Top Ships Inc F-1/A, filed May 13, 2026
Top Ships Inc. (TOPS)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 13, 2026.
Registration No. 333-295332
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 1 to Form F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
TOP Ships Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
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Republic of the Marshall Islands (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
4412 (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
N/A (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
20 Iouliou Kaisara Str
19002 Paiania
Athens, Greece
+30 210 812 8107
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant's principal executive offices)
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
Attention: Will Vogel, Esq.
120 West 45th Street, 20th Floor
New York, New York 10036
+1 (212) 922-2200
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
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Will Vogel, Esq. Watson Farley & Williams LLP 120 West 45th Street, 20th Floor New York, New York 10036 +1 (212) 922-2200 (telephone number) |
Barry I. Grossman, Esq. Matthew Bernstein, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor New York, New York 10105 +1 (212) 370-1300 (telephone number) |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are being offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
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. ☐
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. ☐
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. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
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, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This Amendment No. 1 (this “Amendment No. 1”) to the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-295332) of Top Ships Inc. (the “Registration Statement”) is being filed as an exhibits-only filing. Accordingly, this Amendment No. 1 consists only of the facing page, this explanatory note, Part II of the Registration Statement, the signature page to the Registration Statement, and the filed exhibit. The remainder of the Registration Statement is unchanged and has therefore been omitted.
PART II
Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
| I. | Section 12 of Article III of the Amended and Restated Bylaws of TOP Ships Inc. (the “Corporation”) provides as follows: |
| 1. | 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 of another partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation upon the same terms, under the same conditions, and to the same extent as authorized by Section 60 of the Business Corporation Act 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 Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. |
| II. | Section 60 of the Business Corporations Act of the Republic of the Marshall Islands provides as follows: |
| 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 or her 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 bests interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceedings, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her 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 a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation, 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 claims, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her 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 successful. To the extent that a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to 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 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 shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his or her 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 the 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. |
Item 7. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On February 18, 2026, we entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Tanker SPA”) with Central Mare, a related party affiliated with the family of Mr. Evangelos J. Pistiolis, to purchase the shares of certain entities (the Tanker SPVs”) that have entered into shipbuilding contracts, each dated February 3, 2026, with Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Limited and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. for the purchase of nine 47,499 dwt MR chemical/product oil tankers. $14.0 million of the purchase price was settled through the issuance of 14,000 Series G Preferred Shares on March 31, 2026. We believe the issuance of these Series G Preferred Shares was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation S promulgated thereunder.
Item 8. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | The following exhibits are included in this registration statement on Form F-1: |
Exhibit Index
*Filed herewith
Item 9. Undertakings
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
| (iii) | 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. |
| (2) | That, for the purposes 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 the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (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. |
| (4) | To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act need not be furnished, provided that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (6) | That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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. |
| (7) | 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 Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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 Athens, Greece on the 13th day of May, 2026.
| TOP SHIPS INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Evangelos J. Pistiolis | ||
| Name: | Evangelos J. Pistiolis | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 13, 2026.
| /s/ Evangelos J. Pistiolis |
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
| Evangelos J. Pistiolis | |||
| /s/ Alexandros Tsirikos |
Director and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | ||
| Alexandros Tsirikos | |||
| /s/ Konstantinos Karelas | Director | ||
| Konstantinos Karelas | |||
| /s/ Maria Zoupou | |||
| Maria Zoupou | Director | ||
| /s/ Paolo Javarone | |||
| Paolo Javarone | Director |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative of the Registrant in the United States, has signed this registration statement in the City of Newark, State of Delaware, on May 13, 2026.
| PUGLISI & ASSOCIATES | ||||
| By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |||
| Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |||
| Title: | Authorized Representative in the United States | |||
Exhibit 5.1
TOP Ships Inc.
20 Iouliou Kaisara Str,
19002 Paiania, Athens, Greece
May 13, 2026
Re: TOP Ships Inc: Exhibit 5.1 Opinion.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to TOP Ships Inc., a Marshall Islands corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-295332) (the “Registration Statement”), as publicly filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) with respect to the public offering (the “Offering”) of up to $10,000,000 of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each Unit consisting of (i) one common share, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Share”) of the Company, which Common Shares include preferred stock purchase rights (the “Preferred Stock Purchase Rights”) (such Common Shares issued as part of Units, the “Unit Shares”) or one pre-funded warrant to purchase one Common Share (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) and (ii) one and one-half warrants, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at the exercise price then in effect (the “Class D Purchase Warrants”, and together with the Pre-Funded Warrants, the “Warrants”). The Registration Statement also covers the registration of (i) the Common Shares underlying the Warrants (the “Warrant Shares”), (ii) warrants to purchase Common Shares (the “PA Warrants”) that will be issued to the placement agent (the “Placement Agent”) in connection with the Offering, and (iii) the Common Shares underlying the PA Warrants (the “PA Warrant Shares”).
As such counsel, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of: (i) the Registration Statement; (ii) the prospectus of the Company (as amended or supplemented, the “Prospectus”) included in the Registration Statement; (iii) the form of securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) to be entered into between the Company and certain purchasers of the Units, (iv) the form of placement agent agreement (the “Placement Agent Agreement”) to be entered into between the Company and the Placement Agent in connection with the Offering; (v) the form of Warrants and PA Warrants; (vi) Stockholders Rights Agreement with Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent, as of September 22, 2016 (the “Rights Agreement”), relating to the Preferred Stock Purchase Rights; (vii) the Company’s third amended and restated articles of incorporation (the “Articles”) and the amended and restated bylaws of the Company (as amended to date); and (viii) such other papers, documents, agreements, certificates of public officials and certificates of representatives of the Company as we have deemed relevant and necessary as the basis for the opinions hereafter expressed.
In such examination, we have assumed (i) the legal competence or capacity of persons or entities (other than the Company) to complete the execution of documents; (ii) the genuineness of all signatures and the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals; (iii) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as conformed or photostatic copies; (iv) that the documents reviewed by us in connection with the rendering of the opinions set forth herein are true, correct and complete; and (v) the truthfulness of each statement as to all factual matters contained in any document or certificate encompassed within the due diligence review undertaken by us. As to various questions of fact which are material to the opinions hereinafter expressed, we have relied upon statements or certificates of public officials, directors of the Company and others. We have not independently verified the facts so relied on.
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We have further assumed for the purposes of this opinion, without investigation, that (i) all documents contemplated by the Prospectus to be executed in connection with the Offering have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each of the parties thereto other than the Company; (ii) the terms of the Offering comply in all respects with the terms, conditions and restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and all of the instruments, agreements and other documents relating thereto or executed in connection therewith; and (iii) all securities will be issued in compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities and other laws (other than the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the State of New York in respect of which we are opining).
We have further assumed that at or prior to the time of the delivery of any of the Warrant Shares or PA Warrant Shares, there will not have occurred any change in the law or the facts affecting the validity of the Warrant Shares or PA Warrant Shares.
This opinion letter is limited to Marshall Islands law and New York law and is as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to advise of any development or circumstance of any kind, including any change of law or fact that may occur after the date of this opinion letter that might affect the opinion expressed herein.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, and having regard to legal considerations which we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
| 1. | The Units, the Unit Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares have been duly authorized by the Company. | |
| 2. | The PA Warrants and the PA Warrant Shares have been duly authorized by the Company. |
| 3. | The Unit Shares, when issued, sold and paid for as contemplated in the Prospectus and the Securities Purchase Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. |
| 4. | When the Units and Warrants are issued and delivered as contemplated in the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Prospectus, the Units and Warrants will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof (i) may be limited by any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, fraudulent obligation, moratorium or other similar laws affecting generally the enforceability of creditors’ rights and remedies or the collection of debtor’s obligations from time to time in effect, and (ii) is subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law, including the application of principles of good faith, fair dealing, course of dealing, course of performance, commercial reasonableness, materiality, unconscionability and conflict with public policy and other similar principles or other law relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity. |
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| 5. | Assuming the Warrants are issued and delivered as contemplated in the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Prospectus, the Warrant Shares, when issued, delivered and paid for upon the exercise of such Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
| 6. | When the PA Warrants are issued and delivered as contemplated in the Placement Agency Agreement and the Prospectus, the PA Warrants will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof (i) may be limited by any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, fraudulent obligation, moratorium or other similar laws affecting generally the enforceability of creditors’ rights and remedies or the collection of debtor’s obligations from time to time in effect, and (ii) is subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law, including the application of principles of good faith, fair dealing, course of dealing, course of performance, commercial reasonableness, materiality, unconscionability and conflict with public policy and other similar principles or other law relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity. |
| 7. | Assuming the PA Warrants are issued and delivered as contemplated in the Placement Agency Agreement and the Prospectus, the PA Warrant Shares, when issued, delivered and paid for upon the exercise of such PA Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
| 8. | When the Unit Shares, Warrant Shares and PA Warrant Shares are issued, sold and paid for as contemplated in the Prospectus, the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Warrants and the PA Warrant, the related Preferred Share Purchase Rights will constitute binding obligations of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Rights Agreement. |
We hereby consent to the discussion of this opinion in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to each reference to us and the discussions of advice provided by us under the headings “Legal Matters”, “Tax Considerations-United States Federal Income Tax Consequences-United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders” and “Tax Considerations-Marshall Islands Tax Consequences” in the Registration Statement and Prospectus. In giving this consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, nor do we admit that we are experts with respect to any part of the Registration Statement within the meaning of the term “expert” as used in the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Watson Farley & Williams LLP
Watson Farley & Williams LLP