer to Euroseas, our
subsidiaries and the predecessor operations of Euroseas Ltd.,
except where the context otherwise indicates or requires.
General
We are Euroseas, a newly formed Marshall Islands company
incorporated in May 2005. We are a provider of international
seaborne transportation services, carrying various drybulk
cargoes including, among others, iron ore, coal, grain, bauxite,
phosphate and fertilizers, as well as containerized cargoes. As
of June 30, 2005, our fleet consisted of five drybulk
carriers, comprised of one Panamax drybulk carrier and four
Handysize drybulk carriers, and two feeder containerships. The
total cargo carrying capacity of the five bulk carriers is
190,904 deadweight tons, or dwt, and of the two containerships
is 36,407 dwt and 2,538 twenty-foot equivalent units, or
teu. All of our vessels were acquired before January 1,
2004 and were controlled by the Pittas family interests. On
June 29, 2005, the shareholders of the seven vessels
transferred their shares in each of the vessels to Euroseas in
exchange for shares in Friends Investment Company, Inc.
(Friends), a 100% owner of Euroseas at that time.
Recent Events
Private Placement
On August 25, 2005, we raised approximately
$21 million in gross proceeds from the Private Placement of
its securities to a number of institutional and accredited
investors. In the Private Placement, we issued
7,026,993 shares of common stock at a price of
$3.00 per share, as well as warrants to purchase an
additional 1,756,743 shares of common stock. The warrants
have a five year term and an exercise price of $3.60 per
share. As a condition to the Private Placement, we agreed to
execute a merger agreement with Cove.
Merger with Cove
Considering the size of our company and the number of
shareholders, our placement agent, Roth Capital, advised us that
a merger with a public shell company, such as Cove, was
necessary to have a successful Private Placement. Roth Capital
advised us that the merger with Cove would give us access to a
company with a public listing whose shares could trade and help
develop a market for our common stock. It would also increase
the number of shareholders that could participate in the merger
and become Euroseas shareholders, thus increasing the
likelihood of obtaining a listing on a national stock exchange
and providing greater liquidity for the shareholders. This type
of transaction would also reduce the uncertainty attendant to an
underwritten initial public offering and the possibility that
any such offering might not be successfully consummated in view
of our size and the then prevailing market conditions. As part
of the Private Placement transaction documents, the investors
included a condition that we enter into such a merger agreement.
The Private Placement would not have occurred unless we agreed
to enter into the merger with Cove.
On August 25, 2005, we executed a definitive agreement with
Cove for the merger of Cove with EuroSub. Coves stock is
listed on the OTC Bulletin Board. Cove has nominal operations.
Its revenues from inception through June 30, 2005 have been
$20,966. The Merger contemplates Coves merger with and
into EuroSub, with Coves stockholders receiving
0.102969 shares of Euroseas common stock for each share of
Cove they presently own. The Merger is subject to a number of
conditions, including approval of the Merger by Coves
stockholders. We cannot assure you that the Merger will be
consummated.
26
Declaration And Payment of Dividend
Our Board of Directors recently declared a dividend in the
amount of $0.07 per share which (i) was paid on or about
December 19, 2005 to those holders of record of common
stock of Euroseas on December 16, 2005, and (ii)
(A) is payable to the stockholders of Cove who are entitled
to receive shares of Euroseas common stock in connection with
Coves Merger with EuroSub, with such payment being made
only to those holders of record of Cove common stock as of the
effective date of the Merger and such dividend payment being
made upon exchange of their Cove shares for shares of Euroseas
common stock (assuming such Merger is consummated), or
(B) is payable to Friends if such Merger is not consummated
since Friends will be issued the shares that would have
otherwise been issued in the Merger.
Authorization Of 1:2 Reverse Stock Split
On November 2, 2005, our Board of Directors authorized a
1:2 reverse stock split. Management was authorized to decide not
to proceed with the reverse stock split if it determines that it
is no longer in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders. No date for the split has been set and management
has not indicated whether it will or will not proceed with the
split. No effect has been given in this prospectus to the
proposed reverse stock split.
Acquisition of Vessel
On November 25, 2005 we took delivery of a containership
called m/v Roseleen (ex Sea Arrow, to be renamed
Artemis) that was built in 1987, with 2,098 teu and
29,693 dwt. The purchase price of the vessel was approximately
$20.65 million as compared to a book value of
$32.98 million of our other seven vessels as of
June 30, 2005, and reflects the type and age of the vessel
and market conditions at the time of the acquisition.
M/V Artemis is larger but older than our other two
containerships. It is larger than three of our dry bulk carriers
in terms of dwt capacity and younger than four of our dry bulk
carriers. Generally, the larger and younger a vessel is, the
higher its market value. Additionally, containerships are
typically more expensive than dry bulk carriers of the same age
and size (in terms of dwt capacity). Furthermore, vessel market
values and rates during 2005 have been significantly higher than
in the period 1993-2002 for both containerships and dry bulk
carriers. All of these factors explain the higher book value of
m/v Artemis as compared to other vessels which were
purchased over the period 1993-2002 at different market
conditions and have since been depreciated as required.
The acquisition of m/v Artemis increases our
containership fleet to three vessels, all under long term
charters, and expands the fixed revenue base of our operations.
The acquisition was initially to be paid for with the proceeds
of the Private Placement and our working capital. On
December 28, 2005, we concluded debt financing for
$15.5 million to fund part of the acquisition of the
vessel. We are presently in negotiations for the purchase of
additional vessels but none of these negotiations has yet
resulted in a binding contract.
Operations
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Lack of Historical Operating Data for Vessels Before their
Acquisition |
Consistent with shipping industry practice, other than
inspection of the physical condition of the vessels and
examinations of classification society records, we do not
conduct historical financial due diligence when we acquire
vessels. Accordingly, we do not obtain the historical operating
data for the vessels from the sellers because that information
is not material to our decision to make acquisitions, nor do we
believe it would be helpful to potential investors in our common
shares in assessing our business or profitability. Most vessels
are sold under a standard agreement, which, among other things,
provides the buyer with the right to inspect the vessel and the
vessels classification society records. The standard
agreement does not give the buyer the right to inspect, or
receive copies of, the historical operating data of the vessel.
Prior to the delivery of a purchased vessel, the seller
typically removes from the vessel all records, including past
financial records and accounts related to the vessel. In
addition, the technical management agreement between the
sellers technical manager
27
and the seller is automatically terminated and the vessels
trading certificates are revoked by its flag state following a
change in ownership.
Consistent with shipping industry practice, we treat the
acquisition of a vessel (whether acquired with or without
charter) as the acquisition of an asset rather than a business.
Although vessels are generally acquired free of charter, we may
acquire vessels with a time charter. Where a vessel has been
under a voyage charter, the vessel is delivered to the buyer
free of charter, and it is rare in the shipping industry for the
last charterer of the vessel in the hands of the seller to
continue as the first charterer of the vessel in the hands of
the buyer. In most cases, when a vessel is under time charter
and the buyer wishes to assume that charter, the vessel cannot
be acquired without the charterers consent and the
buyers entering into a separate direct agreement with the
charterer to assume the charter. The purchase of a vessel itself
does not transfer the charter, because it is a separate service
agreement between the vessel owner and the charterer.
When we purchase a vessel and assume or renegotiate a related
time charter, we must take the following steps before the vessel
will be ready to commence operations:
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obtain the charterers consent to us as the new owner; |
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obtain the charterers consent to a new technical manager; |
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obtain the charterers consent to a new flag for the vessel; |
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arrange for a new crew for the vessel; |
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replace all hired equipment on board, such as gas cylinders and
communication equipment; |
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negotiate and enter into new insurance contracts for the vessel
through our own insurance brokers; |
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register the vessel under a flag state and perform the related
inspections in order to obtain new trading certificates from the
flag state; |
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implement a new planned maintenance program for the
vessel; and |
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ensure that the new technical manager obtains new certificates
for compliance with the safety and vessel security regulations
of the flag state. |
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Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations |
We believe that the important measures for analyzing trends in
the results of our operations consist of the following:
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Calendar days. We define calendar days as the
total number of days in a period during which each vessel in our
fleet was in our possession including off-hire days associated
with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate
surveys. Calendar days are an indicator of the size of our fleet
over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the
amount of expenses that we record during that period. |
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Available days. We define available days as the
total number of days in a period during which each vessel in our
fleet was in our possession net of off-hire days associated with
scheduled repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate
surveys. The shipping industry uses available days to measure
the number of days in a period during which vessels were
available to generate revenues. |
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Voyage days. We define voyage days as the total
number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet
was in our possession net of off-hire days associated with
scheduled and unscheduled repairs, drydockings or special or
intermediate surveys or days waiting to find employment. The
shipping industry uses voyage days to measure the number of days
in a period during which vessels actually generate revenues. |
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Fleet utilization. We calculate fleet utilization
by dividing the number of our voyage days during a period by the
number of our available days during that period. The shipping
industry uses fleet utilization to measure a companys
efficiency in finding suitable employment for its vessels and |
28
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minimizing the amount of days that its vessels are off-hire for
reasons such as unscheduled repairs or days waiting to find
employment. |
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Spot Charter Rates. Spot charter rates are
volatile and fluctuate on a seasonal and year to year basis. The
fluctuations are caused by imbalances in the availability of
cargoes for shipment and the number of vessels available at any
given time to transport these cargoes. |
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Time Charter Equivalent. A standard maritime
industry performance measure used to evaluate performance is the
daily time charter equivalent, or daily TCE. Daily TCE revenues
are voyage revenues minus voyage expenses divided by the number
of voyage days during the relevant time period. Voyage expenses
primarily consist of port, canal and fuel costs that are unique
to a particular voyage, which would otherwise be paid by a
charterer under a time charter. We believe that the daily TCE
neutralizes the variability created by unique costs associated
with particular voyages or the employment of drybulk carriers on
time charter or on the spot market (containership are chartered
on a time charter basis) and presents a more accurate
representation of the revenues generated by our vessels. |
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Basis of Presentation and General Information |
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Voyage revenues. Our voyage revenues are driven
primarily by the number of vessels in our fleet, the number of
voyage days during which our vessels generate revenues and the
amount of daily charter hire that our vessels earn under
charters, which, in turn, are affected by a number of factors,
including our decisions relating to vessel acquisitions and
disposals, the amount of time that we spend positioning our
vessels, the amount of time that our vessels spend in drydock
undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work, the age,
condition and specifications of our vessels, levels of supply
and demand in the transportation market and other factors
affecting spot market charter rates in both the drybulk carrier
and containership markets. |
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Commissions. We pay commissions on all chartering
arrangements of 1-1.25% to Eurochart, one of our affiliates,
plus additional commission of usually up to 5% to other brokers
involved in the transaction. These additional commissions, as
well as changes to charter rates will cause our commission
expenses to fluctuate from period to period. Eurochart also
receives a fee equal to 1% calculated as stated in the relevant
memorandum of agreement for any vessel bought or sold by them on
our behalf. |
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Voyage expenses. Voyage expenses primarily consist
of port, canal and fuel costs that are unique to a particular
voyage which would otherwise be paid by the charterer under a
time charter contract, as well as commissions. Under time
charters, the charterer pays voyage expenses whereas under spot
market voyage charters, we pay such expenses. The amounts of
such voyage expenses are driven by the mix of charters
undertaken during the period. |
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Vessel Operating Expenses. Vessel operating
expenses include crew wages and related costs, the cost of
insurance, expenses relating to repairs and maintenance, the
costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other
miscellaneous expenses. Our vessel operating expenses, which
generally represent fixed costs, have historically changed in
line with the size of our fleet. Other factors beyond our
control, some of which may affect the shipping industry in
general (including, for instance, developments relating to
market prices for insurance or inflationary increases) may also
cause these expenses to increase. |
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Management fees. These are the fees that we pay to
Eurobulk, our ship manager and an affiliate, under our
management agreement with Eurobulk for the technical and
commercial management that Eurobulk performs on our behalf. The
fee is 590 Euros per vessel per day and is payable monthly in
advance. |
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Depreciation. We depreciate our vessels on a
straight-line basis with reference to the cost of the vessel,
age and scrap value as estimated at the date of acquisition.
Depreciation is calculated over the remaining useful life of the
vessel, which is estimated to range from 25 to 30 years
from the date of original construction. Remaining useful lives
of property are periodically reviewed and revised to |
29
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recognize changes in conditions, new regulations or other
reasons. Revisions of estimated lives are recognized over
current and future periods. During 2004, management changed its
estimate of the scrap value of its vessels. |
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Amortization of deferred drydocking costs. Our
vessels are required to be drydocked approximately every 30 to
60 months for major repairs and maintenance that cannot be
performed while the vessels are trading. We capitalize the costs
associated with drydockings as they occur and amortize these
costs on a straight-line basis over the period between
drydockings. Costs capitalized as part of the drydocking include
actual costs incurred at the drydock yard; cost of hiring riding
crews to effect repairs on a vessel and parts used in making
such repairs that are reasonably made in anticipation of
reducing the duration or cost of the drydocking; cost of travel,
lodging and subsistence of our personnel sent to the drydocking
site to supervise; and the cost of hiring a third party to
oversee a drydocking. We believe that these criteria are
consistent with industry practice and that our policy of
capitalization reflects the economics and market values of the
vessels. Commencing January 1, 2006, we have revised our
policy to exclude the cost of hiring riding crews and the cost
of parts used by riding crews from amounts capitalized as
drydocking cost. We have not restated any historical financial
statements because we determined that the impact of such a
revision is not material to our operating income and net income
for any periods presented. |
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Interest expense. We traditionally finance vessel
acquisitions partly with debt on which we incur interest
expense. The interest rate we pay is generally linked to the
3-month LIBOR rate,
although from time to time we utilize fixed rate loans or could
use interest rate swaps to eliminate our interest rate exposure.
Interest due is expensed in the period is accrued. Loan cost are
amortized over the period of the loan; the un-amortized portion
is written-off if the loan is prepaid early. |
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General and administrative expenses. We will incur
expenses consisting mainly of executive compensation,
professional fees, directors liability insurance and
reimbursement of our directors and officers
travel-related expenses. General and administrative expenses
will increase following the completion of our Private Placement
and anticipated Merger in due to the duties typically associated
with public companies. We acquire executive services, our CEO,
CFO and Secretary, through Eurobulk. In 2005, executive
compensation for such services to us as a public company is
estimated to be $500,000 on an annualized basis starting in July
2005, incremental to the management fee. |
Results from Operations
The Company operated the following types of vessel during the
six month period to June 30, 2005:
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Vessel Type |
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Bulkers | |
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Containerships | |
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Total | |
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Average number of vessels
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5 |
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2 |
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7 |
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Number of vessels at end of period
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5 |
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2 |
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7 |
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Dwt (in thousands)/ teu at end of period
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190.9 |
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2,538 |
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Average age at end of period (years)
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22.6 |
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14.0 |
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20.1 |
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30
The contributions of the vessels to the results for the six
months to June 30, 2005 and 2004 and the years 2004, 2003
and 2002 were as follows:
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Vessel Type |
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2005 H1 | |
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2004 H1 | |
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2004 | |
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2003 | |
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2002 | |
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| |
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Utilization in period
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99.8 |
% |
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99.4 |
% |
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99.5 |
% |
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99.3 |
% |
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|
99.7 |
% |
TCE per ship per day
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$ |
19,099 |
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$ |
15,956 |
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$ |
17,839 |
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$ |
8,965 |
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$ |
6,049 |
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Operating expenses per ship per day including management fees $
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$ |
4,133 |
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$ |
4,129 |
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$ |
4,064 |
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$ |
3,595 |
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$ |
3,467 |
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Voyage revenues ($ thousand)
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|
$ |
23,834 |
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$ |
21,322 |
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$ |
45,718 |
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$ |
25,951 |
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$ |
15,292 |
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Net income ($ thousand)
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|
$ |
14,763 |
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$ |
14,910 |
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$ |
30,612 |
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|
$ |
8,427 |
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$ |
892 |
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Voyage days
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1,239.4 |
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1,333 |
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2,542 |
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2,846 |
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2,440 |
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Available Days
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|
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1,242 |
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|
1,338 |
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|
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2,554 |
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|
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2,867 |
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2,448 |
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Calendar days
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|
|
1,267 |
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|
|
1,389 |
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|
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2,677 |
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|
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2,920 |
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2,490 |
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Six month period ended June 30, 2005 compared to six
month period ending June 30, 2004. |
Voyage revenues. Voyage revenues for the period were
$23.83 million, up 11.8% compared to the same period in
2004 during which voyage revenues amounted to
$21.32 million. The increase was primarily due to the
higher charter rates our vessels achieved and despite the fact
that we operate on average fewer vessels compared to the same
period in 2004. Our fleet of 7 vessels had throughout the
period less than 3 unscheduled offhire days and 25 days of
scheduled off-hire for the drydocking of m/v Irini,
generating an average TCE rate per vessel of $19,099 per
day compared to $15,956 per day per vessel for the same
period in 2004.
Commissions. Commissions for the period were
$1.34 million. At 5.62% of voyage revenues, commissions
were higher than in the same period in 2004. For the six months
ended June 30, 2004 commissions amounted to
$1.02 million, or 4.78% of voyage revenues. The higher
level of commissions in 2005 is due to the fact that fewer
vessels operated in pools (where commissions are paid by the
pool thus reducing the commissions paid by us).
Voyage expenses. Voyage expenses for the period were
$0.13 million related to expenses for certain voyage
charters. For the six months ended June 30, 2004 voyage
expenses amounted to $0.06 million. Because our vessels are
generally chartered under time charter contracts, voyage
expenses represent a small fraction of voyage revenues.
Vessel operating expenses. Vessel operating expenses were
$4.27 million for the period. Daily vessel operating
expenses per vessel were $3,371 per day. For the same
period in 2004, vessel operating expenses were
$4.73 million, or $3,403 per day.
Management fees. These are the fees we pay to Eurobulk
under our management agreement with it. As of June 30,
2005, Eurobulk charged us 590 Euros per day per vessel totaling
$0.97 million for the period, or $762 per day per
vessel reflecting a higher US dollar per Euro exchange rate, but
lower number of shipdays than in the same period of 2004. For
the same period in 2004, management fees amounted to
$1.01 million, or $726 per day per vessel based on the
same daily rate per vessel of 590 Euros.
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and
amortization for the period was $1.82 million. This
consists of $1.19 million of depreciation and
$0.63 million of amortization of deferred drydocking
expenditures. Comparatively, depreciation and amortization for
the same period in 2004 amounted to $1.33 million and $0.31
respectively for a total of $1.64 million. Depreciation in
the six month period to June 30, 2005 is lower that in the
same period in 2004 because Widar, a 1,000 teu
containership, was sold on April 24, 2004. Amortization for
the six month period to June 30, 2005 is higher than the
same period in 2004 due to the amortization of additional
drydocking expenditures incurred in 2004 and 2005.
Gain or Loss from vessel sales. There were no vessel
sales in the six months ended June 30, 2005. During the
same period in 2004, Widar was sold on April 24 for a
gain of $2.32 million.
31
Interest and finance costs, net. Interest and finance
costs, net for the period were $0.46 million. Of this
amount, $0.55 million relates to interest incurred and loan
fees and expenses paid and deferred loan fees written-off during
the period, partly offset by $0.09 million of interest
income during the period. Comparatively, during the same period
in 2004, net interest and finance costs amounted to
$0.28 million, comprised by $0.30 million of interest
incurred and loan fees and offset by $0.02 million of
interest income. Interest incurred and loan fees are higher in
six month period to June 30, 2005 due to the higher loan
amount outstanding as a result of the new loans undertaken in
May 2005.
Derivative and Foreign Exchange Gains or Losses. During
the period, we had a derivative loss due to an interest rate
swap on a notional amount of $5 million of
$0.08 million, and foreign exchange gains of less than
$0.01 million. In the same period in 2004, there was a net
derivative gain of $0.01 million (same interest rate swap)
and foreign exchange losses of less than $0.01 million.
Net income. As a result of the above, net income for the
six month period ended on June 30, 2005 was
$14.76 million compared to $14.91 million for the same
period in 2004 representing a decrease of 1%.
Cash Flows
As of June 30, 2005, we had a cash balance of
$5.45 million, funds due from related companies of
$4.00 million and $1.30 million cash in restricted
retention accounts. The $4.00 million due from related
companies primarily reflects charter hire for m/v Nikolaos P,
John P and Pantelis P up to May 31, 2005, and
for m/v Irini P up to June 30, 2005, that is
deposited in the bank accounts of Silvergold Shipping Ltd., the
company that owned Widar which was sold on April 24,
2004. The present financial statements consolidate the accounts
of Silvergold Shipping Ltd. until May 31, 2005, when
Silvergold Shipping Ltd. paid a final dividend of $35,000 to its
shareholders. Silvergold Shipping Ltd., as the related company,
continued to perform a treasury function for us as of
June 30, 2005, and therefore the cash balance at that date
remained in the related partys account. The funds remained
in the Silvergold Shipping Ltd. account solely for purposes of
convenience as charters were effecting payments to us in that
account. With the opening of new Euroseas accounts, and after
completing the necessary paperwork, these funds will be
transferred to our accounts or accounts of our subsidiaries. As
of December 31, 2005, approximately $3.50 million of
the $4.00 million had been repaid, leaving a balance of
approximately $530,000, which is expected to be repaid by the
end of January 2006. Working capital is current assets minus
current liabilities, including the current portion of long term
debt. We have a working capital deficit of $7.07 million
including the current portion of long term debt which was
$14.78 million as of June 30, 2005. The working
capital deficit is due to the payment of dividends to our
existing shareholders. All of the $44.23 million dividend
declared/return of capital was paid as of June 30, 2005. We
consider our liquidity sufficient for our operations.
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|
|
Net cash from operating activities. |
Our net cash from operating activities for the period was
$8.16 million. This represents the net amount of cash,
after expenses, generated by chartering our vessels. Eurobulk
and another related party, on our behalf, collect our chartering
revenues and pays our chartering expenses. Net income for the
period was $14.76 million, which was reduced by amounts due
from related parties of $8.62 million. The increase in the
amounts due from related companies is primarily due to a payment
of the amount due to related companies of $4.63 million as
of December 31, 2004 and the accumulation of the charter
hire of two of our vessels in the bank accounts of a related
party. In the same period in 2004, net cash flow from operating
activities was $13.38 million based on a contribution of
net income of $14.91 million.
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Net cash from investing activities. |
We had to put in retention accounts $1.23 million to
satisfy requirements of our new loan facilities. During the same
period in 2004, cash flow from investing activities amounted to
$6.72 million reflecting the sale of Widar in April
2004.
32
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing activities. |
Net cash used in financing activities was $16.97 million.
This mainly relates to the dividend of $44.23 million that
was paid to existing shareholders on April 10, 2005 and
May 15, 2005, and the net proceeds from re-financing long
term debt of $27.41 million. In the same period in 2004,
net cash used in financing activities amounted to
$17.23 million reflecting dividend payments of
$11.76 million and repayment of debt of $5.47 million.
Debt Financing
We operate in a capital intensive industry which requires
significant amounts of investment, and we fund a major portion
of this investment through long term debt. We maintain debt
levels we consider prudent based on our market expectations,
cash flow, interest coverage and percentage of debt to capital.
During May 2005, we repaid loans of $1.40 million and
refinanced another $8.89 million and drew down
$37.70 million of new loans in addition to
$3.70 million of a continuing credit facility.
As of June 30, 2005, after considering the loan refinancing
and new loans discussed in the preceding paragraph, we had four
outstanding loans with a combined outstanding balance of
$41.4 million. These loans have maturity dates between 2008
and 2011. Our long-term debt as of June 30, 2005 comprises
bank loans granted to our vessel-owning subsidiaries.
Diana Trading Ltd. (the owner of m/v Irini) entered into
a loan agreement amounting to $4,200,000 which was drawn down on
May 9, 2005. The loan is repayable in twelve consecutive
quarterly installments being four installments of $450,000 each,
and eight installments of $300,000 each with the last
installment due in May 2008. The first installment is payable in
August 2005. The interest is calculated at LIBOR plus
1.25% per annum. Diana Trading Ltd also has a continuing
credit facility of $3,700,000.
Alcinoe Shipping Ltd (the owner of m/v Pantelis P.),
Oceanpride Shipping Ltd. (the owner of
m/v John P.), Searoute Maritime Ltd. (the owner
of m/v Ariel) and Oceanopera Shipping Ltd. (the owner of
m/v Nikolaos P) jointly and severally entered into a new
eurodollar loan amounting to $13,500,000 which was drawn down on
May 16, 2005. Prior to obtaining the loan, an amount of
$1,400,000 was paid in settlement of the outstanding loans as at
March 31, 2005 for Alcinoe Shipping Ltd. and Oceanpride
Shipping Ltd. The new loan is repayable in twelve consecutive
quarterly installments being two installments of $2,000,000
each, one installment of $1,500,000, nine installments of
$600,000 each and a balloon payment of $2,600,000 payable with
the last installment in May 2008. The first installment is due
in August 2005. Interest is calculated on LIBOR plus
1.5% per annum.
Allendale Investments S.A. (the owner of m/ v Kuo Hsiung)
and Alterwall Business Inc. (the owner of m/ v HM Qingdao1
(ex Kuo Jane)) jointly and severally entered into a
loan agreement amounting to $20,000,000 when the outstanding
amount of the old loans were $3,600,000 which was drawn down on
May 26, 2005. The loan is repayable in twenty-four unequal
consecutive quarterly installments of $1,500,000 each in the
first year, $1,125,000 each in the second year, $775,000 in the
third year, $450,000 each in the forth through to the sixth year
and a balloon payment of $1,000,000 payable with the last
installment in May 2011. The interest is calculated at LIBOR
plus 1.25% per annum as long as the outstanding amount
remains below 60% of the fair market value (FMV) of the
vessel and 1.375% if the outstanding amount is above 60% of the
FMV of the vessel.
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of dividends or any other distribution of
profits or assets, additional indebtedness and mortgaging of
vessels without the lenders prior consent, the sale of
vessels, as well as minimum requirements regarding the hull
ratio cover. We are not in default of any credit facility
covenant as of June 30, 2005.
Dividend Policy
Our policy is to declare and pay quarterly dividends to
shareholders from our net profits each February, May, August and
November, beginning after the Merger is consummated in amounts
the Board of Directors
33
may from time to time determine are appropriate. The timing and
amount of dividend payments will be dependent upon our earnings,
financial condition, cash requirement and availability,
restrictions in its loan agreements, growth strategy, the
provisions of Marshall Islands law affecting the payment of
distributions to shareholders and other factors, such as the
acquisition of additional vessels. However, we do not believe
that the acquisition of vessels to our fleet will impact our
dividend policy of paying quarterly dividends to our
shareholders out of our net profits. We believe that the
addition of vessels to our fleet in the future should enable us
to pay a higher dividend per share than we would otherwise be
able to pay without additional vessels since such additional
vessels should increase our earnings. However, we cannot give
any current estimate of what dividends may be in the future
since any such dividend amounts will depend upon the amount of
revenues those vessels are able to generate and the costs
incurred in operating such vessels. The payment of dividends is
not guaranteed or assured, and may be discontinued at any time
at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Because we are a
holding company with no material assets other than the stock of
its subsidiaries, our ability to pay dividends will depend on
the earnings and cash flow of its subsidiaries and their ability
to pay dividends to us. If there is a substantial decline in the
drybulk or containership charter market, our earnings would be
negatively affected, thus limiting its ability to pay dividends.
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. Dividends may be declared in conformity with
applicable law by, and at the discretion of, our Board of
Directors at any regular or special meeting. Dividends may be
declared and paid in cash, stock or other property of Euroseas.
Euroseas paid $687,500, $1,200,00, $26,962,500 and $44,225,000
(consisting of $27,525,000 of dividends and $16,700,000 as
return of capital) in 2002, 2003, 2004 and in the first six
months of 2005, respectively. Over the period January 1,
2002 to June 30, 2005, Euroseas paid substantially all of
its net income as dividends. While Euroseas has paid dividends
on an annual basis during the time it has been a private
company, it intends to pay dividends on a quarterly basis once
it has become a public company.
Euroseas Board of Directors recently declared a dividend
in the amount of $0.07 per share which (i) was paid on or
about December 19, 2005 to those holders of record of
common stock of Euroseas on December 16, 2005, and (ii)
(A) is payable to the stockholders of Cove who are entitled
to receive shares of Euroseas common stock in connection with
Coves merger with EuroSub, with such payment being made
only to those holders of record of Cove common stock as of the
effective date of the merger and such dividend payment being
made upon exchange of their Cove shares for shares of Euroseas
common stock (assuming such merger is consummated), or
(B) is payable to Friends if such merger is not consummated
since Friends will be issued the shares that would have
otherwise been issued in the Merger. The aggregate amount of
such dividend is anticipated to be $2,650,223.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Historically, our sources of funds have been equity provided by
our shareholders, operating cash flows and long-term borrowings.
Our principal use of funds has been capital expenditures to
establish and expand our fleet, maintain the quality of our
drybulk carriers and containerships, comply with international
shipping standards and environmental laws and regulations, fund
working capital requirements, make principal repayments on
outstanding loan facilities, and pay dividends. We expect to
rely upon funds raised from our recent Private Placement,
operating cash flows, long term borrowings, as well as future
offerings to implement our growth plan and meet our liquidity
needs going forward. In our opinion, our working capital is
sufficient for our present requirements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of June 30, 2005 we did not have any off-balance sheet
arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of
Regulation S-K
promulgated by the SEC.
|
|
|
For the year ended December 31, 2004 compared to the
year ended December 31, 2003 |
Voyage revenues. Voyage revenues for the year ended
December 31, 2004 were $45.72 million, up 76%,
compared to $25.95 million for the year ended
December 31, 2003. Results for 2004 reflect contributions
from
34
m/v Widar up to April 24, as the vessel was sold on
that day. Our fleet operated throughout the period, with less
than 12 unscheduled off-hire days and about 123 days
of scheduled drydocking resulting in an fleet utilization rate
of 99.5% and averaging a TCE rate per vessel of $17,839 per
day; the corresponding fleet utilization and average TCE
equivalent for the year ended December 31, 2003 are 99.3%
and $8,965 per vessel per day.
Commissions. Commissions in 2004 were $2.22 million
and amounted to 4.85% of voyage revenues. Commissions for 2003
were $0.91 million amounting to 3.49% of voyage revenues.
Commissions were higher as a percentage in 2004 than in 2003 due
the fact that fewer vessels participated in shipping pools in
2004. Shipping pools pay most commissions before distribution of
profits, and, thus the distribution to the pool participants is
net of third party commissions (we paid only commission to
Eurochart for our pool derived revenues).
Voyage expenses. Voyage expenses in 2004 of
$0.37 million relate to expenses for certain voyage
charters. Voyage expenses for 2003 were $0.44 million.
Vessel operating expenses. Vessel operating expenses in
2004 were $8.91 million reflecting the operation of an
average of 7.31 vessels. Daily vessel operating expenses
per vessel were $3,327 per day, about 11% higher than daily
vessel operating expenses for 2003 which were $3,005 increase
primarily due to higher insurance costs of $98 per vessel per
day, higher costs for spare parts and consumable stores of
$87 per vessel per day and an increase of $101 per
vessel per day for crew and related expenses. The total
operating expenses in 2003 were $8.78 million reflecting
the operation of 8 vessels for the full year.
Management fees. These are the fees we pay to Eurobulk
under our management agreement with it. Management fees in 2004
amounted to $1.97 million or $740 per calendar day per
vessel based on our contract rate of 590 euros per day and the
prevailing exchange rate of dollar to euro. In 2003, management
fees amounted to $1.72 million or $590 per calendar
day per vessel. The difference of the fee on a per day per
vessel basis is primarily attributed to the fact that the
management fee was changed from $590 in 2003 to 590 euros per
day per vessel in 2004, the different number of shipdays and the
U.S. dollar to Euro exchange rate.
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and
amortization in 2004 was $3.46 million. As the vessel
Widar was sold in April 2004, the depreciation charge was
reduced for the period after the sale of the vessel and amounted
to $2.53 million for the year. In 2004, we have revised
upwards (from $170/ton to $300/ton) our estimate of the scrap
price per lightweight ton, and, the expected life for
Ariel from 28 to 30 years (as it had gone through a
special survey and was not expected to be sold before 2007); as
a result the depreciation charge was lower by $1.40 million
reflecting the above adjustments and, consequently, net income
for the period was $1.40 million higher or $0.05 per
share. Amortization of deferred drydock expenses for the period
amounted to $0.93 million, 55% higher than in 2003 due to
additional drydocking expenditures during 2003 and 2004.
Depreciation for 2003 was $4.16 million while amortization
of deferred drydocking costs was $0.60 million.
Gain or loss on vessel sale. m/v Widar was sold on
April 24, 2004 for a net gain of $2.32 million. There
were no vessel sales during 2003.
Interest and finance costs, net. Interest and finance
costs, net in 2004 were $0.50 million. Of this amount,
$0.71 million relates to interest incurred and loan fees
and expenses paid and deferred loan fees written-off during the
period offset by $0.19 million of interest income during
the period. Net interest expense for the period ended
December 31, 2003 was $0.76 million reflecting
primarily lower interest income of $0.04 million and higher
interest incurred and loan fees of $0.79 million.
Derivative and Foreign Exchange Gains or Losses. During
the year ended December 31, 2004, we had a derivative gain
due to an interest rate swap on a notional amount of
$5 million of $0.03 million, and, foreign exchange
losses of less than $0.01 million. In the year ended to
December 31, 2003, there was no derivative exposure and
foreign exchange losses of less than $0.01 million.
Net income. Net income for the year ended
December 31, 2004 was $30.61 million compared to
$8.43 million for the year ended December 31, 2003, an
increase of 263%.
35
Cash Flows
As of December 31, 2004, we had a cash balance of
$15.50 million. Working capital is current assets minus
current liabilities, including the current portion of long term
debt. The current portion of long term debt included in our
current liabilities was $6.03 million as of
December 31, 2004. The working capital was
$2.70 million as of December 31, 2004. All of the
$26.96 million dividend declared was paid as of
December 31, 2004.
|
|
|
Net cash from operating activities. |
Our net cash from operating activities during 2004 was
$34.21 million. This is primarily attributable to the
favorable trading conditions which contributed net income of
$30.61 million, a gain of $2.32 million from the sale
of m/v Widar in April, deferred drydocking expenses of
$2.27 million, and, a further increase of funds due to
related companies by $3.54 million during the period.
During 2003, net cash flow from operating activities was
$10.96 million, primarily attributable to net income of
$8.43 million.
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|
|
Net cash from investing activities. |
Net cash from investing activities during 2004 was
$6.76 million reflecting the proceeds from the sale of the
vessel Widar in April 2004 compared to no investment
activities in 2003 except release of $0.21 of restricted funds.
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|
|
Net cash used in financing activities. |
Net cash used in financing activities during 2004 was
$33.56 million. This mainly relates to a dividend of
$26.96 million that was paid to existing shareholders,
repayment of long term debt of $6.61 million which included
the repayment of the balance of the loan of m/v Widar
when the vessel was sold. During 2003, net cash used in
financing activities was $4.78 million, reflecting
primarily a dividend of $1.2 million that was paid to
existing shareholders, repayment of long term debt of
$6.25 million and new debt incurred of $3.00 million
and a repayment of an advance from shareholders of $0.30 made in
the prior year.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Historically, our sources of funds have been equity provided by
our shareholders, operating cash flows and long-term borrowings.
Our principal use of funds has been capital expenditures to
establish and expand our fleet, maintain the quality of our
drybulk carriers, comply with international shipping standards
and environmental laws and regulations, fund working capital
requirements, make principal repayments on outstanding loan
facilities, and pay dividends. We expect to rely upon funds
raised from our recent Private Placement, operating cash flows,
long term borrowings, as well as future offerings to implement
our growth plan and meet our liquidity needs going forward.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2004 we did not have any off-balance
sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of
Regulation S-K
promulgated by the SEC.
|
|
|
For the year ended December 31, 2003 compared to the
year ended December 31, 2002 |
Voyage revenues. Voyage revenues for the year ended
December 31, 2003 were $25.95 million, up 70%,
compared to $15.29 million for the year ended
December 31, 2002. This was primarily due to more favorable
market conditions; also, results for 2002 reflect partial
contributions from Irini and Kuo Hsiung which were
bought in October and May respectively of that year. During
2003, our fleet operated throughout the period, with less than
21 unscheduled offhire days and about 53 days of scheduled
drydocking resulting in an fleet utilization rate of 99.3% and
averaging a TCE rate per vessel of $8,965 per day; the
corresponding fleet utilization and average TCE equivalent for
the year ended December 31, 2002 are 99.7% and $6,049.
Commissions. Commissions in 2003 were $0.91 million
amounting to 3.49% of voyage revenues. Commissions for 2002 were
$0.42 million amounting to 2.75% of voyage revenues; the
lower level of
36
commissions during 2002 is due to the fact that a larger number
of vessel participated in pools where most of the commissions
are paid by the pool before distribution of profits, and, thus
the distribution to the pool participants is net of third party
commissions (we paid only commission to Eurochart for our pool
derived revenues).
Voyage expenses. Voyage expenses in 2003 were
$0.44 million relate to expenses for certain voyage
charters. Voyage expenses for 2002 were $0.53 million.
Vessel operating expenses. Vessel operating expenses were
$8.78 million in 2003 reflecting the operation of a fleet
of 8 vessels. Daily vessel operating expenses per vessel
were $3,005 per day. Daily vessel operating expenses for
2002 were $2,877 for a total of $7.16 million reflecting
the operation of an average of about 6.8 vessels during the
year as a result of the purchase of Irini in November
2002 and Kuo Hsiung in May 2002. The increase in the
operating costs was primarily due to increased insurance costs
of $105 per vessel per day.
Management fees. These are the fees we pay to Eurobulk
under our management agreement with it. Management fees in 2003
amounted to $1.72 million or $590 per calendar day per
vessel based on our contract rate of $590 per day per
vessel. In 2002, management fees amounted to $1.47 million
or $590 per calendar day per vessel. The difference is due
to the larger number of shipdays in 2003 compared to 2002.
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and
amortization in 2003 was $4.76 million and consisted of
$4.16 million of depreciation of vessel value and $0.60
amortization of deferred drydocking costs. In 2002, depreciation
amounted to $3.51 million reflecting the fact that two
vessels were purchased during 2002 and did not contribute to the
depreciation for the full year. In 2002, amortization of
deferred drydocking expenses amounted to $0.54 million.
Interest and finance costs, net. Interest and finance
costs, net in 2003 were $0.76 million. Of this amount,
$0.79 million relates to interest incurred and loan fees
and expenses paid and deferred loan fees written-off during the
year offset by $0.04 million of interest income during the
period. Net interest expense for the year ended
December 31, 2002 was $0.79 million reflecting
primarily lower interest income of $0.01 million.
Net income. Net income for the year ended
December 31, 2003 was $8.43 million compared to
$0.89 million for the year ended December 31, 2002, an
increase of 845%.
Cash Flows
As of December 31, 2003, we had a cash balance of
$8.10 million. Working capital is current assets minus
current liabilities, including the current portion of long term
debt. The current portion of long term debt included in our
current liabilities was $5.10 million as of
December 31, 2003. The working capital was
$0.93 million as of December 31, 2003. All of the
$1.20 million dividend declared was paid as of
December 31, 2003.
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|
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Net cash from operating activities. |
Our net cash from operating activities during 2003 was
$10.96 million. This is primarily attributable to the
favorable trading conditions which contributed net income of
$8.43 million. Net cash flow from operations during 2002
was $5.63 million.
|
|
|
Net cash from investing activities. |
Net cash from investing activities during 2003 was
$0.21 million reflecting release of cash from retention
accounts. In 2002, net cash used in investing activities
amounted to $17.04 million reflecting the purchase of
vessels, Irini and Kuo Hsiung.
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing activities. |
Net cash used in financing activities during 2003 was
$4.78 million. This mainly relates to the dividend of
$1.2 million that was paid to existing shareholders,
repayment of long term debt of $6.25 million, new debt
37
incurred of $3.00 million and a repayment of an advance
from shareholders of $0.30 made in 2002. During 2002, net cash
available from financing activities was $12.25 million
reflecting new debt of $11.90 million and additional
paid-in capital of $4.50 million to finance the acquisition
of Irini and Kuo Hsiung, a $0.30 advance from
shareholders, repayment of debt of $3.65 million and
$0.69 million dividend distribution.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Historically, our sources of funds have been equity provided by
our shareholders, operating cash flows and long-term borrowings.
Our principal use of funds has been capital expenditures to
establish and expand our fleet, maintain the quality of our
drybulk carriers, comply with international shipping standards
and environmental laws and regulations, fund working capital
requirements, make principal repayments on outstanding loan
facilities, and pay dividends. We expect to rely upon funds
raised from our recent private placement, operating cash flows,
long term borrowings, as well as future offerings to implement
our growth plan and meet our liquidity needs going forward.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2003 we did not have any off-balance
sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of
Regulation S-K
promulgated by the SEC.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Contractual obligations are set forth in the following table as
of June 30, 2005, as related to the future annual loan
repayments:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Less Than | |
|
One to | |
|
Three to | |
|
More Than | |
In U.S. dollars |
|
Total | |
|
One Year | |
|
Three Years | |
|
Five Years | |
|
Five Years | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Bank debt
|
|
$ |
41,400,000 |
|
|
$ |
14,780,000 |
|
|
$ |
19,160,000 |
|
|
$ |
4,660,000 |
|
|
$ |
2,800,000 |
|
Interest Payment (1)
|
|
$ |
4,295,771 |
|
|
$ |
1,790,748 |
|
|
$ |
2,217,505 |
|
|
$ |
194,250 |
|
|
$ |
93,188 |
|
Management fees (2)
|
|
$ |
11,176,241 |
|
|
$ |
2,022,192 |
|
|
$ |
4,419,631 |
|
|
$ |
4,734,418 |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Assuming the amortization of the loan described above and
the an estimated average effective interest rate of 5.3%, 5.4%
and 5.1% for the three periods respectively.
(2) Refers to our obligation for management fees of
590 Euros per day per vessel (approximately $718) for the
seven vessels owned by Euroseas at June 30, 2005 and the
eighth vessel we acquired on November 25, 2005, under our
five-year management contract. For years two to five we have
assumed no change in the number of vessels, an inflation rate of
3.5% per year and no changes in this US Dollar to Euro
exchange rate (assumed approximately at 1.218 USD/Euro).
Critical Accounting Policies
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and
results of operations is based upon our consolidated condensed
financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance
with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or
U.S. GAAP. The preparation of those financial statements
requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the
reported amount of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses
and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at
the date of our financial statements. Actual results may differ
from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies are those that reflect significant
judgments or uncertainties, and potentially result in materially
different results under different assumptions and conditions. We
have described below what we believe are our most critical
accounting policies that involve a high degree of judgment and
the methods of their application.
38
We record the value of our vessels at their cost (which includes
acquisition costs directly attributable to the vessel and
expenditures made to prepare the vessel for its initial voyage)
less accumulated depreciation. We depreciate our vessels on a
straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, estimated
to range from 25 to 30 years from date of initial delivery from
the shipyard. We believe that the 25 to 30 year range of
depreciable life is consistent with that of other ship owners.
One of our vessels has already reached an age of 28 years and
continues to be employed. Depreciation is based on cost less the
estimated residual scrap value. In 2004, the estimated scrap
value of the vessels was increased from $170 to $300 per LWT to
better reflect market price developments in the scrap metal
market. An increase in the useful life of the vessel or in the
residual value would have the effect of decreasing the annual
depreciation charge and extending it into later periods. A
decrease in the useful life of the vessel or in the residual
value would have the effect of increasing the annual
depreciation charge. For example, the effect of the change in
estimate in 2004 was to reduce 2004 depreciation expense by
$1.40 million and increase net income by the same amount or
$0.05 per share.
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Revenue and expense recognition |
Revenues are generated from voyage and time charter agreements.
Time charter revenues are recorded over the term of the charter
as service is provided. Under a voyage charter the revenues and
associated voyage costs are recognized on a pro-rata basis over
the duration of the voyage. Probable losses on voyages are
provided for in full at the time such losses can be estimated. A
voyage is deemed to commence upon the completion of discharge of
the vessels previous cargo and is deemed to end upon the
completion of discharge of the vessels previous cargo and
is deemed to end upon the completion of discharge of the current
cargo. Demurrage income represents payments by the charterer to
the vessel owner when loading or discharging time exceeded the
stipulated time in the voyage charter and is recognized as
incurred.
Charter revenue received in advance is recorded as a liability
until charter services are rendered.
Vessels operating expenses comprise all expenses relating
to the operation of the vessels, including crewing, repairs and
maintenance, insurance, stores, lubricants and miscellaneous
expenses. Operating expenses are recognized as incurred;
payments in advance of services or use are recorded as prepaid
expenses. Voyage expenses comprise all expenses relating to
particular voyages, including bunkers, port charges, canal
tolls, and agency fees.
For the Companys vessels operating in chartering pools,
revenues and voyage expenses are pooled and allocated to each
pools participants on a time charter equivalent basis in
accordance with an agreed-upon formula.
Our vessels are required to be drydocked approximately every 30
to 60 months for major repairs and maintenance that cannot
be performed while the vessels are trading. We capitalize the
costs associated with drydockings as they occur and amortize
these costs on a straight-line basis over the period between
drydockings. Costs capitalized as part of the drydocking include
actual costs incurred at the drydock yard; cost of hiring riding
crews to perform specific tasks determined by us in accordance
with the requirements of the classification society in
connection with the drydocking and parts used in performing such
tasks, cost of travel, lodging and subsistence of our personnel
sent to the drydocking site to supervise; and the cost of hiring
a third party to oversee a drydocking. We believe that these
criteria are consistent with industry practice and that our
policy of capitalization reflects the economics and market
values of the vessels. Commencing January 1, 2006, we have
revised our policy to exclude the cost of hiring riding crews
and the cost of parts used by riding crews from amounts
capitalized as drydocking cost. We have not restated any
historical financial statements because we determined that the
impact of such a revision is not material to our operating
income and net income for any periods presented.
39
|
|
|
Impairment of long-lived assets |
We evaluate the carrying amounts and periods over which
long-lived assets are depreciated to determine if events have
occurred which would require modification to their carrying
values or useful lives. In evaluating useful lives and carrying
values of long-lived assets, we review certain indicators of
potential impairment, such as undiscounted projected operating
cash flows, vessel sales and purchases, business plans and
overall market conditions. We determine undiscounted projected
net operating cash flows for each vessel and compare it to the
vessel carrying value. In the event that impairment occurred, we
would determine the fair value of the related asset and we
record a charge to operations calculated by comparing the
assets carrying value to the estimated fair market value.
We estimate fair market value primarily through the use of third
party valuations performed on an individual vessel basis.
|
|
|
Recent accounting pronouncements |
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) issued FIN 46, Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities, which clarified the application of
Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51,
Consolidated Financial Statements, to address
perceived weaknesses in accounting for entities commonly known
as special-purpose or off-balance sheet entities. It provides
guidance for identifying the party with a controlling financial
interest resulting from arrangements or financial interests
rather than voting interests. It requires consolidation of
Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) only if those VIEs
do not effectively disperse the risks and benefits amount the
various parties involved. On December 24, 2003, the FASB
issued a complete replacement of FIN 46
(FIN 46R), which clarified certain complexities of
FIN 46. FIN 46R is applicable for financial statements
issued for reporting periods that end after March 5, 2004.
The Company has reviewed FIN 46R and determined that the
adoption of the standard will not have a material impact on the
financial statements.
In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123
(revised 2004), Shared Based Payments (SFAS 123R). This
statement eliminates the option to apply the intrinsic value
measurement provisions of Accounting Principles Board
(APB) Opinion No. 25, Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees to stock compensation awards
issued to employees. Rather, SFAS 123R requires companies
to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange
for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair
value of the award. That cost will be recognized over the period
during which an employee is required to provide services in
exchange for the award-the requisite service period (usually the
vesting period). SFAS No. 123R applies to all awards
granted after the required effective date, as of the beginning
of the first interim or annual reporting period that begins
after June 15, 2005, and to awards modified, repurchased,
or cancelled after that date. SFAS 123R will be effective
for our fiscal year 2006. The Company does not anticipate that
the implementation of this standard will have a material impact
on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
On December 16, 2004, FASB issued SFAS No. 153,
Exchanges of Non-monetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion
No. 29, Accounting for Non-monetary Transactions
(FAS 153). This statement amends APB Opinion
N°29 to eliminate the exception for non-monetary exchanges
of similar productive assets and replaces it with a general
exception for exchanges of non-monetary assets that do not have
commercial substance. Under SFAS No. 153, if a
non-monetary exchange of similar productive assets meets a
commercial-substance criterion and fair value is determinable,
the transaction must be accounted for at fair value resulting in
recognition of any gain or loss. SFAS No. 153 is
effective for non-monetary transactions in fiscal periods that
begin after June 15, 2005. The Company does not anticipate
that the implementation of this standard will have a material
impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
FASB has issued SFAS No. 154, Accounting Changes
and Error Corrections, a replacement of APB Opinion N°20
and SFAS No. 3. The Statement applies to all voluntary
changes in accounting principle, and changes the requirements
for accounting for and reporting of a change in accounting
principle.
SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective applications to
prior periods financial statements of a voluntary change
in accounting principle unless it is impracticable. Opinion 20
previously required that most voluntary
40
change in accounting principle be recognized by including in net
income of the period of the change the cumulative effect of
changing to the new accounting principle. SFAS No. 154
improves financial reporting because its requirements enhance
the consistency of financial information between periods. The
Company is analyzing the effect which this pronouncement will
have on its financial condition, statement of operations, and
cash flows. This statement will be effective for the Company on
January 1, 2006. The Company does not believe that this
pronouncement will have and effect on its financial
condition, results of operation or cash flows.
On March 29, 2005, the SEC released a Staff Accounting
Bulletin (SAB) relating to the FASB accounting standard for
stock options and other share-based payments. The
interpretations in SAB No. 107, Share-Based
Payment, (SAB 107) express views of the SEC Staff
regarding the application of SFAS No. 123 (revised
2004), Share-Based Payment (Statement 123R).
Among other things, SAB 107 provides interpretive guidance
related to the interaction between Statement 123R and
certain SEC rules and regulations, as well as provides the
Staffs views regarding the valuation of share-based
payment arrangements for public companies. The Company does not
anticipate that adoption of SAB 107 will have any effect on
its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No.
(FIN) 47 Accounting for Conditional Asset
Retirement Obligations, an interpretation of FASB Statement
No. 143, which clarifies the term conditional
asset retirement obligation as used in
SFAS No. 143 Accounting for Asset Retirement
Obligations. Specifically, FIN 47 provides that an
asset retirement obligation is conditional when either the
timing and (or) method of settling the obligation is
conditioned on a future event. Accordingly, an entity is
required to recognize a liability for the fair value of a
conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of the
liability can be reasonably estimated. Uncertainty about the
timing and (or) method of settlement of a conditional asset
retirement obligation should be factored into the measurement of
the liability when sufficient information exists. This
interpretation also clarifies when an entity would have
sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of
an asset retirement obligation. FIN 47 is effective for
fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005. Management is
currently evaluating the effect that adoption of FIN 47
will have on the Companys financial position and results
of operations.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
In the normal course of business, we face risks that are
non-financial or non-quantifiable. Such risks principally
include country risk, credit risk and legal risk. Our operations
may be affected from time to time in varying degrees by these
risks but their overall effect on us is not predictable. We have
identified the following market risks as those which may have
the greatest impact upon our operations:
Interest Rate Fluctuation Risk The international drybulk
industry is a capital intensive industry, requiring significant
amounts of investment. Much of this investment is provided in
the form of long term debt. Our debt usually contains interest
rates that fluctuate with LIBOR. We do not use financial
instruments such as interest rate swaps to manage the impact of
interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows and increasing
interest rates could adversely impact future earnings.
As at June 30, 2005, we had $41.4 million of floating
rate debt outstanding with margins over LIBOR ranging from 1.25%
to 1.60%. Our interest expense is affected by changes in the
general level of interest rates. As an indication of the extent
of our sensitivity to interest rate changes, an increase of
100 basis points would have decreased our net income and
cash flows in the three-month period to June 30, 2005 by
approximately $120,000 assuming that the current debt level was
the same throughout the quarter.
In March of 2004, we entered into an interest rate swap
agreement on a notional amount of $3.00 million. Under this
swap agreement, we receive interest based on the
3-month LIBOR rate and
we pay based on 1.10% fixed rate if the
1-year LIBOR remains
below 4.02%: otherwise we pay the 1-year LIBOR rate. This
agreement expires in March 2007 and can be terminated at any
time.
Foreign Exchange Rate Risk The international drybulk and
containership shipping industrys functional currency is
the U.S. Dollar. We generate all of our revenues in
U.S. dollars, but incur approximately 28% of
41
our expenses in currencies other than U.S. dollars. At
June 30, 2005, approximately 27% of our outstanding
accounts payable were denominated in currencies other than the
U.S. dollar, mainly in Euros. We do not make use of
currency exchange contracts to reduce the risk of adverse
foreign currency movements but we believe that our exposure from
market rate fluctuations is unlikely to be material. Net foreign
exchange gains for the six month period to June 30, 2005
were $312.
Inflation Risk The general rate of inflation has been
relatively low in recent years and as such its associated impact
on costs has been minimal. We do not believe that inflation has
had, or is likely to have in the foreseeable future, a
significant impact on expenses. Should inflation increase, it
will increase our expenses and subsequently have a negative
impact on our earnings.
The following table sets forth the sensitivity of loans in US
dollars to a 100 basis points increase in LIBOR during the
next five years:
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended June 30, |
|
Amount | |
|
|
| |
2006
|
|
|
340,100 |
|
2007
|
|
|
221,300 |
|
2008
|
|
|
125,500 |
|
2009
|
|
|
60,300 |
|
2010 and thereafter
|
|
|
51,000 |
|
On December 30, 2005, we drew down $15.5 million under
our loan agreement signed on December 28, 2005 to finance
our acquisition of m/v Artemis. This increased the sensitivity
of our loans to 100 basis points increases in LIBOR by: $155,000
until June 30, 2006; $129,000 year ended June 30,
2007; $94,000 year ended June 30, 2008; $59,000 year ended
June 30, 2009; and $55,000 for 2010 and thereafter.
INDUSTRY
Drybulk shipping refers to the transport of certain commodities
by sea between various ports in bulk. These commodities are
often divided into two categories major bulks and
minor bulks. Major bulks include items such as coal, iron ore
and grains, while minor bulks include items such as aluminum,
phosphate rock, fertilizer raw materials, agricultural and
mineral cargo, cement, forest products and some steel products,
including scrap.
There are four main classes of bulk carriers
Handysize, Handymax, Panamax and Capesize. These classes
represent the sizes of the vessel carrying the cargo in terms of
deadweight ton (dwt) capacity, which is defined as
the total weight including cargo that the vessel can carry when
loaded to a defined load line on the vessel. Handysize vessels
are the smallest of the four categories and include those
vessels weighing up to 40,000 dwt. Handymax carriers are those
vessels that weigh between 40,000 and 55,000 dwt, while Panamax
vessels are those ranging from 55,000 dwt to 80,000 dwt. Vessels
over 80,000 dwt are called Capesize vessels.
Drybulk carriers are ordinarily chartered either through a
voyage charter or a time charter, under a longer term contract
of affreightment or in pools. Under a voyage charter, the owner
agrees to provide a vessel for the transport of cargo between
specific ports in return for the payment of an agreed freight
rate per ton of cargo or an agreed dollar lump sum amount.
Voyage costs, such as canal and port charges and bunker
expenses, are the responsibility of the owner. Under a time
charter, the ship owner places the vessel at the disposal of a
charterer for a given period of time in return for a specified
rate (either hire per day or a specified rate per dwt capacity
per month) with the voyage costs being the responsibility of the
charterer. In both voyage charters and time charters, operating
costs (such as repairs and maintenance, crew wages and insurance
premiums) are the responsibility of the ship owner. The duration
of time charters varies, depending on the evaluation of market
trends by the ship owner and by charterers. Occasionally,
drybulk vessels are chartered on a bareboat basis. Under a
bareboat charter, operations of the vessels and all operating
costs are the responsibility of the charterer, while the owner
only pays the financing costs of the vessel. A contract of
affreightment (COA) is another type of charter
relationship where a charterer and a ship owner enter into a
written agreement pursuant to which identified cargo will be
carried over a specified period of time. COAs benefit
charterers by
42
providing them with fixed transport costs for a commodity over
an identified period of time. COAs benefit ship owners by
offering ascertainable revenue over that same period of time and
eliminating the uncertainty that would otherwise be caused by
the volatility of the charter market. A shipping pool is a
collection of similar vessel types under various ownerships,
placed under the care of a single commercial manager. The
manager markets the vessels as a single fleet and collects the
earnings which are distributed to individual owners under a
pre-arranged weighing system by which each entered vessel
receives its share. Pools have the size and scope to combine
voyage charters, time charters and contracts of affreightment
with freight forward agreements for hedging purposes, to perform
more efficient vessel scheduling thereby increasing fleet
utilization.
Containership shipping refers to the transport of containerized
trade which encompasses mainly the carriage of finished goods,
but an increasing number of other cargoes in container boxes.
Containerized trade is the fastest growing sector of seaborne
trade. Containerships are further categorized by their size
measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (teu) and whether
they have their own gearing. The different categories of
containerships are as follows. Post-panamax vessels are vessels
with carrying capacity of more than 4,000 teu. Panamax vessels
are vessels with carrying capacity from 3,000 to 4,000 teu.
Sub-panamax vessels are
vessels with carrying capacity from 2,000 to 3,000 teu.
Handysize feeder containerships are vessels with carrying
capacity from 1,000 to 2,000 teu and are sometimes equipped with
cargo loading and unloading gear. Finally, Feeder containerships
are vessels with carrying capacity from 500 to 1,000 teu and are
usually equipped with cargo loading and unloading gear.
Containerships are primarily employed in time charter contracts
with liner companies, which in turn employ them as part of the
scheduled liner operations. Feeder containership are put in
liner schedules feeding containers to and from central regional
ports (hubs) where larger containerships provide cross
ocean or longer haul service. The length of the time charter
contract can range from several months to years.
43
BUSINESS
General
We are an independent commercial shipping company that operates
in the drybulk and container shipping markets through our
wholly-owned subsidiaries. We were formed on May 5, 2005
under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Our
principal offices are located in Maroussi, Greece and our
telephone number is 011 30 210 6105110.
Corporate Structure
We own our eight vessels through eight separate wholly-owned
subsidiaries. The operations of our vessels are managed by
Eurobulk, an affiliated company, under management contracts with
each ship-owning company. These services include technical
management, such as managing
day-to-day vessel
operations including supervising the crewing, insuring the
fleet, supplying, maintaining and drydocking of vessels,
commercial management regarding identifying suitable vessel
charter opportunities and certain accounting services. The names
of our wholly-owned subsidiaries that own each vessel and the
vessel each owns are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Owner |
|
Country of Incorporation |
|
Vessel Name |
|
Flag |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1)
|
|
Diana Trading Ltd. |
|
Republic of the Marshall Islands |
|
IRINI |
|
Marshall Islands |
2)
|
|
Alterwall Business Inc. |
|
Republic of Panama |
|
YM QINGDAO I |
|
Panamanian |
3)
|
|
Allendale Investments S.A. |
|
Republic of Panama |
|
KUO HSIUNG |
|
Panamanian |
4)
|
|
Alcinoe Shipping Limited |
|
Republic of Cyprus |
|
PANTELIS P. |
|
Cypriot |
5)
|
|
Searoute Maritime Limited |
|
Republic of Cyprus |
|
ARIEL |
|
Cypriot |
6)
|
|
Oceanpride Shipping Limited |
|
Republic of Cyprus |
|
JOHN P. |
|
Cypriot |
7)
|
|
Oceanopera Shipping Limited |
|
Republic of Cyprus |
|
NIKOLAOS P. |
|
Cypriot |
8)
|
|
Salina Shipholding Corp. |
|
Republic of the Marshall Islands |
|
ARTEMIS |
|
Marshall Islands |
Our Fleet
Our fleet consists of five drybulk carriers and three
containerships with an aggregate of 190,904 deadweight tons, or
dwt, for the five drybulk carriers and 66,100 dwt and 4,636
twenty-foot equivalent units, or teu, total capacity, for the
three containerships. The following table describes our current
fleet:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Country |
|
|
|
|
|
TEU | |
Vessel |
|
Dwt |
|
Built |
|
Year Built | |
|
Type |
|
Capacity | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
IRINI
|
|
69,734 |
|
Japan |
|
|
1988 |
|
|
Dry Bulk |
|
|
N/A |
|
YM QINGDAO I
|
|
18,253 |
|
Japan |
|
|
1990 |
|
|
Containership |
|
|
1,269 |
|
KUO HSIUNG
|
|
18,154 |
|
Japan |
|
|
1993 |
|
|
Containership |
|
|
1,269 |
|
PANTELIS P.
|
|
26,354 |
|
Scotland |
|
|
1981 |
|
|
Dry Bulk |
|
|
N/A |
|
ARIEL
|
|
33,712 |
|
Japan |
|
|
1977 |
|
|
Dry Bulk |
|
|
N/A |
|
JOHN P.
|
|
26,354 |
|
Scotland |
|
|
1981 |
|
|
Dry Bulk |
|
|
N/A |
|
NIKOLAOS P.
|
|
34,750 |
|
Spain |
|
|
1984 |
|
|
Dry Bulk |
|
|
N/A |
|
ARTEMIS
|
|
29,693 |
|
Croatia |
|
|
1987 |
|
|
Containership |
|
|
2,098 |
|
Competitive Strengths
We believe that we possess the following competitive strengths:
|
|
|
|
|
Experienced Management Team. Our management team has
significant experience in operating drybulk carriers and
expertise in all aspects of commercial, technical, operational
and financial areas of our business. Our main shareholding
family has over 100 years experience in shipping and enjoys
a well established reputation. The Pittas family roots in
shipping go back four generations to the
19th
century. |
44
|
|
|
|
|
Nikolaos Pittas started the family business more than
125 years ago and has been followed by his sons and his
grandsons, one of whom is Mr. John Pittas, a controlling
shareholder of Friends Investment Company Inc., the largest
shareholder of Euroseas. Aristides J. Pittas, his son, is the
CEO, President, Chairman of the Board and a Director of
Euroseas. Aristides P. Pittas, his nephew, is the Vice-Chairman
of the Board and a Director of Euroseas. This experience enables
management, among other things, to identify suitable shipping
opportunities and time its investments in an efficient manner. |
|
|
|
Strong Customer Relationships. Through Eurobulk, our ship
management company, and Eurochart, our chartering broker, we
have many long-established customer relationships with major
charterers and shipping pools (Klaveness), and we believe we are
well regarded within the international shipping community. |
|
|
|
Profitable Operations to Date. The Pittas family, the
principal owner of Eurobulk and of our largest shareholder, has
operated vessels over the past 125 years. The vessels have
been operated through various partnerships and different
entities over these years. In 1995, the Pittas family separated
its interests from Oceanbulk Maritime S.A. and formed Eurobulk
in order to manage and operate its own vessels. Since the
inception of Eurobulk, all vessel acquisitions have been
profitable and the groups results, on a consolidated
basis, have been profitable for each of the last five years.
This was achieved by carefully selecting secondhand vessels,
competitively commissioning and actively supervising
cost-efficient shipyards to perform repairs, reconditioning and
systems upgrading work, together with a proactive preventive
maintenance program both ashore and at sea, and employing
professional, well-trained masters, officers and crews. We
believe that this combination allows us to minimize off-hire
periods, effectively manage insurance costs, and control overall
operating expenses. |
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is focused on providing consistent
shareholder returns by carefully selecting the timing and the
structure of our investments in drybulk and feeder containership
vessels and by reliably, safely and competitively operating the
vessels we own, through our affiliate, Eurobulk. Representing a
continuous shipowning and management history that dates back to
the
19th century,
we believe that one of our advantages in the industry is our
ability to select and safely operate dry bulk and containership
vessels of any age. We continuously evaluate sale-and-purchase
opportunities, as well as long term employment opportunities for
our vessels. Additionally, with the proceeds from the Private
Placement, we plan to expand our fleet to increase our revenues
and make our drybulk carrier and containership feeder fleet more
cost efficient and more attractive to our customers. In
furtherance of our business strategy, we signed a memorandum of
agreement to purchase a containership called m/v Roseleen
(ex Sea Arrow, to be renamed Artemis) that was
built in 1987, with 2,098 teu. The vessel was
delivered into our fleet on November 25, 2005. The vessel
cost approximately $20.65 million and will initially
be paid for through the proceeds of the Private Placement and
our working capital. On December 28, 2005, we concluded
debt financing for approximately $15.5 million to fund
part of the acquisition of the vessel and thus released these
funds for further acquisitions. We are presently in negotiations
for the purchase of additional vessels but none of these
negotiations has yet resulted in a binding contract.
Vessel Employment
We employ our vessels in the spot charter market and under time
charters and pool arrangements. Presently, seven of our vessels
are employed under time charters, while one is employed in the
Klaveness run Baumarine pool (m/v Irini). The owning
company of m/v Irini participates in three short funds
managed by Klaveness.
A spot charter is a contract to carry a specific cargo for a per
ton carry amount. Under spot charters, we pay voyage expenses
such as port, canal and fuel costs. A time charter is a contract
to charter a vessel for an agreed period of time at a set daily
rate. Under time charters, the charterer pays these voyage
expenses. A pool charter is essentially a time charter with a
floating charter rate. The actual charter hire the pool vessel
receives is its corresponding share of all the income generated
by all vessels that participate in the pool. A short fund
45
comprises of one or more contracts of affreightment
(COA). These are contracts secured by the pool
manager for carrying some specific types and quantities of cargo
over a fixed time horizon at a fixed rate per ton of cargo
carried. The combined effect of having a vessel in a spot pool
and securing COAs can be equivalent to establishing a long
term time charter.
Under all types of charters, we will pay for vessel operating
expenses, which include crew costs, provisions, deck and engine
stores, lubricating oil, insurance, maintenance and repairs. We
are also responsible for each vessels intermediate
drydocking and special survey costs.
Vessels operating on time charter provide more predictable cash
flows, but can yield lower profit margins than vessels operating
in the spot market during periods characterized by favorable
market conditions. Vessels operating in the spot market generate
revenues that are less predictable but may enable us to increase
profit margins during periods of improvements in drybulk rates.
However, we would then be exposed to the risk of declining
drybulk rates, which may be higher or lower than the rates at
which we chartered our vessels. Although we do not presently do
so, we may in the future enter into freight forward agreements
in order to hedge our exposure to market volatility. We are
constantly evaluating opportunities for time charters, but only
expects to enter into additional time charters if we can obtain
contract terms that satisfy our criteria.
Our vessels trade worldwide and at times may need to trade to
areas where there is an increased risk of civil conflict, war or
war-like operations. However, our vessels are at all times
covered by war risk insurance and, in case a decision is taken
to sail to a perceived higher risk area, an additional war risk
premium might be payable by the Company. The Companys
vessels have never traded to any port sanctioned by the United
Nations and the Company has never experienced any significant
problem due to its worldwide trading pattern.
Specifically, our three containerships are on regular lines
calling the following ports:
|
|
|
|
|
Vessel m/v YM Qingdao I: Japan (Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka,
Yokohama), Taiwan (Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung), Hong Kong,
China (Tianjin, Dalian), Vietnam (Ho Chi Mingh) |
|
|
|
Vessel m/v Kuo Hsiung: Japan (Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka,
Yokohama), Taiwan (Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung), Hong Kong,
Thailand (Bangkok, Laem Chabang) |
|
|
|
Vessel m/v Artemis: Italy (Cagliari, Leghorn, Genoa),
France (Fos), Spain (Valencia), Portugal (Lisbon), United States
(New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Miami) |
While two of our containerships operate in the Far East, our
recent acquisition of m/v Artemis has extended our
containership operations to Western Europe and the United States.
The 5 bulk carriers also trade worldwide. Most frequent
ports of call by region are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
Far East: all major Chinese ports, Taiwan, South Korea,
Singapore, Indonesia (various ports), Malaysia (Port Kelang),
Bangladesh, all major Indian ports, Philippines (Manila), Sri
Lanka |
|
|
|
Australia: Newcastle, Port Lincoln |
|
|
|
Middle East: UAE (Dubai, Fujairah), Saudi Arabia, Jordan
(Aqaba), Turkey (Eregli, Istanbul, Izmir) |
|
|
|
Europe: all seaport nations, mostly Italy, Spain, France,
Greece, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Scandinavian
countries, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, etc. |
|
|
|
Africa: South Africa, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria,
Guinea, Ghana. However, with respect to Sudan, we have not had
any material contact with such country and do not anticipate
having any such contact in the future. Our prior contact was an
indirect contact that was limited to a one-time discharge of a
cargo of bulk sugar. Generally, Sudan is an excluded destination
from our charter party contracts, but in this one instance, the
charterer requested that we give them an exemption. We do not
maintain any connections with Sudan whatsoever and do not
anticipate any future contacts with Sudan so long as Sudan is
subject to U.S. sanctions. |
46
|
|
|
|
|
North and South America: USA (all major ports), Canada
(all major ports), Mexico (all major ports), Carribean,
Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil (all major ports), Argentina, Chile,
Peru |
Customers
Our major charterer customers during the last three years
include Bulkhandling/Klaveness, Cheng Lie, Swiss Marine, Hamburg
Bulk Carriers, and Phoenix. We are a relationship driven
company, and our top five customers in the first quarter of 2005
include four of our top five customers from 2004 (Cheng Lie,
Swiss Marine, HBC, Pancoast, and Phoenix). Our top five
customers accounted for approximately 68% of our total revenues
for 2004 and 54% of our total revenues for 2003. During the half
of 2005, our top five customers accounted for 60% of our total
revenues.
Our Ship Management
Our eight vessel fleet is managed by Eurobulk, an affiliate for
which we pay 590 Euros per vessel per day to provide all ship
operations management and oversight, including supervising the
crewing, supplying, maintaining and drydocking of vessels,
commercial management regarding identifying suitable vessel
charter opportunities and certain accounting services. Eurobulk
is an ISO 9001:2000 certified ship management company.
Our Employees
We have no direct employees. Our CEO, CFO and Secretary are
provided by Eurobulk. We have entered into a written agreement
with Eurobulk where we pay Eurobulk $500,000 per year for
these services.
Our subsidiary shipowning companies recruit through Eurobulk
either directly or through a crewing agent, the senior officers
and all other crew members for our vessels.
Our Property
We do not at the present time own or lease any real property. As
part of the management services provided by Eurobulk during the
period in which we conducted business to date, we have shared,
at no additional cost, offices with Eurobulk. We do not have
current plans to lease or purchase space for its offices,
although we may do so in the future.
Our Competitors
We operate in markets that are highly competitive and based
primarily on supply and demand. We compete for charters on the
basis of price, vessel location, size, age and condition of the
vessel, as well as on our reputation. Eurobulk arranges our
charters (whether spot charters, time charters or pools) through
the use of Eurochart, an affiliated broking company who
negotiates the terms of the charters based on market conditions.
We compete primarily with other owners of drybulk carriers in
the drybulk Handysize, Handymax and panamax sectors and the
feeder containership sector. Ownership of drybulk carriers and
feeder containerships is highly fragmented and is divided among
state controlled and independent bulk carrier owners. Some of
our publicly owned competitors include:
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Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX) larger vessels (13). |
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Dryships (Nasdaq: DRYS) larger vessels (27). |
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Excel Maritime (NYSE: EXM) mix of vessels
(17) primarily larger size. |
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Eagle Bulk Shipping (Nasdaq: EGLE) handymaxes (14). |
Seasonality
Coal, iron ore and grains, which are the major bulks of the
drybulk shipping industry, are somewhat seasonal in nature. The
energy markets primarily affect the demand for coal, with
increases during hot summer periods when air conditioning and
refrigeration require more electricity and towards the end of the
47
calendar year in anticipation of the forthcoming winter period.
The demand for iron ore tends to decline in the summer months
because many of the major steel users, such as automobile
makers, reduce their level of production significantly during
the summer holidays. Grains are completely seasonal as they are
driven by the harvest within a climate zone. Because three of
the five largest grain producers (the United States of America,
Canada and the European Union) are located in the northern
hemisphere and the other two (Argentina and Australia) are
located in the southern hemisphere, harvests occur throughout
the year and grains require drybulk shipping accordingly.
Environmental and Other Regulations
Government regulation significantly affects the ownership and
operation of our vessels. The vessels are subject to
international conventions and national, state and local laws and
regulations in force in the countries in which our vessels may
operate or are registered.
A variety of governmental and private entities subject our
vessels to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections. These
entities include the local port authorities (U.S. Coast
Guard, harbor master or equivalent), classification societies,
flag state administration (country of registry) and charterers.
Certain of these entities require us to obtain permits, licenses
and certificates for the operation of its vessels. Failure to
maintain necessary permits or approvals could require us to
incur substantial costs or temporarily suspend operation of one
or more of its vessels.
We believe that the heightened level of environmental and
quality concerns among insurance underwriters, regulators and
charterers is leading to greater inspection and safety
requirements on all vessels and may accelerate the scrapping of
older vessels throughout the industry. Increasing environmental
concerns have created a demand for vessels that conform to the
stricter environmental standards. We are required to maintain
operating standards for all of our vessels that will emphasize
operational safety, quality maintenance, continuous training of
our officers and crews and compliance with U.S. and
international regulations. We believe that the operation of our
vessels is in substantial compliance with applicable
environmental laws and regulations; however, because such laws
and regulations are frequently changed and may impose
increasingly stricter requirements, such future requirements may
limit our ability to do business, increase our operating costs,
force the early retirement of our vessels, and/or affect their
resale value, all of which could have a material adverse effect
on our financial condition and results of operations.
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Environmental Regulation International
Maritime Organization (IMO) |
The IMO has negotiated international conventions that impose
liability for oil pollution in international waters and a
signatorys territorial waters. In September 1997, the IMO
adopted Annex VI to the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships 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 had developed a plan to comply with the Annex VI
regulations, which became effective once Annex VI became
effective. Additional or new conventions, laws and regulations
may be adopted that could adversely affect our ability to
operate our ships.
The operation of our vessels is also affected by the
requirements set forth in the ISM Code. The ISM Code requires
shipowners 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 management company to comply with the ISM Code
may subject such party to increased liability, may decrease
available insurance coverage for the affected vessels, and may
result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.
Currently, each of our vessels is ISM Code-certified. However,
there can be no assurance that such certification will be
maintained indefinitely.
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Environmental Regulations The United States of
America Oil Pollution Act of 1990 |
OPA established an extensive regulatory and liability regime for
the protection and cleanup of the environment from oil spills.
OPA affects all owners and operators whose vessels trade in the
United States of America, its territories and possessions or
whose vessels operate in waters of the United States of America,
which includes the United States territorial sea of the
United States of America and its 200 nautical mile exclusive
economic zone.
Under OPA, vessel owners, operators, charterers and management
companies 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, including bunkers (fuel).
OPA limits the liability of responsible parties for drybulk
vessels that are over 3,000 gross tons to the greater of
$1,200 per gross ton or $10 million (subject to
possible adjustment for inflation). These limits of liability do
not apply if an incident was directly caused by violation of
applicable United States federal safety, construction or
operating regulations or by a responsible partys 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.
We currently maintain for each of our vessels pollution
liability coverage insurance in the amount of $1 billion
per incident. If the damages from a catastrophic pollution
liability incident exceed our insurance coverage, the payment of
those damages may materially decrease our net income.
OPA requires owners and operators of vessels to establish and
maintain with the United States Coast Guard evidence of
financial responsibility sufficient to meet their potential
liabilities under OPA. In December 1994, the Coast Guard
implemented regulations requiring evidence of financial
responsibility in the amount of $1,500 per gross ton, which
includes the OPA limitation on liability of $1,200 per
gross ton and the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 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.
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 currently
comply, and intends to comply in the future, with all applicable
state regulations in the ports where our vessels call.
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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 (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 United
States of America. Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to
the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
(SOLAS) created a new chapter of the convention
dealing specifically with maritime security. The new chapter
went 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 ISPS Code. Among the
various requirements are:
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on-board installation of automatic information systems
(AIS), to enhance
vessel-to-vessel and
vessel-to-shore
communications; |
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on-board installation of ship security alert systems; |
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the development of vessel security plans; and |
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compliance with flag state security certification requirements. |
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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, by July 1, 2004, a valid International Ship Security
Certificate (ISSC) that attests to the vessels
compliance with SOLAS security requirements and the ISPS Code.
Our vessels are in compliance with the various security measures
addressed by the MTSA, SOLAS and the ISPS Code. We do not
believe these additional requirements will have a material
financial impact on our operations.
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Inspection by Classification Societies |
The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be
classed by a classification society authorized by its country of
registry. The classification society certifies that a vessel is
safe and seaworthy in accordance with the applicable rules and
regulations of the country of registry of the vessel and SOLAS.
Our vessels are currently classed with Lloyds Register of
Shipping, Bureau Veritas and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. ISM and
International Ship and Port Facilities Security
(ISPS) certification have been awarded by Bureau
Veritas and the Panama Maritime Authority to our vessels and
Eurobulk, our ship management company.
A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys,
drydockings and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a
vessels machinery may be on a continuous survey cycle,
under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a
five-year period. Every vessel is also required to be drydocked
every two to three years for inspection of the underwater parts
of such vessel. If any vessel does not maintain its class and/or
fails any annual survey, intermediate survey, drydocking or
special survey, the vessel will be unable to carry cargo between
ports and will be unemployable and uninsurable which could cause
us to be in violation of certain covenants in our loan
agreements. Any such inability to carry cargo or be employed, or
any such violation of covenants, could have a material adverse
impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Risk of Loss and Liability Insurance
The operation of any cargo vessel includes risks such as
mechanical failure, physical damage, collision, property loss,
cargo loss or damage and business interruption due to political
circumstances in foreign countries, hostilities and labor
strikes. In addition, there is always an inherent possibility of
marine disaster, including oil spills and other environmental
mishaps, and the liabilities arising from owning and operating
vessels in international trade. OPA, which imposes virtually
unlimited liability upon owners, operators and bareboat
charterers of any vessel trading in the exclusive economic zone
of the United States of America for certain oil pollution
accidents in the United States of America, has made liability
insurance more expensive for ship owners and operators trading
in the United States of America market. While we believe that
our present insurance coverage is adequate, not all risks can be
insured, and there can be no guarantee that any specific claim
will be paid, or that we will always be able to obtain adequate
insurance coverage at reasonable rates.
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Hull and Machinery Insurance |
We procure hull and machinery insurance, protection and
indemnity insurance, which includes environmental damage and
pollution insurance and war risk insurance and FD&D
insurance for our fleet. We do not maintain insurance against
loss of hire, which covers business interruptions that result in
the loss of use of a vessel.
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Protection and Indemnity Insurance |
Protection and indemnity insurance is provided by mutual
protection and indemnity associations, or
P&I Associations, which covers our third-party
liabilities in connection with our shipping activities. This
includes third-party liability and other related expenses of
injury or death of crew, passengers and other third parties,
loss or damage to cargo, claims arising from collisions with
other vessels, damage to other third-party property, pollution
arising from oil or other substances, and salvage, towing and
other related costs, including
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wreck removal. Protection and indemnity insurance is a form of
mutual indemnity insurance, extended by protection and indemnity
mutual associations, or clubs.
Our current protection and indemnity insurance coverage for
pollution is $1 billion per vessel per incident. The 14
P&I Associations that comprise the International Group
insure approximately 90% of the worlds commercial tonnage
and have entered into a pooling agreement to reinsure each
associations liabilities. Our vessels are members of the
UK Club. Each P&I Association has capped its exposure to
this pooling agreement at $4.5 billion. As a member of a
P&I Association, which is a member of the International
Group, we are subject to calls payable to the associations based
on our claim records as well as the claim records of all other
members of the individual associations and members of the pool
of P&I Associations comprising the International Group.
Legal Proceedings
To our knowledge, there are no material legal proceedings to
which we are a party or to which any of our properties are
subject, other than routine litigation incidental to our
business. In our opinion, the disposition of these lawsuits
should not have a material impact on our consolidated results of
operations, financial position and cash flows.
Exchange Controls
Under Marshall Islands law, there are currently no restrictions
on the export or import of capital, including foreign exchange
controls or restrictions that affect the remittance of
dividends, interest or other payments to non-resident holders of
our shares.
Merger with Cove
On August 25, 2005, we entered in a merger agreement with
Cove pursuant to which Cove would merge with our wholly-owned
subsidiary, EuroSub. While Coves business is not related
to our business, such merger was required in connection with our
Private Placement in which we raised approximately
$21 million. Considering the size of our company and the
number of shareholders, our placement agent, Roth Capital,
advised us that a merger with a public shell company was
necessary to have a successful Private Placement. Roth Capital
advised us that the merger with a public shell company would
give us access to a company with a public listing whose shares
could trade and help develop a market for our common stock. It
would also increase the number of shareholders that could
participate in the merger and become Euroseas
shareholders, thus increasing the likelihood of obtaining a
listing on a national stock exchange and providing greater
liquidity for the shareholders. This type of transaction would
also reduce the uncertainty attendant to an underwritten initial
public offering and the possibility that any such offering might
not be successfully consummated in view of our size and the then
prevailing market conditions. As part of the Private Placement
transaction documents, the investors included a condition that
we enter into such a merger agreement. The Private Placement
would not have occurred unless we agreed to enter into the
merger with Cove.
51
MANAGEMENT
The following sets forth the name and position of each of our
directors and executive officers.
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Name |
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Position |
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Aristides J. Pittas
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46 |
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Chairman, President and CEO; Director |
Dr. Anastasios Aslidis
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45 |
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CFO and Treasurer; Director |
Aristides P. Pittas
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53 |
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Vice Chairman; Director |
Stephania Karmiri
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37 |
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Secretary |
George Skarvelis
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Director |
George Taniskidis
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44 |
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Director |
Gerald Turner
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Director |
Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos
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45 |
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Director |
Aristides J. Pittas has been a member of our board of
directors and our Chairman and CEO since our inception on
May 5, 2005. Since 1997, Mr. Pittas has also been the
President of Eurochart S.A., our affiliate. Eurochart is a
shipbroking company specializing in chartering and selling and
purchasing ships. Since 1997, Mr. Pittas has also been the
President of Eurotrade, a ship operating company and our
affiliate. Since January 1995, Mr. Pittas has been the
President and Managing Director of Eurobulk Ltd., our affiliate.
He resigned as Managing Director in June 2005. Eurobulk is a
ship management company that provides ocean transportation
services. From September 1991 to December 1994, Mr. Pittas
was the Vice President of Oceanbulk Maritime SA, a ship
management company. From March 1990 to August 1991,
Mr. Pittas served both as the Assistant to the General
Manager and the Head of the Planning Department of Varnima
International SA, a shipping company operating tanker vessels.
From June 1987 until February 1990, Mr. Pittas was the head
of the Central Planning department of Eleusis Shipyards S.A.
From January 1987 to June 1987, Mr. Pittas served as
Assistant to the General Manger of Chios Navigation Shipping
Company in London, a company that provides ship management
services. From December 1985 to January 1987, Mr. Pittas
worked in the design department of Eleusis Shipyards S.A. where
he focused on shipbuilding and ship repair. Mr. Pittas has
a B.Sc. in Marine Engineering from University of
Newcastle Upon-Tyne and a MSc in both Ocean Systems
Management and Navel Architecture and Marine Engineering from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Anastasios Aslidis has been a partner at
Marsoft, an international consulting firm focusing on investment
and risk management in the maritime industry. As of August 2005,
he joined us as a director and our CFO. Dr. Aslidis has
more than 17 years of experience in the maritime industry.
Since 2003, he has been working on financial risk management
methods for shipowners and banks lending to the maritime
industry, especially as pertaining to compliance to the
Basel II Capital Accords. He has been consultant to the
Board of Directors of shipping companies (public and private)
advising in strategy development, asset selection and investment
timing. Between 1993 and 2003, as part of his work at Marsoft,
he worked on various projects including development of portfolio
and risk management methods for shipowners, establishment of
investments funds and structuring private equity in the maritime
industry and business development for Marsofts services.
Between 1991 and 1993, Dr. Aslidis work on the economics of
the offshore drilling industry. Between 1989 and 1991, he worked
on the development of a trading support system for the dry bulk
shipping industry on behalf of a major European owner.
Dr. Aslidis holds a diploma in Naval Architecture and
Marine Engineering from the National Technical University of
Athens (1983), M.S. in Ocean Systems Management (1984) and
Operations Research (1987) from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Ocean
Systems Management (1989) also from MIT.
Aristides P. Pittas has been a member of our board of
directors since our inception on May 5, 2005 and our Vice
Chairman since September 1, 2005. Mr. Pittas has been
a shareholder in over 70 oceangoing vessels during the last
20 years. Since February 1989, Mr. Pittas has been the
Vice President of Oceanbulk Maritime SA, a ship management
company. From November 1987 to February 1989, Mr. Pittas
was employed in the supply department of Drytank SA, a shipping
company. From November 1981 to June 1985, Mr. Pittas was
employed at Trust Marine Enterprises, a brokerage house as
a S+P broker. From September 1979 to
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November 1981, Mr. Pittas worked at Gourdomichalis Maritime
SA in the operation and Freight Collection department.
Mr. Pittas has a B.Sc in Economics from Athens School of
Economics.
Stephania Karmiri has been our Secretary since our
inception on May 5, 2005. Since July 1995,
Mrs. Karmiri has been executive secretary to Eurobulk Ltd.,
our affiliate. Eurobulk is a ship management company that
provides ocean transportation services. At Eurobulk,
Mrs. Karmiri has been responsible for dealing with sale and
purchase transactions, vessel registrations/deletions, bank
loans, supervision of office administration and office/vessel
telecommunication. From May 1992 to June 1995, she was secretary
to the technical department of Oceanbulk Maritime SA, a ship
management company. From 1988 to 1992, Mrs. Karmiri served
as assistant to brokers for Allied Shipbrokers, a company that
provides shipbroking services to sale and purchase transactions.
Mrs. Karmiri has taken assistant accountant and secretarial
courses from Didacta college.
George Skarvelis has been a member of our board of
directors since our inception. He has been active in shipping
since 1982. In 1992, he founded Marine Spirit S.A., a ship
management company. Between 1999 and 2003, Marine Spirit acted
as one of the crewing managers for Eurobulk. From 1986 until
1992, Mr. Skarvelis was operations director at Markos S.
Shipping Ltd. From 1982 until 1986, he worked with Glysca
Compania Naviera, a management company of five vessels. Over the
years Mr. Skarvelis has been a shareholder in numerous
ships. He has a B.sc. in economics from the Athens University
Law School.
George Taniskidis has been a member of our board of
directors since our inception. He is the Chairman and Managing
Director of NovaBank and a member of the Board of Directors of
BankEuropa (subsidiary bank of NovaBank in Turkey). He is a
member of the Executive Committee of the Hellenic Banks
Association. From 2003 until 2005, he was a member of the Board
of Directors of Visa International Europe, elected by the Visa
issuing banks of Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Israel and Greece.
From 1990 to 1998, Mr. Taniskidis worked at XIOSBANK (until
its acquisition by Piraeus Bank in 1998) in various positions,
with responsibility for the banks credit strategy and
network. Mr. Taniskidis studied Law in the
National University of Athens and in the University of
Pennsylvania Law School, where he received a LL.M. After law
school, he joined the law firm of Rogers & Wells in New
York, where he worked until 1989 and was also a member of the
New York State Bar Association. He is also a member of the Young
Presidents Organization.
Gerald Turner has been a member of our board of directors
since our inception. Since 1999, he has been the Chairman and
Managing Director of AON Turner Reinsurance Services. From 1987
to 1999, he was the Chairman and sole owner of Turner
Reinsurance services. From 1977 to 1987, he was the Managing
Director of E.W.Payne Hellas (member of the Sedgwik group).
Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos has been a member of our board
of directors since its inception. Since July 2002, he has been
the C.E.O. of New Television S.A., one of the leading Mass Media
Companies in Greece, running television and radio stations. From
July 1997 to July 2002 he was the C.E.O. of the Hellenic Post
Group, the Universal Postal Service Provider, having the largest
retail network in Greece for postal and financial services
products. From March 1996 until July 1997,
Mr. Kyriakopoulos was the General Manager of ATEMKE SA, one
of the leading construction companies in Greece listed on the
Athens Stock Exchange. From December 1986 to March 1996, he was
the Managing Director of Globe Group of Companies, a group
active in the areas of shipowning and management, textiles and
food and distribution. The company was listed on the Athens
Stock Exchange. From June 1983 to December 1986,
Mr. Kyriakopoulos was an assistant to the Managing Director
of Armada Marine S.A., a company active in international trading
and shipping, owning and managing a fleet of 12 vessels.
Presently he is a member of the Board of Directors of the
Hellenic Post and General Secretary of the Hellenic Private
Television Owners Union. He has also been an investor in the
shipping industry for more than 20 years.
Mr. Kyriakopoulos has a B.Sc. degree in Marine Engineering
from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a MSc. degree in
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering with specialization in
Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Aristides P. Pittas is the cousin of Aristides J. Pittas, our
CEO.
We currently have an audit committee comprised of three
independent members of our board of directors.
We have adopted a code of ethics that complies with the
applicable guidelines issued by the SEC.
Our directors who are also our employees or have executive
positions or beneficially own greater than 10% of the
outstanding common stock will receive no compensation for
serving on our Board or its committees.
Directors who are not our employees, do not have any executive
position and do not beneficially own greater than 10% of the
outstanding common stock will receive the following
compensation: an annual retainer of $10,000, plus an additional
retainer of $5,000, if serving as Chairman of the Audit
Committee.
All directors are reimbursed reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in attending meetings of our Board of Directors or any
committee of our Board of Directors.
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Executive Compensation and Employment Agreements |
We were formed in 2005 and therefore no compensation was paid in
2004. We expect to pay Eurobulk for the provision of the
services of our executives, Mr. Aristides J. Pittas,
Mr. Anastasios Aslidis and Mrs. Stephania Karmiri, an
aggregate of $500,000 per year (before bonuses), commencing
July 2005.
We were formed in 2005 and therefore no options were granted
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. There are
currently no options outstanding to acquire any of our shares.
We do not currently have any option plans. However, we expects
to adopt an equity incentive plan which will entitle our
officers, key employees and directors to receive options to
acquire shares of our common stock, restricted shares and stock
appreciation rights.
Our Companys corporate governance practices are in
compliance with, and are not prohibited by, the laws of the
Republic of the Marshall Islands. Therefore, we are exempt from
many of Nasdaqs corporate governance practices other than
the requirements regarding the disclosure of a going concern
audit opinion, submission of a listing agreement, notification
of material non-compliance with Nasdaq corporate governance
practices, and the establishment and composition of an audit
committee and a formal written audit committee charter. The
practices followed by us in lieu of Nasdaqs corporate
governance rules are described below.
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Following the closing of this offering, we will have a board of
directors with a majority of independent directors which holds
at least one annual meeting at which only independent directors
are present, consistent with Nasdaq corporate governance
requirements. We are not required under Marshall Islands
law to maintain a board of directors with a majority of
independent directors, and we cannot guarantee that we will
always in the future maintain a board of directors with a
majority of independent directors. |
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In lieu of a compensation committee comprised of independent
directors, our board of directors will be responsible for
establishing the executive officers compensation and
benefits. Under Marshall Islands law, compensation of the
executive officers is not required to be determined by an
independent committee. |
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In lieu of a nomination committee comprised of independent
directors, our board of directors will be responsible for
identifying and recommending potential candidates to become
board members and recommending directors for appointment to
board committees. Shareholders may also identify and recommend
potential candidates to become candidates to become board
members in writing. No formal written charter has been prepared
or adopted because this process is outlined in our bylaws. |
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In lieu of obtaining an independent review of related party
transactions for conflicts of interests, consistent with
Marshall Islands law requirements, a related party transaction
will be permitted if: (i) the material facts as to his or
her relationship or interest and as to the contract or
transaction are disclosed or are known to the Board and the
Board in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by
the affirmative votes of a majority of the disinterested
directors, or, if the votes of the disinterested directors are
insufficient to constitute an act of the Board as defined in
Section 55 of the Marshall Islands Business
Corporations Act, by unanimous vote of the disinterested
directors; or (ii) the material facts as to his
relationship or interest are disclosed and the shareholders are
entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is
specifically approved in good faith by a simple majority vote of
the shareholders; or (iii) the contract or transaction is
fair as to the Company as of the time it is authorized, approved
or ratified, by the Board, a committee thereof or the
shareholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in
determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board
or of a committee which authorizes the contract or transaction. |
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As a foreign private issuer, we are not required to solicit
proxies or provide proxy statements to Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq
corporate governance rules or Marshall Islands law. Consistent
with Marshall Islands law, we will notify our shareholders
of meetings between 15 and 60 days before the meeting. This
notification will contain, among other things, information
regarding business to be transacted at the meeting. In addition,
our bylaws provide that shareholders must give us advance notice
to properly introduce any business at a meeting of the
shareholders. Our bylaws also provide that shareholders may
designate in writing a proxy to act on their behalf. |
|
|
|
In lieu of holding regular meetings at which only independent
directors are present, our entire board of directors, a majority
of whom are independent, will hold regular meetings as is
consistent with the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. |
Other than as noted above, we are in full compliance with all
other applicable Nasdaq corporate governance standards.
55
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the
beneficial ownership of our common stock before and after giving
effect to the Merger and the Private Placement by each person or
entity known by it to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of
the outstanding shares of our common stock, each of our
directors and executive officers, and all of our directors and
executive officers as a group.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pre-Merger and | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Private Placement | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Euroseas Amount | |
|
Pre-Merger and | |
|
Post-Merger and | |
|
|
|
|
of Shares | |
|
Private Placement | |
|
Private Placement | |
|
|
Name and Address of |
|
Beneficially | |
|
Euroseas Percent | |
|
Euroseas Percent | |
Title of Class |
|
Beneficial Owner(1) |
|
Owned | |
|
of Class | |
|
of Class | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Common Stock
|
|
Friends Investment Company
Inc.(2) |
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
|
78.59 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
Aristides J.
Pittas(3) |
|
|
714,100 |
|
|
|
2.4 |
% |
|
|
1.89 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
George
Skarvelis(4) |
|
|
1,576,971 |
|
|
|
5.3 |
% |
|
|
4.16 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
George
Taniskidis(5) |
|
|
29,754 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Common Stock
|
|
Gerald
Turner(6) |
|
|
422,509 |
|
|
|
1.42 |
% |
|
|
1.11 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos
(7) |
|
|
178,525 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Common Stock
|
|
Aristides P.
Pittas(8) |
|
|
2,439,842 |
|
|
|
8.2 |
% |
|
|
6.44 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
Anastasios Aslidis |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
0 |
% |
Common Stock
|
|
Stephania
Karmiri(9) |
|
|
5,951 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Common Stock
|
|
All directors and officers and 5% owners as a group |
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
|
78.59 |
% |
|
|
|
|
* |
Indicates less than 1.0%. |
|
|
(1) |
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the
Rule 13d-3(a) of
the Exchange Act and generally includes voting or investment
power with respect to securities. Except as subject to community
property laws, where applicable, the person named above has sole
voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common
stock shown as beneficially owned by him/her. |
|
(2) |
John Pittas has investment power and voting control over these
securities. |
|
(3) |
Includes 714,100 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Pittas ownership interest
in Friends. Mr. Pittas disclaims beneficial ownership except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(4) |
Includes 1,576,971 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Skarvelis ownership
interest in Friends. Mr. Skarvelis disclaims beneficial
ownership except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(5) |
Includes 29,754 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Taniskidis ownership in Friends.
Mr. Taniskidis disclaims beneficial ownership except to the
extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(6) |
Includes 422,509 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Turners ownership interest
in Friends. Mr. Turner disclaims beneficial ownership except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(7) |
Includes 178,525 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Kyriakopoulos ownership in
Friends. Mr. Kyriakopoulos disclaims beneficial ownership
except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(8) |
Includes 2,439,842 shares of common stock held of record by
Friends, by virtue of Mr. Pittas ownership interest
in Friends. Mr. Pittas disclaims beneficial ownership except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
|
(9) |
Includes 5,951 shares of common stock held of records by
Friends, by virtue of Mrs. Karmiris ownership in Friends.
Mrs. Karmiri disclaims beneficial ownership except to the extent
of her pecuniary interest. |
56
CERTAIN RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Each of our vessel owning subsidiaries has entered into a
management contract with Eurobulk, an affiliated company.
Pursuant to the management contracts, Eurobulk is responsible
for all aspects of management and maintenance for each of the
vessels. Pursuant to the management agreements, we are obligated
to pay Eurobulk 590 Euros per vessel per day to provide all ship
operations management and oversight, including supervising the
crewing, supplying, maintaining and drydocking of vessels,
commercial management regarding identifying suitable vessel
charter opportunities and certain accounting services. These
agreements were renewed on January 31, 2005 with an initial
term of 5 years and will automatically be extended after
the initial period. Termination is not effective until
2 months following notice having been delivered in writing
by either party after the initial
5-year period.
We receive chartering and S&P services from Eurochart SA, an
affiliate, and pay a commission of 1 1.25% on
charter revenue and 1% on vessel sales price. We will pay
commissions to major charterers and their brokers as well that
usually range from 3.75% 5.00%.
More Maritime Agencies Inc. are crewing agents and Sentinel
Marine Services Inc. are insurance brokering companies and
affiliates to whom we will pay a fee of $50 per crew
member/month and a commission on premium not exceeding 5%,
respectively.
We believe that the fees we pay to affiliated entities are no
greater than what we would pay to non-affiliated third parties
and are standard industry practice. However, there could be
conflicts due to these affiliations.
Aristides J. Pittas, Euroseas President, CEO and Chairman,
has provided personal guarantees for all of Euroseas
debts. Eurobulk has provided corporate guarantees for such debts.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with
Friends, our largest shareholder, pursuant to which we granted
Friends the right, under certain circumstances and subject to
certain restrictions, including restrictions included in the
lock-up agreement to
which Friends is a party, to require us to register under the
Securities Act shares of our common stock held by Friends. Under
the registration rights agreement, Friends has the right to
request us to register the sale of shares held by it on its
behalf and may require us to make available shelf registration
statements permitting sales of shares into the market from time
to time over an extended period. In addition, Friends has the
ability to exercise certain piggyback registration rights in
connection with registered offerings initiated by us.
DESCRIPTION OF EUROSEAS SECURITIES
We are a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of
the Marshall Islands and are subject to the provisions of
Marshall Islands law. Given below is a summary of the material
features of our shares. This summary is not a complete
discussion of the charter documents and other instruments of
Euroseas that create the rights of our shareholders. You are
urged to read carefully those documents and instruments. Please
see Where You Can Find Additional Information for
information on how to obtain copies of those documents and
instruments.
Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares
of common stock, par value, $.01 per share, of which
36,781,159 shares are currently issued and outstanding and
20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value,
$.01 per share, none of which are outstanding. All of our
shares of stock are in registered form.
Common Stock
As of the date of this prospectus, we are authorized to issue up
to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$.01 per share, of which 36,781,159 shares are
currently issued and outstanding. Upon consummation of the
Merger, we will have outstanding anywhere from 36,781,159 to
37,860,326 shares of common stock, depending on whether any
Cove stockholders exercise their dissenters rights. In the
event the Merger does not occur or any Cove stockholders dissent
from the Merger, Friends is entitled to receive for no
additional consideration 1,079,167 shares of common stock
(or such lesser amount with respect to those shares of
dissenting stockholders) that would have otherwise been issued
in connection with the Merger. In addition, we
57
will have 1,756,743 shares of common stock reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of warrants issued in the Private
Placement. Each outstanding share of common stock will be
entitled to one vote, either in person or by proxy, on all
matters that may be voted upon by their holders at meetings of
the shareholders. Holders of our common stock (i) have
equal ratable rights to dividends from funds legally available
therefore, if declared by the Board of Directors; (ii) are
entitled to share ratably in all of our assets available for
distribution upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up; and
(iii) do not have preemptive, subscription or conversion
rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions. All issued
shares of our common stock when issued will be fully paid for
and non-assessable.
Preferred Stock
As of the date of this prospectus, we are is authorized to issue
up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value
$0.01 per share, of which no shares are currently issued
and outstanding. The preferred stock may be issued in one or
more series and our Board of Directors, without further approval
from our shareholders, is authorized to fix the dividend rights
and terms, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights,
liquidation preferences and other rights and restrictions
relating to any series. Issuances of preferred stock, while
providing flexibility in connection with possible financings,
acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other
things, adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our
common stock.
Warrants
On August 25, 2005, we issued warrants to a number of
institutional and accredited investors to purchase
1,756,743 shares of common stock as part of a Private
Placement in which we raised approximately $21 million in
gross proceeds. The warrants have a five year term and an
exercise price of $3.60 per share. The warrants provide for
adjustment to the exercise price and the number of shares
issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the event we (a) pay a
stock dividend or otherwise make a distribution or distributions
on shares of our common stock or any other equity or equity
equivalent securities payable in shares of common stock,
(b) subdivide outstanding shares of common stock into a
larger number of shares, (c) combine (including by way of
reverse stock split) outstanding shares of common stock into a
smaller number of shares, or (d) issue by reclassification of
shares of the common stock any shares of our capital stock. The
warrants (i) are exercisable apart from the shares of
common stock sold in the Private Placement (they are legally
detachable), and (ii) may be exercised through a cashless
exercise mechanism after one year from the issuance date only if
the common shares trade publicly.
|
|
|
Certain Provisions of Our Articles of Incorporation and
Bylaws |
Certain provisions of Marshall Islands law and our articles of
incorporation and bylaws could make more difficult the
acquisition of it by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest,
or otherwise, and the removal of incumbent officers and
directors. These provisions are expected to discourage certain
types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover
bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of our
Company.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:
|
|
|
|
|
allow the Board of Directors to issue, without further action by
the shareholders, up to 20,000,000 shares of undesignated
preferred stock; |
|
|
|
require that special meetings of our shareholders be called only
by the Board of Directors or the Chairman of the Board; and |
|
|
|
establish an advance notice procedure for shareholder proposals
to be brought before an annual meeting of shareholders. |
Our articles of incorporation also prohibit it from engaging in
any business combination with any interested
shareholder for a period of three years following the date the
shareholder became an interested shareholder, unless:
|
|
|
|
|
prior to such time, the Board of Directors approved either the
Business Combination or the transaction which resulted in the
shareholder becoming an Interested Shareholder; or |
58
|
|
|
|
|
upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the
shareholder becoming an Interested Shareholder, the Interested
Shareholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of Euroseas
outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for
purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding those
shares owned (i) by persons who are directors and also
officers and (ii) employee stock plans in which employee
participants do not have the right to determine confidentially
whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a
tender or exchange offer; or |
|
|
|
at or subsequent to such time, the Business Combination is
approved by the Board of Directors and authorized at an annual
or special meeting of shareholders, and not by written consent,
by the affirmative vote of at least 51% of the outstanding
voting stock that is not owned by the interested
shareholder; or |
|
|
|
the shareholder became an Interested Shareholder prior to the
consummation of the initial public offering of Euroseas
common stock under the Securities Act. |
These restrictions shall not apply if:
|
|
|
|
|
A shareholder becomes an Interested Shareholder inadvertently
and (i) as soon as practicable divests itself of ownership
of sufficient shares so that the shareholder ceases to be an
Interested Shareholder; and (ii) would not, at any time
within the three-year period immediately prior to a Business
Combination between Euroseas and such shareholder, have been an
Interested Shareholder but for the inadvertent acquisition of
ownership; or |
|
|
|
The Business Combination is proposed prior to the consummation
or abandonment of and subsequent to the earlier of the public
announcement or the notice required hereunder of a proposed
transaction which (i) constitutes one of the transactions
described in the following sentence; (ii) is with or by a
person who either was not an Interested Shareholder during the
previous three years or who became an Interested Shareholder
with the approval of the Board; and (iii) is approved or
not opposed by a majority of the members of the Board then in
office (but not less than one) who were Directors prior to any
person becoming an Interested Shareholder during the previous
three years or were recommended for election or elected to
succeed such Directors by a majority of such Directors. The
proposed transactions referred to in the preceding sentence are
limited to: |
|
|
|
(a) a merger or consolidation of Euroseas (except for a
merger in respect of which, pursuant to the BCA, no vote of the
shareholders of Euroseas is required); |
|
|
(b) a sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or
other disposition (in one transaction or a series of
transactions), whether as part of a dissolution or otherwise, of
assets of Euroseas or of any direct or indirect majority-owned
subsidiary of Euroseas (other than to any direct or indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary or to Euroseas) having an aggregate
market value equal to 50% or more of either that aggregate
market value of all of the assets of Euroseas determined on a
consolidated basis or the aggregate market value of all the
outstanding shares; or |
|
|
(c) a proposed tender or exchange offer for 50% or more of
the outstanding voting shares of Euroseas. |
Our articles of incorporation defines a business
combination to include:
|
|
|
|
|
Any merger or consolidation of Euroseas or any direct or
indirect majority-owned subsidiary of Euroseas with (i) the
Interested Shareholder or any of its affiliates, or
(ii) with any other corporation, partnership,
unincorporated association or other entity if the merger or
consolidation is caused by the Interested Shareholder; |
|
|
|
Any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other
disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions),
except proportionately as a shareholder of Euroseas, to or with
the Interested Shareholder, whether as part of a dissolution or
otherwise, of assets of Euroseas or of any direct or indirect
majority-owned subsidiary of Euroseas which assets have an
aggregate market value equal to |
59
|
|
|
|
|
10% or more of either the aggregate market value of all the
assets of Euroseas determined on a consolidated basis or the
aggregate market value of all the outstanding shares; |
|
|
|
Any transaction which results in the issuance or transfer by
Euroseas or by any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary
of Euroseas of any shares, or any share of such subsidiary, to
the Interested Shareholder, except: (i) pursuant to the
exercise, exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for,
exchangeable for or convertible into shares, or shares of any
such subsidiary, which securities were outstanding prior to the
time that the Interested Shareholder became such;
(ii) pursuant to a merger with a direct or indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of Euroseas solely for purposes of
forming a holding company; (iii) pursuant to a dividend or
distribution paid or made, or the exercise, exchange or
conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or
convertible into shares, or shares of any such subsidiary, which
security is distributed, pro rata to all holders of a class or
series of shares subsequent to the time the Interested
Shareholder became such; (iv) pursuant to an exchange offer
by Euroseas to purchase shares made on the same terms to all
holders of said shares; or (v) any issuance or transfer of
shares by Euroseas; provided however, that in no case under
items (iii)-(v) of this subparagraph shall there be an increase
in the Interested Shareholders proportionate share of the
any class or series of shares; |
|
|
|
Any transaction involving Euroseas or any direct or indirect
majority-owned subsidiary of Euroseas which has the effect,
directly or indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of
any class or series of shares, or securities convertible into
any class or series of shares, or shares of any such subsidiary,
or securities convertible into such shares, which is owned by
the Interested Shareholder, except as a result of immaterial
changes due to fractional share adjustments or as a result of
any purchase or redemption of any shares not caused, directly or
indirectly, by the Interested Shareholder; or |
|
|
|
Any receipt by the Interested Shareholder of the benefit,
directly or indirectly (except proportionately as a shareholder
of Euroseas), of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or
other financial benefits (other than those expressly permitted
above) provided by or through Euroseas or any direct or indirect
majority-owned subsidiary. |
Our articles of incorporation defines an interested
shareholder as any person (other than Euroseas and any
direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of Euroseas) that:
|
|
|
|
|
is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting shares of
Euroseas; or |
|
|
|
is an affiliate or associate of Euroseas and was the owner of
15% or more of the outstanding voting shares of Euroseas at any
time within the three-year period immediately prior to the date
on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an
Interested Shareholder; and the affiliates and associates of
such person; provided, however, that the term Interested
Shareholder shall not include any person whose ownership
of shares in excess of the 15% limitation set forth herein is
the result of action taken solely by Euroseas; provided that
such person shall be an Interested Shareholder if thereafter
such person acquires additional shares of voting shares of
Euroseas, except as a result of further Company action not
caused, directly or indirectly, by such person. |
CERTAIN MARSHALL ISLANDS COMPANY CONSIDERATIONS
Our corporate affairs are governed by our articles of
incorporation and bylaws and by the BCA. The provisions of the
BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of
states in the United States. For example, the BCA allows the
adoption of various anti-takeover measures such as shareholder
rights plans. While the BCA also provides that it is
to be in interpreted according to the laws of the State of
Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative
provisions, there have been few, if any, court cases
interpreting the BCA in the Marshall Islands and we can not
predict whether Marshall Islands courts would reach the same
conclusions as U.S. courts. Thus, you may have more
difficulty in protecting your interests in the face of actions
by the management, directors or controlling stockholders than
would stockholders of a corporation incorporated in a United
States jurisdiction which has developed a substantial
60
body of case law. The following table provides a comparison
between the statutory provisions of the BCA and the RRS relating
to stockholders rights.
|
|
|
|
Marshall Islands |
|
Delaware |
|
|
|
Shareholder Meetings |
Held at a time and place as designated in the bylaws
|
|
May be held in the manner provided in the bylaws.
The articles of incorporation may designate any place for such
meetings and, in the absence of such designation, as directed by
the bylaws. |
May be held within or outside the Marshall Islands
|
|
May be held within or outside Delaware |
Notice:
|
|
Notice: |
|
Whenever shareholders are required to take action at
a meeting, written notice shall state the place, date and hour
of the meeting and indicate that it is being issued by or at the
direction of the person calling the meeting
|
|
Whenever stockholders are required or
permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of
the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, if any,
date and hour of the meeting, and the means of electronic
communication, if any by which stockholders and proxies may be
deemed to be present and vote at such meeting |
|
A copy of the notice of any meeting shall be given
personally or sent by mail not less than 15 nor more than 60
days before the meeting
|
|
Written notice shall be given not less
than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting |
Shareholders Voting Rights |
Any action required to be taken by meeting of
shareholders may be taken without meeting if consent is in
writing and is signed by all the shareholders entitled to vote
|
|
Stockholders may act by majority written consent
with respect to any action required or permitted to be taken at
a meeting of stockholders |
Any person authorized to vote may authorize another
person to act for him by proxy
|
|
Any person authorized to vote may authorize another
person or persons to act for him by proxy |
Unless otherwise provided in the articles of
incorporation, a majority of shares entitled to vote constitutes
a quorum. In no event shall a quorum consist of fewer than one
third of the shares entitled to vote at a meeting
|
|
|
The Articles of Incorporation may provide for
cumulative voting
|
|
The voting power present in person or by the proxy
at the meeting shall constitute a quorum |
|
|
The articles of incorporation may provide for
cumulative voting |
Directors |
Board must consist of at least one member
|
|
Board must consist of at least one member |
Number of members can be changed by an amendment to
the bylaws, by the shareholders, or by action of the board
|
|
A corporation may provide in its articles of
incorporation or in its bylaws for a fixed or variable number of
directors and for the manner in which the number may be
increased or decreased |
If the board is authorized to change the number of
directors, it can only do so by an absolute majority (majority
of the entire board)
|
|
|
61
|
|
|
|
Marshall Islands |
|
Delaware |
|
|
|
Dissenters Rights of Appraisal |
Shareholders have a right to dissent from a
merger or sale of all or substantially all assets not made in
the usual course of business, and receive payment of the fair
value of their shares
|
|
Appraisal rights shall be available for the shares
of any class or series of stock of a corporation in a merger or
consolidation |
A holder of any adversely affected shares who does
not vote on or consent in writing to an amendment to the
articles of incorporation has the right to dissent and to
receive payment for such shares if the amendment:
|
|
|
|
Alters or abolishes any preferential right of any
outstanding shares having preference; or
|
|
|
|
Creates, alters, or abolishes any provision or right
in respect to the redemption of any outstanding shares; or
|
|
|
|
Alters or abolishes any preemptive right of such
holder to acquire shares or other securities; or
|
|
|
|
Excludes or limits the right of such holder to vote
on any matter, except as such right may be limited by the voting
rights given to new shares then being authorized of any existing
or new class
|
|
|
Shareholders Derivative Actions |
An action may be brought in the right of a
corporation to procure a judgement in its favor, by a holder of
shares or of voting trust certificates or of a beneficial
interest in such shares or certificates. It shall be made to
appear that the plaintiff is such a holder at the time of
bringing the action and that he was such a holder at the time of
the transaction of which he complains, or that his shares or his
interest therein devolved upon him by operation of law
|
|
In any derivative suit instituted by a stockholder
of a corporation, it shall be averred in the complaint that the
plaintiff was a stockholder of the corporation at the time of
the transaction of which he complains or that such
stockholders stock thereafter devolved upon such
stockholder by operation of law |
Complaint shall set forth with particularity the
efforts of the plaintiff to secure the initiation of such action
by the board or the reasons for not making such effort
|
|
|
Such action shall not be discontinued, compromised
or settled, without the approval of the High Court of the
Republic
|
|
|
Attorneys fees may be awarded if the action is
successful
|
|
|
Corporation may require a plaintiff bringing a
derivative suit to give security for reasonable expenses if the
plaintiff owns less than 5% of any class of stock and the shares
have a value of less than $50,000
|
|
|
62
TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of the material Marshall Islands
and United States federal income tax considerations relevant to
an investment decision by a U.S. Holder, as defined below,
with respect to the common stock. This discussion does not
purport to deal with the tax consequences of owning common stock
to all categories of investors, some of which, such as dealers
in securities, investors whose functional currency is not the
United States dollar and investors that own, actually or under
applicable constructive ownership rules, 10% or more of our
common stock, may be subject to special rules. This discussion
deals only with holders who purchase common stock in connection
with this offering and hold the common stock as a capital asset.
You are encouraged to consult your own tax advisors concerning
the overall tax consequences arising in your own particular
situation under United States federal, state, local or foreign
law of the ownership of common stock.
Marshall Islands Tax Considerations
In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, the following
are the material Marshall Islands tax consequences of our
activities to us and stockholders of our common stock. We are
incorporated in the Marshall Islands. Under current Marshall
Islands law, we are not subject to tax on income or capital
gains, and no Marshall Islands withholding tax will be imposed
upon payments of dividends by us to our stockholders.
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, our United
States counsel, the following are the material United States
federal income tax consequences to us of our activities and to
U.S. Holders, as defined below, of our common stock. The
following discussion of United States federal income tax matters
is based on the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or
the Code, judicial decisions, administrative pronouncements, and
existing and proposed regulations issued by the United States
Department of the Treasury, all of which are subject to change,
possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion is based in
part upon Treasury Regulations promulgated under
Section 883 of the Code in August of 2003, which became
effective on January 1, 2005 for calendar year taxpayers
such as ourselves and our subsidiaries. The discussion below is
based, in part, on the description of our business as described
in Business above and assumes that we conduct our
business as described in that section. References in the
following discussion to we and us are to
Euroseas Ltd. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.
United States Federal Income Taxation of Our Company
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Taxation of Operating Income: In General |
Unless exempt from United States federal income taxation under
the rules discussed below, a foreign corporation is subject to
United States federal income taxation in respect of any income
that is derived from the use of vessels, from the hiring or
leasing of vessels for use on a time, voyage or bareboat charter
basis, from the participation in a pool, partnership, strategic
alliance, joint operating agreement, code sharing arrangements
or other joint venture it directly or indirectly owns or
participates in that generates such income, or from the
performance of services directly related to those uses, which we
refer to as shipping income, to the extent that the
shipping income is derived from sources within the United
States. For these purposes, 50% of shipping income that is
attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that
does not both begin and end, in the United States constitutes
income from sources within the United States, which we refer to
as U.S.-source
shipping income.
Shipping income attributable to transportation that both begins
and ends in the United States is considered to be 100% from
sources within the United States. We do not expect to engage in
transportation that produces income which is considered to be
100% from sources within the United States.
Shipping income attributable to transportation exclusively
between
non-U.S. ports
will be considered to be 100% derived from sources outside the
United States. Shipping income derived from sources outside the
United States will not be subject to any United States federal
income tax.
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In the absence of exemption from tax under Section 883, our
gross U.S.-source
shipping income would be subject to a 4% tax imposed without
allowance for deductions as described below.
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Exemption of Operating Income from United States Federal
Income Taxation |
Under Section 883 of the Code, we will be exempt from
United States federal income taxation on our
U.S.-source shipping
income if:
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we are organized in a foreign country (our country of
organization) that grants an equivalent
exemption to corporations organized in the United
States; and |
either
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more than 50% of the value of our stock is owned, directly or
indirectly, by qualified stockholders, individuals
who are residents of our country of organization or
of another foreign country that grants an equivalent
exemption to corporations organized in the United States,
which we refer to as the 50% Ownership Test, or |
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our stock is primarily and regularly traded on an
established securities market in our country of
organization, in another country that grants an equivalent
exemption to United States corporations, or in the United
States, which we refer to as the Publicly-Traded
Test. |
The Marshall Islands, the jurisdiction where we and our
ship-owning subsidiaries are incorporated, grants an
equivalent exemption to United States corporations.
Therefore, we will be exempt from United States federal income
taxation with respect to our
U.S.-source shipping
income if we satisfy either the 50% Ownership Test or the
Publicly-Traded Test.
Both before and after this offering, we believe that we will
satisfy the 50% Ownership Test, provided that we can establish
that more than 50% of the value of our stock is owned, directly
or indirectly, by qualified stockholders. In order to establish
this, sufficient qualified stockholders would have to comply
with certain documentation and certification requirements
designed to substantiate their identity as qualified
stockholders.
There can be no assurance that we will be able satisfy the 50%
Ownership Test in the future. For example, we may be unable to
satisfy the 50% Ownership Test if (i) the status of our
stockholders as qualified stockholders changes, (ii) the
direct or indirect beneficial ownership of the shares held by
our current shareholders changes, or (iii) sufficient
qualified stockholders fail to satisfy the applicable
documentation requirements.
We do not believe that we will be able to satisfy the
Publicly-Traded Test for so long as our stock is traded on the
OTC Bulletin Board.
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Taxation In Absence of Exemption |
To the extent the benefits of Section 883 are unavailable,
our U.S. source shipping income, to the extent not
considered to be effectively connected with the
conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described below,
would be subject to a 4% tax imposed by Section 887 of the
Code on a gross basis, without the benefit of deductions. Since
under the sourcing rules described above, no more than 50% of
our shipping income would be treated as being derived from
U.S. sources, the maximum effective rate of
U.S. federal income tax on our shipping income would never
exceed 2% under the 4% gross basis tax regime.
To the extent the benefits of the Section 883 exemption are
unavailable and our
U.S.-source shipping
income is considered to be effectively connected
with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described
below, any such effectively connected
U.S.-source shipping
income, net of applicable deductions, would be subject to the
U.S. federal corporate income tax currently imposed at
rates of up to 35%. In addition, we may be subject to the 30%
branch profits taxes on earnings effectively
connected with the conduct of such trade or business, as
determined after allowance for certain adjustments, and on
certain interest paid or deemed paid attributable to the conduct
of its U.S. trade or business.
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Our U.S.-source
shipping income would be considered effectively
connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or
business only if:
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We have, or are considered to have, a fixed place of business in
the United States involved in the earning of shipping
income; and |
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substantially all of our
U.S.-source shipping
income is attributable to regularly scheduled transportation,
such as the operation of a vessel that follows a published
schedule with repeated sailings at regular intervals between the
same points for voyages that begin or end in the United States. |
We do not intend to have, or permit circumstances that would
result in having any vessel operating to the United States on a
regularly scheduled basis. Based on the foregoing and on the
expected mode of our shipping operations and other activities,
we believe that none of our
U.S.-source shipping
income will be effectively connected with the
conduct of a U.S. trade or business.
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United States Taxation of Gain on Sale of Vessels |
Regardless of whether we qualify for exemption under
Section 883, we will not be subject to United States
federal income taxation with respect to gain realized on a sale
of a vessel, provided the sale is considered to occur outside of
the United States under United States federal income tax
principles. In general, a sale of a vessel will be considered to
occur outside of the United States for this purpose if title to
the vessel, and risk of loss with respect to the vessel, pass to
the buyer outside of the United States. It is expected that any
sale of a vessel by us will be considered to occur outside of
the United States.
United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders
As used herein, the term U.S. Holder means a
beneficial owner of common stock that is a United States citizen
or resident, United States corporation or other United States
entity taxable as a corporation, an estate the income of which
is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless
of its source, or a trust if a court within the United States is
able to exercise primary jurisdiction over the administration of
the trust and one or more United States persons have the
authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
If a partnership holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a
partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and
upon the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in
a partnership holding our common stock, you are encouraged to
consult your tax advisor.
Subject to the discussion of passive foreign investment
companies below, any distributions made by us with respect to
our common stock to a U.S. Holder will generally constitute
dividends, which may be taxable as ordinary income or
qualified dividend income as described in more
detail below, to the extent of our current or accumulated
earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal
income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our earnings
and profits will be treated first as a nontaxable return of
capital to the extent of the U.S. Holders tax basis
in his common stock on a
dollar-for-dollar basis
and thereafter as capital gain. Because we are not a United
States corporation, U.S. Holders that are corporations will
not be entitled to claim a dividends received deduction with
respect to any distributions they receive from us. Dividends
paid with respect to our common stock will generally be treated
as passive income (or passive category
income for taxable years beginning after December 31,
2006) or, in the case of certain types of U.S. Holders,
financial services income, (which will be treated as
general category income income for taxable years
beginning after December 31, 2006) for purposes of
computing allowable foreign tax credits for United States
foreign tax credit purposes.
We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq National
Market. We cannot assure you that such listing will be obtained.
If such listing is not obtained we will seek to list our common
stock on the OTC Bulletin Board or another exchange. Unless
and until our common stock is readily tradable on the Nasdaq
National Market or another established securities market in the
United States, dividends paid on our common stock will be
taxable as ordinary income to a U.S. Holder. The OTC
Bulletin Board is not an
65
established securities market for this purpose. If our common
stock comes to be listed on the Nasdaq National Market or
another established securities market in the United States,
dividends paid on our common stock to a U.S. Holder who is
an individual, trust or estate (a U.S. Individual
Holder) will generally be treated as qualified
dividend income that is taxable to such
U.S. Individual Holders at preferential tax rates (through
2008) provided that (1) we are not a passive foreign
investment company for the taxable year during which the
dividend is paid or the immediately preceding taxable year
(which we do not believe we are, have been or will be) and
(2) the U.S. Individual Holder has owned the common
stock for more than 60 days in the
121-day period
beginning 60 days before the date on which the common stock
becomes ex-dividend. There is no assurance that any dividends
paid on our common stock will be eligible for these preferential
rates in the hands of a U.S. Individual Holder. Legislation
has been recently introduced in the U.S. Senate which, if
enacted in its present form, would preclude our dividends from
qualifying for such preferential rates prospectively from the
date of the enactment. Any dividends paid by the Company which
are not eligible for these preferential rates will be taxed as
ordinary income to a U.S. Individual Holder.
Special rules may apply to any extraordinary
dividend generally, a dividend in an amount which is equal
to or in excess of ten percent of a stockholders adjusted
basis (or fair market value in certain circumstances) in a share
of common stock paid by us. If we pay an extraordinary
dividend on our common stock that is treated as
qualified dividend income, then any loss derived by
a U.S. Individual Holder from the sale or exchange of such
common stock will be treated as long-term capital loss to the
extent of such dividend.
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Sale, Exchange or other Disposition of Common Stock |
Assuming we do not constitute a passive foreign investment
company for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder generally will
recognize taxable gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other
disposition of our common stock in an amount equal to the
difference between the amount realized by the U.S. Holder
from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the
U.S. Holders tax basis in such stock. Such gain or
loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the
U.S. Holders holding period is greater than one year
at the time of the sale, exchange or other disposition. Such
capital gain or loss will generally be treated as
U.S.-source income or
loss, as applicable, for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes.
A U.S. Holders ability to deduct capital losses is
subject to certain limitations.
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Passive Foreign Investment Company Status and Significant
Tax Consequences |
Special United States federal income tax rules apply to a
U.S. Holder that holds stock in a foreign corporation
classified as a passive foreign investment company for United
States federal income tax purposes. In general, we will be
treated as a passive foreign investment company with respect to
a U.S. Holder if, for any taxable year in which such holder
held our common stock, either:
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at least 75% of our gross income for such taxable year consists
of passive income (e.g., dividends, interest, capital gains and
rents derived other than in the active conduct of a rental
business); or |
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at least 50% of the average value of the assets held by the
corporation during such taxable year produce, or are held for
the production of, passive income. |
For purposes of determining whether we are a passive foreign
investment company, we will be treated as earning and owning our
proportionate share of the income and assets, respectively, of
any of our subsidiary corporations in which we own at least
25 percent of the value of the subsidiarys stock.
Income earned, or deemed earned, by us in connection with the
performance of services would not constitute passive income. By
contrast, rental income would generally constitute passive
income unless we were treated under specific rules as
deriving our rental income in the active conduct of a trade or
business.
Based on our current operations and future projections, we do
not believe that we are, nor do we expect to become, a passive
foreign investment company with respect to any taxable year.
Although there is no legal authority directly on point, and we
are not relying upon an opinion of counsel on this issue, our
belief is based principally on the position that, for purposes
of determining whether we are a passive foreign investment
66
company, the gross income we derive or are deemed to derive from
the time chartering and voyage chartering activities of our
wholly-owned subsidiaries should constitute services income,
rather than rental income. Correspondingly, such income should
not constitute passive income, and the assets that we or our
wholly-owned subsidiaries own and operate in connection with the
production of such income, in particular, the vessels, should
not constitute passive assets for purposes of determining
whether we are a passive foreign investment company. We believe
there is substantial legal authority supporting our position
consisting of case law and Internal Revenue Service
pronouncements concerning the characterization of income derived
from time charters and voyage charters as services income for
other tax purposes. However, in the absence of any legal
authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions
governing passive foreign investment companies, the Internal
Revenue Service or a court could disagree with our position. In
addition, although we intend to conduct our affairs in a manner
to avoid being classified as a passive foreign investment
company with respect to any taxable year, we cannot assure you
that the nature of our operations will not change in the future.
As discussed more fully below, if we were to be treated as a
passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a
U.S. Holder would be subject to different taxation rules
depending on whether the U.S. Holder makes an election to
treat us as a Qualified Electing Fund, which
election we refer to as a QEF election. As an
alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder should
be able to make a
mark-to-market
election with respect to our common stock, as discussed below.
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Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a Timely QEF
Election |
If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election, which
U.S. Holder we refer to as an Electing Holder,
the Electing Holder must report each year for United States
federal income tax purposes his pro rata share of our ordinary
earnings and our net capital gain, if any, for our taxable year
that ends with or within the taxable year of the Electing
Holder, regardless of whether or not distributions were received
from us by the Electing Holder. The Electing Holders
adjusted tax basis in the common stock will be increased to
reflect taxed but undistributed earnings and profits.
Distributions of earnings and profits that had been previously
taxed will result in a corresponding reduction in the adjusted
tax basis in the common stock and will not be taxed again once
distributed. An Electing Holder would generally recognize
capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition
of our common stock. A U.S. Holder would make a QEF
election with respect to any year that our company is a passive
foreign investment company by filing IRS Form 8621 with his
United States federal income tax return. If we were aware that
we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company
for any taxable year, we would provide each U.S. Holder
with all necessary information in order to make the QEF election
described above.
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Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a
Mark-to-Market
Election |
Alternatively, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign
investment company for any taxable year and our stock is treated
as marketable stock, a U.S. Holder would be
allowed to make a
mark-to-market
election with respect to our common stock, provided the
U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in
accordance with the relevant instructions and related Treasury
Regulations. For so long as our stock is traded on the OTC
Bulletin Board, our stock will not be treated as
marketable stock for this purpose. If our stock
comes to be listed on the Nasdaq National Market, then our stock
will be treated as marketable stock for this
purpose. If that election is made, the U.S. Holder
generally would include as ordinary income in each taxable year
the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the common stock
at the end of the taxable year over such holders adjusted
tax basis in the common stock. The U.S. Holder would also
be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any,
of the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in the common
stock over its fair market value at the end of the taxable year,
but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in
income as a result of the
mark-to-market
election. A U.S. Holders tax basis in his common
stock would be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss
amount. Gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition
of our common stock would be treated as ordinary income, and any
loss realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the
common stock would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent
that such loss does not exceed the net
mark-to-market gains
previously included by the U.S. Holder.
67
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Taxation of U.S. Holders Not Making a Timely QEF or
Mark-to-Market
Election |
Finally, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign
investment company for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder who
does not make either a QEF election or a
mark-to-market
election for that year, whom we refer to as a Non-Electing
Holder, would be subject to special rules with respect to
(1) any excess distribution (i.e., the portion of any
distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder on our common
stock in a taxable year in excess of 125 percent of the
average annual distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder
in the three preceding taxable years, or, if shorter, the
Non-Electing Holders holding period for the common stock),
and (2) any gain realized on the sale, exchange or other
disposition of our common stock. Under these special rules:
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the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over
the Non-Electing Holders aggregate holding period for the
common stock; |
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the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable
year before we became a passive foreign investment company would
be taxed as ordinary income; and |
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the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be
subject to tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the
applicable class of taxpayer for that year, and an interest
charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with
respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other
taxable year. |
These penalties would not apply to a pension or profit sharing
trust or other tax-exempt organization that did not borrow funds
or otherwise utilize leverage in connection with its acquisition
of our common stock. If a Non-Electing Holder who is an
individual dies while owning our common stock, such
holders successor generally would not receive a
step-up in tax basis
with respect to such stock.
United States Federal Income Taxation of
Non-U.S. Holders
A beneficial owner of common stock that is not a
U.S. Holder is referred to herein as a
Non-U.S. Holder.
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Dividends on Common Stock |
Non-U.S. Holders
generally will not be subject to United States federal income
tax or withholding tax on dividends received from us with
respect to our common stock, unless that income is effectively
connected with the
Non-U.S. Holders
conduct of a trade or business in the United States. If the
Non-U.S. Holder is
entitled to the benefits of a United States income tax treaty
with respect to those dividends, that income is taxable only if
it is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by
the
Non-U.S. Holder in
the United States.
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Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Stock |
Non-U.S. Holders
generally will not be subject to United States federal income
tax or withholding tax on any gain realized upon the sale,
exchange or other disposition of our common stock, unless:
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the gain is effectively connected with the
Non-U.S. Holders
conduct of a trade or business in the United States. If the
Non-U.S. Holder is
entitled to the benefits of an income tax treaty with respect to
that gain, that gain is taxable only if it is attributable to a
permanent establishment maintained by the
Non-U.S. Holder in
the United States; or |
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the
Non-U.S. Holder is
an individual who is present in the United States for
183 days or more during the taxable year of disposition and
other conditions are met. |
If the
Non-U.S. Holder is
engaged in a United States trade or business for United States
federal income tax purposes, the income from the common stock,
including dividends and the gain from the sale, exchange or
other disposition of the stock that is effectively connected
with the conduct of that trade or business will generally be
subject to regular United States federal income tax in the same
manner as discussed in the previous section relating to the
taxation of U.S. Holders. In addition, if you are a
corporate
Non-U.S. Holder,
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your earnings and profits that are attributable to the
effectively connected income, which are subject to certain
adjustments, may be subject to an additional branch profits tax
at a rate of 30%, or at a lower rate as may be specified by an
applicable income tax treaty.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
In general, dividend payments, or other taxable distributions,
made within the United States to you will be subject to
information reporting requirements. Such payments will also be
subject to backup withholding tax if you are a non-corporate
U.S. Holder and you:
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fail to provide an accurate taxpayer identification number; |
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are notified by the Internal Revenue Service that you have
failed to report all interest or dividends required to be shown
on your federal income tax returns; or |
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in certain circumstances, fail to comply with applicable
certification requirements. |
Non-U.S. Holders
may be required to establish their exemption from information
reporting and backup withholding by certifying their status on
IRS Form W-8BEN,
W-8ECI or
W-8IMY, as applicable.
If you sell your common stock to or through a United States
office or broker, the payment of the proceeds is subject to both
United States backup withholding and information reporting
unless you certify that you are a
non-U.S. person,
under penalties of perjury, or you otherwise establish an
exemption. If you sell your common stock through a non-United
States office of a non-United States broker and the sales
proceeds are paid to you outside the United States then
information reporting and backup withholding generally will not
apply to that payment. However, United States information
reporting requirements, but not backup withholding, will apply
to a payment of sales proceeds, even if that payment is made to
you outside the United States, if you sell your common stock
through a non-United States office of a broker that is a United
States person or has some other contacts with the United States.
Backup withholding tax is not an additional tax. Rather, you
generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under
backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax liability
by filing a refund claim with the Internal Revenue Service.
We encourage each stockholder to consult with his, her or its
own tax advisor as to particular tax consequences to it of
holding and disposing of Euroseas shares, including the
applicability of any state, local or foreign tax laws and any
proposed changes in applicable law.
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THE OFFERING
The selling shareholders named in this prospectus are offering
up to 7,026,993 currently outstanding shares of our common
stock, par value $0.01 per share, 1,756,743 shares of
our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants
outstanding as of the date of this prospectus and up to
818,604 shares of our common stock to be issued to certain
affiliates of Cove who are holders of outstanding common stock
of Cove, in connection with the merger of Cove with EuroSub. The
selling shareholders will sell their shares at a price of
between $5.00 to $7.00 per share until our shares are
quoted on the Nasdaq National Market or the OTC Bulletin Board,
and thereafter, at prevailing market prices or privately
negotiated prices. We will not receive any of the proceeds from
the sale of the shares. We will bear all costs relating to the
offer and sale of the shares. However, the selling shareholders
will pay any commissions, fees and discounts of underwriters,
brokers, dealers or agents. Each selling shareholder may sell
these shares directly to or through broker-dealers, who may
receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or
commissions from either the selling shareholder or the
purchasers of the shares or both of them. Our common stock is
not currently listed on any national stock exchange. We have
applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market
and have reserved the symbol ESEA, but we cannot
assure you that we will be able to obtain such listing. If we
are not able to obtain such listing, we will seek to have the
common stock quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board. This
offering will continue until the earlier of (i) two years
following the date the accompanying registration statement is
declared effective, and (ii) such time as all securities covered
by such registration statement have been sold or may be sold
without volume restrictions pursuant to Rule 144(k) under the
Securities Act.
In connection with the Merger with Cove, the Company will issue
up to 1,079,167 newly issued shares of common stock to
stockholders of Cove, assuming all Cove stockholders participate
in the Merger. Out of these 1,079,167 shares being issued
in the Merger, the Company is registering for resale 818,604 of
these 1,079,167 shares. These 818,604 shares will be
issued to certain affiliates of Cove in connection with the
Merger and are being registered for resale since such shares
would otherwise be subject to a one year holding period under
Rule 145 of the Securities Act. All of these
818,604 shares are included under the designation of
selling shareholders under this prospectus. The remaining
260,563 shares of Euroseas stock that may be issued in the
Merger are not being registered for resale under this prospectus
since such shares will be issued to non-affiliates of Cove and,
therefore, should not be subject to the one year holding period
under Rule 145.
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SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
The following table identifies the selling shareholders, the
number and percentage of shares of common stock beneficially
owned by the selling shareholders as of December 31, 2005,
the number of shares of common stock that the selling
shareholders may offer or sell, and the number and percentage of
shares of common stock beneficially owned by the selling
shareholders, assuming they sell all of the shares that may be
sold by them. We have prepared this table based upon information
furnished to us by or on behalf of the selling shareholders. As
used in this prospectus, selling shareholders
includes pledgees, assignees,
successors-in-interest,
donees, transferees or others who may later hold the selling
shareholders Euroseas common stock.
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Class(1) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Bonanza Master
Fund Ltd.(3)
|
|
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
|
6.6 |
% |
|
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
JMG Capital Partners,
LP(4)
|
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
JMG Triton Offshore Fund,
Ltd.(5)
|
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Eurobulk Marine Holdings,
Inc.(6)
|
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
3.3 |
% |
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Third Point Resources
Ltd.(7)
|
|
|
650,000 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
|
|
650,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Third Point Resources
L.P.(8)
|
|
|
391,666 |
|
|
|
1.0 |
% |
|
|
391,666 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
BTG Investments,
LLC(9)
|
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
|
|
625,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Basso
Fund Ltd.(10)
|
|
|
260,416 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
260,416 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Basso Private Opportunity Holding
Fund Ltd.(11)
|
|
|
260,416 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
260,416 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Kircher Family Trust dtd
03-24-04(12)
|
|
|
416,666 |
|
|
|
1.1 |
% |
|
|
416,666 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Omicron Master
Trust(13)
|
|
|
416,666 |
|
|
|
1.1 |
% |
|
|
416,666 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Whitebox Intermarket Partners
L.P.(14)
|
|
|
312,500 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
312,500 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Vacky Holding
S.A.(15)
|
|
|
15,166 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
15,166 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
James J.
Apostolakis(16)
|
|
|
30,332 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
30,332 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Marion Corp. Defined Benefit Pension
Plan(17)
|
|
|
30,332 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
30,332 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
SRB Greenway Capital,
L.P.(18)
|
|
|
12,457 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
12,457 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
SRB Greenway Capital (QP),
L.P.(19)
|
|
|
84,707 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
84,707 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
SRB Greenway Offshore Operating Fund,
L.P.(20)
|
|
|
7,000 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
7,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Nite Capital,
L.P.(21)
|
|
|
83,332 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
83,332 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Vision Opportunity Master Fund,
Ltd.(22)
|
|
|
83,332 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
83,332 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Jonathan
Spanier(23)
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Peter G.
Geddes(24)
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Jesse Grossman Accountancy Corp. Retirement Trust
(25)
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
13,750 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Michael
Stone(26)
|
|
|
41,666 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
41,666 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
David E.
Graber(27)
|
|
|
20,832 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
20,832 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Seward Ave Partners,
LLC(28)
|
|
|
144,712 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
144,712 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Jonathan
Spanier(29)
|
|
|
142,653 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
142,653 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Olive Grove,
LLC(30)
|
|
|
165,699 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
165,699 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Blue Star Investors
Ltd.(31)
|
|
|
272,868 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
272,868 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Jodi
Hunter(32)
|
|
|
92,672 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
92,672 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
* |
|
71
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Based on 37,860,326 shares of Euroseas common stock that
will be issued and outstanding immediately following the merger
of Cove Apparel, Inc. with Euroseas Acquisition Company, Inc., a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Euroseas, assuming each Cove
stockholder participates in the merger. For purposes of
calculating the percentage ownership, any shares that each
selling shareholder has the right to acquire within 60 days
under warrants or options have been included in the total number
of shares outstanding for that person, in accordance with
Rule 13d-3 under
the Exchange Act. |
|
|
(2) |
Assumes that the selling shareholders sell all of their shares
of common stock beneficially owned by each selling shareholder
and offered hereby immediately following the merger described in
this prospectus. |
|
|
(3) |
Reflects 2,000,000 shares of common stock and
500,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. Brian Ladin is the Managing Director of Bonanza
Master Fund LTD. Bernay Box is the President of
Bonanza Fund Management LLC, and as such has investment power
and voting control over these securities.
Mr. Box disclaims beneficial ownership of these
securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 300
Crescent Court, Suite 1740, Dallas, Texas 75201. |
|
|
(4) |
Reflects 500,000 shares of common stock and
125,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. JMG Capital Partners, L.P. (JMG
Partners) is a California limited partnership. Its general
partner is JMG Capital Management, LLC (the
Manager), a Delaware limited liability company and
an investment adviser that has voting and dispositive power over
JMG Partners investments, including the Euroseas shares.
The equity interests of the Manager are owned by JMG Capital
Management, Inc., (JMG Capital) a California
corporation, and Asset Alliance Holding Corp., a Delaware
corporation. Jonathan M. Glaser is the Executive Office and
Director of JMG Capital and has sole investment discretion over
JMG Partners portfolio holdings. The address for the
selling shareholder is 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2180,
Los Angeles, California 90025. |
|
|
(5) |
Reflects 500,000 shares of common stock and
125,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. JMG Triton Offshore Fund, Ltd. (the
Fund) is an international business company organized
under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. The Funds
investment manager is Pacific Assets Management LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (the Manager) that has
voting and dispositive power over the Funds investments,
including the Euroseas shares. The equity interests of the
Manager are owned by Pacific Capital Management, Inc., a
California corporation (Pacific) and Asset Alliance
Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation. The equity interests of
Pacific are owned by Messrs. Roger Richter, Jonathan M.
Glaser and Daniel A. David. Messrs. Glaser and Richter have
sole investment discretion over the Funds portfolio
holdings. The address for the selling shareholder is 11601
Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2180, Los Angeles, California 90025. |
|
|
(6) |
Reflects 1,000,000 shares of common stock and
250,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. John Pittas has investment power and voting control
over these securities. The address for the selling shareholder
is Aethrion Center, 40 Ag. Konstantinou Street, 151 24 Maroussi,
Greece. |
|
|
(7) |
Reflects 520,000 shares of common stock and
130,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. Daniel S. Loeb has investment power and voting
control over these securities. Mr. Loeb disclaims
beneficial ownership of these securities. The address for the
selling shareholder is 390 Park Avenue,
18th Fl.,
New York, New York, 10022. |
|
|
(8) |
Reflects 313,333 shares of common stock and
78,333 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Daniel S. Loeb has investment power and voting control
over these securities. Mr. Loeb disclaims beneficial
ownership of these securities. The address for the selling
shareholder is 390 Park Avenue,
18th Fl.,
New York, New York, 10022. |
|
|
(9) |
Reflects 500,000 shares of common stock and
125,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of warrants. Gordon Roth and Byron Roth share investment power
and voting control, and claim beneficial ownership of these
securities.- The address for the selling shareholder is
c/o BTG Investments, 24 Corporate Plaza, Newport Beach,
California, 92660. |
72
|
|
(10) |
Reflects 208,333 shares of common stock and
52,083 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Basso Capital Management, L.P. (Basso) is
the Investment Manager to Basso Fund Ltd. Howard I. Fischer
is a managing member of Basso GP, LLC, the General Partner of
Basso, and as such has investment power and voting control over
these securities. Mr. Fischer disclaims beneficial
ownership of these securities. |
|
(11) |
Reflects 208,333 shares of common stock and
52,083 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Basso Capital Management, L.P. (Basso) is
the Investment Manager to Basso Private Opportunity Holding
Fund Ltd. Howard I. Fischer is a managing member of Basso
GP, LLC, the General Partner of Basso, and as such has
investment power and voting control over these securities.
Mr. Fischer disclaims beneficial ownership of these
securities. |
|
(12) |
Reflects 333,333 shares of common stock and
83,333 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Steven C. Kircher, Trustee, has investment power and
voting control over these securities. Mr. Kircher disclaims
beneficial ownership of these securities. The address for the
selling shareholder is 6000 Greystone Place, Granite Bay,
California, 95746. |
|
(13) |
Reflects 333,333 shares of common stock and
83,333 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. The address for the selling shareholder is 650 Fifth
Ave, 24th Fl, New York, New York, 10019. |
|
(14) |
Reflects 250,000 shares of common stock and
62,500 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Whitebox Intermarket Partners, L.P. is a B.V.I.
limited partnership. Its general partner is Whitebox Intermarket
Advisors, LLC (the Manager), a Delaware limited
liability company and investment adviser that has voting and
dispositive power over Whitebox Intermarket Advisors, LLC,
including the Euroseas shares. The equity interest of the
Manager are owned by Whitebox Intermarket Partners, L.P..
Andrew J. Redleaf is the Managing Member of the General
Partner, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Whitebox
Intermarket Advisors, LLC and has sole investment discretion
over Whitebox Intermarket Partners, L.P. portfolio holdings. The
address for the selling shareholder is 3033 Excelsior Blvd.
#300, Minneapolis, MN 55416. |
|
(15) |
Reflects 12,133 shares of common stock and
3,033 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Vassiliki Demis is the Director of Vacky Holdings, SA
and as such has investment power and voting control over these
securities. Mr. Demis disclaims beneficial ownership of
these securities. The address for the selling shareholder is
c/o Vassiliki Demis, 14 Perikleous Street, Piraeus Gr
18536, Greece. |
|
(16) |
Reflects 24,266 shares of common stock and
6,066 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. James J. Apostolakis has investment power and voting
control over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of
these securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 150
E.69th St, New York, New York 10021. |
|
(17) |
Reflects 24,266 shares of common stock and
6,066 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Robert F. DiMarsico is the Trustee of the Marion Corp.
Defined Benefit Pension Plan, and as such has investment power
and voting control over these securities, and has beneficial
ownership of these securities. The address for the selling
shareholder is 869 Park Ave, River Edge, NJ 07661. |
|
(18) |
Reflects 9,966 shares of common stock and 2,491 shares
of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. BC
Advisors, LLC (BCA) is the general partner of SRB
Management, L.P (SRBGC), SRB Greenway Capital
(Q.P.), L.P. (SRBQP) and SRB Greenway Offshore
Operating Fund, L.P. (SRB Offshore). Steven R.
Becker is the sole principal of BCA. Through his control of BCA,
Mr. Becker possesses sole voting and investment control
over the portfolio securities of each of SRBGC, SRBQP and SRB
Offshore. The address of the selling shareholder is 300 Crescent
Court, Suite 1111, Dallas, Texas, 75201. |
|
(19) |
Reflects 67,766 shares of common stock and
16,941 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. BC Advisors, LLC (BCA) is the general
partner of SRB Management, L.P (SRBGC), SRB Greenway
Capital (Q.P.), L.P. (SRBQP) and SRB Greenway
Offshore Operating Fund, L.P. (SRB Offshore). Steven
R. Becker is the sole principal of BCA. Through his |
73
|
|
|
control of BCA, Mr. Becker possesses sole voting and
investment control over the portfolio securities of each of
SRBGC, SRBQP and SRB Offshore. The address of the selling
shareholder is 300 Crescent Court, Suite 1111, Dallas,
Texas, 75201. |
|
(20) |
Reflects 5,600 shares of common stock and 1,400 shares
of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. BC
Advisors, LLC (BCA) is the general partner of SRB
Management, L.P (SRBGC), SRB Greenway Capital
(Q.P.), L.P. (SRBQP) and SRB Greenway Offshore
Operating Fund, L.P. (SRB Offshore). Steven R.
Becker is the sole principal of BCA. Through his control of BCA,
Mr. Becker possesses sole voting and investment control
over the portfolio securities of each of SRBGC, SRBQP and SRB
Offshore. The address of the selling shareholder is 300 Crescent
Court, Suite 1111, Dallas, Texas, 75201. |
|
(21) |
Reflects 66,666 shares of common stock and
16,666 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Keith A. Goodman is Manager of the General Partner for
Nite Capital LP, and as such has investment power and voting
control over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of
these securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 100
East Cook Ave #201, Libertyville, IL 60048. |
|
(22) |
Reflects 66,666 shares of common stock and
16,666 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Adam Banowitz has investment power and voting control
over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of these
securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 954
3rd Ave #402,
New York, New York 10022. |
|
(23) |
Reflects 11,000 shares of common stock and
2,750 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Jonathan Evan Spanier has investment power and voting
control over these securities, and disclaims beneficial
ownership of these securities. The address for the selling
shareholder is 267 S. Beverly Drive #1162,
Beverly Hills, California, 90212. |
|
(24) |
Reflects 11,000 shares of common stock and
2,750 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Peter G. Geddes has investment power and voting
control over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of
these securities. The address for the selling shareholder is
P.O. Box 5303, Beverly Hills, California 90212. |
|
(25) |
Reflects 11,000 shares of common stock and
2,750 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Jesse Grossman, Trustee of the Jesse Grossman
Accountancy Corp. Retirement Trust, has investment power and
voting control over these securities, and claims beneficial
ownership of these securities. The address for the selling
shareholder is 5000 Llano Drive, Woodland Hills, California,
91364. |
|
(26) |
Reflects 33,333 shares of common stock and
8,333 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. Michael Stone has investment power and voting control
over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of these
securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 18 Ozone
Avenue, Venice, California, 90291. |
|
(27) |
Reflects 16,666 shares of common stock and
4,166 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of
warrants. David Graber has investment power and voting control
over these securities, and has beneficial ownership of these
securities. The address for the selling shareholder is 9101 St.
Ives Drive, Los Angeles, California, 90069. |
|
(28) |
Reflects 144,712 shares of common stock issuable upon
consummation of the Merger. Seward Ave Partners, LLC is a
Delaware limited liability company. Beneficial ownership of
these securities is as follows: 92% Jesse Grossman; 4% Anthony
Salandra; and 4% Winnie Huang who share investment power and
voting control in the same proportions as beneficial ownership.
The address for the selling shareholder is c/o Winnie
Huang, 175 South Lake Avenue, Suite 307, Pasadena,
California 91101. |
|
(29) |
Reflects 142,653 shares of common stock issuable upon
consummation of the Merger. Jonathan Spanier has investment
power and voting control over these securities. The address for
the selling shareholder is 269 S. Beverly Dr.,
Suite 1102, Beverly Hills, California 90212. |
|
(30) |
Reflects 165,699 shares of common stock issuable upon
consummation of the Merger. Olive Grove, LLC is a limited
liability company organized under the laws of the State of
California. Olive Grove, LLC is beneficially owned by the
following members in the following approximate percentages: |
74
|
|
|
85% by Peter G. Geddes and 15% by David Graber. Peter G. Geddes,
has investment power and voting control over these securities.
The address for the selling shareholder is P.O. Box 5303,
Beverly Hills, California 90212. |
|
|
(31) |
Reflects 272,868 shares of common stock issuable upon
consummation of the Merger. James A Loughran and Barry
Taleghany, each acting singly, has investment power and voting
control over these securities. The address for the selling
shareholder is c/o James Loughran, 38 Hertford Streed,
London W1JSG, England. |
|
(32) |
Reflects 92,672 shares of common stock issuable upon
consummation of the Merger. Jodi Hunter has investment power and
voting control over these securities. The address for the
selling shareholder is 1003 Dormador, Suite 21,
San Clemente, California 92672. |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We are registering shares of our common stock under the
Securities Act for sale by the selling shareholders. As used in
this prospectus, selling shareholders include
certain entities identified in the footnotes to the table in the
section captioned Selling Shareholders as the
holders of record of the indicated securities and include the
respective pledgees, assignees,
successors-in-interest,
donees, transferees or others who may later hold the selling
shareholders Euroseas common stock and would be identified
in an amendment to this prospectus at the appropriate time. We
have agreed to pay the costs and fees of registering the shares,
but the selling shareholders will pay any brokerage commissions,
discounts or other expenses relating to the sale of the shares.
The selling shareholders will sell their shares at a price of
between $5.00 to $7.00 per share until our shares are
quoted on the Nasdaq National Market or the OTC Bulletin Board,
and thereafter, at prevailing market prices or privately
negotiated prices. A Selling Shareholder may use any one or more
of the following methods when selling shares:
|
|
|
|
|
ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the
broker-dealer solicits purchasers; |
|
|
|
block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the
shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the
block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
|
|
|
purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the
broker-dealer for its account; |
|
|
|
an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the
applicable exchange; |
|
|
|
privately negotiated transactions; |
|
|
|
settlement of short sales entered into after the effective date
of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; |
|
|
|
broker-dealers may agree with the Selling Stockholders to sell a
specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; |
|
|
|
a combination of any such methods of sale; |
|
|
|
through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging
transactions, whether through an options exchange or
otherwise; or |
|
|
|
any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
The Selling Shareholders may also sell shares under
Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, rather
than under this prospectus.
Broker-dealers engaged by the Selling Shareholders may arrange
for other brokers-dealers to participate in sales.
Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the
Selling Shareholders (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for
the purchaser of shares, from the purchaser) in amounts to be
negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this
prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess
of a
75
customary brokerage commission in compliance with NASDR
Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction a
markup or markdown in compliance with NASDR IM-2440.
In connection with the sale of Euroseas common stock or
interests therein, the Selling Shareholders may enter into
hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial
institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the
common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume.
The Selling Shareholders may also sell shares of the common
stock short and deliver these securities to close out their
short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to
broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The
Selling Shareholders may also enter into option or other
transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions
or the creation of one or more derivative securities which
require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial
institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares
such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell
pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to
reflect such transaction).
The Selling Shareholders and any broker-dealers or agents that
are involved in selling the shares may be deemed to be
underwriters within the meaning of the Securities
Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any
commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any
profit on the resale of the shares purchased by them may be
deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the
Securities Act. Each Selling Shareholder has informed us that it
does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding,
directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the common
stock. In no event shall any broker-dealer receive fees,
commissions and markups which, in the aggregate, would exceed
eight percent (8%).
We are required to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us
incident to the registration of the shares. We have agreed to
indemnify the Selling Shareholders against certain losses,
claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the
Securities Act.
Because Selling Shareholders may be deemed to be
underwriters within the meaning of the Securities
Act, they will be subject to the prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act. In addition, any securities
covered by a prospectus which qualify for sale pursuant to
Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be sold under
Rule 144 rather than under a prospectus. Each Selling
Shareholder has advised us that it has not entered into any
written or oral agreements, understandings or arrangements with
any underwriter or broker-dealer regarding the sale of the
common stock. There is no underwriter or coordinating broker
acting in connection with the proposed sale of the common stock
by the Selling Shareholders.
We have agreed to keep a prospectus effective until the earlier
of (i) the date on which the shares may be resold by the
Selling Shareholders without registration and without regard to
any volume limitations by reason of Rule 144(e) under the
Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or
(ii) all of the shares have been sold pursuant to the
prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any
other rule of similar effect. The common stock will be sold only
through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required
under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain
states, the common stock may not be sold unless it has been
registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an
exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is
available and is complied with.
Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act,
any person engaged in the distribution of the common stock may
not simultaneously engage in market making activities with
respect to the common stock for a period of two business days
prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the
Selling Shareholders will be subject to applicable provisions of
the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder,
including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of
purchases and sales of shares of the common stock by the Selling
Shareholders or any other person. Euroseas will make copies of
any prospectus available to the Selling Shareholders and have
informed them of the need to deliver a copy of a prospectus to
each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale.
76
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of Euroseas Ltd. and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and for each
of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2004,
included in this prospectus and the related financial statement
schedule included elsewhere in the registration statement have
been audited by Deloitte, Hadjipavlou, Sofianos &
Cambanis S.A., an independent registered public accounting firm,
as stated in their report appearing herein and elsewhere in the
registration statement, and are included in reliance upon the
report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in
accounting and auditing.
LEGAL MATTERS
Seward & Kissel LLP is acting as our counsel in
compliance with United States securities laws.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on
Form F-1 to
register with the SEC the re-sale of our shares. This prospectus
is a part of that registration statement and constitutes a
prospectus of Euroseas. As allowed by SEC rules, this prospectus
does not contain all of the information that you can find in the
registration statement or the exhibits to the registration
statement. You should refer to the registration statement and
its exhibits for additional information that is not contained in
this prospectus.
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information
that differs from that contained in this prospectus. You should
not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is
accurate as on any date other than the date of the prospectus.
This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a
solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, in any
jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is not lawful to
make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are a Marshall Islands company and our executive offices are
located outside of the United States of America in Maroussi,
Greece. Some of our directors and officers and some of the
experts named herein reside outside the United States of
America. In addition, a substantial portion of our assets and
the assets of our directors, officers and experts are located
outside of the United States of America. As a result, you may
have difficulty serving legal process within the United States
of America upon us or any of these persons. You may also have
difficulty enforcing, both in and outside the United States of
America, judgments you may obtain in United States of America
courts against us or these persons in any action, including
actions based upon the civil liability provisions of United
States of America 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 United States of America
federal or state securities laws.
GLOSSARY OF SHIPPING TERMS
The following are definitions of certain terms that are commonly
used in the shipping industry and in this prospectus.
Annual survey. The inspection of a vessel pursuant
to international conventions, by a classification society
surveyor, on behalf of the flag state, that takes place every
year.
Bareboat charter. A charter of a vessel under
which the ship-owner is usually paid a fixed amount of
charterhire for a certain period of time during which the
charterer is responsible for the vessel operating expenses and
voyage expenses of the vessel and for the management of the
vessel, including crewing. A bareboat charter is also known as a
demise charter or a time charter by
demise.
Bunkers. Heavy fuel and diesel oil used to power a
vessels engines.
77
Capesize. A vessel with capacity over 80,000 dwt.
Charter. The hire of a vessel for a specified
period of time or to carry a cargo from a loading port to a
discharging port. The contract for a charter is commonly called
a charterparty.
Charterer. The party that hires a vessel for a
period of time or for a voyage.
Charterhire. A sum of money paid to the shipowner
by a charterer for the use of a vessel. Charterhire paid under a
voyage charter is also known as freight.
Classification society. An independent society
that certifies that a vessel has been built and maintained
according to the societys rules for that type of vessel
and complies with the applicable rules and regulations of the
country of the vessels registry and the international
conventions of which that country is a member. A vessel that
receives its certification is referred to as being
in-class.
Contract of affreightment. A contract of
affreightment (COA) relates to the carriage of multiple
cargoes over the same route and enables the COA holder to
nominate different ships to perform the individual sailings.
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 ships
operating, voyage and capital costs are borne by the ship owner.
Drybulk carrier. A type of ship designed to carry
bulk cargo, such as coal, iron ore and grain, etc. that is
loaded in bulk and not in bags, packages or containers.
Drydocking. The removal of a vessel from the water
for inspection and repair of those parts of a vessel which are
below the water line. During drydockings, which are required to
be carried out periodically, certain mandatory classification
society inspections are carried out and relevant certifications
are issued. Drydockings are generally required once every
30 months or twice every five years, one of which must be a
Special Survey.
Dwt. Deadweight ton, which is a unit of a
vessels capacity for cargo, fuel, oil, stores and crew
measured in metric tons of 1,000 kilograms.
Freight. A sum of money paid to the shipowner by
the charterer under a voyage charter, usually calculated either
per ton loaded or as a lump sum amount.
Freight Forward Agreement. A freight forward
agreement is an over the counter market, whereby
each party to the transaction takes an opposing partys
credit risk until the settlement date. Freight forward
agreements enable a buyer/seller to buy/sell the spot or
timecharter market forward and thereby manage their exposure to
fluctuating market.
Gross ton. A unit of measurement for the total
enclosed space within a vessel equal to 100 cubic feet or 2.831
cubic meters.
Handymax. A vessel with capacity ranging from
40,000 dwt to 55,000 dwt.
Handysize. A vessel with capacity of up to 40,000
dwt.
Hull. Shell or body of a ship.
IMO. International Maritime Organization, a United
Nations agency that issues international standards for shipping.
Intermediate survey. The inspection of a vessel by
a classification society surveyor that takes place 24 to
36 months after each Special Survey.
Newbuilding. A new vessel under construction or
just completed.
Off-hire. The period in which a vessel is unable
to perform the services for which it is immediately required
under a time charter. Off-hire periods can include days spent on
repairs, drydocking and surveys, whether or not scheduled.
OPA. The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
78
Panamax. A vessel with capacity ranging from
55,000 dwt to 80,000 dwt.
Period time charter. A time charter or a contract
of affreightment.
Protection and indemnity insurance. Insurance
obtained through a mutual association formed by shipowners to
provide liability indemnification protection from various
liabilities to which they are exposed in the course of their
business, and which spreads the liability costs of each member
by requiring contribution by all members in the event of a loss.
Scrapping. The sale of a vessel as scrap metal.
Single-hull. A hull construction design in which a
vessel has only one hull.
Special survey. The inspection of a vessel by a
classification society surveyor that takes place every five
years, as part of the recertification of the vessel by a
classification society.
Spot charter. A charter under which a shipowner is
paid freight on the basis of moving cargo from a loading port to
a discharging port. The shipowner is responsible for paying both
vessel operating expenses and voyage expenses. Typically, the
charterer is responsible for any delay at the loading or
discharging ports.
Spot market. The market for immediate chartering
of a vessel, usually for single voyages.
Time charter. A charter under which the shipowner
is paid charterhire on a per-day basis for a specified period of
time. Typically, the shipowner is responsible for providing the
crew and paying vessel operating expenses while the charterer is
responsible for paying the voyage expenses and additional voyage
insurance.
Vessel operating expenses. The costs of operating
a vessel, primarily consisting of crew wages and associated
costs, insurance premiums, management fees, lubricants and spare
parts, and repair and maintenance costs. Vessel operating
expenses exclude fuel costs, port expenses, agents fees,
canal dues and extra war risk insurance, as well as commissions,
which are included in voyage expenses.
Voyage expenses. Expenses incurred due to a
vessels traveling from a loading port to a discharging
port, such as fuel (bunkers) costs, port expenses,
agents fees, canal dues and extra war risk insurance, as
well as commissions.
79
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
|
|
|
|
Pages |
|
|
|
|
|
F-2 |
|
|
F-3 |
|
|
F-4 |
|
|
F-5 |
|
|
F-6 |
|
|
F-7 |
|
|
|
Schedule I Balance Sheets
December 31, 2003 and 2004
|
|
F-24 |
|
|
F-25 |
|
|
F-26 |
|
|
F-27 |
|
|
F-28 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
of the Euroseas Ltd. and subsidiaries
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of
the Euroseas Ltd and subsidiaries (the Company) as
of December 31, 2004 and 2003 and the related consolidated
statements of income, stockholders equity, and cash flows
for each of the three years in the period ended
December 31, 2004. Our audits also included the financial
statement schedule listed in the Index to Consolidated Financial
Statements in page F-1 as Schedule I. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Companys
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
financial statements and financial statement schedules 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 financial statements are
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 Companys 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 financial
statements, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the
overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of
Euroseas Ltd and subsidiaries at December 31, 2004 and 2003
and the results of their operations and their cash flows for
each of the three years in the period ended December 31,
2004, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion,
the related financial statement schedule, when considered in
relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as
a whole, presents fairly, in material respects, the information
set forth therein.
|
|
|
Deloitte. |
|
Hadjipavlou, Sofianos & Cambanis S.A. |
Athens, Greece
June 30, 2005, except for Note 17 (1), as to
which the date is August 25, 2005,
Note 17(7) as to
which the date is November 25, 2005,
Note 17(8), as to which the date is
December 7, 2005, Note 17(6), as to
which the date is December 19, 2005
and Note 17(3) as to which the
date is December 28, 2005.
F-2
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
As of December 31, 2003 and 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
(All amounts expressed in | |
|
|
|
|
U.S. dollars) | |
ASSETS |
Current Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,100,047 |
|
|
|
15,497,482 |
|
Trade accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
431,740 |
|
|
|
245,885 |
|
Prepaid expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
74,114 |
|
|
|
207,551 |
|
Claims and other receivables
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
346,307 |
|
|
|
137,783 |
|
Inventories
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
354,927 |
|
|
|
303,478 |
|
Restricted cash
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
102,204 |
|
|
|
68,980 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,409,339 |
|
|
|
16,461,159 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vessels, net
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
41,096,067 |
|
|
|
34,171,164 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total fixed assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41,096,067 |
|
|
|
34,171,164 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred charges, net
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
929,757 |
|
|
|
2,205,178 |
|
Investment in associate
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total long-term assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
952,613 |
|
|
|
2,205,178 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
51,458,019 |
|
|
|
52,837,501 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |
Current Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, current portion
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
5,105,000 |
|
|
|
6,030,000 |
|
Trade accounts payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
802,054 |
|
|
|
879,541 |
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
254,863 |
|
|
|
321,056 |
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
1,235,032 |
|
|
|
1,908,189 |
|
Due to related companies
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
1,084,824 |
|
|
|
4,626,060 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,481,773 |
|
|
|
13,764,846 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, net of current portion
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
15,490,000 |
|
|
|
7,960,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total long-term liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,490,000 |
|
|
|
7,960,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23,971,773 |
|
|
|
21,724,846 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Stock (par value $0.01, 100,000,000 shares
authorized, 29,754,166 issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
Preferred shares (par value $0.01, 20,000,000 shares
authorized, no shares issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
18,623,236 |
|
|
|
17,073,381 |
|
Retained earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,565,468 |
|
|
|
13,741,732 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,486,246 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
51,458,019 |
|
|
|
52,837,501 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these
consolidated financial statements.
F-3
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
For the Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars) | |
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage Revenue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,291,761 |
|
|
|
25,951,023 |
|
|
|
45,718,006 |
|
Commissions
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
(420,959 |
) |
|
|
(906,017 |
) |
|
|
(2,215,197 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,870,802 |
|
|
|
25,045,006 |
|
|
|
43,502,809 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage expenses
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
531,936 |
|
|
|
436,935 |
|
|
|
370,345 |
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
7,164,271 |
|
|
|
8,775,730 |
|
|
|
8,906,252 |
|
Management fees
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
1,469,690 |
|
|
|
1,722,800 |
|
|
|
1,972,252 |
|
Amortization and depreciation
|
|
|
4, 5 |
|
|
|
4,053,049 |
|
|
|
4,757,933 |
|
|
|
3,461,678 |
|
Net gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,315,477 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,218,946 |
|
|
|
15,693,398 |
|
|
|
12,395,050 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,651,856 |
|
|
|
9,351,608 |
|
|
|
31,107,759 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Income/(Expenses)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest and finance cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(799,970 |
) |
|
|
(793,257 |
) |
|
|
(708,284 |
) |
Derivative gain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,029 |
|
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,849 |
|
|
|
(690 |
) |
|
|
(1,808 |
) |
Interest income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,238 |
|
|
|
36,384 |
|
|
|
187,069 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other expenses, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(790,883 |
) |
|
|
(757,563 |
) |
|
|
(495,994 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity in earnings/(losses)
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
30,655 |
|
|
|
(167,433 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per share, basic and diluted
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the
period
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these
consolidated financial statements.
F-4
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
For the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common | |
|
Preferred | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of | |
|
Shares | |
|
Shares | |
|
Paid-In | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive | |
|
Shares | |
|
Amount | |
|
Amount | |
|
Capital | |
|
Retained | |
|
|
|
|
Income | |
|
(Note 12) | |
|
(Note 12) | |
|
(Note 12) | |
|
(Note 12) | |
|
Earnings | |
|
Total | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts, except per share data, expressed in U.S. dollars) | |
Balance, January 1, 2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,073,236 |
|
|
|
1,210,728 |
|
|
|
16,581,506 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contribution
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
Dividend paid
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,573,236 |
|
|
|
1,414,856 |
|
|
|
21,285,634 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid/return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(950,000 |
) |
|
|
(1,276,000 |
) |
|
|
(2,226,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,623,236 |
|
|
|
8,565,468 |
|
|
|
27,486,246 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid/return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,549,855 |
) |
|
|
(25,435,501 |
) |
|
|
(26,985,356 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,073,381 |
|
|
|
13,741,732 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these
consolidated financial statements.
F-5
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars) | |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation of vessel
|
|
|
3,514,403 |
|
|
|
4,158,159 |
|
|
|
2,530,100 |
|
Amortization of dry-docking expenses
|
|
|
538,646 |
|
|
|
599,774 |
|
|
|
931,578 |
|
Amortization of deferred finance cost
|
|
|
55,497 |
|
|
|
67,402 |
|
|
|
50,681 |
|
Equity in earnings
|
|
|
(30,655 |
) |
|
|
167,433 |
|
|
|
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,592 |
|
|
|
(27,907 |
) |
Gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,315,477 |
) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Increase)/decrease in:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
68,888 |
|
|
|
110,471 |
|
|
|
213,762 |
|
Prepaid expenses
|
|
|
(3,213 |
) |
|
|
26,552 |
|
|
|
(133,437 |
) |
Claims and other receivables
|
|
|
29,728 |
|
|
|
(171,731 |
) |
|
|
208,524 |
|
Inventories
|
|
|
(125,499 |
) |
|
|
(7,748 |
) |
|
|
51,449 |
|
Increase/(decrease) in:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Due to related companies
|
|
|
177,169 |
|
|
|
(482,778 |
) |
|
|
3,541,236 |
|
Trade accounts payable
|
|
|
644,749 |
|
|
|
(650,863 |
) |
|
|
77,487 |
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
3,125 |
|
|
|
(43,308 |
) |
|
|
66,193 |
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
(133,123 |
) |
|
|
(274,764 |
) |
|
|
673,157 |
|
Deferred dry-docking expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(972,671 |
) |
|
|
(2,270,418 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
5,631,343 |
|
|
|
10,956,132 |
|
|
|
34,208,693 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase of vessel
|
|
|
(16,993,811 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Increase)/decrease in cash retention accounts
|
|
|
(42,268 |
) |
|
|
214,832 |
|
|
|
33,224 |
|
Proceeds from sale of vessels
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,723,018 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash from investing activities
|
|
|
(17,036,079 |
) |
|
|
214,832 |
|
|
|
6,756,242 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase in common stock and paid-in capital
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends
|
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
|
|
(1,200,000 |
) |
|
|
(26,962,500 |
) |
Advance from shareholders
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Repayment of advances from shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(300,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Deferred finance costs
|
|
|
(120,145 |
) |
|
|
(28,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from long-term debt
|
|
|
11,900,000 |
|
|
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Repayment of long-term debt
|
|
|
(3,645,000 |
) |
|
|
(6,250,000 |
) |
|
|
(6,605,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
12,247,355 |
|
|
|
(4,778,000 |
) |
|
|
(33,567,500 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
842,619 |
|
|
|
6,392,964 |
|
|
|
7,397,435 |
|
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
|
|
864,464 |
|
|
|
1,707,083 |
|
|
|
8,100,047 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
|
|
|
1,707,083 |
|
|
|
8,100,047 |
|
|
|
15,497,482 |
|
Supplemental cash flow information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid during the year for:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for interest
|
|
|
582,740 |
|
|
|
725,034 |
|
|
|
474,430 |
|
Non Cash Items:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividend and return of capital from investment in associates
(note 6)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,026,000 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these
consolidated financial statements.
F-6
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars)
|
|
1. |
Basis of Presentation and General Information |
Euroseas Ltd. (the Company) was formed on
May 5, 2005 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands to consolidate the beneficial owners of the ship owning
companies listed below. On June 28, 2005 the beneficial
owners exchanged all their shares of the ship owning companies
for shares in Friends Investment Company Inc, a newly formed
Marshall Islands company. On June 29, 2005, Friends
Investment Company Inc. then exchanged all the shares in the
ship-owning companies for shares in Euroseas Ltd, thus becoming
the sole shareholder of Euroseas Ltd. The transaction described
above constitutes a reorganization of companies under common
control, and has been accounted for in a manner similar to a
pooling of interests, as each ship-owning company was under the
common control of the Pittas family prior to the transfer of
ownership of the companies to Euroseas Ltd. Accordingly, the
consolidated financial statements of the Company have been
presented as if the ship-owning companies were consolidated
subsidiaries of the Company for all periods presented and using
the historical carrying costs of the assets and the liabilities
of the ship-owning companies listed below.
The operations of the vessels are managed by Eurobulk Ltd., a
related corporation.
The manager has an office in Greece located at 40 Ag.
Constandinou Ave, Maroussi, Athens, Greece. The manager provides
the Company with a wide range of shipping services such as
technical support and maintenance, insurance consulting,
chartering, financial and accounting services, as well as
executive management services, in exchange for a fixed and
variable fee (Note 9).
The Company is engaged in the ocean transportation of dry bulk
and containers through the ownership and operation of the
following dry bulk and container carriers:
|
|
|
|
|
Searoute Maritime Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on May 20,
1992, owner of the Cyprus flag 33,712 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Ariel, which was built in 1977 and acquired
on March 5, 1993. |
|
|
|
Oceanopera Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on June 26,
1995, owner of the Cyprus flag 34,750 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Nikolaos P, which was built in 1984 and
acquired on July 22, 1996. |
|
|
|
Oceanpride Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on March 7,
1998, owner of the Cyprus flag 26,354 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel John P, which was built in 1981 and acquired
on March 7, 1998. |
|
|
|
Alcinoe Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on March 20,
1997, owner of the Cyprus flag 26,354 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Pantelis P, which was built in 1981 and
acquired on June 4, 1997. |
|
|
|
Alterwall Business Inc. incorporated in Panama on
January 15, 2001, owner of the Panama flag 18,253 DWT
container carrier motor vessel HM Qingdao1 (ex Kuo
Jane), which was built in 1990 and acquired on February 16,
2001. |
|
|
|
Allendale Investment S.A. incorporated in Panama on
January 22, 2002, owner of the Panama flag 18,154 DWT
container carrier motor vessel Kuo Hsiung, which was
built in 1993 and acquired on May 13, 2002. |
|
|
|
Diana Trading Ltd. incorporated in the Marshall Islands on
September 25, 2002, owner of the Marshall Islands flag
69,734 DWT bulk carrier motor vessel Irini, which
was built in 1988 and acquired on October 15, 2002. |
In addition, the historical financial statements include the
accounts of the following vessel owning companies which were
managed by Eurobulk, Ltd. during the periods presented:
|
|
|
(a) Silvergold Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on
May 16, 1994. Up to June 3, 1996, the Company was
engaged in ship owning activities, but thereafter, the
Companys assets and liabilities were |
F-7
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
liquidated and the retained earnings were distributed to the
shareholders. The Company remained dormant until
October 10, 2000 when it acquired the 18,000 DWT, Cyprus
flag, container carrier motor vessel Widar, which was
built in 1986. The vessel was sold on April 24, 2004. The
group of beneficial shareholders which own the above mentioned
ship-owing companies also own the ship owning company,
Silvergold Shipping Ltd., accordingly, these accompanying
financial statements also consolidate the accounts of Silvergold
Shipping Ltd. until May 31, 2005, when Silvergold Shipping
Ltd. paid a final dividend of $35,000 to its shareholders. |
|
|
(b) Fitsoulas Corporation Limited which was incorporated in
Malta on September 24, 1999, is the owner of the Malta flag
41,427 DWT bulk carrier motor vessel Elena Heart, which
was built in 1983 and acquired on October 22, 1999. The
vessel was sold on March 31, 2003. The group of beneficial
shareholders which own the above mentioned ship-owing companies
also exercised significant influence over the ship-owning
company Fitsoulas Corporation Limited through their 38% interest
in that company, and this investment was therefore accounted for
using the equity method. |
Charterers individually accounted for more than 10% of the
Companys voyage and time charter revenues as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
|
| |
Charterer |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
A
|
|
|
42.40 |
% |
|
|
31.30 |
% |
|
|
12.20 |
% |
B
|
|
|
28.68 |
% |
|
|
23.01 |
% |
|
|
11.50 |
% |
C
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.55 |
% |
|
|
|
|
D
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20.60 |
% |
E
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.52 |
% |
F
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.07 |
% |
|
|
2. |
Significant Accounting Policies |
|
|
|
Principles of Consolidation |
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of the
Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America
(US GAAP) and include the accounts of Euroseas Ltd. and its
subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003
and 2004. Inter-company transactions were eliminated on
consolidation.
An associate is an entity over which shareholders of the Company
have significant influence but do not control. The results and
assets and liabilities of associates are incorporated in these
consolidated financial statements using the equity method of
accounting. Under this method of accounting, investments in
associates are carried on the consolidated balance sheet at cost
as adjusted for post acquisition changes in the Companys
share of the net assets of the associate.
The preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial
statements is in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States and requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of
assets and liabilities, the disclosures of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial
statements, and the stated amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from
those estimates.
F-8
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
Other Comprehensive Income |
The Company follows the provisions of Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 130, Statement of
Comprehensive Income (SFAS 130), which
requires separate presentation of certain transactions which are
recorded directly as components of stockholders equity.
The Company has no other comprehensive income and, accordingly,
comprehensive income equals net income for all periods presented.
|
|
|
Foreign Currency Translation |
The Companys functional currency is the U.S. dollar.
Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are
translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates prevailing
at the balance sheet date. Income and expenses denominated in
foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at
exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transaction.
Resulting exchange gains and/or losses on settlement or
translation are included in the accompanying consolidated
statements of operations.
|
|
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents |
The Company considers time deposits or other certificates
purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to
be cash equivalents.
Restricted cash reflects deposits with certain banks that can
only be used to pay the current loan installments.
|
|
|
Trade Accounts Receivable |
The amount shown as trade accounts receivable, at each balance
sheet date, includes estimated recoveries from each voyage or
time charter, net of a provision for doubtful accounts. At each
balance sheet date, the Company provides for doubtful accounts
on the basis of specific identified doubtful receivables. At
December 31, 2002 and 2004, no provision for doubtful debts
was considered necessary while at December 31, 2003, the
allowance for doubtful accounts amounted to $27,907.
|
|
|
Claims and Other Receivables |
Claims and other receivables principally represent claims
arising from hull or machinery damages, crew salaries claims or
other insured risks that have been submitted to insurance
adjusters or are currently being compiled. All amounts are shown
net of applicable deductibles.
Inventories consist of bunkers, lubricants and victualling on
board the Companys vessels at the balance sheet date and
are stated at the lower of cost and market value. Victualling is
valued using the FIFO method while bunkers and lubricants are
valued on an average cost basis.
Vessels owned by the Company are stated at cost which comprises
vessels contract price, major repairs and improvements,
direct delivery and acquisition expenses less accumulated
depreciation. Subsequent expenditures for conversions and major
improvements are also capitalized when they appreciably extend
the life, increase the earning capacity or improve the
efficiency or safety of the vessel, otherwise these amounts are
charged to expense as incurred.
F-9
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Depreciation is calculated on a straight line basis with
reference to the cost of the vessel, age and scrap value as
estimated at the date of acquisition. Depreciation is calculated
over the remaining useful life of the vessel, which is estimated
to range from 25 to 30 years from the date of original
construction. Remaining useful lives of property are
periodically reviewed and revised to recognize changes in
conditions. Revisions of estimated lives are recognized over
current and future periods.
During 2004, management changed its estimate of the scrap value
of its vessels. See Note 4.
|
|
|
Revenue and Expense Recognition |
Revenues are generated from voyage and time charter agreements.
Time charter revenues are recorded over the term of the charter
as service is provided. Under a voyage charter the revenues and
associated voyage costs are recognized on a pro-rata basis over
the duration of the voyage. Probable losses on voyages are
provided for in full at the time such losses can be estimated. A
voyage is deemed to commence upon the completion of discharge of
the vessels previous cargo and is deemed to end upon the
completion of discharge of the current cargo. Demurrage income
represents payments by the charterer to the vessel owner when
loading or discharging time exceeded the stipulated time in the
voyage charter and is recognized as incurred.
Charter revenue received in advance is recorded as a liability
until charter services are rendered.
Vessels operating expenses comprise all expenses relating
to the operation of the vessels, including crewing, repairs and
maintenance, insurance, stores, lubricants and miscellaneous
expenses. Operating expenses are recognized as incurred;
payments in advance of services or use are recorded as prepaid
expenses. Voyage expenses comprise all expenses relating to
particular voyages, including bunkers, port charges, canal
tolls, and agency fees.
For the Companys vessels operating in chartering pools,
revenues and voyage expenses are pooled and allocated to each
pools participants on a time charter equivalent basis in
accordance with an agreed-upon formula.
Expenditures for vessel repair and maintenance is charged
against income in the period incurred.
|
|
|
Accounting for Dry-Docking Costs |
Dry-docking and special survey costs are deferred and amortized
over the estimated period to the next scheduled dry-docking or
survey, which are generally two and a half years and five years,
respectively. Unamortized dry-docking costs of vessels that are
sold are written-off to income in the year of the vessels
sale.
|
|
|
Pension and Retirement Benefit Obligations
Crew |
The ship-owning companies included in the combination, employ
the crew on board, under short-term contracts (usually up to
9 months) and accordingly, they are not liable for any
pension or post retirement benefits.
Loan arrangement fees are deferred and amortized to interest
expense over the duration of the underlying loan using the
effective interest method. Unamortized fees relating to loan
repaid or refinanced are expensed in the period the repayment or
refinancing is made.
F-10
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
It is the Companys policy to dispose of vessels when
suitable opportunities occur and not necessarily to keep them
until the end of their useful life. The Company classifies
assets as being held for sale in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards
(SFAS) No. 144, Accounting for the
impairment or the disposal of long-lived assets, when the
following criteria are met: management has committed to a plan
to sell the asset; the asset is available for immediate sale in
its present condition; an active program to locate a buyer and
other actions required to complete the plan to sell the asset
have been initiated; the sale of the asset is probable, and
transfer of the asset is expected to qualify for recognition as
a completed sale within one year; the asset is being actively
marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to
its current fair value and actions required to complete the plan
indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the
plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn.
Long-lived assets classified as held for sale are measured at
the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less cost to
sell. These assets are not depreciated once they meet the
criteria to be held for sale.
|
|
|
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets |
The Company follows SFAS No. 144, which requires impairment
losses to be recorded on long-lived assets used in operations
when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted
cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less
than the assets carrying amount. In the evaluation of the
fair value and future benefits of long-lived assets, the Company
performs an analysis of the anticipated undiscounted future net
cash flows of the related long-lived assets. If the carrying
value of the related asset exceeds the undiscounted cash flows,
the carrying value is reduced to its fair value. Various factors
including future charter rates and vessel operating costs are
included in this analysis. The Company determined that no
impairment loss needed to be recognized for applicable assets
for any years presented.
|
|
|
Derivative Financial Instruments |
SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities as amended establishes
accounting and reporting standards requiring that every
derivative instrument (including certain derivative instruments
embedded in other contracts) be recorded in the balance sheet as
either an asset or liability measured at its fair value, with
changes in the derivatives fair value recognized currently
in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met.
Pursuant to SFAS No. 133, the Company records all its
derivative financial instruments and hedges as economic hedges,
since they do not qualify as a hedge or meet the criteria of
hedge accounting. All gains or losses are reflected in the
statement of income.
For the year ended December 31, 2004, the interest rate
swaps did not qualify for hedge accounting treatment.
Accordingly, all gains or losses have been recorded in statement
of income for the period. The fair value at December 31,
2004 is $27,029 and is included in claims and other receivables.
There were no interest rate swaps for the year ended
December 31, 2003.
|
|
|
Earnings Per Common Share |
Basic earnings per common share are computed by dividing the net
income available to common stockholders by the weighted average
number of common shares deemed outstanding during the year.
The Company reports financial information and evaluates its
operations by charter revenue and not by the length of ship
employment for its customers, i.e. spot or time charters. The
Company does not use discrete financial information to evaluate
the operating results for each such type of charter. Although
revenue can be identified for these types of charters,
management cannot and does not identify expenses, profitability
or other
F-11
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
financial information for these charters. As a result,
management, including the chief operating decision maker,
reviews operating results solely by revenue per day and
operating results of the fleet and thus the Company has
determined that it operates under one reporting segment.
Furthermore, when the Company charters a vessel to a charterer,
the charterer is free to trade the vessel worldwide and, as a
result, the disclosure of geographical information is
impracticable.
|
|
|
Recent Accounting Pronouncements |
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) issued FIN 46, Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities, which clarified the application of
Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51,
Consolidated Financial Statements, to address
perceived weaknesses in accounting for entities commonly known
as special-purpose or off-balance sheet entities. It provides
guidance for identifying the party with a controlling financial
interest resulting from arrangements or financial interests
rather than voting interests. It requires consolidation of
Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) only if those VIEs
do not effectively disperse the risks and benefits amount the
various parties involved. On December 24, 2003, the FASB
issued a complete replacement of FIN 46
(FIN 46R), which clarified certain complexities of
FIN 46. FIN 46R is applicable for financial statements
issued for reporting periods that end after March 5, 2004.
The Company has reviewed FIN 46R and determined that the
adoption of the standard will not have a material impact on the
financial statements.
In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123
(revised 2004), Shared Based Payments (SFAS 123R). This
statement eliminates the option to apply the intrinsic value
measurement provisions of Accounting Principles Board
(APB) Opinion No. 25, Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees to stock compensation awards
issued to employees. Rather, SFAS 123R requires companies
to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange
for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair
value of the award. That cost will be recognized over the period
during which an employee is required to provide services in
exchange for the award-the requisite service period (usually the
vesting period). SFAS No. 123R applies to all awards
granted after the required effective date, as of the beginning
of the first interim or annual reporting period that begins
after June 15, 2005, and to awards modified, repurchased,
or cancelled after that date. SFAS 123R will be effective
for our fiscal year 2006. The Company does not anticipate that
the implementation of this standard will have a material impact
on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
On December 16, 2004, FASB issued SFAS No. 153,
Exchanges of Non-monetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion
No. 29, Accounting for Non-monetary Transactions
(FAS 153). This statement amends APB Opinion
N(degree)29 to eliminate the exception for non-monetary
exchanges of similar productive assets and replaces it with a
general exception for exchanges of non-monetary assets that do
not have commercial substance. Under SFAS No. 153, if
a non-monetary exchange of similar productive assets meets a
commercial-substance criterion and fair value is determinable,
the transaction must be accounted for at fair value resulting in
recognition of any gain or loss. SFAS No. 153 is
effective for non-monetary transactions in fiscal periods that
begin after June 15, 2005. The Company does not anticipate
that the implementation of this standard will have a material
impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
The FASB has issued SFAS No. 154, Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections, a replacement of APB Opinion
N(degree)20 and SFAS No. 3. The Statement applies to
all voluntary changes in accounting principle, and changes the
requirements for accounting for and reporting of a change in
accounting principle.
SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective applications to
prior periods financial statements of a voluntary change
in accounting principle unless it is impracticable. Opinion 20
previously required that most voluntary change in accounting
principle be recognized by including in net income of the period
of the change the cumulative effect of changing to the new
accounting principle. SFAS No. 154 improves financial
reporting
F-12
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
because its requirements enhance the consistency of financial
information between periods. The Company is analyzing the effect
which this pronouncement will have on its financial condition,
statement of operations, and cash flows. This statement will be
effective for the Company on January 1, 2006. The Company
does not believe that this pronouncement will have and effect on
its financial condition, results of operation or cash
flows.
On March 29, 2005, the SEC released a Staff Accounting
Bulletin (SAB) relating to the FASB accounting standard for
stock options and other share-based payments. The
interpretations in SAB No. 107, Share-Based
Payment, (SAB 107) express views of the SEC Staff
regarding the application of SFAS No. 123 (revised
2004), Share-Based Payment (Statement 123R).
Among other things, SAB 107 provides interpretive guidance
related to the interaction between Statement 123R and
certain SEC rules and regulations, as well as provides the
Staffs views regarding the valuation of share-based
payment arrangements for public companies. The Company does not
anticipate that adoption of SAB 107 will have any effect on
its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No.
(FIN) 47 Accounting for Conditional Asset
Retirement Obligations, an interpretation of FASB Statement
No. 143, which clarifies the term conditional
asset retirement obligation as used in
SFAS No. 143 Accounting for Asset Retirement
Obligations. Specifically, FIN 47 provides that an
asset retirement obligation is conditional when either the
timing and (or) method of settling the obligation is
conditioned on a future event. Accordingly, an entity is
required to recognize a liability for the fair value of a
conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of the
liability can be reasonably estimated. Uncertainty about the
timing and (or) method of settlement of a conditional asset
retirement obligation should be factored into the measurement of
the liability when sufficient information exists. This
interpretation also clarifies when an entity would have
sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of
an asset retirement obligation. FIN 47 is effective for
fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005. Management is
currently evaluating the effect that adoption of FIN 47
will have on the Companys financial position and results
of operations.
The amounts shown in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet
are analyzed as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Lubricants
|
|
|
263,408 |
|
|
|
256,223 |
|
Victualling
|
|
|
91,519 |
|
|
|
47,255 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
354,927 |
|
|
|
303,478 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-13
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vessel | |
|
Accumulated | |
|
Net Book | |
|
|
Cost | |
|
Depreciation | |
|
Value | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(Amount expressed in thousands) | |
Balance, December 31, 2001
|
|
|
44,593 |
|
|
|
(12,818 |
) |
|
|
31,775 |
|
Depreciation for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3,515 |
) |
|
|
(3,515 |
) |
Acquisition of vessels
|
|
|
16,994 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,994 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2002
|
|
|
61,587 |
|
|
|
(16,333 |
) |
|
|
45,254 |
|
Depreciation for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(4,158 |
) |
|
|
(4,158 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2003
|
|
|
61,587 |
|
|
|
(20,491 |
) |
|
|
41,096 |
|
Depreciation for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,530 |
) |
|
|
(2,530 |
) |
Sale of vessel
|
|
|
(5,827 |
) |
|
|
1,432 |
|
|
|
(4,395 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2004
|
|
|
55,760 |
|
|
|
(21,589 |
) |
|
|
34,171 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In 2004, the estimated scrap value of the vessels was increased
to better reflect market price developments in the scrap metal
market. The effect of this change in estimate was to reduce 2004
depreciation expense by $1,400,010 and increase 2004 net
income by the same amount or $0.05 per share.
In addition, in 2004, the estimated useful life of the vessel m/
v Ariel was extended from 28 years to 30 years
since the vessel performed dry-docking in the current year and
it is not expected to be sold until year 2007.
The m/ v Widar was sold in April 2004 and resulted in a
net gain on sale of $2,315,477. Depreciation expense for m/ v
Widar for the year ended December 31, 2004 amounted
to $136,384.
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Balance, beginning of year
|
|
|
1,070,261 |
|
|
|
596,262 |
|
|
|
929,757 |
|
Additions:
|
|
|
120,144 |
|
|
|
1,000,671 |
|
|
|
2,270,418 |
|
Amortization of dry-docking expenses
|
|
|
(538,646 |
) |
|
|
(599,774 |
) |
|
|
(931,578 |
) |
Amortization of loan arrangement fees
|
|
|
(55,497 |
) |
|
|
(67,402 |
) |
|
|
(50,681 |
) |
Written-off on sale of vessel M/ V Widar
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(12,738 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, end of year
|
|
|
596,262 |
|
|
|
929,757 |
|
|
|
2,205,178 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The additions of $2,270,418 in 2004 are made up of dry-docking
expenses. The additions of $1,000,671 in 2003 are made up of
loan financing fees of $28,000 and dry-docking expenses of
$972,671. The additions of $120,144 in 2002 relate to loan
financing fees.
F-14
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
6. |
Investment in Associate |
Fitsoulas Corporation Limited is 38% owned by common
shareholders with the companies listed in Note 1 to the
financial statements. The amounts in the accompanying
consolidated financial statements are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Balance, beginning of year
|
|
|
1,185,634 |
|
|
|
1,216,289 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
Equity in earnings/(losses)
|
|
|
30,655 |
|
|
|
(167,433 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Dividends and return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,026,000 |
) |
|
|
(22,856 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, end of year
|
|
|
1,216,289 |
|
|
|
22,856 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fitsoulas Corporation Limited sold its vessel on March 31,
2003. The Companys share of the net losses inclusive of
the loss on sale of the vessel of Fitsoulas Corporation Limited
was $167,433 for the year ended December 31, 2003.
Thereafter, dividends of $76,000 were declared and capital of
$950,000 was returned directly to the shareholders in 2003 and
dividend of $22,856 were declared and returned directly to the
shareholders in 2004.
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Accrued payroll expenses
|
|
|
83,240 |
|
|
|
95,615 |
|
Accrued interest
|
|
|
23,800 |
|
|
|
100,366 |
|
Other accrued expenses
|
|
|
147,823 |
|
|
|
125,075 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
254,863 |
|
|
|
321,056 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The account relates to deferred voyage revenue that represents
cash received from charterers prior to it being earned. These
amounts are recognized as income in the appropriate future
periods.
|
|
9. |
Related Party Transactions |
The Companys vessel owning companies are parties to
management agreements with Eurobulk Ltd., a related company (the
Management Company) whereby the Management Company
provides technical and commercial management. Such management
fees amounted to $1,469,690, $1,772,800 and $1,972,252 in 2002,
2003 and 2004 respectively.
The Company uses brokers to provide services, as is industry
practice. Eurochart S.A., a related party, provides sales and
purchases (S&P) and chartering services to the Company. A
commission of 1% on vessel sales price and 1%-1.25%on charter
revenue is paid to Eurochart S.A. for these services. For the
years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively,
commissions of $57,600, $0, and $70,000 were paid for vessel
sales and commissions of $214,758, $286,605, and $654, 057 were
paid on charter revenue.
Certain shareholders, together with another ship management
company, have one joint venture with the insurance broker
Sentinel Maritime Services Inc. and one with the crewing agent
More Maritime Agencies Inc. The shareholders percentage
participation in these joint ventures was 26% in 2002, 27% in
2003 and 35% in 2004. In 2004, the Company was charged fees of
$209,685 and $23,543 by Sentinel Marine Services Inc. and More
Maritime Agencies Inc. respectively.
F-15
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Amounts due to related parties represent net disbursements and
collections made on behalf of the vessel-owning companies by the
Management Company during the normal course of operations for
which they have the right to off-set.
Long-term debt as of December 31, 2003 and 2004 comprises
bank loans granted to the vessel-owning companies, which are as
follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
Borrower |
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Alterwall Business Inc.
|
|
|
(a |
) |
|
|
4,350,000 |
|
|
|
3,750,000 |
|
Alcinoe Shipping Limited/ Oceanpride Shipping Limited
|
|
|
(b |
) |
|
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
|
1,600,000 |
|
Diana Trading Limited
|
|
|
(c |
) |
|
|
5,020,000 |
|
|
|
4,140,000 |
|
Allendale Investments S.A.
|
|
|
(d |
) |
|
|
5,100,000 |
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
Searoute Maritime Limited
|
|
|
(e |
) |
|
|
250,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Silvergold Shipping Limited
|
|
|
(e |
) |
|
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Oceanopera Shipping Limited
|
|
|
(e |
) |
|
|
1,375,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,595,000 |
|
|
|
13,990,000 |
|
Current portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(5,105,000 |
) |
|
|
(6,030,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,490,000 |
|
|
|
7,960,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The future annual loan repayments are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
6,030,000 |
|
2006
|
|
|
2,280,000 |
|
2007
|
|
|
1,480,000 |
|
2008
|
|
|
4,200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
13,990,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
On January 30, 2001, Alterwall Business Inc. (the owner of
M/ V HM Qingdao I (ex M/ V Kuo Jane)) entered into a loan
agreement for an amount of $6,000,000. The loan is repayable in
sixteen quarterly installments of $150,000 each and a balloon
payment of $3,600,000 due in February 2005. (See Subsequent
events e.(1)). Interest is calculated at LIBOR plus
1.5% per annum. The average interest rate for the years
ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004 amounted to 3.26%,
2.75% and 3.65%. |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
On April 1, 2003, Alcinoe Shipping Limited (the owner of M/
V Pantelis P.) and Oceanpride Shipping Limited (the owner of M/
V John P.) jointly and severally entered into a new loan
amounting to $3,000,000 when the outstanding amount of the old
loan was $780,000. The loan is repayable in twelve consecutive
quarterly installments being four installments of $250,000 each,
eight installments of $200,000 each and a balloon payment of
$400,000 payable with the last installment in August 2006. The
first installment is due in August 2003. Interest is calculated
on LIBOR plus 1.75% per annum. The average interest rate
for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
amounted to 3.15%, 2.91% and 3.89%. |
|
(c) |
|
On October 10, 2002, Diana Trading Limited (the owner of M/
V Irini) entered into a loan agreement for an amount of
$5,900,000 which was drawn down in to tranches of $4,900,000 on
October 16, 2002 and of $1,000,000 on December 2,
2002. The loan is repayable in twenty-four consecutive quarterly
installments of $220,000 each, and a balloon payment of $600,000
payable together with the last installment due in |
F-16
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
|
|
October 2008. The first installment is payable in January 2003.
The interest is calculated at LIBOR plus 1.6% per annum.
The average interest rate for the years ended December 31,
2002, 2003 and 2004 amounted to 3.03%, 2.93% and 3.8%. |
|
(d) |
|
On May 1, 2002, Allendale Investments S.A. (the owner of m/
v Kuo Hsiung) entered into a loan agreement for an amount
of $6,000,000 which was drawn down on May 31, 2002. The
loan is repayable in twenty-four consecutive quarterly
installments of $150,000 plus a balloon payment of $2,400,000
payable with the last installment in May 2008. The interest is
calculated at LIBOR plus 1.75% per annum. The average
interest rate for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003
and 2004 amounted to 3.56%, 3.05% and 3.63%. |
|
(e) |
|
The loans of Searoute Maritime Limited (the owner of m/ v
Ariel), Silvergold Shipping Limited (the owner of m/ v
Widar) and Oceanopera Shipping Limited (the owner of m/ v
Nikolaos) were fully repaid in 2004. The average interest
rate for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
amounted to 3.5%, 2.94% and 2.94%. |
All the loans are secured with one or more of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
a first priority mortgage over the respective vessels. |
|
|
|
a first priority assignment of earnings and insurances. |
|
|
|
a personal guarantee of one shareholder. |
|
|
|
the corporate guarantee of the management company. |
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of profits or assets, additional
indebtedness and mortgaging of vessels without the lenders
prior consent, the sale of vessels, as well as minimum
requirements regarding the hull ratio cover. In addition, the
vessel owning companies are not permitted to pay any dividends
to Euroseas Ltd. nor Euroseas Ltd. to its shareholders without
the lenders prior consent.
The loan obtained by Diana Trading Limited is secured by a
second preferred mortgage over the vessel m/ v Nikolaos
P., owned by Oceanopera Shipping Limited.
Interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2002,
2003 and 2004 amounted to $543,505, $609,741, and $566,880
respectively.
Under the laws of the countries of the companies
incorporation and/or vessels registration, the companies
are not subject to tax on international shipping income,
however, they are subject to registration and tonnage taxes,
which have been included in Vessel operating expenses in the
accompanying consolidated statements of income.
Pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code of the United States (the
Code), U.S. source income from the
international operations of ships is generally exempt from
U.S. tax if the company operating the ships meets certain
requirements. Among other things, in order to qualify for this
exemption, the company operating the ships must be incorporated
in a country, which grants an equivalent exemption from income
taxes to U.S. corporations. All the companys
ship-operations subsidiaries satisfy these initial criteria. In
addition these Companies must be more than 50% owned by
individuals who are residents as defined in the countries of
incorporation or another foreign country that grants an
equivalent exemption to U.S. corporations. These companies
also currently satisfy the more that 50% benefit ownership
requirement. In addition, upon completion of the public offering
of the company shares, the management of the Company
believes that by virtue of the special rule applicable to
situations where the ship operating companies are beneficially
owned by a publicly traded company like the Company, the more
than 50% beneficial ownership requirement can also
F-17
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
be satisfied based on the trading volume and the anticipated
widely held ownership of the Companys shares, but no
assurance can be given that this will remain so in the future,
since continued compliance with this rule is subject to factors
outside the Companys control.
|
|
12. |
Earnings Per Common Share |
Basic and diluted earnings per common share are computed as
follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Income:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income for the year available to common stockholders
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
Basic earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average common shares outstanding
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
Diluted earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average common shares diluted
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
Basic earnings per share:
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
Diluted earnings per share:
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
13. |
Commitments and Contingencies |
There are no material legal proceedings to which the Company is
a party or to which any of its properties are subject, other
than routine litigation incidental to the Companys
business. In the opinion of the management, the disposition of
these lawsuits should not have a material impact on the
consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash
flows.
The distribution of the net earnings by one of the chartering
pools performing the exploitation of one of the Companys
vessels has not yet been finalized for the year ended
December 31, 2004. Any effect on the Companys income
resulting from any future reallocation of pool income cannot be
reasonably estimated.
Silvergold Shipping Limited issued a letter of guarantee on
December 9, 2004 of $1,000,000 addressed to the Norwegian
Futures and Options Clearing House (open-end). The letter of
guarantee is secured through a pledge over a time deposit held
by Silvergold Shipping Limited of $1,000,000. To date no
transactions have been carried out under this guarantee.
|
|
14. |
Common Stock and Paid-In Capital |
Common stock relates to 29,754,166 shares with a value of
$0.01 each. The amount shown in the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets, as additional paid-in capital, represents
payments made by the shareholders for the acquisitions of the
Companys vessels.
F-18
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
15. |
Voyage and Vessel Operating Expenses |
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated statement of income
are analyzed as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Voyage Expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Port charges
|
|
|
132,076 |
|
|
|
202,537 |
|
|
|
188,319 |
|
Bunkers
|
|
|
387,973 |
|
|
|
227,398 |
|
|
|
182,026 |
|
Other
|
|
|
11,887 |
|
|
|
7,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
531,936 |
|
|
|
436,935 |
|
|
|
370,345 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vessel Operating Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crew wages and related costs
|
|
|
3,934,140 |
|
|
|
4,569,039 |
|
|
|
4,460,233 |
|
Insurance
|
|
|
875,319 |
|
|
|
1,334,517 |
|
|
|
1,486,179 |
|
Repairs and maintenance
|
|
|
503,761 |
|
|
|
595,194 |
|
|
|
515,820 |
|
Lubricants
|
|
|
391,576 |
|
|
|
455,931 |
|
|
|
446,034 |
|
Spares and consumable stores
|
|
|
1,310,317 |
|
|
|
1,555,286 |
|
|
|
1,660,600 |
|
Professional and legal fees
|
|
|
31,327 |
|
|
|
34,206 |
|
|
|
46,997 |
|
Others
|
|
|
117,831 |
|
|
|
231,557 |
|
|
|
290,389 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
7,164,271 |
|
|
|
8,775,730 |
|
|
|
8,906,252 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commission expense can be analyzed as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Commissions charged by third parties
|
|
|
265,899 |
|
|
|
619,552 |
|
|
|
1,334,307 |
|
Commissions charges by related parties
|
|
|
155,060 |
|
|
|
286,465 |
|
|
|
880,890 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
420,959 |
|
|
|
906,017 |
|
|
|
2,215,197 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16. |
Financial Instruments |
The principal financial assets of the Company consists of cash
on hand and at banks, interest rate swaps and accounts
receivable due from charterers. The principal financial
liabilities of the Company consist of long-term loans and
accounts payable due to suppliers.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company entered into interest rate swap contracts as
economic hedges to its exposure to variability in its floating
rate long term debt. Under the terms of the interest rate swaps
the Company and the bank agreed to exchange, at specified
intervals the difference between a paying fixed rate and
floating rate interest amount calculated by reference to the
agreed principal amounts and maturities. Interest rate swaps
allow the Company to convert long-term borrowings issued at
floating rates into equivalent fixed rates. Even though the
interest rate swaps were entered into for economic hedging
purposes, the derivatives described below do not qualify for
accounting purposes as fair value hedges, under FASB Statement
No. 133, Accounting for derivative instruments and hedging
activities, as the Company does not have currently written
contemporaneous documentation, identifying the risk being
hedged, and both on a prospective and retrospective basis
performed an effective test supporting that the hedging
relationship is highly effective. Consequently, the Company
recognizes the change in fair value of these derivatives in the
statement of income.
F-19
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to
significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of
cash and trade accounts receivable. The Company places its
temporary cash investments, consisting mostly of deposits, with
high credit qualified financial institutions. The Company
performs periodic evaluation of the relative credit standing of
these financial institutions that are considered in the
Companys investment strategy. The Company limits its
credit risk with accounts receivable by performing ongoing
credit evaluations of its customers financial condition
and generally does not require collateral for its accounts
receivable.
Fair Value
The carrying values of cash, accounts receivable and accounts
payable are reasonable estimates of their fair value due to the
short term nature of these financial instruments. The fair value
of long term bank loans bearing interest at variable interest
rates approximates the recorded values.
|
|
1. |
Transaction with Euroseas Ltd. and Cove Apparel
Inc. |
On August 25, 2005, Euroseas Ltd. sold 7,026,993 common
shares in an institutional private placement for approximately
$21 million. As part of the private placement, Euroseas
Ltd. has agreed to file a registration statement with the
Securities and Exchange Commission to register for re-sale the
shares of Euroseas Ltd. The shares have warrants which allow the
shareholders of the institutional private placement the right to
acquire one share of Euroseas stock for every four shares
acquired at a price of $3.60 per share. These warrants
exist for a period of five years from the date of registration.
As a condition to the private placement, Euroseas Ltd. has
agreed to execute a merger agreement with Cove Apparel, Inc.
(Cove).
On August 25, 2005, Cove signed an Agreement and Plan of
Merger (the Merger Agreement) to combine with
Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc. (Euroseas Acquisition
Company), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned
subsidiary of Euroseas Ltd. The Merger Agreement provides for
the merger of Euroseas Acquisition Company with Cove, with the
current stockholders of Cove receiving 0.102969 shares of
Euroseas Ltd. common stock for each share of Cove common stock
they presently own. As part of the merger, Euroseas Ltd. has
agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission to register for re-sale the shares issued in
the merger to the Cove stockholders. Upon consummation of the
merger, the separate existence of Cove will cease, and Euroseas
Acquisition Company will continue as the surviving corporation
and as a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Euroseas Ltd.
under the name Cove Apparel, Inc. Euroseas Acquisition Company
was formed on June 21, 2005 to effect the merger with Cove.
In April 5, 2005 the Company paid $10,190,000 of dividends
relating to the year ended December 31, 2004. On
May 31, 2005 the Company paid an additional dividend/return
of capital of $34,000,000 which related to the period ended
May 31, 2005.
On May 31, 2005 Silvergold Shipping Ltd. paid a final
dividend of $35,000 to its shareholders.
(a) On May 9, 2005 Diana Trading Limited (the owner of
m/ v Irini) entered into a loan agreement amounting to
$4,200,000 which was drawn down on May 9, 2005. The loan is
repayable in twelve consecutive quarterly installments being
four installments of $450,000 each, and eight installments of
$300,000 each with the last installment due in May 2008. The
first installment is payable in August 2005. The interest is
calculated at LIBOR plus 1.25% per annum.
F-20
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The loan is secured with the following:
|
|
|
|
|
a second priority mortgage over the respective vessel. |
|
|
|
general assignment of earnings and insurance. |
|
|
|
a personal guarantee of one shareholder. |
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of dividends or any other distribution of
profits or assets, additional indebtedness and mortgaging of
vessels without the lenders prior consent, the sale of
vessels, as well as minimum requirements regarding the hull
ratio cover. In addition, the vessel owning companies are not
permitted to pay any dividends without the lenders prior
consent. The Company is not in default of any credit facility
covenant.
(b) On May 16, 2005 Alcinoe Shipping Limited (the
owner of m/ v Pantelis P.), Oceanpride Shipping Limited
(the owner of m/ v John P.), Searoute Maritime Ltd (the
owner of M/ V Ariel) and Oceanopera Shipping Ltd (the
owner of m/ v Nikolaos P) jointly and severally entered
into a new Eurodollar loan amounting to $13,500,000 which was
drawn down on May 16, 2005. Prior to obtaining the loan an
amount of $1,400,000 was paid in settlement of the outstanding
loans as at March 31, 2005 for Alcinoe Shipping Limited and
Oceanpride Shipping Limited. The new loan is repayable in twelve
consecutive quarterly installments being two installments of
$2,000,000 each, one installment of $1,500,000, nine
installments of $600,000 each and a balloon payment of
$2,600,000 payable with the last installment in May 2008. The
first installment is due in August 2005. Interest is calculated
on LIBOR plus 1.5% per annum.
The loan is secured with the following:
|
|
|
|
|
first priority mortgage over the respective vessels on a joint
and several basis. |
|
|
|
first assignment of earnings and insurance. |
|
|
|
a personal guarantee of one shareholder. |
|
|
|
a corporate guarantee of Eurobulk Ltd. |
|
|
|
a minimum liquidity balance equal to no less than $1,000,000
through out the life of the facility. |
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of dividends or any other distribution of
profits or assets, additional indebtedness and mortgaging of
vessels without the lenders prior consent, the sale of
vessels, as well as minimum requirements regarding the hull
ratio cover. In addition, the vessel owning companies are not
permitted to pay any dividends without the lenders prior
consent. The Company is not in default of any credit facility
covenant.
(c) On December 28, 2005, Salina Shipholding Corp.
(the owner of m/v Artemis which was acquired on
October 25, 2005) entered into a loan agreement amounting
to $15,500,000 which was drawn down on December 30, 2005.
The loan is repayable in ten consecutive six-monthly
installments being six installments of $1,750,000 each and four
installments of $650,000 and a balloon payment of $2,400,000
payable with the last installment in January 2011. The first
installment is due in June 2006. Interest is calculated on LIBOR
plus a margin that ranges between 0.9-1.1% depending on the
asset cover ratio. The Company is required to make monthly
transfers of interest payable to a retention account.
The loan is secured with the following:
|
|
|
|
|
first priority mortgage over the respective vessels on a joint
and several basis; |
|
|
|
first assignment of earnings and insurance; |
F-21
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
|
|
a corporate guarantee of Euroseas Ltd.; and |
|
|
|
a minimum liquidity balance equal to no less than $300,000 per
vessel in the Euroseas fleet throughout the life of the facility. |
The loan agreement contains ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessel, distribution of dividends or any other distribution of
profits and assets, additional indebtedness and mortgaging of
the vessel without the lenders prior consent, the sale of
the vessel, minimum requirements regarding the hull ratio cover
and minimum cash retention account.
(a) On February 9, 2005, Alterwall Business Inc.
refinanced the final balloon payment of their loan. It is
repayable in sixteen quarterly installments of $150,000 each,
and a balloon payment of $1,200,000 due in February, 2009.
Interest is calculated at LIBOR plus 1.25%.
(b) On May 24, 2005, Allendale Investments S.A. (the
owner of m/v Kuo Hsiung) and Alterwall Business Inc. (the
owner of m/v HM Qingdao1 (ex Kuo Jane))
jointly and severally entered into a loan agreement amounting to
$20,000,000 which was drawn down on May 26, 2005. The
outstanding amount of the old loans was $7,800,000 and was
repaid in full. The loan is repayable in twenty-four unequal
consecutive quarterly installments of $1,500,000 each in the
first year, $1,125,000 each in the second year, $775,000 in the
third year, $450,000 each in the forth through to the sixth year
and a balloon payment of $1,000,000 payable with the last
installment in May 2011. The interest is calculated at LIBOR
plus 1.25% per annum as long as the outstanding amount
remains below 60% of the fair market value (FMV) of the
vessel and 1.375% if the outstanding amount is above 60% of the
FMV of the vessel.
The loan is secured with the following:
|
|
|
|
|
first priority mortgage over the respective vessels on a joint
and several basis. |
|
|
|
first assignment of earnings and insurance. |
|
|
|
a personal guarantee of one shareholder. |
|
|
|
a corporate guarantee of Eurobulk Ltd. |
|
|
|
a pledge of all the issued shares of each borrower |
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of profits or assets, additional
indebtedness and mortgaging of vessels without the lenders
prior consent, the sale of vessels, as well as minimum
requirements regarding the hull ratio cover. In addition, the
vessel owning companies are not permitted to pay any dividends
to Euroseas Ltd. nor Euroseas Ltd. to its shareholders without
the lenders prior consent. The Company is not in default
of any credit facility covenant.
On January 31, 2005 the Companys vessel owning
companies which are parties to management agreements with the
Management Company renewed their agreements for an initial
period of 5 years. After the initial period (expiring on
January 31, 2010) the agreements will automatically extend.
Termination is not effective until 2 months following
notice having been delivered in writing by either party after
the initial 5-year period.
|
|
6. |
Dividend and Authorization of Reverse Stock Split |
On November 2, 2005, the Board of Directors declared a
dividend of $0.07 per share subject to the consent of
Coves shareholders, which consent was received pursuant to
an amendment to the Merger Agreement dated as of
November 22, 2005. The dividend (i) was paid on or
about December 19, 2005 to those holders of record of
common stock of the Company on December 16, 2005 (which
include the holders
F-22
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
of 36,781,159 shares outstanding and any of the holders of
1,756,743 warrants who decide to exercise their warrants by
December 16, 2005); and (ii) is payable (A) to the
stockholders of Cove Apparel, Inc. (Cove) who are
entitled to receive shares of the Companys common stock in
connection with Coves merger with the Companys
wholly-owned subsidiary, Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc., with
such payment being made only to those holders of record of Cove
common stock as of the effective date of the merger and such
dividend payment being made upon exchange of their Cove shares
for 1,079,167 shares of the Companys common stock
(assuming such merger is consummated), or (B) to Friends
Investment Company Inc. (Friends) if such merger is
not consummated since Friends will be issued the shares that
would have otherwise been issued in the merger.
In addition, the Board authorized a 1:2 reverse stock split
subject to consent of Coves shareholders, which consent
was received pursuant to an amendment to the Merger Agreement
dated as of November 22, 2005. The Management was
authorized, to decide not to proceed, on the reverse stock split
if it determines, that it is no longer in the best interests of
the Company and its shareholders. No date for the split has been
set and the Management has not indicated whether it will or will
not proceed with the split.
On October 25, 2005, the Company signed a Memorandum of
Agreement to acquire a 2,098 teu containership (m/v
Artemis), built in 1987, for a price of
$20.65 million. The vessel was delivered to the Company on
November 25, 2005.
|
|
8. |
Reclassification of Dividend |
On December 7, 2005, the Companys Board of Directors
made a resolution to clarify the breakdown of the dividend of
$34,000,000 that was paid on May 31, 2005 (see
Note 17(2)). This amount represented a dividend of
$17,300,000 and a return of capital in the amount of $16,700,000.
F-23
Schedule I Condensed Financial Information
of Euroseas Ltd.
Balance Sheets December 31, 2003 and 2004
(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
ASSETS |
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investments
|
|
|
27,486,245 |
|
|
|
31,112,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
27,486,245 |
|
|
|
31,112,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common shares (par value $0.01, 100,000,000 shares
authorized, 29,754,166 issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
Preferred shares (par value $0.01, 20,000,000 shares
authorized, no shares issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
18,623,236 |
|
|
|
17,073,381 |
|
Retained earnings/(accumulated deficit)
|
|
|
8,565,467 |
|
|
|
13,741,731 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
27,486,245 |
|
|
|
31,112,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and shareholders equity
|
|
|
27,486,245 |
|
|
|
31,112,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-24
Schedule I Condensed Financial Information
of Euroseas Ltd.
Income Statements for the Years Ended December 31, 2002,
2003 and 2004
(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity in net income of subsidiaries
|
|
|
891,627 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
891,627 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per share, basic and diluted
|
|
|
0.03 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the
period
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-25
Schedule I Condensed Financial Information
of Euroseas Ltd.
Statements of Stockholders Equity for the Years Ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
(All amounts, except per share data, expressed in
U.S. Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Retained | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common | |
|
Preferred | |
|
|
|
Earnings/ | |
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive | |
|
Number of | |
|
Shares | |
|
Shares | |
|
Paid-in | |
|
(Accumulated | |
|
|
|
|
Income | |
|
Shares | |
|
Amount | |
|
Amount | |
|
Capital | |
|
deficit) | |
|
Total | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Balance, January 1, 2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,073,236 |
|
|
|
1,210,728 |
|
|
|
16,581,506 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contribution
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
Balance, December 31, 2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,573,236 |
|
|
|
1,414,856 |
|
|
|
21,285,634 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid/ return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(950,000 |
) |
|
|
(1,276,000 |
) |
|
|
(2,226,000 |
) |
Balance, December 31, 2003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,623,236 |
|
|
|
8,565,468 |
|
|
|
27,486,246 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid/ return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,549,855 |
) |
|
|
(25,435,501 |
) |
|
|
(26,985,356 |
) |
Balance, December 31, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,073,381 |
|
|
|
13,741,732 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
F-26
Schedule I Condensed Financial Information
of Euroseas Ltd.
Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Cash flows from operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
891,628 |
|
|
|
8,426,612 |
|
|
|
30,611,765 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Undistributed earnings/ (losses) of subsidiaries
|
|
|
(204,127 |
) |
|
|
(6,002,612 |
) |
|
|
(3,626,409 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
687,500 |
|
|
|
2,226,000 |
|
|
|
26,985,356 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment in subsidiaries
|
|
|
(4,500,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(4,500,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid/return of capital
|
|
|
(687,500 |
) |
|
|
(2,226,000 |
) |
|
|
(26,985,356 |
) |
Contributions to paid in capital
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
3,812,500 |
|
|
|
(2,226,000 |
) |
|
|
(26,985,356 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-27
Schedule I Notes to the Condensed Financial
Information of Euroseas Ltd.
In the Parent Company only financial statements, the
Companys investment in subsidiaries is stated at cost plus
equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries since the date
of acquisition. The Company, during the years ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004, received cash dividends
from its subsidiaries of $687,500, $2,226,000 and $26,985,356,
respectively. The Parent Company only financial statements
should be read in conjunction with the Companys
consolidated financial statements.
F-28
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
June 30, 2004 and 2005
INDEX TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pages | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
F-30 |
|
|
|
|
F-31 |
|
|
|
|
F-32 |
|
|
|
|
F-33 |
|
|
|
|
F-34 |
|
F-29
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
As of June 30, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes | |
|
Historical | |
|
Proforma(1) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
(All amounts | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
expressed in | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. Dollars) | |
|
|
ASSETS |
Current Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,452,608 |
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable trade, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,652 |
|
|
|
|
|
Prepaid expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
129,706 |
|
|
|
|
|
Claims and other receivables
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
69,641 |
|
|
|
|
|
Due from related party
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
3,995,602 |
|
|
|
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
319,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
Restricted cash
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,299,135 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,276,109 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vessels, net book value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32,978,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total fixed assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32,978,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred charges, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,357,775 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total long-term assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,357,775 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46,612,184 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |
Current Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, current portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,780,000 |
|
|
|
14,780,000 |
|
Trade accounts payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
946,760 |
|
|
|
946,760 |
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
437,570 |
|
|
|
437,570 |
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
2,176,825 |
|
|
|
2,176,825 |
|
Due to related companies
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividend payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,650,223 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,341,155 |
|
|
|
20,991,738 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, net of current portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26,620,000 |
|
|
|
26,620,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total long-term liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26,620,000 |
|
|
|
26,620,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
44,961,155 |
|
|
|
47,611,378 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Stock (par value $0.01, 100,000,000 shares
authorized, 29,754,166 issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
Preferred shares (par value $0.01, 20,000,000 shares
authorized, no shares issued and outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital (restated)
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
373,381 |
|
|
|
373,381 |
|
Retained earnings/(Accumulated deficit) (restated)
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
980,106 |
|
|
|
(1,670,117 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,651,029 |
|
|
|
(999,194 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and shareholders equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46,612,184 |
|
|
|
46,612,184 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Gives effect to the payment of a cash dividend of
$2.65 million to (i) our shareholders of record on
December 16, 2005, and (ii) either Cove
Apparel Inc.s shareholders that will exchange their
shares to Euroseas shares, if the merger with Cove
Apparel Inc. is consummated, or, Friends which will issue
the shares that would have been issued to Cove
Apparel Inc.s Shareholders, if the merger is not
consummated. It assumes no exercise of any of the Companys
warrants. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-30
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
For the Six Month Periods Ended June 30, 2004 and
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts expressed | |
|
|
in U.S. dollars) | |
|
|
(Unaudited) | |
|
(Unaudited) | |
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage revenue
|
|
|
21,321,769 |
|
|
|
23,833,736 |
|
Commissions
|
|
|
(1,018,218 |
) |
|
|
(1,340,228 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenue
|
|
|
20,303,551 |
|
|
|
22,493,508 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voyage expenses
|
|
|
60,829 |
|
|
|
131,903 |
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
|
|
4,727,324 |
|
|
|
4,270,787 |
|
Management fees
|
|
|
1,007,771 |
|
|
|
965,384 |
|
Amortization and depreciation
|
|
|
1,640,565 |
|
|
|
1,824,322 |
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
(2,315,477 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
5,121,012 |
|
|
|
7,192,396 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
15,182,539 |
|
|
|
15,301,112 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Income/(Expenses)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest and finance cost
|
|
|
(297,916 |
) |
|
|
(545,719 |
) |
Derivative gain/(loss)
|
|
|
11,000 |
|
|
|
(82,029 |
) |
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
|
|
|
(3,734 |
) |
|
|
312 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
18,535 |
|
|
|
89,698 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income/(expenses), net
|
|
|
(272,115 |
) |
|
|
(537,738 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income for the period
|
|
|
14,910,424 |
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per share, basic and diluted
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the
period
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-31
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
For the Six Month Period Ended June 30, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Retained | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings/ | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paid-In | |
|
(Accumulated | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common | |
|
Preferred | |
|
Capital | |
|
Deficit) | |
|
Total | |
|
|
Comprehensive | |
|
Number of | |
|
Shares | |
|
Shares | |
|
(Restated | |
|
(Restated | |
|
(Restated | |
|
|
Income | |
|
Shares | |
|
Amount | |
|
Amount | |
|
See Note 8) | |
|
See Note 8) | |
|
See Note 8) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts, except per share data, expressed in U.S. dollars) | |
Balance, December 31, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,073,381 |
|
|
|
13,741,732 |
|
|
|
31,112,655 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends/Return of capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(16,700,000 |
) |
|
|
(27,525,000 |
) |
|
|
(44,225,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance June 30, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29,754,166 |
|
|
|
297,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
373,381 |
|
|
|
980,106 |
|
|
|
1,651,029 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-32
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Six Month Period Ended June 30, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(All amounts expressed | |
|
|
in U.S. dollars) | |
|
|
(Unaudited) | |
|
(Unaudited) | |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
14,910,424 |
|
|
|
14,763,374 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
1,328,247 |
|
|
|
1,191,864 |
|
Amortization for deferred dry-docking
|
|
|
312,318 |
|
|
|
632,458 |
|
Amortization for deferred finance cost
|
|
|
26,269 |
|
|
|
61,784 |
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
|
|
(2,315,477 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
(27,907 |
) |
|
|
|
|
(Gain)/ Loss on derivative
|
|
|
(11,000 |
) |
|
|
82,029 |
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Increase)/decrease in:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable trade, net
|
|
|
(170,965 |
) |
|
|
236,233 |
|
Prepaid expenses
|
|
|
(319,914 |
) |
|
|
77,845 |
|
Claims and other receivables
|
|
|
333,139 |
|
|
|
(13,887 |
) |
Inventories
|
|
|
98,927 |
|
|
|
(16,287 |
) |
Due from related companies
|
|
|
108,277 |
|
|
|
(8,621,660 |
) |
Increase/(decrease) in:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade accounts payable
|
|
|
866,962 |
|
|
|
67,219 |
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
(182,671 |
) |
|
|
116,914 |
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
(93,714 |
) |
|
|
268,634 |
|
Deferred dry docking expenses
|
|
|
(1,480,078 |
) |
|
|
(688,739 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
13,382,837 |
|
|
|
8,157,781 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Increase)/decrease in cash retention accounts
|
|
|
(494 |
) |
|
|
(1,230,155 |
) |
Proceeds from sale of vessel
|
|
|
6,723,018 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
6,722,524 |
|
|
|
(1,230,155 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred financing costs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(157,500 |
) |
Dividends paid/ return of capital
|
|
|
(11,762,500 |
) |
|
|
(44,225,000 |
) |
Proceeds from long term debt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,810,000 |
|
Repayment of long-term debt
|
|
|
(5,468,780 |
) |
|
|
(1,400,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
(17,231,280 |
) |
|
|
(16,972,500 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
2,874,081 |
|
|
|
(10,044,874 |
) |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
|
8,100,047 |
|
|
|
15,497,482 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
|
10,974,128 |
|
|
|
5,452,608 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for interest
|
|
|
253,644 |
|
|
|
260,376 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-33
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
For the Six Month Periods Ended June 30, 2004 and
2005
(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars)
|
|
1. |
Basis of Presentation and General Information |
Euroseas Ltd. (the Company) was formed on
May 5, 2005 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands to consolidate the beneficial owners of the ship owning
companies listed below. On June 28, 2005 the beneficial
owners exchanged all their shares in the ship-owning companies
for shares in Friends Investment Company Inc, a newly formed
Marshall Islands company. On June 29, 2005, Friends
Investment Company Inc. then exchanged all the shares in the
ship-owning companies for shares in Euroseas Ltd, thus becoming
the sole shareholder of Euroseas Ltd. The transaction described
above constitutes a reorganization of companies under common
control, and has been accounted for in a manner similar to a
pooling of interests, as each ship-owning company was under the
common control of the Pittas family prior to the transfer of
ownership of the companies to Euroseas Ltd. Accordingly, the
consolidated financial statements of the Company have been
presented as if the ship-owning companies were consolidated
subsidiaries of the Company for all periods presented and using
the historical carrying costs of the assets and the liabilities
of the ship-owning companies listed below.
The operations of the vessels are managed by Eurobulk Ltd., a
related corporation.
The manager has an office in Greece located at 40 Ag.
Constandinou Ave, Maroussi, Athens, Greece. The manager provides
the Company with a wide range of shipping services such as
technical support and maintenance, insurance consulting,
chartering, financial and accounting services, as well as
executive management services, in exchange for a fixed and
variable fee (Note 4).
The Company is engaged in the ocean transportation of dry bulk
and containers through the ownership and operation of the
following dry bulk and container carriers:
|
|
|
|
|
Searoute Maritime Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on May 20,
1992, owner of the Cyprus flag 33,712 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Ariel, which was built in 1977 and acquired
on March 5, 1993. |
|
|
|
Oceanopera Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on June 26,
1995, owner of the Cyprus flag 34,750 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Nikolaos P, which was built in 1984 and
acquired on July 22, 1996. |
|
|
|
Oceanpride Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on March 7,
1998, owner of the Cyprus flag 26,354 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel John P, which was built in 1981 and acquired
on March 7, 1998. |
|
|
|
Alcinoe Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on March 20,
1997, owner of the Cyprus flag 26,354 DWT bulk carrier motor
vessel Pantelis P, which was built in 1981 and
acquired on June 4, 1997. |
|
|
|
Alterwall Business Inc. incorporated in Panama on
January 15, 2001, owner of the Panama flag 18,253 DWT
container carrier motor vessel HM Qingdao1 (ex Kuo
Jane), which was built in 1990 and acquired on February 16,
2001. |
|
|
|
Allendale Investment S.A. incorporated in Panama on
January 22, 2002, owner of the Panama flag 18,154 DWT
container carrier motor vessel Kuo Hsiung, which was
built in 1993 and acquired on May 13, 2002. |
|
|
|
Diana Trading Ltd. incorporated in the Marshall Islands on
September 25, 2002, owner of the Marshall Islands flag
69,734 DWT bulk carrier motor vessel Irini, which
was built in 1988 and acquired on October 15, 2002. |
|
|
|
Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc. was incorporated in Delaware,
United States of America on June 21, 2005, to effect a
merger with Cove Apparel Inc. See Note 7. |
F-34
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
In addition, the historical financial statements include the
accounts of the following vessel owning companies which were
managed by Eurobulk, Ltd. during the periods presented:
|
|
|
(a) Silvergold Shipping Ltd. incorporated in Cyprus on
May 16, 1994. Up to June 3, 1996, the Company was
engaged in ship owning activities, but thereafter, the
Companys assets and liabilities were liquidated and the
retained earnings were distributed to the shareholders. The
Company remained dormant until October 10, 2000 when it
acquired the 18,000 DWT, Cyprus flag, container carrier motor
vessel Widar, which was built in 1986. The vessel
was sold on April 24, 2004. The group of beneficial
shareholders which own the above mentioned ship-owing companies
also own the ship owning company, Silvergold Shipping Ltd.,
accordingly, these accompanying financial statements also
consolidate the accounts of Silvergold Shipping Ltd until
May 31, 2005, when Silvergold Shipping Ltd paid a final
dividend of $35,000 to its shareholders. |
|
|
(b) Fitsoulas Corporation Limited which was incorporated in
Malta on September 24, 1999, is the owner of the Malta flag
41,427 DWT bulk carrier motor vessel Elena Heart, which was
built in 1983 and acquired on October 22, 1999. The vessel
was sold on March 31, 2003. The group of beneficial
shareholders which own the above mentioned ship-owing companies
also exercised significant influence over the ship-owning
company Fitsoulas Corporation Limited through their 38% interest
in that company, and this investment was therefore accounted for
using the equity method. |
During the six month periods ended June 30, 2004 and 2005
five charterers individually accounted for more than 10% of the
Companys voyage and time charter revenues as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six Months | |
|
|
Ended June 30, | |
|
|
| |
Charterer |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
A
|
|
|
12.91 |
% |
|
|
16.77 |
% |
B
|
|
|
12.37 |
% |
|
|
|
|
C
|
|
|
11.6 |
% |
|
|
|
|
D
|
|
|
10.87 |
% |
|
|
|
|
E
|
|
|
10.81 |
% |
|
|
19.52 |
% |
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with
U.S. generally accepted principles for interim financial
information. Accordingly they do not include all the information
and notes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles for complete financial statements and, in the opinion
of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only
normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair
presentation of the Companys financial position, results
of operations and cash flow for the periods presented. Operating
results for the six month period ended June 30, 2005 are
not necessarily indicative of the results that might be expected
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2005.
The unaudited interim financial statements as of and for the six
month period ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 should be read in
conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements
as of and for the three year period ended December 31, 2004.
F-35
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
The amounts shown in the accompanying consolidated balance
sheets are analyzed as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 30, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
Lubricants
|
|
|
261,954 |
|
Victualling
|
|
|
57,811 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
319,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
The account relates to deferred voyage revenue that represents
cash received from charterers prior to it being earned. These
amounts are recognized as income in the appropriate future
periods.
|
|
4. |
Related Party Transactions |
The Companys vessel owning companies are parties to
management agreements with Eurobulk Ltd., a related company (the
Management Company) whereby the Management Company
provides technical and commercial management for a fixed daily
fee of Euro 590 for the period ended June 30, 2004 and
2005. Such management fees amounted to $1,007,771 and $965,384
in 2004 and 2005 respectively. These agreements were renewed on
January 31, 2005 with an initial term of 5 years and
will automatically be extended after the initial period.
Termination is not effective until 2 months following
notice having been delivered in writing by either party after
the initial 5-year
period.
The Company uses brokers to provide services, as it is industry
practice. Eurochart S.A., a related party, provides sales and
purchases (S&P) and chartering services to the Company. A
commission of 1% on vessel sales price and 1%-1.25%, on charter
revenue is paid to Eurochart S.A. for these services. The amount
paid to Eurochart S.A for the 1% commission amounted to $70,000
and none in the period ended June 30, 2004 and 2005,
respectively. There were no vessel sales during the period ended
June 30, 2005. The commission on charter revenue for the
six month periods ended June 30, 2004 and 2005 amounted to
$257,527 and $294,587, respectively.
Certain shareholders, together with another ship management
company, have one joint venture with the insurance broker
Sentinel Maritime Services Inc. and one with the crewing agent
More Maritime Agencies Inc. The shareholders
percentage participation in these joint ventures was 35% in 2004
and 58% in 2005.
Amounts due to related parties represent net disbursements and
collections made on behalf of the vessel-owning companies by the
Management Company or another related party during the normal
course of operations for which they have the right to
off-set. As of
June 30, 2005, the amount due from related companies of
$4.00 million primarily reflects charter hire for m/v
Nikolaos P, John P and Pantelis P
up to May 31, 2005 and for m/v Irini up to
June 30, 2005, that is deposited in the bank accounts of
Silvergold Shipping Ltd., the company that owned m/v
Widar which was sold on April 24, 2004. The present
financial statements consolidate the accounts of Silvergold
Shipping Ltd until May 31, 2005, when Silvergold Shipping
Ltd. paid a final dividend of $35,000 to its shareholders.
Silvergold Shipping Ltd., as the related company, continued to
perform a treasury function for us as of June 30, 2005, and
therefore the cash balance at that date remained in the related
partys account. The funds remained in the Silvergold
Shipping Ltd. account solely for purposes of convenience as
charters were effecting payments to us in that account. With the
opening of new Euroseas accounts, and after completing the
necessary paperwork, these funds will be transferred to our
accounts or accounts of our subsidiaries. As of
December 31, 2005, approximately $3.50 million of the
$4.00 million had been repaid, leaving a balance of
approximately $530,000, which is expected to be repaid by the
end of January 2006.
F-36
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Long-term debt as of June 30, 2005 comprises bank loans
granted to the vessel-owning companies, which are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 30, | |
Borrower |
|
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
Diana Trading Limited
|
|
|
(a |
) |
|
|
7,900,000 |
|
Alterwall Business Inc./Allendale Investments S.A.
|
|
|
(c |
) |
|
|
20,000,000 |
|
Alcinoe Shipping Limited
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oceanpride Shipping Limited
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Searoute Maritime Limited
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oceanopera Shipping Limited
|
|
|
(b |
) |
|
|
13,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41,400,000 |
|
Current portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(14,780,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Portion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26,620,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The future annual loan repayments are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
To June 30
|
|
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
14,780,000 |
|
2006
|
|
|
8,980,000 |
|
2007
|
|
|
10,180,000 |
|
2008
|
|
|
2,860,000 |
|
2009
|
|
|
1,800,000 |
|
thereafter
|
|
|
2,800,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
41,400,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
On May 9, 2005 Diana Trading Ltd. (the owner of m/v
Irini) entered into a loan agreement amounting to
$4,200,000 which was drawn down on May 9, 2005. The loan is
repayable in twelve consecutive quarterly installments being
four installments of $450,000 each, and eight installments of
$300,000 each with the last installment due in May 2008. The
first installment is payable in August 2005. The interest is
calculated at LIBOR plus 1.25% per annum. |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
On May 16, 2005 Alcinoe Shipping Ltd (the owner of m/v
Pantelis P.), Oceanpride Shipping Ltd. (the owner of m/v
John P.), Searoute Maritime Ltd. (the owner of m/v
Ariel) and Oceanopera Shipping Ltd. (the owner of
m/v Nikolaos P) jointly and severally entered into a new
eurodollar loan amounting to $13,500,000 which was drawn down on
May 16, 2005. Prior to obtaining the loan an amount of
$1,400,000 was paid in settlement of the outstanding loans as at
March 31, 2005 for Alcinoe Shipping Ltd. and
Oceanpride Shipping Ltd. The new loan is repayable in twelve
consecutive quarterly installments being two installments of
$2,000,000 each, one installment of $1,500,000, nine
installments of $600,000 each and a balloon payment of
$2,600,000 payable with the last installment in May 2008. The
first installment is due in August 2005. Interest is calculated
on LIBOR plus 1.5% per annum. |
|
(c) |
|
On May 24, 2005, Allendale Investments S.A. (the owner of
m/v Kuo Hsiung) and Alterwall Business Inc. (the
owner of m/v HM Qingdao1 (ex Kuo Jane))
jointly and severally entered into a loan agreement amounting to
$20,000,000 which was drawn down on May 26, 2005. The
outstanding amount |
F-37
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
|
|
of the old loans was $7,800,000 and was repaid in full. The loan
is repayable in twenty-four unequal consecutive quarterly
installments of $1,500,000 each in the first year, $1,125,000
each in the second year, $775,000 in the third year, $450,000
each in the forth through to the sixth year and a balloon
payment of $1,000,000 payable with the last installment in May
2011. The interest is calculated at LIBOR plus 1.25% per
annum as long as the outstanding amount remains below 60% of the
fair market value (FMV) of the vessel and 1.375% if the
outstanding amount is above 60% of the FMV of the vessel. |
The loans are secured with one or more of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
first priority mortgage over the respective vessels on a joint
and several basis. |
|
|
|
first assignment of earnings and insurance. |
|
|
|
a personal guarantee of one shareholder. |
|
|
|
a corporate guarantee of Eurobulk Ltd. |
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a pledge of all the issued shares of each borrower |
The loan agreements contain ship finance covenants including
restrictions as to changes in management and ownership of the
vessels, distribution of profits or assets, additional
indebtedness and mortgaging of vessels without the lenders
prior consent, the sale of vessels, as well as minimum
requirements regarding the hull ratio cover. In addition, the
vessel owning companies are not permitted to pay any dividends
to Euroseas Ltd. nor Euroseas Ltd. to its shareholders without
the lenders prior consent. The Company is not in default
of any credit facility covenant.
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6. |
Commitments and Contingencies |
There are no material legal proceedings to which the Company is
a party or to which any of its properties are subject, other
than routine litigation incidental to the Companys
business. In the opinion of the management, the disposition of
these lawsuits should not have a material impact on the
consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash
flows.
The distribution of the net earnings by one of the chartering
pools performing the exploitation of one of the Companys
vessels has not yet been finalized for the period ended
June 30, 2005. Any effect on the Companys income
resulting from any future reallocation of pool income cannot be
reasonably estimated.
On August 25, 2005, the Company sold 7,026,993 common
shares in an institutional private placement for approximately
$21 million, before expenses. As part of the private
placement, Euroseas Ltd. has agreed to file a registration
statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to
register for re-sale the shares of Euroseas Ltd. The shares have
warrants which allow the shareholders of the institutional
private placement the right to acquire one share of Euroseas
stock for every four shares acquired at a price of
$3.60 per share. These warrants exist for a period of five
years from the date of registration. As a condition to the
private placement, Euroseas Ltd. has agreed to execute a merger
agreement with Cove Apparel, Inc. (Cove).
On August 25, 2005, Cove signed an Agreement and Plan of
Merger (the Merger Agreement) to combine with
Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc. (Euroseas Acquisition
Company), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned
subsidiary of Euroseas Ltd. The Merger Agreement provides for
the merger of Euroseas Acquisition Company with Cove, with the
current stockholders of Cove receiving 0.102969 shares of
Euroseas Ltd. common stock for each share of Cove common stock
they presently own. As part of the merger, Euroseas Ltd. has
agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission to register for re-sale the shares issued in
the merger to the Cove stockholders. Upon consummation of the
merger, the separate existence of Cove will cease, and Euroseas
Acquisition Company will continue as the
F-38
EUROSEAS LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
surviving corporation and as a wholly owned operating subsidiary
of Euroseas Ltd. under the name Cove Apparel, Inc. Euroseas
Acquisition Company was formed on June 21, 2005 to effect
the merger with Cove.
On November 2, 2005, the Board of Directors declared a
dividend of $0.07 per share subject to the consent of
Coves shareholders, which consent was received pursuant to
an amendment to the Merger Agreement dated as of November 22,
2005. The dividend (i) was paid on or about
December 19, 2005 to those holders of record of common
stock of the Company on December 16, 2005 (which include
the holders of 36,781,159 shares outstanding and any of the
holders of 1,756,743 warrants who decide to exercise their
warrants by December 16, 2005); and (ii) is payable
(A) to the stockholders of Cove Apparel, Inc.
(Cove) who are entitled to receive shares of the
Companys common stock in connection with Coves
merger with the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, Euroseas
Acquisition Company Inc., with such payment being made only to
those holders of record of Cove common stock as of the effective
date of the merger and such dividend payment being made upon
exchange of their Cove shares for 1,079,167 shares of the
Companys common stock (assuming such merger is
consummated), or (B) to Friends Investment Company Inc.
(Friends) if such merger is not consummated since
Friends will be issued the shares that would have otherwise been
issued in the merger.
In addition, the Board authorized a 1:2 reverse stock split
subject to consent of Coves shareholders, which consent
was received pursuant to an amendment to the Merger Agreement
dated as of November 22, 2005. The Management was
authorized, to decide not to proceed, on the reverse stock split
if it determines, that it is no longer in the best interests of
the Company and its shareholders. No date for the split has been
set and the Management has not indicated whether it will or will
not proceed with the split.
On October 25, 2005, the Company signed a Memorandum of
Agreement to acquire a 2,098 teu containership (m/v
Artemis), built in 1987, for a price of $20.65 million.
The vessel was delivered to the Company on November 25,
2005.
On December 28, 2005, Salina Shipholding Corp. (the
owner of m/v Artemis which was acquired on
October 25, 2005) entered into a loan agreement amounting
to $15,500,000 which was drawn down on December 30, 2005.
The loan is repayable in ten consecutive six-monthly
installments being six installments of $1,750,000 each and four
installments of $650,000 and a balloon payment of $2,400,000
payable with the last installment in January 2011. The first
installment is due in June 2006. Interest is calculated on LIBOR
plus a margin that ranges between 0.9-1.1%, depending on the
asset cover ratio. The loan is secured with the following:
(i) first priority mortgage over the respective vessel,
(ii) first assignment of earnings and insurance,
(iii) a corporate guarantee of Euroseas Ltd., and
(iv) a minimum liquidity balance equal to no less than
$300,000 per vessel in the Euroseas fleet through out the life
of the facility. The loan agreement contains ship finance
covenants including restrictions as to changes in management and
ownership of the vessel, distribution of dividends or any other
distribution of profits and assets, additional indebtedness and
mortgaging of the vessel without the lenders prior
consent, the sale of the vessel, minimum requirements regarding
the hull ratio cover and minimum cash retention account.
On December 7, 2005, the Companys Board of Directors
made a resolution to clarify the breakdown of the dividend of
$34,000,000 that was paid on May 31, 2005 (see
Note 17(2)). This amount represented a dividend of
$17,300,000 and a return of capital in the amount of $16,700,000.
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8. |
Restatement of previously issued financial statements |
An adjustment was made to restate previously issued financial
statements in order to properly reflect the allocation of total
distributions to the shareholders in the period ended
June 30, 2005 as dividends and return of capital.
F-39
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
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Item 6. |
Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
The Bylaws of the Registrant provide that any person who is or
was a director or officer of the Registrant, or is or was
serving at the request of the Registrant as a director or
officer of another, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise, shall be entitled to be indemnified by the
Registrant upon the same terms, under the same conditions, and
to the same extent as authorized by Section 60 of the
Business Corporations Act (Part I of the Associations Law)
of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, if he acted in good
faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Registrant, and, with
respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable
cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.
Section 60 of the Business Corporations Act (Part I of
the Associations Law) of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
provides as follows:
Indemnification of directors and officers.
(1) Actions not by or in right of the
corporation. A corporation shall have power to indemnify
any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a
party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or
proceeding whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the
corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director
or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the
request of the corporation as a director or officer of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys fees),
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit
or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal
action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his
conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or
proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a
plea of no contest, or its equivalent, shall not, of itself,
create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith
and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with
respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable
cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
(2) Actions by or in right of the
corporation. A corporation shall have the power to
indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action
or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure
judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a
director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at
the request of the corporation as a director or officer of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise against expenses (including attorneys fees)
actually and reasonably incurred by him or in connection with
the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in
good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except
that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim,
issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged
to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of
his duty to the corporation unless and only to the extent that
the court in which such action or suit was brought shall
determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of
liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such
person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such
expenses which the court shall deem proper.
(3) When director or officer is successful.
To the extent that director or officer of a corporation has been
successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action,
suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (1) or (2) of
this section, or in the defense of a claim, issue or matter
therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses (including
attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in
connection therewith.
(4) Payment of expenses in advance. Expenses
incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or
proceeding may be paid in advance of the final disposition of
such action, suit or proceeding as authorized by the board of
directors in the specific case upon receipt of an undertaking by
or on behalf of the director or
II-1
officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be
determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the
corporation as authorized in this section.
(5) Indemnification pursuant to other rights.
The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or
granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall
not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those
seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be
entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or
disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his
official capacity and as to action in another capacity while
holding such office.
(6) Continuation of indemnification. The
indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or
granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise
provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person
who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and
shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and
administrators of such a person.
(7) Insurance. A corporation shall have power
to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who
is or was a director or officer of the corporation or is or was
serving at the request of the corporation as a director or
officer against any liability asserted against him and incurred
by him in such capacity whether or not the corporation would
have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the
provisions of this section.
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Item 7. |
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities |
On August 25, 2005, Euroseas raised approximately
$21 million in gross proceeds from a private placement
transaction of its securities to a number of institutional and
accredited investors. In the private placement, Euroseas issued
7,026,993 shares of common stock at a price of
$3.00 per share, as well as warrants to purchase an
additional 1,756,743 shares of common stock. The warrants
have a five year term and an exercise price of $3.60. All of
such shares were issued, and the warrants were granted, in
transactions exempt from the registration requirements under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to
Section 4(2) thereof and pursuant to Rule 506 of
Regulation D. In particular, there were not more than
35 purchasers of securities and each purchaser represented
that it was either (i) an accredited investor
as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7) or
(a)(8) under the Securities Act or (ii) a qualified
institutional buyer as defined in Rule 144A(a) under
the Securities Act. Each purchaser further represented that it
had such knowledge and experience in financial and business
matters that it was capable of evaluating the merits and risks
of the prospective investment. Finally, each purchaser
acknowledged that it was not purchasing the securities as a
result of any advertisement, article, notice or other
communication regarding the securities published in any
newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over
television or radio or presented at any seminar or any other
general solicitation or general advertisement. Euroseas filed a
Form D with the Commission with respect to this private
placement.
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Item 8. |
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. |
a. Exhibits
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2.1
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Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of August 25, 2005 by
and among Euroseas Ltd., Euroseas Acquisition Company Inc., Cove
Apparel, Inc., and Kevin Peterson, Shawn Peterson, Jodi Hunter
and Daniel Trotter(1) |
2.2
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Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated
November 22, 2005(1) |
3.1
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Articles of Incorporation of Euroseas Ltd.(1) |
3.2
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Bylaws of Euroseas Ltd.(1) |
4.1
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Specimen Common Stock Certificate(1) |
4.2
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Form of Securities Purchase Agreement(1) |
4.3
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Form of Registration Rights Agreement(1) |
4.4
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Form of Warrant(1) |
4.5
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Registration Rights Agreement between Euroseas Ltd. and Friends
Investment Company Inc., dated November 2, 2005(1) |
II-2
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5.1
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Opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, special Marshall
Islands counsel to the Registrant, as to the validity of the
shares of Common Stock(1) |
8.1
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Opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, as to certain tax
matters(1) |
10.1
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Form of Lock-Up Agreement(1) |
10.2
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Loan Agreement between Oceanopera Shipping Limited, as borrower
and HSBC Bank plc, as lender for the amount of USD$3,200,000,
dated June 11, 2001(1) |
10.3
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Loan Agreement between Diana Trading Ltd., as borrower, and
Oceanopera Shipping Limited, as corporate guarantor, and HSBC
Bank plc, as the lender, dated October 16, 2002 for the
amount of USD$5,900,000(1) |
10.4
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Loan Agreement between Diana Trading Ltd., as borrower, and HSBC
Bank plc, as lender, for the amount of USD$4,200,000 dated
May 9, 2005(1) |
10.5
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Loan Agreement dated May 16, 2005 between EFG Eurobank
Ergasias S.A., as lender, and Alcinoe Shipping Limited,
Oceanopera Shipping Limited, Oceanpride Shipping Limited, and
Searoute Maritime Limited, as borrowers, for the amount of
US$13,500,000(1) |
10.6
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Secured Loan Facility Agreement dated May 24, 2005 between
Allendale Investments S.A. and Alterwall Business Inc. as
borrowers, Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. and others as lenders,
and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. as agent and security trustee
for USD$20,000,000(1) |
10.7
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Form of Standard Ship Management Agreement(1) |
10.8
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Agreement between Eurobulk Ltd. and Eurochart S.A., for the
provision of exclusive brokerage services, dated
December 20, 2004(1) |
10.9
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Form of Current Time Charter(1) |
10.10
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Services Agreement between Euroseas Ltd. and Eurobulk Ltd. dated
November 2, 2005(1) |
10.11
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Loan Agreement between Salina Shipping Corp., as borrower, and
Calyon, as lender, for the amount of USD$15,500,000 dated
December 28, 2005(1) |
21.1
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Subsidiaries of the Registrant(1) |
23.1
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Consents of Seward & Kissel LLP (included in its
opinions filed as Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1(1)) |
23.2
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Consent of Deloitte, Hadjipavlou, Sofianos & Cambanis
S.A.(2) |
24.1
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Power of Attorney(3) |
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(1) |
Previously filed. |
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(2) |
Filed herewith. |
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(3) |
Included on the signature page of this Registration Statement. |
b. Financial Statement Schedules
None.
(a) Rule 415
Offering.
The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
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(1) |
To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
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(a) |
To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; |
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(b) |
To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after
the effective date of the registration statement (or the most
recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or
in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
information set forth in the registration statement; and |
II-3
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(c) |
To include any material information with respect to the plan of
distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
statement or any material change to such information in the
registration statement. |
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(2) |
That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall
be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide
offering thereof. |
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(3) |
To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
unsold at the termination of the offering. |
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(4) |
To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement
to include any financial statements required by
§210.3-19 of
Regulation S-X at
the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous
offering. |
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(5) |
That, for the purpose of determining liability under the
Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, each prospectus filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement
relating to an offering, other than registration statements
relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in
reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and
included in the registration statement as of the date it is
first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that
no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that
is part of the registration statement or made in a document
incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the
registration statement or prospectus that is part of the
registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of
contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify
any statement that was made in the registration statement or
prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made
in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
(h) Request for acceleration
of effective date or filing of registration statement on
Form S-8.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers
and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment
by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director,
officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant
will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
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i. |
to respond to requests for information that is incorporated by
reference into the prospectus, within one business day of
receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents
by first class mail or other equally prompt means; and |
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ii. |
to arrange or provide for a facility in the U.S. for the purpose
of responding to such requests. The undertaking in
subparagraph (i) above include information contained in
documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the
registration statement through the date of responding to the
request. |
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to supply by means
of a post-effective amendment all information concerning a
transaction and the company being acquired involved therein,
that was not the subject of and included in the registration
statement when it became effective.
II-4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on
Form F-1 and has
duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the
City of Maroussi, Country of Greece on February 3, 2006.
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By: |
/s/ Aristides J. Pittas |
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Name: Aristides J. Pittas |
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Title: |
Chairman of the Board and President |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and
appoints Aristides J. Pittas, Tasos Aslidis, or any one of
them, as his or her true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and
agents with full power of substitution and resubstitution for
him or her and in his or her name, place and stead in any and
all capacities to execute in the name of each such person who is
then an officer or director of the Registrant any and all
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this
Registration Statement, and any registration statement relating
to the offering hereunder pursuant to Rule 462 under the
Securities Act of 1933 and to file the same with all exhibits
thereto and other documents in connection therewith with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and
agents and each of them full power and authority to do and
perform each and every act and thing required or necessary to be
done in and about the premises as fully as he might or could do
in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or their or his substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons
in the capacities and on the date indicated.
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SIGNATURES |
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TITLE |
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DATE |
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/s/ Aristides J. Pittas
Aristides J. Pittas |
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Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief
Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ Dr. Anastasios Aslidis
Dr. Anastasios Aslidis |
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Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director (Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer) and Authorized Representative
in the United States |
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February 3, 2006 |
II-5
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SIGNATURES |
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TITLE |
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DATE |
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/s/ Aristides P. Pittas
Aristides P. Pittas |
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Vice Chairman and Director |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ Stephania Karmiri
Stephania Karmiri |
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Secretary |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ George Skarvelis
George Skarvelis |
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Director |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ George Taniskidis
George Taniskidis |
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Director |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ Gerald Turner
Gerald Turner |
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Director |
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February 3, 2006 |
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/s/ Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos
Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos |
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Director |
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February 3, 2006 |
II-6