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Republic of the Marshall Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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4412
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
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Not Applicable
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
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Nikolaos G. Andronikos
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
1 New Fetter Lane
London EC4A 1AN, England
Tel.: +44 20 7959 8900
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Barry I. Grossman, Esq.
Sarah Williams, Esq.
Matthew Bernstein, Esq.
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor
New York, United States 10105
Tel: +1 212 370 1300
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Per Unit
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Maximum Number of Units
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Public Offering Price(1)
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Placement Agent fees(1)(2)
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Proceeds, before expenses, to us(1)
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(1)
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Because there is no minimum number of securities or amount of proceeds required as a condition to closing in this offering, the
actual public offering amount, Placement Agent fees, and proceeds to us, if any, are not presently determinable and may be substantially less than the amounts set forth above. For more information, see “Plan of Distribution.”
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(2)
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The Placement Agent fees shall equal 6.00% of the gross proceeds of the securities sold by us in this offering. The Placement Agent
will receive compensation in addition to the Placement Agent fees described above. See “Plan of Distribution” for a description of compensation payable to the Placement Agent.
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Vessel Name
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Capacity
(dwt)
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Year
Built
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Country of
Construction
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Type of
Charter
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Gross
Charter
Rate
($/day)
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Estimated
Earliest Charter
Expiration
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Estimated
Latest
Charter
Expiration
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Aframax/LR2 Segment(1)
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M/T Wonder Polaris
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115,351
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2005
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(2)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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M/T Wonder Sirius
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115,341
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2005
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S. Korea
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Period Time Charter(3)
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$40,000
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November 2023
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June 2024
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M/T Wonder Bellatrix
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115,341
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2006
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(2)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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M/T Wonder Musica
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106,290
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2004
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(2)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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M/T Wonder Avior
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106,162
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2004
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(2)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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M/T Wonder Vega
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106,062
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2005
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(2)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Handysize Segment
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M/T Wonder Mimosa
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36,718
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2006
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(4)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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M/T Wonder Formosa
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36,660
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2006
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S. Korea
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Tanker Pool(4)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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(1)
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On May 9, 2022, we entered into an agreement with an unaffiliated third party for the sale of the M/T Wonder Arcturus for a gross
sale price of $13.15 million. The vessel was delivered to its new owners on July 15, 2022.
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(2)
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The vessel is currently participating in the V8 Plus Pool, a pool operating Aframax tankers aged fifteen (15) years or more that
is managed by V8 Plus Management Pte Ltd., a company in which Petros Panagiotidis has a minority equity interest.
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(3)
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In February 2023, the agreement relating to the M/T Wonder Sirius's participation in
the V8 Plus Pool was terminated and the vessel commenced a period time charter.
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(4)
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The vessel is currently participating in an unaffiliated tanker pool specializing in the employment of Handysize tanker vessels.
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an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the emerging growth
company’s internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“Sarbanes Oxley); and
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an exemption from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB,
requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and financial statements.
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There has not been any public market for our common shares. Accordingly, the market price and trading volume of our common shares
may be volatile.
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Our share price may be highly volatile, and as a result, investors in our common shares could incur substantial losses.
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Charter hire rates for tanker vessels are volatile. A decrease in charter rates may adversely affect our business, financial
condition and operating results.
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An oversupply of tanker vessel capacity may prolong or further depress low charter rates when they occur, which may limit our
ability to operate our vessels profitably.
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Global economic and financial conditions may negatively impact the tanker sector of the shipping industry, including the extension
of credit.
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Risks involved in operating ocean-going vessels could affect our business and reputation.
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The operation of tankers has unique operational risks associated with the transportation of oil.
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The age of our fleet may impact our ability to obtain financing and a decline in the market values of our vessels could limit the
amount of funds that we can borrow, cause us to breach certain financial covenants in our current or future credit facilities and/or result in impairment charges or losses on sale.
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Political instability, terrorist attacks, international hostilities and global public health threats, including major outbreaks of
diseases, could adversely affect our business.
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Compliance with safety and other vessel requirements imposed by classification societies may be costly and could reduce our net
cash flows and negatively impact our results of operations.
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We are subject to laws, regulations and standards (including environmental standards such as IMO 2020, standards regulating
ballast water discharge, etc.), which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. In particular, climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions may adversely impact our operations and
markets.
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Increased inspection procedures and tighter import and export controls could increase costs and disrupt our business.
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We may not be able to execute our growth strategy and we may not realize the benefits we expect from acquisitions or other
strategic transactions.
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We operate secondhand vessels with an age above the industry average which may lead to increased technical problems for our
vessels and/or higher operating expenses or affect our ability to profitably charter our vessels and to comply with environmental standards and future maritime regulations and result in a more rapid depreciation in our vessels’ market and
book values.
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We are dependent upon Castor Ships, a related party, and other third-party sub-managers for the management of our fleet and
business, and failure of such counterparties to meet their obligations could cause us to suffer losses or could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows.
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Our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who may be deemed to beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 100% of our Series B
Preferred Shares, has control over us.
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Our term loan facility contains, and we expect that any new or amended credit facility we enter into will contain, restrictive
financial covenants that we may not be able to comply with due to economic, financial or operational reasons and may limit our business and financing activities.
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Our Board may never declare dividends.
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Future issuances of common shares or other equity securities, including as a result of an optional conversion of the Series A
Preferred Shares, or the potential of such issuances, may impact the price of our common shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings. Shareholders may experience significant dilution as a result of any
such issuances. Based on market conditions, we may opportunistically seek to issue equity securities shortly
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We are incorporated in the Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of corporate and case law.
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We have limited the fields in which we focus our operations and this may have an adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and operating results.
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global and regional economic and political conditions and developments, including armed conflicts and terrorist activities,
international trade sanctions, embargoes and strikes;
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regional availability of refining capacity and inventories compared to geographies of oil production regions;
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developments in international trade, including national policies regarding strategic oil inventories (including the reduction or
replenishment of strategic reserves and if strategic reserves are set at a lower level in the future as oil decreases in the energy mix), actions taken by OPEC and major oil producers and refiners and fluctuations in the profit margins of
crude oil and refined petroleum products;
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the distance over which crude oil and/or refined petroleum products are to be moved by sea;
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changes in seaborne and other transportation and distribution patterns, typically influenced by the relative advantage of the
various sources of production, locations of consumption, pricing differentials and seasonality;
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epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
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environmental and other regulatory developments;
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alternative sources of energy, such as natural gas, coal, hydroelectric power and other alternative sources of energy;
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natural catastrophes;
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currency exchange and interest rates; and
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the weather.
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supply and demand for energy resources and crude oil and/or refined petroleum products;
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the number of newbuilding orders and deliveries;
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the number of shipyards and ability of shipyards to deliver vessels;
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port and canal congestion;
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the number of conversions of tankers to other uses or conversions of other vessels to tankers;
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scrapping of older vessels;
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vessel freight rates, which are affected by factors that may affect the rate of newbuilding, scrapping and laying-up vessels (as
set out below);
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the availability of modern tanker capacity;
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the speed of vessels being operated;
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vessel casualties; and
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the number of vessels that are out of service or laid up.
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low charter rates, particularly for vessels employed on short-term time charters and in the spot voyage market or pools;
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decreases in the market value of vessels and the limited second-hand market for the sale of vessels;
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limited financing for vessels;
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widespread loan covenant defaults; and
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declaration of bankruptcy by certain vessel operators, vessel managers, vessel owners, shipyards and charterers.
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a marine disaster;
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terrorism;
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environmental and other accidents;
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cargo and property losses and damage; and
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business interruptions caused by mechanical failure, human error, war, terrorism, piracy, political action in various countries,
labor strikes or adverse weather conditions.
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office assessments and audits of the vessel operator;
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the operator’s environmental, health and safety record;
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compliance with the standards of the International Maritime Organization (the “IMO”), a
United Nations agency that issues international trade standards for shipping;
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compliance with heightened industry standards that have been set by several oil companies;
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shipping industry relationships, reputation for customer service, technical and operating expertise;
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compliance with oil majors’ codes of conduct, policies and guidelines, including transparency, anti-bribery and ethical conduct
requirements and relationships with third parties;
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shipping experience and quality of ship operations, including cost-effectiveness;
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quality, experience and technical capability of crews;
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the ability to finance vessels at competitive rates and overall financial stability;
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relationships with shipyards and the ability to obtain suitable berths;
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construction management experience, including the ability to procure on-time delivery of new vessels according to customer
specifications;
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willingness to accept operational risks pursuant to the charter, such as allowing termination of the charter for force majeure
events; and
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competitiveness of the bid in terms of overall price.
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prevailing level of charter rates;
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general economic and market conditions affecting the shipping industry;
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the types, sizes and ages of the vessels, including as compared to other vessels in the market;
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supply of and demand for vessels;
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the availability and cost of other modes of transportation;
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distressed asset sales, including newbuilding contract sales below acquisition costs due to lack of financing;
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cost of newbuildings;
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governmental or other regulations, including those that may limit the useful life of vessels; and
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the need to upgrade vessels as a result of environmental, safety, regulatory or charterer requirements, technological advances in
vessel design or equipment or otherwise.
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deterioration of economic conditions and activity and of demand for shipping;
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operational disruptions to us or our customers due to worker health risks and the effects of new regulations, directives or
practices implemented in response to the pandemic (such as travel restrictions for individuals, delays in replacing crews and vessels, and quarantining and physical distancing);
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delays in the loading and discharging of cargo on or from our vessels, vessel inspections and related certifications by class
societies, customers or government agencies and maintenance, modifications or repairs to, or dry-docking of, our existing vessels due to worker health or other business disruptions;
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reduced cash flow as a result of the above and worsened financial condition, including potential liquidity constraints;
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potential non-performance by counterparties relying on force majeure clauses and potential deterioration in the financial
condition and prospects of our customers or other business partners;
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credit tightening or declines in global financial markets, including to the prices of our publicly traded securities and the
securities of our peers, could make it more difficult for us to access capital; and
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potential disruptions, delays or cancellations in the construction of new vessels, which could reduce our future growth
opportunities.
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identify suitable vessels, including newbuilding slots at reputable shipyards and/or shipping companies for acquisitions at
attractive prices;
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realize anticipated benefits, such as new customer relationships, cost savings or cash flow enhancements from acquisitions;
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obtain required financing for our existing and new operations;
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integrate any acquired vessels, assets or businesses successfully with our existing operations, including obtaining any approvals
and qualifications necessary to operate vessels that we acquire;
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ensure, either directly or through our manager and sub-managers, that an adequate supply of qualified personnel and crew are
available to manage and operate our growing business and Fleet;
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improve our operating, financial and accounting systems and controls; and
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cope with competition from other companies, many of which have significantly greater financial resources than we do, and may
reduce our acquisition opportunities or cause us to pay higher prices.
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as our vessels age, typically, they become less fuel-efficient and more costly to maintain than more recently constructed vessels
due to improvements in design, engineering and technology and due to increased maintenance requirements;
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cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making our vessels more expensive to operate;
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governmental regulations, environmental and safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may also require
expenditures for alterations or the addition of new equipment to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which our vessels may engage.
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incur or guarantee additional indebtedness outside of our ordinary course of business;
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charge, pledge or encumber our vessels;
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change the flag, class, management or ownership of our vessels;
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change the commercial and technical management of our vessels;
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declare or pay any dividends or other distributions at a time when the Company has an event of default or the payment of such
distribution would cause an event of default;
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form or acquire any subsidiaries;
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make any investments in any person, asset, firm, corporation, joint venture or other entity;
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merge or consolidate with any other person;
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change the ownership, beneficial ownership, control or management of the subsidiaries party to the facility and/or us as guarantor
to such facility, or of any of the secured vessels, if the effect of such change would be to materially change the ultimate legal and beneficial ownership in effect at the time the facility was executed; and
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to enter into any demise charter contract or let our vessels under any pooling agreement whereby all of the vessel’s earnings are
pooled or shared with any other person.
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(i)
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maintaining a certain minimum level of cash and cash equivalents, including a minimum level of cash for each vessel that is
pledged in favor of the lender;
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(ii)
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maintaining a leverage ratio (calculated as the ratio of total bank debt less cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash,
divided by the aggregate market value of all fleet vessels) below a specified maximum; and
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(iii)
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maintaining a minimum net worth amount (calculated as the difference between the aggregate value of the fleet vessels adjusted for
market values, and total bank debt).
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the market price of our Common Shares may experience rapid and substantial increases or decreases unrelated to our operating
performance or prospects, or macro or industry fundamentals;
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to the extent volatility in our Common Shares is caused by a “short squeeze” in which coordinated trading activity causes a spike
in the market price of our Common Shares as traders with a short position make market purchases to avoid or to mitigate potential losses, investors may purchase common shares at inflated prices unrelated to our financial performance or
prospects, and may thereafter suffer substantial losses as prices decline once the level of short-covering purchases has abated; and
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if the market price of our Common Shares declines, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the price at which you
acquired them. We cannot assure you that the equity issuance of our Common Shares will not fluctuate, increase or decline significantly in the future, in which case you could incur substantial losses.
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investor reaction to our business strategy;
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the sentiment of the significant number of retail investors whom we believe, will hold our Common Shares, in part due to direct
access by retail investors to broadly available trading platforms, and whose investment thesis may be influenced by views expressed on financial trading and other social media sites and online forums;
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the amount and status of short interest in our Common Shares, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on
our Common Shares and any related hedging and other trading factors;
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our continued compliance with the listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market and any action we may take to maintain such
compliance, such as a reverse stock split;
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regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries, especially changes in laws or regulations applicable to
our industry;
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variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
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our ability or inability to raise additional capital and the terms on which we raise it;
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our dividend strategy;
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our continued compliance with our debt covenants;
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variations in the value of our Fleet;
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declines in the market prices of stocks generally;
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trading volume of our Common Shares;
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sales of our Common Shares by us or our shareholders;
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speculation in the press or investment community about our Company, our industry or our securities;
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general economic, industry and market conditions; and
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other events or factors, including those resulting from such events, or the prospect of such events, including war, terrorism and
other international conflicts, public health issues including health epidemics or pandemics, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters such as fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados or other adverse weather and
climate conditions, whether occurring in the United States or elsewhere, could disrupt our operations or result in political or economic instability.
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our existing shareholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;
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the earnings per share and the per share amount of cash available for dividends on our Common Shares (as and if declared) could
decrease;
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the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding common share could be diminished;
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the market price of our Common Shares could decline; and
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our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate could be
impaired.
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authorizing our Board to issue “blank check” preferred shares without shareholder approval;
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providing for a classified Board with staggered, three-year terms;
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establishing certain advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our Board or for proposing matters that can be
acted on by shareholders at shareholder meetings;
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prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors;
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limiting the persons who may call special meetings of shareholders; and
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establishing supermajority voting provisions with respect to amendments to certain provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and
Bylaws.
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the effects of the Spin Off;
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our business strategy, expected capital spending and other plans and objectives for future operations, including our ability to
expand our business as a new entrant to the tanker shipping industry;
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tanker market conditions and trends, including volatility in charter rates (particularly for vessels employed in the spot voyage
market or pools), factors affecting supply and demand for vessels such as fluctuations in demand for and the price of crude oil and/or refined petroleum products, fluctuating vessel values, opportunities for the profitable operations of
tanker carriers and the strength of world economies;
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our ability to realize the expected benefits from our vessel acquisitions, and the effects of our Fleet’s size on our future
financial condition, operating results, future revenues and expenses, future liquidity and the adequacy of cash flows from our operations;
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our relationships with our current and future service providers and customers, including the ongoing performance of their
obligations, dependence on their expertise, compliance with applicable laws, and any impacts on our reputation due to our association with them;
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our ability to borrow under debt agreements or to refinance our debt on favorable terms and our ability to comply with the
covenants contained therein, in particular due to economic, financial or operational reasons;
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our continued ability to enter into time charters, voyage charters and pool arrangements with existing and new customers and pool
operators, and to re-charter our vessels upon the expiry of the existing charters;
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changes in our operating and capitalized expenses, including bunker prices, dry-docking, insurance costs, costs associated with
regulatory compliance and costs associated with climate change;
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our ability to fund future capital expenditures and investments in the acquisition and refurbishment of our vessels (including the
amount and nature thereof and the timing of completion thereof, the delivery and commencement of operations dates, expected downtime and lost revenue);
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instances of off-hire, including due to limitations imposed by COVID-19 and/or due to vessel upgrades and repairs;
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future sales of our securities in the public market and our ability to maintain compliance with applicable listing standards;
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volatility in our share price, including due to high-volume transactions in our shares by retail investors;
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potential conflicts of interest involving members of our Board, senior management and certain of our service providers that are
related parties;
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general domestic and international political conditions or events, including international sanctions, “trade wars”, global public
health threats and major outbreaks of disease;
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•
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changes in seaborne and other transportation, including due to fluctuating demand for tanker carriers and/or disruption of
shipping routes due to accidents, political events, international sanctions, international hostilities and instability, piracy or acts of terrorism;
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•
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changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, including changes to environmental
regulations applicable to the shipping industry;
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the impact of adverse weather and natural disasters;
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•
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accidents or the occurrence of other events related to the operational risks associated with transporting crude oil and/or refined
petroleum products; and
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any other factor described in this prospectus.
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on an actual basis;
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•
|
on an as-adjusted basis, to give effect to (i) scheduled principal repayments under our credit facility of $0.7 million that have
occurred between January 1, 2023 and March 10, 2023; and (ii) the issuance of 9,461,009 Common Shares, par value $0.001 per share, 140,000 Series A Preferred Shares, par value $0.001 per share and 40,000 Series B Preferred Shares, par
value $0.001 per share, on March 7, 2023; and
|
|
•
|
on an as further adjusted basis to give effect to (i) the assumed issuance of and sale of 10,121,457 Units consisting of one
Common Share and one Class A Warrant to purchase one Common Share at an assumed public offering price of $4.94 per Unit (equal to the closing price of our Common Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 9, 2023) at the offering
amount, and (ii) total expenses of offering amount, which include estimated registration, filing and listing fees, printing fees and legal and accounting expenses amounting to $401,020 and the Placement Agent fee of 6% of the aggregate
gross cash proceeds of the offering and assuming no exercise of the Class A Warrants issued in this offering. The final public offering price will be determined through negotiation between us and the investors in the offering and may be
at a discount to the current market price. Therefore, the assumed public offering price used throughout this prospectus may not be indicative of the final public offering price.
|
|
(All figures in U.S. dollars)
|
| |
Actual
|
| |
As
Adjusted
|
| |
As further
adjusted
(offering
amount)(4)
|
|
Debt:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Long-term debt (including current portion) — Secured(1)(2)
|
| |
13,069,474
|
| |
12,394,474
|
| |
12,394,474
|
|
Total debt
|
| |
$13,069,474
|
| |
$12,394,474
|
| |
$12,394,474
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Mezzanine equity:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Series A Preferred Shares(3)
|
| |
—
|
| |
75,200,000
|
| |
75,200,000
|
|
Total mezzanine equity
|
| |
—
|
| |
$75,200,000
|
| |
$75,200,000
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Parent company equity/ Shareholders Equity :
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net parent investment
|
| |
$140,496,912
|
| |
$—
|
| |
$—
|
|
Series B Preferred Shares
|
| |
—
|
| |
40
|
| |
40
|
|
Common shares
|
| |
—
|
| |
9,461
|
| |
19,582
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
| |
—
|
| |
65,287,411
|
| |
111,876,270
|
|
Retained earnings
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
|
Total parent company equity/ Shareholders Equity
|
| |
$140,496,912
|
| |
$65,296,912
|
| |
$111,895,892
|
|
Total Capitalization
|
| |
$153,566,386
|
| |
$152,891,386
|
| |
$199,490,366
|
|
(1)
|
The capitalization table does not take into account any amortization of deferred finance fees incurred after December 31, 2022.
|
|
(2)
|
All indebtedness of our subsidiaries as of the date of this prospectus is guaranteed by us and secured by certain vessels. For
additional details, please refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Borrowing Activities.”
|
|
(3)
|
Series A Preferred shares are presented at fair value as determined by management in consideration of a number of data points,
including a valuation performed by an independent third-party consulting firm. The valuation methodology applied comprised the trifurcation of the value of the Series A Preferred Shares in three components namely, the “straight” preferred
stock component, the option component and the control premium component. The mean of the sum of the three components was used to estimate the value for the Series A Preferred Shares at $75.2 million. The valuation methodology and the
significant unobservable inputs used for each component are set out below:
|
| |
|
| |
Valuation Technique
|
| |
Unobservable Input
|
| |
Range
(Weighted average)
|
|
| |
“Straight” Preferred stock component
|
| |
Discounted Cash Flow model
|
| |
• Weighted average cost of Capital
|
| |
13.33%
|
|
| |
Option Component
|
| |
Black Scholes
|
| |
• Volatility
• Risk-free rate
• Weighted average cost of Capital
• Range strike price
|
| |
73.9%
3.61%
13.33%
60-100% of NAV
|
|
| |
Control Premium component
|
| |
Observable market transactions
|
| |
• Control premium
• Weighted average cost of Capital
|
| |
7.5%
13.33%
|
|
|
(4)
|
The as further adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering
price and other terms of this offering determined between us and the investors.
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31, 2021
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
2022
|
|
Net (loss)/income
|
| |
$(1,430,391)
|
| |
$49,926,415
|
|
Less: Cumulative dividends on Series A Preferred Shares(1)
|
| |
$(1,357,222)
|
| |
$(1,400,000)
|
|
Net (loss)/income available to Common Shareholders
|
| |
$(2,787,613)
|
| |
$48,526,415
|
|
Weighted average number of Common Shares outstanding
|
| |
9,461,009
|
| |
9,461,009
|
|
Pro forma (loss)/earnings per common share, basic and diluted
|
| |
$(0.29)
|
| |
$5.13
|
|
(1)
|
Based on the nominal preferred rate of 1% per annum for the first 7 years and does not take into account the increasing preferred
rate after the seventh year.
|
|
Assumed public offering price per Unit
|
| |
$4.94
|
|
Pro Forma net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2022
|
| |
$6.90
|
|
Decrease per share to existing shareholders attributable to new investors in this
offering
|
| |
$1.19
|
|
As-adjusted pro forma net tangible book value per share as
of December 31, 2022, after giving effect to this offering
|
| |
$5.71
|
|
Accretion per share to new investors in this offering
|
| |
$0.77
|
|
Vessel Name
|
| |
Capacity
(dwt)
|
| |
Year
Built
|
| |
Country of
Construction
|
| |
Type of
Charter
|
| |
Gross
Charter
Rate
($/day)
|
| |
Estimated
Earliest Charter
Expiration
|
| |
Estimated
Latest
Charter
Expiration
|
|
Aframax/LR2 Segment(1)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
M/T Wonder Polaris
|
| |
115,351
|
| |
2005
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(2)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
M/T Wonder Sirius
|
| |
115,341
|
| |
2005
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Period Time Charter(3)
|
| |
$40,000
|
| |
November 2023
|
| |
June 2024
|
|
M/T Wonder Bellatrix
|
| |
115,341
|
| |
2006
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(2)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
M/T Wonder Musica
|
| |
106,290
|
| |
2004
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(2)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
M/T Wonder Avior
|
| |
106,162
|
| |
2004
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(2)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
M/T Wonder Vega
|
| |
106,062
|
| |
2005
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(2)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Handysize Segment
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
M/T Wonder Mimosa
|
| |
36,718
|
| |
2006
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(4)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
M/T Wonder Formosa
|
| |
36,660
|
| |
2006
|
| |
S. Korea
|
| |
Tanker Pool(4)
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
| |
N/A
|
|
(1)
|
On May 9, 2022, we entered into an agreement with an unaffiliated third party for the sale of the M/T Wonder Arcturus for a gross sale price of $13.15 million. The vessel was delivered to its new owners on July 15, 2022.
|
|
(2)
|
The vessel is currently participating in the V8 Plus Pool, a pool operating Aframax tankers aged fifteen (15) years or more that is
managed by V8 Plus Management Pte Ltd., a company in which Petros Panagiotidis has a minority equity interest.
|
|
(3)
|
In February 2023, the agreement relating to the M/T Wonder Sirius's participation in the
V8 Plus Pool was terminated and the vessel commenced a period time charter.
|
|
(4)
|
The vessel is currently participating in an unaffiliated tanker pool specializing in the employment of Handysize tanker vessels.
|
|
(i)
|
injury to, destruction or loss of, or loss of use of, natural resources and related assessment costs;
|
|
(ii)
|
injury to, or economic losses resulting from, the destruction of real and personal property;
|
|
(iii)
|
loss of subsistence use of natural resources that are injured, destroyed or lost;
|
|
(iv)
|
net loss of taxes, royalties, rents, fees or net profit revenues resulting from injury, destruction or loss of real or personal
property, or natural resources;
|
|
(v)
|
lost profits or impairment of earning capacity due to injury, destruction or loss of real or personal property or natural
resources; and
|
|
(vi)
|
net cost of increased or additional public services necessitated by removal activities following a discharge of oil, such as
protection from fire, safety or health hazards, and loss of subsistence use of natural resources.
|
|
•
|
The levels of demand and supply of seaborne cargoes and vessel tonnage in the tanker shipping industry and within our Aframax/LR2
and Handysize segments;
|
|
•
|
The cyclical nature of the shipping industry in general and its impact on charter and freight rates and vessel values;
|
|
•
|
The successful implementation of a growth business strategy, including the ability to obtain equity and debt financing at
acceptable and attractive terms to fund future capital expenditures and/or to implement this business strategy;
|
|
•
|
The global economic growth outlook and trends;
|
|
•
|
Economic, regulatory, political and governmental conditions that affect shipping and the tanker shipping industry, including
international conflict or war (or threatened war), such as between Russia and Ukraine;
|
|
•
|
The employment and operation of our Fleet, including the utilization rates of our vessels;
|
|
•
|
The ability to successfully employ our vessels at economically attractive rates and the strategic decisions regarding the
employment mix of our Fleet in the voyage, time charter and pool markets, as our charters expire or are otherwise terminated;
|
|
•
|
Management of the operational, financial, general and administrative elements involved in the conduct of our business and
ownership of our Fleet, including the effective and efficient management of our Fleet by our manager and its sub-managers, and each of their suppliers;
|
|
•
|
The number of charterers and pool operators who use our services and the performance of their obligations under their agreements,
including their ability to make timely payments to us;
|
|
•
|
The ability to maintain solid working relationships with our existing charterers and pool operators and our ability to increase
the number of our charterers through the development of new working relationships;
|
|
•
|
The vetting approvals by oil majors of our manager and/or sub-managers for the management of our tanker vessels;
|
|
•
|
Dry-docking and special survey costs and duration, both expected and unexpected;
|
|
•
|
Our borrowing levels and the finance costs related to our outstanding debt as well as our compliance with our debt covenants;
|
|
•
|
Management of our financial resources, including banking relationships and of the relationships with our various stakeholders; and
|
|
•
|
Major outbreaks of diseases (such as COVID-19) and governmental responses thereto; and
|
|
•
|
The level of any distribution on all classes of our shares.
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$29,264,268
|
| |
$111,885,865
|
|
Voyage expenses -including commissions from related party
|
| |
(11,059,518)
|
| |
(29,319,414)
|
|
TCE revenues
|
| |
$18,204,750
|
| |
$82,566,451
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
1,814
|
| |
3,037
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$10,036
|
| |
$27,187
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$26,559,413
|
| |
$96,248,212
|
|
Voyage expenses -including commissions from related party
|
| |
(11,003,925)
|
| |
(29,100,348)
|
|
TCE revenues
|
| |
$15,555,488
|
| |
$67,147,864
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
1,446
|
| |
2,307
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$10,758
|
| |
$29,106
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$2,704,855
|
| |
$15,637,653
|
|
Voyage expenses -including commissions from related party
|
| |
(55,593)
|
| |
(219,066)
|
|
TCE revenues
|
| |
$2,649,262
|
| |
$15,418,587
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
368
|
| |
730
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$7,199
|
| |
$21,121
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Daily vessel operating expenses
|
| |
$6,671
|
| |
$6,969
|
|
Ownership Days
|
| |
1,853
|
| |
3,115
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
1,814
|
| |
3,037
|
|
Operating Days
|
| |
1,796
|
| |
3,028
|
|
Fleet Utilization
|
| |
99%
|
| |
100%
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$10,036
|
| |
$27,187
|
|
EBITDA
|
| |
$3,115,260
|
| |
$58,881,032
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Daily vessel operating expenses
|
| |
$6,761
|
| |
$7,290
|
|
Ownership Days
|
| |
1,446
|
| |
2,385
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
1,446
|
| |
2,307
|
|
Operating Days
|
| |
1,428
|
| |
2,298
|
|
Fleet Utilization
|
| |
99%
|
| |
100%
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$10,758
|
| |
$29,106
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Daily vessel operating expenses
|
| |
$6,352
|
| |
$5,921
|
|
Ownership Days
|
| |
407
|
| |
730
|
|
Available Days
|
| |
368
|
| |
730
|
|
Operating Days
|
| |
368
|
| |
730
|
|
Fleet Utilization
|
| |
100%
|
| |
100%
|
|
Daily TCE Rate
|
| |
$7,199
|
| |
$21,121
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Net (loss)/income
|
| |
$(1,430,391)
|
| |
49,926,415
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
3,834,117
|
| |
7,294,476
|
|
Interest and finance costs, net(1)
|
| |
505,360
|
| |
699,960
|
|
U.S. source income taxes
|
| |
206,174
|
| |
960,181
|
|
EBITDA
|
| |
$3,115,260
|
| |
$58,881,032
|
|
(1)
|
Includes interest and finance costs and interest income, if any.
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
2021
|
| |
Year ended
December 31, 2022
|
| |
Change -
Amount
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$29,264,268
|
| |
$111,885,865
|
| |
$82,621,597
|
|
Expenses:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| ||
|
Voyage expenses (including commissions to related party)
|
| |
(11,059,518)
|
| |
(29,319,414)
|
| |
(18,259,896)
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
(12,361,871)
|
| |
(21,708,290)
|
| |
(9,346,419)
|
|
Management fees to related parties
|
| |
(1,853,850)
|
| |
(2,833,500)
|
| |
(979,650)
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
(3,834,117)
|
| |
(7,294,476)
|
| |
(3,460,359)
|
|
General and administrative expenses(1)
|
| |
(889,096)
|
| |
(2,093,347)
|
| |
(1,204,251)
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
| |
—
|
| |
(266,732)
|
| |
(266,732)
|
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
—
|
| |
3,222,631
|
| |
3,222,631
|
|
Operating (loss)/income
|
| |
(734,184)
|
| |
51,592,737
|
| |
52,326,921
|
|
Interest and finance costs, net(2)
|
| |
(505,360)
|
| |
(699,960)
|
| |
(194,600)
|
|
Foreign exchange gains/(losses)
|
| |
15,327
|
| |
(6,181)
|
| |
(21,508)
|
|
US source income taxes
|
| |
(206,174)
|
| |
(960,181)
|
| |
(754,007)
|
|
Net (loss)/income and comprehensive (loss)/income
|
| |
$(1,430,391)
|
| |
$49,926,415
|
| |
$51,356,806
|
|
(1)
|
Includes $326,642 and $624,087 charged by Castor Ships in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the year ended December 31, 2022,
respectively, under management arrangements between Castor Ships and Castor. The management arrangements were amended by mutual consent with effect from July 1, 2022. See Note 3 to the Combined Carve-Out Financial Statements contained
elsewhere in this prospectus.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes interest and finance costs, net of interest income, if any.
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
2021
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
2022
|
| |
Change -
amount
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$26,559,413
|
| |
$96,248,212
|
| |
$69,688,799
|
|
Expenses:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| ||
|
Voyage expenses (including commissions to related party)
|
| |
(11,003,925)
|
| |
(29,100,348)
|
| |
(18,096,423)
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
(9,776,724)
|
| |
(17,386,009)
|
| |
(7,609,285)
|
|
Management fees to related parties
|
| |
(1,433,950)
|
| |
(2,167,000)
|
| |
(733,050)
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
(3,087,764)
|
| |
(5,889,352)
|
| |
(2,801,588)
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
| |
—
|
| |
(266,732)
|
| |
(266,732)
|
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
—
|
| |
3,222,631
|
| |
3,222,631
|
|
Segment Operating income
|
| |
$1,257,050
|
| |
$44,661,402
|
| |
$43,404,352
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
2021
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
2022
|
| |
Change -
Amount
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$2,704,855
|
| |
$15,637,653
|
| |
$12,932,798
|
|
Expenses:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| ||
|
Voyage expenses (including commissions to related party)
|
| |
(55,593)
|
| |
(219,066)
|
| |
(163,473)
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
(2,585,147)
|
| |
(4,322,281)
|
| |
(1,737,134)
|
|
Management fees to related parties
|
| |
(419,900)
|
| |
(666,500)
|
| |
(246,600)
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
(746,353)
|
| |
(1,405,124)
|
| |
(658,771)
|
|
Segment Operating (loss)/income
|
| |
$(1,102,138)
|
| |
$9,024,682
|
| |
$10,126,820
|
|
•
|
an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the emerging growth
company’s internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of Sarbanes Oxley; and
|
|
•
|
an exemption from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB,
requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and financial statements.
|
|
|
| |
For the period
ended
December 31,
2021
|
| |
For the year
ended
December 31,
2022
|
|
Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities
|
| |
(4,415,044)
|
| |
41,538,209
|
|
Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities
|
| |
(111,288,060)
|
| |
11,788,681
|
|
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities
|
| |
121,366,515
|
| |
(16,510,675)
|
|
•
|
the charter revenues from existing time charters for the fixed fleet days;
|
|
•
|
the estimated vessel operating expenses and voyage expenses;
|
|
•
|
the estimated dry-docking expenditures;
|
|
•
|
an estimated gross daily charter rate for the unfixed days (based on the ten-year average of the historical one-year time charter
rates available for each type of vessel) over the remaining economic life of each vessel, excluding days of scheduled off-hires and net of commissions;
|
|
•
|
the residual value of vessels;
|
|
•
|
management fees;
|
|
•
|
an estimated utilization rate; and
|
|
•
|
the remaining estimated life of our vessels.
|
|
•
|
Our secondhand vessels are depreciated from the date of their acquisition through their remaining estimated useful life. We
estimate the full useful life of vessels to be 25 years from the date of initial delivery from the shipyard;
|
|
•
|
the estimated useful life of vessels takes into account commercial considerations and regulatory restrictions;
|
|
•
|
the estimated charter rates are based on rates under existing vessel contracts and thereafter at market rates at which we expect
we can re-charter our vessels based on market trends. We believe that the 10 year average historical time charter rate is appropriate (or less than 10 years if appropriate data is not available) for the following reasons:
|
|
•
|
it reflects more accurately the earnings capacity of the type, specification, deadweight capacity and average age of our vessels;
|
|
•
|
it reflects the type of business conducted by us (period as opposed to spot);
|
|
•
|
it is an appropriate period to capture the volatility of the market and includes numerous market highs and lows so as to be
considered a fair estimate based on past experience; and
|
|
•
|
respective data series are adequately populated;
|
|
•
|
estimates of vessel utilization, including estimated off-hire time are based on the historical experience of our Fleet;
|
|
•
|
estimates of operating expenses and dry-docking expenditures are based on historical operating and dry-docking costs based on the
historical experience of our Fleet and our expectations of future operating requirements;
|
|
•
|
vessel residual values are a product of a vessel’s lightweight tonnage and an estimated scrap rate; and
|
|
•
|
the remaining estimated lives of our vessels used in our estimates of future cash flows are consistent with those used in our
depreciation calculations.
|
|
Name
|
| |
Age
|
| |
Position
|
|
Petros Panagiotidis
|
| |
32
|
| |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Class C Director
|
|
Angelos Rounick Platanias
|
| |
32
|
| |
Secretary and Class B Director
|
|
Petros Zavakopoulos
|
| |
31
|
| |
Class A Director
|
|
Ioannis E. Lazaridis
|
| |
55
|
| |
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
•
|
Voting Rights. Each outstanding common share entitles the holder to
one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Our directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by shareholders entitled to vote and serve for three-year terms. There is no provision for cumulative voting. Our
Common Shares and Series B Preferred Shares vote together with the Common Shares as a single class on most matters submitted to a vote of shareholders of the Company, though our Articles of Incorporation provide for a separate vote of the
Series B Preferred Shares for certain matters adversely impacting the rights and preferences of such shares. The Series B Preferred Shares have 100,000 votes per share and currently have a controlling vote over all matters put to a vote
of the Company’s shareholders on which they are entitled to vote together with the Common Shares as a single class.
|
|
•
|
Dividend Rights. Subject to the preferences applicable to any
outstanding preferred shares, including the Series A Preferred Shares, holders of Common Shares are entitled to receive ratably all dividends, if any, declared by our Board out of funds legally available for dividends.
|
|
•
|
Liquidation Rights. Upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding up of
our affairs, whether voluntary or involuntary, after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and holders of preferred shares having liquidation preferences, including the Series A Preferred Shares, the holders of
our Common Shares are entitled to receive pro rata our remaining assets available for distribution.
|
|
•
|
Limitations on Ownership. Under Marshall Islands law generally and our
Articles of Incorporation, there are no limitations on the right of persons who are not citizens or residents of the Marshall Islands to hold or vote our Common Shares.
|
|
•
|
the designation of the series;
|
|
•
|
the number of shares of the series;
|
|
•
|
the preferences and relative, participating, option or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or
restrictions of such series; and
|
|
•
|
the voting rights, if any, of the holders of the series.
|
|
•
|
Ranking. With respect to the payment of dividends and distributions of
assets upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the Series A Preferred shares rank (i) senior to our Common Shares, the Series B Preferred Shares and any class or series of our stock that ranks junior to the Series A Preferred
Shares in the payment of dividends or in the distribution of assets upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up (together with our Common Shares, “Junior Stock”); (ii) senior to or on a parity
with the Series C Preferred Shares and each other series of our preferred shares we may issue with respect to the payment of dividends and distributions of assets upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company; and
(iii) junior to all existing and future indebtedness and other non-equity claims on us.
|
|
•
|
Dividends. Holders of Series A Preferred Shares shall be entitled to
receive, when, as and if declared by our Board, but only out of funds legally available therefor, cumulative cash dividends at the Annual
|
|
•
|
Restrictions on Dividends, Redemption and Repurchases. So long as any
Series A Preferred Share remains outstanding, unless full Accrued Dividends on all outstanding Series A Preferred Shares through and including the most recently completed Dividend Period have been paid or declared and a sum sufficient for
the payment thereof has been set aside for payment, no dividend may be declared or paid or set aside for payment, and no distribution may be made, on any Junior Stock, other than a dividend payable solely in stock that ranks junior to the
Series A Preferred Shares in the payment of dividends and in the distribution of assets on any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company. “Accrued Dividends” means, with respect to
Series A Preferred Shares, an amount computed at the Annual Rate from, as to each share, the date of issuance of such share to and including the date to which such dividends are to be accrued (whether or not such dividends have been
declared), less the aggregate amount of all dividends previously paid on such share. So long as any Series A Preferred Share remains outstanding, unless full Accrued Dividends on all outstanding Series A Preferred Shares through and
including the most recently completed Dividend Period have been paid or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof has been set aside for payment, no monies may be paid or made available for a sinking fund for the redemption or
retirement of Junior Stock, nor shall any shares of Junior Stock be purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired for consideration by us, directly or indirectly, other than (i) as a result of (x) a reclassification of Junior Stock, or (y)
the exchange or conversion of one share of Junior Stock for or into another share of stock that ranks junior to the Series A Preferred Shares in the payment of dividends and in the distribution of assets on any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company; or (ii) through the use of the proceeds of a substantially contemporaneous sale of other shares of stock that rank junior to the Series A Preferred Shares in the payment of dividends and in the distribution of
assets on any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company.
|
|
•
|
Redemption. The Series A Preferred Shares are perpetual and have no
maturity date. We may, at our option, redeem the Series A Preferred Shares in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time after the Reset Date, at a cash redemption price equal to the stated amount, together with an amount equal
to all Accrued Dividends to, but excluding, the redemption date.
|
|
•
|
Conversion Rights. The Series A Preferred Shares are convertible, at
their holder’s option, to Common Shares, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time from and after the third anniversary of the Issue Date until but excluding the Reset Date. Subject to certain adjustments, the “Conversion
Price” for any conversion of the Series A Preferred Shares shall be the lower of (i) 150% of the VWAP of our Common Shares over the five consecutive trading day period commencing on and including March 7, 2023, and (ii) the VWAP of our
Common Shares over the 10 consecutive trading day period expiring on the trading day immediately prior to the date of delivery of written notice of the
|
|
•
|
Liquidation Rights. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the affairs of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, before any distribution or payment out of our assets may be made to or set aside for the holders of any Junior Stock, holders of Series A Preferred Shares will be
entitled to receive out of our assets legally available for distribution to our shareholders an amount equal to the stated amount per share ($1,000), together with an amount equal to all Accrued Dividends to the date of payment whether or
not earned or declared (the “Liquidation Preference”). If the Liquidation Preference has been paid in full to all holders of Series A Preferred Shares and all holders of any class or series of our
stock that ranks on a parity with Series A Preferred Shares in the distribution of assets on liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of Junior Stock will be entitled to receive all of our remaining assets
according to their respective rights and preferences.
|
|
•
|
Voting Rights. Except as indicated below or otherwise required by law,
the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares do not have any voting rights.
|
|
•
|
Right to Elect Directors on Nonpayment of Dividends. If and whenever dividends payable on
Series A Preferred Shares or any class or series of our stock that ranks on a parity with the Series A Preferred Shares in the payment of dividends (“Dividend Parity Stock”) having voting rights
equivalent to those described in this paragraph (“Voting Parity Stock”) have not been declared and paid (or, in the case of Series A Preferred Shares and Voting Parity Stock bearing dividends on a
cumulative basis, shall be in arrears) in an aggregate amount equal to full dividends for at least six quarterly Dividend Periods or their equivalent (whether or not consecutive) (a “Nonpayment Event”),
the number of directors then constituting our Board shall be automatically increased by (i) one, if at such time the Board consists of eight or fewer directors, or (ii) two, if at such time the Board consists of nine or more directors,
and the holders of Series A Preferred Shares, together with the holders of any outstanding Voting Parity Stock then entitled to vote for additional directors, voting together as a single class in proportion to their respective stated
amounts, shall be entitled to elect the additional director or two directors, as the case may be (the “Preferred Share Directors”); provided that our Board shall at no time include more than two
Preferred Share Directors (including, for purposes of this limitation, all directors that the holders of any series of voting preferred shares are entitled to elect pursuant to like voting rights). When (i) Accrued Dividends have been
paid (or declared and a sum sufficient for payment thereof set aside) in full on the Series A Preferred Shares after a Nonpayment Event, and (ii) the rights of holders of any Voting Parity Stock to participate in electing the Preferred
Share Directors shall have ceased, the right of holders of the Series A Preferred Shares to participate in the election of Preferred Share Directors shall cease (but subject always to the revesting of such voting rights in the case of any
future Nonpayment Event), the terms of office of all the Preferred Share Directors shall forthwith terminate, and the number of directors constituting our Board shall automatically be reduced accordingly. Any Preferred Share Director may
be removed at any time without cause by the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding Series A Preferred Shares and Voting Parity Stock, when they have the voting rights described above (voting together as a single class in
proportion to their respective stated amounts). The Preferred Share Directors shall each be entitled to one vote per director on any matter that shall come before our Board for a vote.
|
|
•
|
Other Voting Rights. So long as any Series A Preferred Shares are outstanding, in
addition to any other vote or consent of shareholders required by law or by our Articles of Incorporation, the vote or consent of the holders of at least two thirds of the Series A Preferred Shares at the time outstanding, voting together
with any other series of preferred shares that would be adversely
|
|
•
|
No Preemptive Rights; No Sinking Fund. Holders of the Series A
Preferred Shares do not have any preemptive rights. The Series A Preferred Shares will not be subject to any sinking fund or any other obligation of us for their repurchase or retirement.
|
|
•
|
Conversion. The Series B Preferred Shares are not convertible into
Common Shares.
|
|
•
|
Distributions. In the event that we declare a dividend of the stock of
a subsidiary which we control, the holder(s) of the Series B Preferred Shares are entitled to receive preferred shares of such subsidiary. Such preferred shares will have at least substantially identical rights and preferences to our
Series B Preferred Shares and be issued in an equivalent number to our Series B Preferred Shares. The Series B Preferred Shares have no other dividend or distribution rights.
|
|
•
|
Voting. Each Series B Preferred Share has the voting power of 100,000
Common Shares and counts for 100,000 votes for purposes of determining quorum at a meeting of shareholders, subject to adjustment to maintain a substantially identical voting interest in Toro following the (i) creation or issuance of a
new series of shares of the Company carrying more than one vote per share to be issued to any person other than holders of the Series B Preferred Shares, except for the creation (but not the issuance) of Series C Participating Preferred
Shares substantially in the form approved by the Board and included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, without the prior affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast by the holders of the
Series B Preferred Shares; or
|
|
•
|
Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. Upon any liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Company, the Series B Preferred Shares shall have the same liquidation rights as and pari passu with the Common Shares up to their par value of $0.001 per share and, thereafter, the Series B Preferred
Shares have no right to participate further in the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company.
|
|
•
|
not be redeemable;
|
|
•
|
entitle holders to dividend payments in an amount per share equal to the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and the
aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions other than a dividend payable in our Common Shares or a subdivision of our outstanding Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise),
declared on our Common Shares; and
|
|
•
|
entitle holders to 1,000 votes per Series C Participating Preferred Share on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders
of the Company.
|
|
•
|
Distribution and Transfer of the Rights. Our Board will declare a
dividend of one Right for each share of our Common Shares outstanding. Prior to the Separation Time referred to below, the Rights would be evidenced by and trade with our Common Shares and would not be exercisable. After the Separation
Time, we would cause the Rights Agent to mail Rights certificates to shareholders and the Rights would trade independent of the Common Shares. New Rights will accompany any new Common Shares of the Company issued after March 7, 2023 until
the Separation Time.
|
|
•
|
Separation Time. Rights would separate from our Common Shares and
become exercisable following the earlier of (i) the tenth business day (or other date designated by resolution of the Board) after any person (other than Mr. Panagiotidis or his controlled affiliates) commences a tender offer that would
result in such person becoming the beneficial owner of a total of 15% or more of the Common Shares or (ii) the date of the “Flip-in” Trigger.
|
|
•
|
Exercise of the Rights. On or after the Separation Time, each Right
would initially entitle the holder to purchase, for $22 (the “Exercise Price”), one common share (or one one-thousandth of a share of
|
|
•
|
“Flip-in” Trigger. Upon public announcement by the Company that any
person other than Mr. Panagiotidis or his controlled affiliates (an “Acquiring Person”) has acquired 15% or more of our outstanding Common Shares:
|
|
(i)
|
Rights owned by the Acquiring Person or transferees thereof would automatically be void; and
|
|
(ii)
|
each other Right will automatically become a right to buy, for the Exercise Price, that number of Common Shares of the Company (or
equivalent fractional shares of Series C Participating Preferred Shares) having a market value of twice the Exercise Price.
|
|
•
|
“Flip-over” Trigger. After an Acquiring Person has become such,
(i) the Company may not consolidate or merge with any person, if the Company’s Board is controlled by the Acquiring Person or the Acquiring Person is the beneficial owner of 50% or more of the outstanding shares of our Common Shares, and
the transaction is with the Acquiring Person or its affiliate or associate or the shares owned by the Acquiring Person are treated differently from those of other shareholders, and (ii) the Company may not sell 50% or more of its assets
if the Company’s Board is controlled by the Acquiring Person unless in either case proper provision is made so that each Right would thereafter become a right to buy, for the Rights’ exercise price, that number of Common Shares of such
other person having a market value of twice the Rights’ exercise price.
|
|
•
|
Redemption. The Rights may be redeemed by the Board, at any time until
a “Flip-in” Trigger has occurred, at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right.
|
|
•
|
Power to Amend. Our Board may amend the Rights Agreement in any
respect until a “Flip-in” Trigger has occurred. Thereafter, our Board may amend the Rights Agreement in any respect not materially adverse to Rights holders generally.
|
|
•
|
Expiration. The Rights will expire on March 7, 2033.
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
Shareholder Meetings
|
| |||
| |
May be held at a time and place as designated in the bylaws.
|
| |
May be held at such time or place as designated in the certificate of
incorporation or the bylaws, or if not so designated, as determined by the board of directors.
|
|
| |
Notice:
|
| |
Notice:
|
|
| |
Whenever shareholders are required to take any action at a meeting, written
notice of the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, date and hour of the meeting and, unless it is an annual meeting, indicate that it is being issued by or at the direction of the person calling the meeting. Notice of a
special meeting shall also state the purpose for which the meeting is called.
|
| |
Whenever shareholders are required 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 remote communication, if any.
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
A copy of the notice of any meeting shall be given personally, sent by mail or
by electronic 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
meeting.
|
|
| |
Shareholders’ Written Consent
|
| |||
| |
Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, any action
required to be taken at a meeting of shareholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by all the shareholders entitled to vote with
respect to the subject matter thereof, or if the articles of incorporation so provide, by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a
meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted.
|
| |
Any action required to be taken at a meeting of shareholders may be taken without
a meeting if a consent for such action is in writing and is signed by shareholders having not fewer than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to
vote thereon were present and voted.
|
|
| |
Merger or Consolidation
|
| |||
| |
Any two or more domestic corporations may merge or consolidate into a single
corporation if approved by the board of each constituent corporation and if authorized by a majority vote at a shareholder meeting of each such corporation by the holders of outstanding shares.
|
| |
Any two or more corporations existing under the laws of the state may merge into
a single corporation pursuant to a board resolution and upon the majority vote by shareholders of each constituent corporation at an annual or special meeting.
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
Authorization by a majority vote of the holders of a class of shares may be
required if such class is entitled to vote if a proposed amendment to the articles, undertaken in connection with such merger or consolidation, would increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of such class, increase
or decrease the par value of the shares of such class, or alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the shares of such class so as to affect them adversely.
|
| |
Authorization by a majority vote of the holders of a class of shares may be
required if such class is entitled to vote if a proposed amendment to the articles, undertaken in connection with such merger or consolidation, would increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of such class, increase
or decrease the par value of the shares of such class, or alter or change the powers, preferences, or special rights of the shares of such class so as to affect them adversely. However, unless expressly required by its certificate of
incorporation, no vote of stockholders of a constituent corporation that has a class or series of stock that is listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 holders immediately prior to the execution of
the agreement of merger by such constituent corporation shall be necessary to authorize a merger that meets certain conditions.
|
|
| |
Any sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all the
assets of a corporation, if not made in the corporation’s usual or regular course of business, once approved by the board of directors (and notice of the meeting shall be given to each shareholder of record, whether or not entitled to
vote), shall be authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the shares of those entitled to vote at a shareholder meeting, unless any class of shares is
|
| |
Every corporation may at any meeting of the board sell, lease or exchange all or
substantially all of its property and assets as its board deems expedient and for the best interests of the corporation when so authorized by a resolution adopted by the holders of a majority of the outstanding stock of the corporation
entitled to vote.
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
entitled to vote thereon as a class, in which event such authorization shall
require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of each class of shares entitled to vote as a class thereon and of the total shares entitled to vote thereon.
|
| |
|
|
| |
Upon approval by the board, any domestic corporation owning at least 90% of
the outstanding shares of each class of another domestic corporation may merge such other corporation into itself without the authorization of the shareholders of any such corporation.
|
| |
Any corporation owning at least 90% of the outstanding shares of each class of
another corporation may merge the other corporation into itself and assume all of its obligations without the vote or consent of shareholders; however, in case the parent corporation is not the surviving corporation, the proposed merger
shall be approved by a majority of the outstanding stock of the parent corporation entitled to vote at a duly called shareholder meeting.
|
|
| |
Directors
|
| |||
| |
The number of directors may be fixed by the bylaws, by the shareholders, or by
action of the board under the specific provisions of a bylaw. The number of board members may be changed by an amendment to the bylaws, by the shareholders, or by action of the board under the specific provisions of a bylaw.
|
| |
The number of board members shall be fixed by, or in a manner provided by, the
bylaws and amended by an amendment to the bylaws, unless the certificate of incorporation fixes the number of directors, in which case a change in the number shall be made only by an amendment to the certificate of incorporation.
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
If the board is authorized to change the number of directors, it can only do
so by a majority of the entire board and so long as no decrease in the number shall shorten the term of any incumbent director.
|
| |
Shareholders entitled to vote upon amendments to the bylaws hold the power to
adopt, amend or repeal bylaws in a stock corporation that has received any payment for its stock, unless such power is otherwise conferred upon the director’s in the certificate of incorporation. An amendment to the certification of
incorporation must be approved by the board and a majority of outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon.
|
|
| |
Removal of Directors:
|
| |
Removal of Directors:
|
|
| |
Any or all of the directors may be removed for cause by vote of the
shareholders. The articles of incorporation or the bylaws may provide for such removal by board action, except in the case of any director elected by cumulative voting, or by shareholders of any class or series when entitled by the
provisions of the articles of incorporation.
|
| |
Any or all of the directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders
of a majority of the shares entitled to vote unless the certificate of incorporation otherwise provides.
|
|
| |
If the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide any or all of the directors
may be removed without cause by vote of the shareholders.
|
| |
In the case of a classified board, shareholders may effect the removal of any or
all directors only for cause unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise.
|
|
| |
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal
|
| |||
| |
Shareholders have a right to dissent from any plan of merger, consolidation 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. However, the right of a dissenting shareholder under the BCA to receive payment of the appraised fair
value of his shares shall not be available for the shares of any class or series of stock, which shares or
|
| |
Appraisal rights shall be available for the shares of any class or series of
stock of a corporation in a merger or consolidation, subject to limited exceptions, such as a merger or consolidation of corporations listed on a national securities exchange in which listed stock is offered for consideration which is
(i) listed on a national securities exchange or (ii) held of record by more than 2,000 holders. Notwithstanding those
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
depository receipts in respect thereof, at the record date fixed to determine
the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting of the shareholders to act upon the agreement of merger or consolidation, were either (i) listed on a securities exchange or admitted for trading on an interdealer
quotation system or (ii) held of record by more than 2,000 holders. The right of a dissenting shareholder to receive payment of the fair value of his or her shares shall not be available for any shares of stock of the constituent
corporation surviving a merger if the merger did not require for its approval the vote of the shareholders of the surviving corporation.
|
| |
limited exceptions, appraisal rights will be available if shareholders are
required by the terms of an agreement of merger or consolidation to accept certain forms of uncommon consideration.
|
|
| |
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:
|
| |
Shareholders do not have appraisal rights due to an amendment of the company’s
certificate of incorporation unless provided for in such certificate.
|
|
| |
Marshall Islands
|
| |
Delaware
|
|
| |
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 granted by law and not disseated by
the articles of incorporation 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.
|
| |
|
|
|
Name of Beneficial Owner
|
| |
No. of Common
Shares
|
| |
Percentage prior
to the offering
|
| |
Percentage
following the
offering
|
|
All executive officers and directors as a group(1)(2)
|
| |
—
|
| |
—%
|
| |
—%
|
|
(1)
|
Neither any member of our Board or executive officer individually, nor all of them taken as a group, hold more than 1% of our
outstanding Common Shares as of the date of this prospectus, nor will they hold more than 1% of our outstanding Common Shares following completion of the offering of securities to which this prospectus relates.
|
|
(2)
|
Petros Panagiotidis holds 11,240 Common Shares (or 0.12% of the Common Shares outstanding) and, indirectly, 40,000 Series B
Preferred Shares (representing all such Series B Preferred Shares outstanding, each Series B Preferred Share having the voting power of 100,000 Common Shares). The Common Shares and Series B Preferred Shares held by Mr. Panagiotidis
represent 99.8% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital. Please see “Description of Capital Stock—Memorandum and Articles of Association” for a description
of the rights of the holder of our Series B Preferred Shares relative to the rights of the holders of our Common Shares. Assuming the maximum offering amount is sold but no Class A Warrants are exercised, immediately following this
offering, Mr. Panagiotidis will hold 0.06% of the Common Shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis and will hold Common Shares and Series B Preferred Shares representing 99.5% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and
outstanding share capital.
|
|
(1)
|
we are organized in a foreign country that grants an “equivalent exemption” to corporations organized in the United States; and
|
|
(2)
|
either:
|
|
(a)
|
more than 50% of the value of our stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by individuals who are “residents” of a foreign country
that grants an “equivalent exemption” to corporations organized in the United States (each such individual is a “qualified shareholder” and collectively, “qualified shareholders”), which we refer to as the “50% Ownership Test,” or
|
|
(b)
|
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 U.S. corporations, or in the United States, which we refer to as the “Publicly-Traded Test”.
|
|
•
|
We have, or are considered to have, a fixed place of business in the United States involved in the earning of shipping income; and
|
|
•
|
substantially all our USSGTI 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.
|
|
•
|
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
|
|
•
|
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.
|
|
•
|
the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over the Non-Electing Holder’s aggregate holding period for the Common
Shares or Class A Warrants;
|
|
•
|
the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable year before we became a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income;
and
|
|
•
|
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 tax deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year.
|
|
•
|
the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States. If the Non-U.S.
Holder is entitled to the benefits of a U.S. 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
|
|
•
|
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.
|
|
|
| |
Per Unit
|
| |
Maximum Number of Units
|
|
Public Offering Price
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Placement Agent fees
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Proceeds, before expenses, to us
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Amount
|
|
SEC Registration Fee
|
| |
$11,020
|
|
Legal fees and expenses
|
| |
$300,000
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses
|
| |
$60,000
|
|
Miscellaneous expenses
|
| |
$30,000
|
|
Total
|
| |
$401,020
|
|
|
| |
Page
|
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | |
|
|
| |
Page
|
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
| | |
|
ASSETS
|
| |
|
| |
December 31,
|
| |
December 31,
|
| |
Note
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
||
|
CURRENT ASSETS:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Due from related parties, current
|
| |
3
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Accounts receivable trade, net
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Inventories
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Prepaid expenses and other assets
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Deferred charges, net
|
| |
9
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total current assets
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
NON-CURRENT ASSETS:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Vessels, net
|
| |
3,5
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Restricted cash
|
| |
6
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due from related parties
|
| |
3
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Prepaid expenses and other assets, non-current
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Deferred charges, net
|
| |
4
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total non-current assets
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total assets
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
LIABILITIES AND NET PARENT INVESTMENT
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Current portion of long-term debt, net
|
| |
6
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Accounts payable
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due to related parties, current
|
| |
3
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Deferred revenue
|
| |
9
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Accrued liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Long-term debt, net
|
| |
6
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total non-current liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
| |
8
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net parent investment
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total liabilities and net parent investment
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Period Ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year Ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
Note
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
REVENUES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Time charter revenues
|
| |
9
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Voyage charter revenues
|
| |
9
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Pool revenues
|
| |
9
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
EXPENSES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Voyage expenses (including $
|
| |
3,10
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
10
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Management fees to related parties
|
| |
3
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
4,5
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
General and administrative expenses (including $
|
| |
3
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
3,5
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total expenses
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Operating (loss)/income
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
OTHER (EXPENSES)/INCOME:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Interest and finance costs
|
| |
11
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Interest income
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Foreign exchange gains/(losses)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Total other expenses, net
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net (loss)/income, before taxes
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$
|
|
Income taxes
|
| |
13
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Net (loss)/income and comprehensive (loss)/income
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
Net parent investment
|
|
Balance, January 13, 2021
|
| |
|
|
- Net loss
|
| |
(
|
|
- Net parent investment
|
| |
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2021
|
| |
$
|
|
- Net income
|
| |
|
|
- Net return of parent investment
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2022
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
Note
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
2021
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
2022
|
|
Cash Flows (used in)/provided by Operating Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net (loss)/income
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net
(loss)/income to net cash (used in)/provided by Operating activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
4,5
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Amortization of deferred finance charges
|
| |
11
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
5
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Accounts receivable trade, net
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Inventories
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
Due from/to related parties
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Prepaid expenses and other assets
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Other deferred charges
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
Accounts payable
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Accrued liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Deferred revenue
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Dry-dock costs paid
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Net Cash (used in)/provided by Operating Activities
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash flow (used in)/provided by Investing Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Vessel acquisitions and other vessel improvements
|
| |
5
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Net proceeds from sale of vessel
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net cash (used in)/provided by Investing Activities
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash flows (used in)/provided by Financing Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net parent investment
|
| |
1
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Proceeds from long-term debt
|
| |
6
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Repayment of long-term debt
|
| |
6
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Payment of deferred financing costs
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
Net cash provided by/(used in) Financing Activities
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash, cash equivalents and
restricted cash at the beginning of the period
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash, cash equivalents and
restricted cash at the end of the period
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
RECONCILIATION OF CASH, CASH
EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Restricted cash, non-current
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash paid for interest
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Unpaid vessel acquisition and other vessel improvement costs
(included in Accounts payable and Accrued liabilities)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Unpaid deferred dry-dock costs (included in Accounts payable
and Accrued liabilities)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
1.
|
Basis of Presentation and General information:
|
|
Company
|
| |
Country of
incorporation
|
| |
Date of
incorporation
|
| |
Vessel
Name
|
| |
DWT
|
| |
Year
Built
|
| |
Delivery date
to Vessel
owning company
|
|||
|
1
|
| |
Rocket Shipping Co.
(“Rocket”)
|
| | | |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
2
|
| |
Gamora Shipping Co.
(“Gamora”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
3
|
| |
Starlord Shipping Co.
(“Starlord”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
4
|
| |
Hawkeye Shipping Co.
(“Hawkeye”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
5
|
| |
Elektra Shipping Co.
(“Elektra”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
1.
|
Basis of Presentation and General information:(continued)
|
|
Company
|
| |
Country of
incorporation
|
| |
Date of
incorporation
|
| |
Vessel
Name
|
| |
DWT
|
| |
Year
Built
|
| |
Delivery date
to Vessel
owning company
|
|||
|
6
|
| |
Vision Shipping Co.
(“Vision”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
7
|
| |
Colossus Shipping Co.
(“Colossus”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
8
|
| |
Xavier Shipping Co.
(“Xavier”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
9
|
| |
Drax Shipping Co.
(“Drax”)
|
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| | |
|
(1)
|
On May 9, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with an unaffiliated third party for the sale of the M/T Wonder Arcturus for a gross sale price of $
|
|
Charterer/Pool manager
|
| |
Period
Ended
December
31, 2021
|
| |
Year
Ended
December
31, 2022
|
|
A
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
B
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
C
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
D
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
E
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
1.
|
Basis of Presentation and General information:(continued)
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:(continued)
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:(continued)
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:(continued)
|
|
•
|
based on the pool points attributed to each vessel (which are determined by vessel attributes such as cargo carrying capacity,
speed, fuel consumption, and construction and other characteristics); or
|
|
•
|
by making adjustments to account for the cost performance, the bunkering fees and the trading capabilities of each vessel and
the number of days the vessel participated in the pool in the period (excluding off-hire days).
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:(continued)
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:(continued)
|
|
3.
|
Transactions with Related Parties:
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Management fees-related parties
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Management fees – Pavimar (b)
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Management fees – Castor Ships (a)
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Included in Voyage expenses
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Charter hire commissions – Castor Ships (a)
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Included in General and administrative expenses
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Administration fees – Castor Ships (a)
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Included in Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Sale & purchase commission – Castor Ships (a)
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
3.
|
Transactions with Related Parties:(continued)
|
|
|
| |
December 31,
2021
|
| |
December 31,
2022
|
|
Assets:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due from Pavimar (b) – current
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Due from Pavimar (b) – non-current
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due from Castor Ships (a) – current
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due from Castor Ships (a) – non-current
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Liabilities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due to Pavimar (b) – current
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Voyage commissions, management fees and other expenses due to Castor Ships (a)
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
3.
|
Transactions with Related Parties:(continued)
|
|
(b)
|
Pavimar:
|
|
3.
|
Transactions with Related Parties:(continued)
|
|
(c)
|
Pool Agreement
|
|
4.
|
Deferred Charges, net:
|
|
|
| |
Dry-docking costs
|
|
Balance January 13, 2021
|
| |
$
|
|
Additions
|
| |
|
|
Amortization
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance December 31, 2021
|
| |
$
|
|
Additions
|
| |
|
|
Amortization
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance December 31, 2022
|
| |
$
|
|
5.
|
Vessels, net:
|
|
(a)
|
Vessels, net:
|
|
|
| |
Vessel Cost
|
| |
Accumulated
depreciation
|
| |
Net Book
Value
|
|
Balance January 13, 2021
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Acquisitions, improvements, and other vessel costs
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
|
Period depreciation
|
| |
—
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance December 31, 2021
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
|
Acquisitions, improvements, and other vessel costs
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
|
Vessel disposal
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Period depreciation
|
| |
—
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance December 31, 2022
|
| |
$
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$
|
|
(b)
|
Vessel Acquisitions and other Capital Expenditures:
|
|
(c)
|
Vessels Disposal:
|
|
6.
|
Long-Term Debt:
|
|
Loan facilities
|
| |
Borrowers
|
| |
As of December 31,
2021
|
| |
As of December 31,
2022
|
|
$18.0 Million Term Loan Facility
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total long-term debt
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Less: Deferred financing costs
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Total long-term debt, net of deferred finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Presented:
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Current portion of long-term debt
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Less: Current portion of deferred finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Current portion of long-term debt, net
of deferred finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Non-Current portion of long-term debt
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Less: Non-Current portion of deferred finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Non-Current portion of long-term debt,
net of deferred finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
6.
|
Long-Term Debt:(continued)
|
|
Twelve-month period ending December 31,
|
| |
Amount
|
|
2023
|
| |
$
|
|
2024
|
| |
|
|
2025
|
| |
|
|
Total long-term debt
|
| |
$
|
|
7.
|
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Disclosures:
|
|
•
|
Cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable trade, net, amounts due from/to related
party/(ies) and accounts payable: The carrying values reported in the combined carve-out balance sheets for those financial instruments are reasonable estimates of their fair values due to their short-term maturity nature. Cash
and cash equivalents are considered Level 1 items as they represent liquid assets with short term maturities. The carrying value approximates the fair market value for interest bearing cash classified as restricted cash, non-current and
is considered Level 1 item of the fair value hierarchy.
|
|
•
|
Long-term debt: The secured credit facility discussed in Note 6, has a recorded value
which is a reasonable estimate of its fair value due to its variable interest rate and is thus considered Level 2 item in accordance with the fair value hierarchy as LIBOR rates are observable at commonly quoted intervals for the full
terms of the loans.
|
|
8.
|
Commitments and Contingencies:
|
|
8.
|
Commitments and Contingencies:(continued)
|
|
(a)
|
Commitments under Contracts for BWTS Installation
|
|
9.
|
Vessel Revenues:
|
|
10.
|
Vessel Operating and Voyage Expenses:
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
Voyage expenses
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Brokerage commissions
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Brokerage commissions- related party
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Port & other expenses
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Bunkers consumption
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Gain on bunkers
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Total Voyage expenses
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
Vessel Operating Expenses
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Crew & crew related costs
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Repairs & maintenance, spares, stores, classification,
chemicals & gases, paints, victualling
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Lubricants
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Insurances
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Tonnage taxes
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Other
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
11.
|
Interest and Finance Costs:
|
|
|
| |
Period ended
December 31,
|
| |
Year ended
December 31,
|
|
|
| |
2021
|
| |
2022
|
|
Interest on long-term debt
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Amortization of deferred finance charges
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Other finance charges
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
12.
|
Segment Information:
|
|
|
| |
Period Ended December 31, 2021
|
| |
Year Ended December 31, 2022
|
||||||||||||
|
|
| |
Aframax
tanker segment
|
| |
Handysize
tanker
segment
|
| |
Total
|
| |
Aframax
tanker segment
|
| |
Handysize
tanker
segment
|
| |
Total
|
|
- Time charter revenues
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
|
|
- Voyage charter revenues
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
- Pool revenues
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total vessel revenues
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Voyage expenses (including charges from related parties)
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Vessel operating expenses
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Management fees to related parties
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Gain on sale of vessel
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Segments operating (loss)/income
|
| |
$
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Interest and finance costs
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Interest income
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Foreign exchange gains/(losses)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Less: Unallocated corporate general and administrative
expenses
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Net (loss)/income and comprehensive
(loss)/income, before taxes
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
As of December 31,
2021
|
| |
As of December 31,
2022
|
|
Aframax/LR2 tanker segment
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Handysize tanker segment
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total combined assets
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
13.
|
Income Taxes:
|
|
14.
|
Subsequent Events:
|
|
ASSETS
|
| |
Note
|
| |
|
|
CURRENT ASSETS:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total current assets
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
NON-CURRENT ASSETS:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total non-current assets
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total assets
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash overdraft
|
| |
4
|
| |
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total non-current liabilities
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Stockholders’ deficit:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Common shares, $
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Additional paid in capital
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Due from stockholder
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Accumulated deficit
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Total stockholder deficit
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Total liabilities and stockholder deficit
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
Note
|
| |
|
|
REVENUES:
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
EXPENSES:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Total expenses
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Operating loss
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
OTHER (EXPENSES)/INCOME:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Interest and finance costs
|
| |
4
|
| |
(
|
|
Total other expenses, net
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net loss and comprehensive loss
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
|
Loss per share, basic and diluted
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic and diluted
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Number
of
common
stock
|
| |
Common
stock
par value
|
| |
Due from
Stockholder
|
| |
Deficit
|
| |
Total
Stockholder
Deficit
|
|
Balance, July 29, 2022 (inception date)
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
| |
$
|
|
Issuance of common shares
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
(
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net loss
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
| |
(
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2022
|
| |
|
| |
$
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$(
|
| |
$(
|
|
|
| |
Note
|
| |
|
|
Cash Flows used in Operating Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net loss
|
| |
|
| |
$(
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in by
Operating activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net Cash used in Operating Activities
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash flow provided by Investing Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net cash provided by Investing Activities
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash flows provided by Financing Activities:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net cash provided by Financing Activities
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of
the period
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the
period
|
| |
|
| |
(
|
|
1.
|
Basis of Presentation and General information
|
|
Company
|
| |
Country of
incorporation
|
| |
Date of
incorporation
|
| |
Vessel Name
|
| |
Vessel
Type
|
| |
DWT
|
| |
Year
Built
|
| |
Delivery
date
to Vessel
owning
company
|
|||
|
1
|
| |
Rocket Shipping Co. (“Rocket”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2
|
| |
Gamora Shipping Co. (“Gamora”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
3
|
| |
Starlord Shipping Co. (“Starlord”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
4
|
| |
Hawkeye Shipping Co. (“Hawkeye”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
5
|
| |
Vision Shipping Co. (“Vision”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
6
|
| |
Colossus Shipping Co. (“Colossus”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
7
|
| |
Xavier Shipping Co. (“Xavier”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
8
|
| |
Drax Shipping Co. (“Drax”)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Company
|
| |
Country of
incorporation
|
| |
Date of
incorporation
|
|||
|
1
|
| |
Elektra Shipping Co. (“Elektra”)(1)
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(1)
|
Elektra Shipping Co., no longer owns any vessel following the sale of the M/T Wonder Arcturus on May 9, 2022, and delivery of
such vessel to an unaffiliated third-party on July 15, 2022.
|
|
1.
|
Basis of Presentation and General information(continued)
|
|
2.
|
Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
|
|
3.
|
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Disclosures:
|
|
•
|
The carrying value reported of Cash overdraft is a reasonable estimate of its fair value due to short-term maturity and is
considered Level 1 item in fair value hierarchy.
|
|
4.
|
Interest and Finance Costs:
|
|
5.
|
Subsequent Events:
|
|
•
|
the contribution to the Company of the Castor’s
|
|
•
|
in exchange for:
|
|
○
|
|
|
○
|
|
|
○
|
the issuance of
|
|
5.
|
Subsequent Events:(continued)
|
|
Item 6.
|
Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
|
|
I.
|
Article VIII of the Bylaws of Toro Corp. (the “Registrant”) provides as follows:
|
|
1.
|
Any person who is or was a Director or officer of the Company, 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 Company upon the same terms, under the same conditions, and to the same extent as authorized by Section 60 of
the BCA, if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to
believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The Company shall have the power to pay in advance expenses a director or officer incurred while defending a civil or criminal proceeding, provided that the director or officer will repay the
amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification under this section. Any repeal or modification of this Article VIII shall not adversely affect any rights to indemnification and to the
advancement of expenses of a Director or officer of the Company existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to any acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.
|
|
2.
|
The Company shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a Director or officer of
the Company or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in such capacity whether or not the Company would have the power to
indemnify such person against such liability by law or under the provisions of these Bylaws.
|
|
II.
|
Section 60 of the Associations Law 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 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 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 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.
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3.
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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.
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4.
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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 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.
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5.
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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 official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.
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6.
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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.
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7.
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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.
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Item 7.
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Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
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Item 8.
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Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
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(a)
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The following exhibits are included in this registration statement on Form F-1:
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Exhibit
No.
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Description
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Form of Placement Agency Agreement
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Form of Securities Purchase Agreement
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Amended & Restated Articles of Incorporation of Toro (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 1.1 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Amended & Restated Bylaws of Toro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
1.2 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Statement of Designation of the Rights, Preferences and Privileges of the
1.00% Series A Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Preferred Shares of Toro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.3 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Exhibit
No.
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Description
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Statement of Designation of the Rights, Preferences and Privileges of the
Series B Preferred Shares of Toro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.4 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Statement of Designation of the Rights, Preferences and Privileges of the
Series C Participating Preferred Shares of Toro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.5 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Shareholder Protection Rights Agreement by and between Toro and Broadridge
Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., as rights agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Form of Class A Warrant
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Form of Warrant Agency Agreement
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Opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, Marshall Islands counsel to the Company
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Opinion of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, United States counsel to the Company
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Opinion of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as to certain U.S. tax matters
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Contribution and Spin Off Distribution Agreement between Toro and Castor
Maritime Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Toro’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 8, 2023)
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Master Management Agreement by and among Toro, its shipowning subsidiaries and
Castor Ships S.A.
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$18.0 Million Secured Term Loan Facility, dated April 27, 2021, by and among
Alpha Bank S.A., as lender, Gamora Shipping Co. and Rocket Shipping Co., as borrowers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Corporate Guarantee in respect of the $18.0 Million Secured Term Loan
Facility, between Toro, as Guarantor, and Alpha Bank S.A., as Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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Form of Pooling Agreement with V8 Pool Inc. (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.6 to Toro’s registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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First Supplemental Agreement relating to the $18.0 Million Secured Term Loan
Facility, by and among Alpha Bank S.A., as lender, Gamora Shipping Co. and Rocket Shipping Co., as borrowers and Toro and Castor Maritime Inc. as Corporate Guarantors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to Toro’s registration
statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023)
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List of Subsidiaries (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.1 to Toro’s
annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 8, 2023)
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Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (Deloitte Certified
Public Accountants S.A.) relating to the combined carve-out financial statements of Toro Corp. Predecessor
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Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (Deloitte Certified
Public Accountants S.A.) relating to the consolidated financial statements of Toro Corp.
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Consent of Seward & Kissel LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
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23.4
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101
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XBRL Document
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Filing Fee Table
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Item 9.
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Undertakings.
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(1)
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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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(i)
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to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
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(ii)
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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 SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration
Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
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(iii)
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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)
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That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.
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(3)
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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)
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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.
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(5)
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That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act 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.
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(6)
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That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act 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:
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(i)
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Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to
Rule 424;
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(ii)
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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;
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(iii)
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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
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(iv)
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Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
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(7)
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That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, (i) 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 and (ii) 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.
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TORO CORP.
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By:
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/s/ Petros Panagiotidis
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Name: Petros Panagiotidis
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Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Signature
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Title
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/s/ Petros Pangiotidis
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Petros Panagiotidis
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Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
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/s/ Ioannis Lazaridis
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Ioannis E. Lazaridis
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Chief Financial Officer
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/s/ Angelos Rounick Platanias
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Angelos Rounick Platanias
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Director
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/s/ Petros Zavakopoulos
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Petros Zavakopoulos
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Director
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PUGLISI & ASSOCIATES
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By:
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/s/ Donald J. Puglisi
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Name:
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Donald J. Puglisi
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Title:
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Managing Director
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Exhibit 1.1
PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT
[________], 2023
Maxim Group LLC
300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Introduction. Subject to the terms and conditions herein (this “Agreement”), Toro Corp., a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (the “Company”), hereby agrees to sell up to an aggregate of $[50,000,000] of registered securities of the Company, consisting of Units comprising an aggregate of [______] shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common shares, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Shares”) and common share purchase warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of [_________] Common Shares (the “Class A Warrants” and the Common Shares underlying the Class A Warrants, the “Warrant Shares”, and the Shares, the Class A Warrants and the Warrant Shares, the “Securities”) directly to various investors (each, an “Investor” and, collectively, the “Investors”) through Maxim Group LLC (the “Placement Agent”) as placement agent. The securities purchase agreement substantially in the form previously agreed by the parties (the “Purchase Agreement”) and the other documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Investors in connection with the Offering (as defined below) and listed in Schedule A hereto are collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” The purchase price to the Investors for each Share is $[____] and the exercise price to the Investors for each Common Share issuable upon exercise of the Class A Warrants is $[_____] (and in any event not less than the par value of a Common Share). The Placement Agent may retain other brokers or dealers to act as sub-agents or selected-dealers on its behalf in connection with the Offering.
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the Placement Agent as follows:
Section 1. Agreement to Act as Placement Agent.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained, and subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Placement Agent shall be the exclusive placement agent in connection with the offering and sale by the Company of the Securities pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-[______]) (the “Registration Statement”), with the terms of such offering (the “Offering”) to be subject to market conditions and negotiations between the Company, the Placement Agent and the prospective Investors. The Placement Agent will act on a reasonable best efforts basis and the Company agrees and acknowledges that there is no guarantee of the successful placement of the Securities, or any portion thereof, in the prospective Offering. Under no circumstances will the Placement Agent or any of its “Affiliates” (as defined below) be obligated to underwrite or purchase any of the Securities for its own account or otherwise provide any financing in connection with the Offering. The Placement Agent shall act solely as the Company’s agent and not as principal. The Placement Agent shall have no authority to bind the Company with respect to any prospective offer to purchase Securities and the Company shall have the sole right to accept offers to purchase Securities and may reject any such offer, in whole or in part. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at one or more closings (each a “Closing” and the date on which each Closing occurs, a “Closing Date”). The Closing of the issuance of the Securities shall occur via “Delivery Versus Payment”, i.e., on the Closing Date, the Company shall issue the Securities directly to the account designated by the Placement Agent and, upon receipt of such Securities, the Placement Agent shall electronically deliver such Securities to the applicable Investor and payment shall be made by the Placement Agent (or its clearing firm) by wire transfer to the Company. As compensation for services rendered, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent the fees and expenses set forth below:
(i) On each Closing Date, a cash fee equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Securities at that Closing.
(ii) On the first Closing Date, the Company also agrees to reimburse Placement Agent’s expenses up to a maximum of $75,000.00, unless otherwise agreed by the Company and the Placement Agent, payable immediately upon the first Closing of the Offering.
For the avoidance of doubt, if no Closing occurs, the Company shall have no obligation to reimburse the Placement Agent for any fees or expenses in connection with the proposed Offering.
(b) The term of the Placement Agent’s exclusive engagement shall be until the final Closing Date of the Offering. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the provisions concerning confidentiality, indemnification and contribution contained herein and the parties’ obligations contained in the indemnification provisions will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement, and the Company’s obligation to pay fees actually earned and payable and to reimburse expenses actually incurred and reimbursable pursuant to Section 1 hereof after a Closing occurs and which are permitted to be reimbursed under the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) Rule 5110(g)(4)(A), will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit the ability of the Placement Agent or its Affiliates to pursue, investigate, analyze, invest in, or engage in investment banking, financial advisory or any other business relationship with Persons (as defined below) other than the Company. As used herein (i) “Persons” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind and (ii) “Affiliate” means, with respect to a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with such Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Section 2. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Placement Agent as of the date hereof, and as of each Closing Date, as follows:
(a) Securities Law Filings. The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), the Registration Statement under the Securities Act, which was initially filed on [________], 2023 and declared effective on [________], 2023 for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act. Following the determination of pricing among the Company and the prospective Investors introduced to the Company by Placement Agent, the Company will file with the Commission pursuant to Rules 430A and 424(b) under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations”) of the Commission promulgated thereunder, a final prospectus relating to the placement of the Securities, their respective pricings and the plan of distribution thereof. Such registration statement, at any given time after the time it originally became effective, including the exhibits thereto filed at such time, as amended at such time, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; such prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Original Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness is hereinafter called the “Preliminary Prospectus”; and the final prospectus, in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rules 430A and/or 424(b) is hereinafter called the “Final Prospectus.” The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is hereinafter called the “Original Registration Statement.” Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Original Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), if any, which were or are filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), at any given time, as the case may be; and any reference in this Agreement to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Original Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the date of this Agreement, or the issue date of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included,” “described,” “referenced,” “set forth” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which are or are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be. As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement, “Time of Sale Disclosure Package” means the Preliminary Prospectus, any subscription agreement between the Company and the Investors, the final terms of the Offering as agreed in writing by the Company and any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433 of the Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package. The term “any Prospectus” shall mean, as the context requires, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus, and any supplement to either thereof. The Company has not received any notice that the Commission has issued or intends to issue a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or any prospectus supplement or intends to commence a proceeding for any such purpose.
(b) Assurances. Each Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Final Prospectus, as of its date, complied or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations. The Final Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, did not and will not contain as of the date thereof any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Except for this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, there are no documents required to be filed with the Commission in connection with the transaction contemplated hereby that (x) have not been filed as required pursuant to the Securities Act or (y) will not be filed within the requisite time period. Except for this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, there are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Final Prospectus, or to be filed as exhibits or schedules to the Registration Statement, which have not been described or filed as required.
(c) Offering Materials. Neither the Company nor any of its directors and officers has distributed and none of them will distribute, prior to each Closing Date, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Time of Sale Disclosure Package.
(d) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) or the Company’s shareholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. “Required Approvals” means (i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Purchase Agreement, (ii) as have been obtained or may be obtained under the Securities Act, (iii) as have been obtained or may be required under the blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which any Securities are offered by the Placement Agent, (iv) any filings required under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, (v) such approvals as may be required by FINRA, (vi) applications to the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Nasdaq”) for the listing of the Shares and Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby and (vii) such approvals as have been obtained or made by the applicable Closing Date. This Agreement has been duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(e) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby to which it is a party do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, or (ii) result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or instrument to which the Company or is bound or to which any of its property is subject, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon the results of operations, business, properties, or financial condition of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Effect”).
(f) Certificates. Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Placement Agent or to counsel for the Placement Agent shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Placement Agent as to the matters set forth therein.
(g) Reliance. The Company acknowledges that the Placement Agent will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and warranties and hereby consents to such reliance.
(h) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(i) Statistical or Market-Related Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate.
(j) Certain Fees. Other than as contemplated by this Agreement, the Company has not incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company has not entered into any other placement agency agreements or other similar arrangements with any agent or any other representatives with respect to an offering of Securities that remains in effect as of the date of this Agreement.
(k) Insurance. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries are insured against such losses and risks and in such amounts as the Company reasonably believes are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and its subsidiaries are engaged. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue their business at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Representations and Warranties Incorporated by Reference; Third Party Beneficiary. Each of the representations and warranties (together with any related disclosure schedules thereto) made to the Investors in the Purchase Agreement is hereby incorporated herein by reference (as though fully restated herein) and is hereby made to, and in favor of, the Placement Agent. The Company agrees that the Placement Agent may rely upon, and is a third party beneficiary of, the representations and warranties, and applicable covenants, set forth in each of the Transaction Documents.
Section 3. Delivery and Payment. Each Closing shall occur at the offices of the Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105 (“Placement Agent Counsel”) (or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Placement Agent and the Company). Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at each Closing payment of the purchase price for the Securities sold on such Closing Date shall be made by Federal Funds wire transfer, against delivery of the applicable Securities, and such Securities shall be registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations, as the Placement Agent may request at least one (1) business day before such Closing.
All actions taken at a Closing shall be deemed to have occurred simultaneously.
Section 4. Covenants and Agreements of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent as follows:
(a) Registration Statement Matters. The Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly after it receives notice thereof of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Final Prospectus has been filed and will furnish the Placement Agent with copies thereof. The Company will timely file all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of any Prospectus and for a period of one (1) year following closing of the Offering. The Company will advise the Placement Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof (i) of any request by the Commission to amend the Registration Statement or to amend or supplement any Prospectus or for additional information, (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any order directed at any Incorporated Document, if any, or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Final Prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the institution or to the Company’s knowledge threatened institution of any proceeding for any such purpose, (iii) of the issuance by any state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or to the Company’s knowledge the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; and (vi) of the happening of any event during the period described in this Section 4(a) that, in the judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company shall use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or prevention or suspension of such use. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order or order or notice of prevention or suspension at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment or will file a new registration statement and use its reasonable best efforts to have such new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b), 430A, 430B and 430C, as applicable, under the Securities Act, and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) are received in a timely manner by the Commission.
(b) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will cooperate with the Placement Agent and the Investors in endeavoring to qualify the Securities for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions (United States and foreign) as the Placement Agent and the Investors may reasonably request and will use commercially reasonable efforts to make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation, to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or required to file such a consent, or subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction in which it would not otherwise be subject, and provided further that the Company shall not be required to produce any new disclosure document. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts, from time to time, to prepare and file such statements, reports and other documents as are or may be required to continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period as the Placement Agent may reasonably request for distribution of the Securities.
(c) Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus and Other Matters. The Company will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the Rules and Regulations thereunder, so as necessary to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus. If during the period in which a prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with the distribution of Securities contemplated by the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of the Placement Agent or counsel for the Placement Agent, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any Incorporated Document to comply with any applicable law, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, and furnish at its own expense to the Placement Agent and to dealers, an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus that is necessary in order to make the statements in the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or so that the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, will comply with law. Before amending the Registration Statement or supplementing the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in connection with the Offering, the Company will furnish the Placement Agent with a copy of such proposed amendment or supplement and will not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Placement Agent reasonably objects; provided, that the Company has no obligation to provide the Placement Agent any advance copy of such filing or to provide the Placement Agent or counsel to the Placement Agent an opportunity to object to such filing if the filing does not name the Placement Agent or does not relate to the Offering; provided, further, that the foregoing obligation shall not apply with regards to the filing by the Company of any Form 20-F, Form 6-K or other Incorporated Document.
(d) Copies of any Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus. The Company will furnish the Placement Agent, without charge, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the later of the last Closing Date of the Offering, as many copies of any Prospectus or Prospectus supplement and any amendments and supplements thereto, as the Placement Agent may reasonably request.
(e) Free Writing Prospectus. The Company covenants that it will not, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a Company Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Securities Act. In the event that the Placement Agent expressly consents in writing to any such free writing prospectus (a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”), the Company covenants that it shall (i) treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as a Company Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) comply with the requirements of Rule 164 and 433 of the Securities Act applicable to such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
(f) Transfer Agent; Reservation of Shares. The Company will maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Shares. The Company shall reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of Common Shares for the purpose of enabling the Company to issue Shares pursuant to this Agreement and Warrant Shares pursuant to any exercise of the Warrants.
(g) Earning Statement. As soon as practicable and in accordance with applicable requirements under the Securities Act, but in any event not later than eighteen (18) months after the last Closing Date, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Placement Agent an earning statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months beginning after the last Closing Date, that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(h) No Manipulation of Price. Neither the Company, nor, to its knowledge, any of its employees, directors or shareholders, has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(i) Reliance on Others. The Company confirms that it will rely on its own counsel and accountants for legal and accounting advice.
(j) Research Matters. By entering into this Agreement, the Placement Agent does not provide any promise, either explicitly or implicitly, of favorable or continued research coverage of the Company and the Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent’s selection as a placement agent for the Offering was in no way conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the Placement Agent providing favorable or any research coverage of the Company. In accordance with FINRA Rule 2711(e), the parties acknowledge and agree that the Placement Agent has not directly or indirectly offered favorable research, a specific rating or a specific price target, or threatened to change research, a rating or a price target, to the Company or inducement for the receipt of business or compensation. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Placement Agent with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by the Placement Agent’s investment banking divisions. The Company acknowledges that the Placement Agent is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short position in debt or equity securities of the Company.
(k) Subsequent Equity Sales.
(i) From the date hereof until sixty (60) days after the first Closing Date, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall (i) issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents or (ii) publicly file any registration statement or amendment or supplement thereto, other than the Final Prospectus or filing a registration statement on Form S-8 in connection with any employee benefit plan, in each case without prior written consent of the Placement Agent.
(ii) From the date hereof until sixty (60) days after the first Closing Date, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of Common Shares or Common Share Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional Common Shares either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the Common Shares at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Shares or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market offering”, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price. The Placement Agent shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.
(iii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 4(k) shall not apply in respect of an Exempt Issuance, except that no Variable Rate Transaction shall be an Exempt Issuance. An “Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) Common Shares or equity awards to employees, officers or directors of the Company or its Affiliates pursuant to any stock or equity compensation plan duly adopted for such purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of non-employee directors established for such purpose for services rendered to the Company, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any Securities issued pursuant to the Incorporated Documents and/or other securities exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into Common Shares issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, provided that such securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of such securities (other than in connection with automatic price resets, stock splits, adjustments or combinations as set forth in such securities) or to extend the term of such securities, (c) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions or strategic transactions approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company, provided that such securities are issued as “restricted securities” (as defined in Rule 144) and carry no registration rights that require or permit the filing of any registration statement in connection therewith during the sixty (60) day period following the first Closing Date, and provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equityholders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an owner of an asset in a business synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities and (d) any Securities offered or sold pursuant to the Offering.
(iv) If within six (6) months following the consummation of the Offering, the Company completes any equity, equity-linked, convertible or debt or other capital-raising activity of the Company for which the Placement Agent is not acting as underwriter or placement agent (other than the exercise by any person or entity of any options, warrants or other convertible securities) with any of the investors that were contacted, introduced or participated in the Offering, then the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent a commission as described in Section 1(a) herein, in each case only with respect to the portion of such financing received from such investors.
(l) FINRA. The Company shall advise the Placement Agent (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is aware that any officer, director, 10% or greater shareholder of the Company or Person that received the Company’s unregistered equity securities in the past 180 days is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member firm prior to the earlier of the termination of this Agreement or the 60-day period after the Effective Date.
Section 5. Conditions of the Obligations of the Placement Agent. The obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof, in each case as of the date hereof and as of the applicable Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by each of the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder on and as of such dates, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Accountants’ Comfort Letter. On the date hereof, the Placement Agent shall have received, and the Company shall have caused to be delivered to the Placement Agent, a letter from Deloitte Certified Public Accountants S.A. (the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company), addressed to the Placement Agent, dated as of the date hereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Placement Agent. The letter shall not disclose any change in the condition (financial or other), earnings, operations, business or prospects of the Company from that set forth in the Incorporated Documents or the applicable Prospectus or prospectus supplement, which, in the Placement Agent’s sole judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Placement Agent’s sole judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the Offering of the Securities as contemplated by such Prospectus.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from the FINRA. Each Prospectus (in accordance with Rule 424(b)) and “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act), if any, shall have been duly filed with the Commission, as appropriate; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; no order preventing or suspending the use of any Prospectus shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company shall have been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange; all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with; and FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the placement terms and arrangements.
(c) No Material Adverse Change. Except as set forth or contemplated in the Final Prospectus, subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the applicable Closing Date, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Effect or any development that would be reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect (whether arising in the ordinary course of business) from the latest dates set forth in the Registration Statement and Final Prospectus (“Material Adverse Change”), which in the Placement Agent’s judgment, makes it impractical or inadvisable to offer or deliver the Securities.
(d) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. The Placement Agent shall have received on the applicable Closing Date an opinion and disclosure letter of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, together with an opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, special counsel for the Company on issues of Marshall Islands law, substantially in the forms attached as Schedules B and C hereto, each dated as of such Closing Date.
(e) Officers’ Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on the applicable Closing Date a certificate of the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, to the effect that, the signers of such certificate have reviewed the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus, and this Agreement and to the further effect that:
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects, as if made on and as of such Closing Date, and the Company has complied in all material respects with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date;
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Final Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best of their knowledge, threatened under the Securities Act; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company has been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best of their knowledge, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States; and
(iii) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus, and except as disclosed therein, there has not been: (a) any Material Adverse Change; (b) any transaction that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business; (c) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, incurred by the Company or any subsidiary, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business; (d) any material change in the capital stock (except changes thereto resulting from the exercise of outstanding stock options or warrants) or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any subsidiary; (e) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company; or (f) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company or any subsidiary which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a Material Adverse Effect.
(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. On the applicable Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received from Deloitte Certified Public Accountants S..A., or such other independent registered public accounting firm of the Company, a letter dated as of such Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Placement Agent, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 5, except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than two (2) business days prior to such Closing Date.
(g) Stock Exchange Listing. The Common Shares shall be registered under the Exchange Act and shall be listed on the Nasdaq, and the Company shall not have taken any action designed to terminate, or likely to have the effect of terminating, the registration of the Common Shares under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending from trading the Common Shares from the Nasdaq, nor shall the Company have received any information suggesting that the Commission or the Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.
(h) Warrant Agency Agreement. On the first Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received the duly executed warrant agency agreement executed by and between the Company and the transfer agent.
(i) Additional Documents. On or before the applicable Closing Date, the Placement Agent and Placement Agent Counsel shall have received such information and documents as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Placement Agent by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to a Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 6 (Payment of Expenses), Section 7 (Indemnification and Contribution) and Section 8 (Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery) shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 6. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all documented costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation: (i) all expenses incident to the issuance, delivery and qualification of the Securities (including all printing and engraving costs); (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Common Shares; (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the initial issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other Company advisors; (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and each prospectus supplement, if any, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement; (vi) all filing fees, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Securities for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the securities laws of any other country in accordance with this Agreement, and, if requested by the Placement Agent, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey,” an “International Blue Sky Survey” or other memorandum, and any supplements thereto, advising the Placement Agent of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions; (vii) if applicable, the filing fees incident to the review and approval by FINRA of the Placement Agent’s participation in the offering and distribution of the Securities; (viii) the fees and expenses associated with including the Shares and Warrant Shares on the Nasdaq; and (ix) all other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Part II of the Registration Statement.
Section 7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) (i) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent and each of the other Agent Indemnified Parties (as defined below) from and against any losses, claims, damages, obligations, penalties, judgments, awards, liabilities, costs, expenses and disbursements, and any and all actions, suits, proceedings and investigations in respect thereof and any and all reasonable and documented legal and other costs, expenses and disbursements in giving testimony or furnishing documents in response to subpoena or otherwise (including, without limitation, the reasonable and documented costs, expenses and disbursements, as and when incurred, of investigating, preparing, pursuing or defending any such action, suit, proceeding or investigation (whether or not in connection with litigation in which any Agent Indemnified Party is a party)), directly or indirectly, caused by, relating to, based upon, arising out of, or in connection with (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a fact contained in the Registration Statement, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (B) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a fact included in any Prospectus or the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this Section 7(a)(i) shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made solely in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Placement Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement, or in any Prospectus or the Time of Sale Disclosure Package. These indemnification provisions in this Section 7(a)(i) shall extend to the following persons (collectively, the “Agent Indemnified Parties”): the Placement Agent, its managers, members, officers, employees, and controlling persons (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the officers, directors, partners, stockholders, members, managers, employees, and controlling persons of any of them. These indemnification provisions shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have to any indemnified party.
(ii) The Placement Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and officers, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Company Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Placement Agent) described in the indemnity contained in Section 7(a)(i), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement, in any Prospectus or the Time of Sale Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by the Placement Agent expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that, as of the date of this Agreement, the only information furnished by the Placement Agent to date for use therein consists of the information described in Section 7(b) below.
(iii) If any action, suit, proceeding or investigation is commenced, as to which an indemnified party proposes to demand indemnification under this Section 7, it shall notify the indemnifying party with reasonable promptness; provided, however, that any failure by an indemnified party to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying party from its obligations hereunder except to the extent that the indemnifying party is actually and materially prejudiced by such failure to notify. Any Agent Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Agent Indemnified Party unless: (A) the Company has failed promptly to assume the defense and employ separate counsel reasonably acceptable to the Placement Agent for the benefit of the Placement Agent and the other Agent Indemnified Parties or (B) such Agent Indemnified Party shall have been advised that in the opinion of counsel there is an actual or potential conflict of interest that prevents (or makes it imprudent for) the counsel designated by and engaged by the Company for the purpose of representing the Agent Indemnified Party, to represent both such Agent Indemnified Party and any other person represented or proposed to be represented by such counsel, in which event the Company shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of one counsel selected by the Agent Indemnified Parties, plus one local counsel firm for each relevant jurisdiction, if necessary, for all Agent Indemnified Parties. Any such counsel shall, to the extent consistent with its professional responsibilities, cooperate with the Company and any counsel designated by the Company. An indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any action effected without its written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld). No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, settle or compromise any claim, or permit a default or consent to the entry of any judgment in respect thereof, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (1) includes, as an unconditional term thereof, the giving by the claimant to all of the indemnified parties of an unconditional release from all liability in respect of such claim, and (2) does not contain any factual or legal admission by or with respect to an indemnified party or an adverse statement with respect to the character, professionalism, expertise or reputation of any indemnified party or any action or inaction of any indemnified party.
(b) The Placement Agent confirms and the Company acknowledges that as of the date hereof no information has been furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of the Placement Agent specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or any Prospectus except for information about the Placement Agent included in the section of the Prospectus captioned “Plan of Distribution.”
(c) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a)(i) or (a)(ii) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a)(i) or (a)(ii) above, (i) in accordance with the relative benefits received by the Company and its shareholder, on the one hand, and the Agent Indemnified Parties, on the other hand, or (ii) if (and only if) the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the Offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total commissions received by the Placement Agent, bear to the total public offering price of the Securities. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Placement Agent and the parties’ relevant intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (c) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (c). The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (c) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending against any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (c). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the amount contributed by all Agent Indemnified Parties exceed the amount of fees previously received by the Placement Agent pursuant to the Agreement. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
Section 8. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or any person controlling the Company, of its officers, and of the Placement Agent set forth in or made in writing pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Placement Agent, the Company, or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement. A successor to the Placement Agent, or to the Company, its directors or officers or any person controlling the Company, shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement agreements contained in this Agreement.
Section 9. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or e-mailed and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
If to the Placement Agent to the address set forth above, attention: James Siegel, General Counsel, email: [●]
With a copy to:
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
[●]
email: [●]
attention: [●]
If to the Company:
Toro Corp.
[●]
email: [●]
attention: [●]
With a copy to:
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
[●]
email: [●]
attention: [●]
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
Section 10. Assignment; Successors. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof, and to their respective successors and permitted assignees, and personal representatives, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give to any other person, firm or corporation any legal or equitable remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. The term “successors and permitted assignees” as herein used shall not include any purchaser, as such purchaser, of any of the Securities.
Section 11. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
Section 12. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Agent for Service of Process. This Agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof. Any right to trial by jury with respect to any dispute arising under this Agreement or any transaction or conduct in connection herewith is waived. Any dispute arising under this Agreement may be brought into the courts of the State of New York or into the Federal Court located in New York, New York and, by execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company hereby accepts for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of aforesaid courts. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by delivering a copy thereof via overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Each party agrees that a final judgment in any such action, proceeding or counterclaim brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon such party and may be enforced in any other courts to the jurisdiction of which such party is or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment. If either party to this Agreement shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its documented attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. In addition to and without limiting the foregoing, the Company has confirmed that it has appointed [Seward & Kissel LLP], as its authorized agent (the “Authorized Agent”) upon whom process may be served in any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein which may be instituted in any New York federal or state court, by the Placement Agent, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of the Placement Agent and each affiliate of the Placement Agent, and expressly accept the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding. The Company hereby represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as said agent for service of process, and the Company agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect as aforesaid. The Company hereby authorizes and directs the Authorized Agent to accept such service. Service of process upon the Authorized Agent shall be deemed, in every respect, effective service of process upon the Company. If the Authorized Agent shall cease to act as agent for service of process, the Company shall appoint, without unreasonable delay, another such agent in the United States, and notify you of such appointment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action arising out of or based upon this Agreement may be instituted by the Placement Agent, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of the Placement Agent and each respective affiliate of the Placement Agent, in any court of competent jurisdiction in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement, in whole or in part.
Section 13. General Provisions.
(a) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the Offering of the Securities: (i) the Placement Agent’s responsibility to the Company is solely contractual and commercial in nature, (ii) the Placement Agent has acted at arm’s length, is not agent of, and owes no fiduciary duties to the Company or any other person, (iii) the Placement Agent owes the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Placement Agent may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Placement Agent arising from any breach or alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign below whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.
| Very truly yours, |
| toro CORP. |
| By: |
| Name: | |
| Title: |
The foregoing Placement Agency Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written.
maxim group LLC
| By: |
| Name: | |
| Title: |
Schedule A
Schedule B
Exhibit 1.2
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated as of [●], 2023, between Toro Corp., a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (the “Company”), and each purchaser identified on the signature pages hereto (each a “Purchaser” and collectively the “Purchasers”).
WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act (as defined below), the Company desires to issue and sell to each Purchaser, and each Purchaser, severally and not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company, securities of the Company as more fully described in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and each Purchaser agree as follows:
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section 1.1:
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York are generally open for use by customers on such day.
“Closing” means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.1.
“Closing Date” means the Trading Day on which all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to (i) the Purchasers’ obligations to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the Company’s obligations to deliver the Units, in each case, have been satisfied or waived, but in no event later than the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date hereof.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Shares” means the common shares of the Company, par value $0.001 per share.
“Common Share Equivalents” means any securities of the Company which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Shares, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred shares, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Shares.
“Disclosure Time” means, (i) if this Agreement is signed on a day that is not a Trading Day or after 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) and before midnight (New York City time) on any Trading Day, 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Day immediately following the date hereof, unless a different time is agreed by the Company and the Placement Agent, and (ii) if this Agreement is signed between midnight (New York City time) and 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, no later than 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof, unless a different time is agreed by the Company and the Placement Agent.
“Effective Date” means [●], 2023.
“Environmental Claim” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(n).
“Environmental Laws” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(m).
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
“GAAP” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(i).
“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(q).
“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(b).
“Materials of Environmental Concern” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(n).
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Placement Agent” means Maxim Group LLC.
“Placement Agent Counsel” means Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, with offices located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105-0302.
“Preliminary Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration Statement on the Effective Date.
“Prospectus” means the final prospectus in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rules 430A and/or 424(b).
“Purchaser Party” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.3.
“Registration Statement” means the effective registration statement with Commission File No. 333-[●] which registers the sale of the Units to the Purchasers, and includes any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.
“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Rule 424” means Rule 424 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” means any registration statement prepared by the Company registering additional Securities, which was filed with the Commission on or prior to the date hereof and became automatically effective pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act.
“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(i).
“Securities” means the Units, the Shares and the Warrants.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Shares” means the Common Shares issued or issuable to each Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.
“Short Sales” means all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act (but shall not be deemed to include locating and/or borrowing Common Shares).
“Subscription Amount” means, as to each Purchaser, the aggregate amount to be paid for the Units purchased hereunder as specified below such Purchaser’s name on the signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company as listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Shares are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, the Warrant Agency Agreement, the Warrants and all exhibits and schedules thereto and hereto.
“Transfer Agent” means Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., the current transfer agent of the Company, with a mailing address of 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717, and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
“Unit” means a unit consisting of one Common Share and one Warrant sold to a Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.
“Unit Purchase Price” equals $[●], subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common Shares that occur after the date of this Agreement and prior to Closing.
“Warrant Agency Agreement” means the warrant agency agreement dated on or about the Closing Date, by and between the Company and the Transfer Agent.
“Warrants” means, collectively the Common Share purchase warrants delivered to the Purchasers at the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, which Warrants shall be exercisable immediately and have a term of exercise equal to five (5) years, in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto.
“Warrant Shares” means the Common Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
ARTICLE II.
PURCHASE AND SALE
2.1 Closing. On the Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to sell, and the Purchasers, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase, up to an aggregate of $[●] of Units. Each Purchaser’s Subscription Amount as set forth on the signature page hereto executed by such Purchaser shall be made available for “Delivery Versus Payment” settlement with the Company or its designee. The Company shall deliver to each Purchaser its respective Shares and Warrants as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and the Company and each Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth in Section 2.2 deliverable at the Closing. Upon satisfaction of the covenants and conditions set forth in Sections 2.2 and 2.3, the Closing shall take place remotely by electronic transfer of the Closing documentation. Each Purchaser acknowledges that, concurrently with the Closing and pursuant to the Prospectus, the Company may sell up to $[●] of additional Units to purchasers not party to this Agreement, and will issue to such purchasers such Common Shares and Warrants in the same form and at the same Unit Purchase Price. Unless otherwise directed by the Placement Agent, settlement of the Shares and Warrants shall occur via “Delivery Versus Payment” (“DVP”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein and a Purchaser’s Subscription Amount set forth on the signature pages attached hereto, the number of Shares purchased by a Purchaser (and its Affiliates) hereunder shall not, when aggregated with all other Common Shares owned by such Purchaser (and its Affiliates) at such time, result in such Purchaser beneficially owning (as determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) in excess of 9.99% of the then issued and outstanding Common Shares outstanding at the Closing (the “Beneficial Ownership Maximum”), and such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount, to the extent it would otherwise exceed the Beneficial Ownership Maximum immediately prior to the Closing, shall be conditioned upon the issuance of Shares at the Closing to the other Purchasers signatory hereto. To the extent that a Purchaser’s beneficial ownership of the Shares would otherwise be deemed to exceed the Beneficial Ownership Maximum, such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount shall automatically be reduced as necessary in order to comply with this paragraph.
2.2 Deliveries.
(a) On or prior to the Closing Date (except as indicated below), the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Purchaser the following:
(i) this Agreement duly executed by the Company;
(ii) unless settlement at Closing will occur via DVP pursuant to Section 2.1, the Company shall have provided such Purchaser with the Company’s wire instructions, on Company letterhead and executed by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer;
(iii) subject to Section 2.1, a copy of the irrevocable instructions to the Transfer Agent instructing the Transfer Agent to deliver on an expedited basis via The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) Shares equal to such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount divided by the Unit Purchase Price, registered in the name of such Purchaser;
(iv) subject to Section 2.1, a copy of irrevocable instructions to Transfer Agent instructing the Transfer Agent to deliver via DTC or DWAC Warrant to purchase up to a number of Common Shares equal to [100]% of the sum of such Purchaser’s Shares, with an exercise price equal to $[●];
(v) the duly executed Warrant Agency Agreement; and
(vi) the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus (which may be delivered in accordance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
(b) On or prior to the Closing Date, each Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company the following:
(i) this Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser; and
(ii) such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount, which shall be made available for DVP settlement with the Company or its designee.
2.3 Closing Conditions.
(a) The obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the accuracy in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality, in all respects) on the Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Purchasers contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein in which case they shall be accurate in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality, in all respects) as of such date);
(ii) all obligations, covenants and agreements of each Purchaser required to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed; and
(iii) the delivery by each Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 2.2(b) of this Agreement.
(b) The respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the accuracy in all material respects (or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) when made and on the Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein in which case they shall be accurate in all material respects or, to the extent representations or warranties are qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) as of such date);
(ii) all obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed;
(iii) the delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 2.2(a) of this Agreement;
(iv) there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company since the date hereof; and
(v) from the date hereof to the Closing Date, trading in the Common Shares shall not have been suspended by the Commission or the Company’s principal Trading Market (except for any suspension of trading of limited duration reasonably agreed to by the Company with the consent of the Placement Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld)), which suspension shall be terminated prior to the Closing), and, at any time prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades are reported by such service, or on the Company’s principal Trading Market, nor shall a banking moratorium have been declared either by the United States or New York State authorities nor shall there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the reasonable judgment of such Purchaser, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to purchase the Securities at the Closing.
ARTICLE III.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to each Purchaser as follows:
(a) Subsidiaries. Except (i) as set forth in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or (ii) as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any lien, charge, pledge, security interest or encumbrance, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and were not issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities that have not been satisfied or waived.
(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. Each of the Subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, except, in each case, where the failure to be so organized or validly existing would not reasonably be expected individually or in the aggregate to have a material adverse effect upon (i) the results of operations, assets, business, prospects, properties or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole or (ii) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate any transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (any such effect as described in clauses (i) or (ii), a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has full corporate power and authority to own its respective properties and conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases real property or in which the conduct of its business makes such qualification necessary and in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the Company’s knowledge, no proceeding or other action has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors of the Company or the Company’s shareholders in connection herewith or therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement and each other Transaction Document to which the Company is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, or (ii) result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, claim or charge upon any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or to which any of their property is subject, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Company, any Subsidiary, or any of their properties; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. No approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any foreign, federal, state or local governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than: (i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.1 of this Agreement, (ii) as have been obtained or may be obtained for the registration of the Securities or Warrant Shares under the Securities Act, (iii) as have been obtained or may be required under the blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which any Securities are offered by the Placement Agent, (iv) any filings required following the Closing under the Securities Act to maintain the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and the registration of the Warrant Shares, or the Exchange Act to satisfy covenants set forth in the Transaction Documents, (v) such approvals as may be required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, (vi) applications to the applicable Trading Market for the listing of the Shares and Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby and (vii) such approvals as have been obtained or made by the Closing Date (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).
(f) Validity of the Securities. The Shares are duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for as set forth herein, will have been validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will have been issued without violation of or being subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities that have not been waived. The Warrants are duly authorized, and when issued, delivered and paid for as set forth herein, will constitute the valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law. The Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Warrants, will be fully paid and nonassessable and will have been issued without violation of or being subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities that have not been waived. The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock the maximum number of Common Shares issuable pursuant to this Agreement and the Warrants.
(g) Securities Act Filings. The Company has prepared and filed the Registration Statement under the Securities Act, which became effective on the Effective Date, for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement is effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or suspending or preventing the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued by the Commission and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, are threatened by the Commission. The Company, if required by the rules and regulations of the Commission, shall file the Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b). At the time the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto became effective, at the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement, as amended at such time, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act. The Registration Statement at the Effective Date and any amendment thereto at the time such amendment became effective did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus each as amended or supplemented, as of the date thereof, conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(i) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company has never been an issuer subject to Rule 144(i) under the Securities Act. The financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to year-end audit adjustments.
(j) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as set forth in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its shareholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate.
(k) Litigation. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company there is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or (ii) would, if there were an unfavorable decision, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation or proceeding involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. To the knowledge of the Company, there is no pending or contemplated investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
(l) Labor Relations. The Company has no employees. To the knowledge of the Company, no labor dispute exists or is imminent with respect to any of the employees of Castor Ships S.A., the company that commercially and technically manages the Company’s vessels, which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Compliance. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its articles of incorporation or similar organizational documents, or (ii) in breach of or otherwise in default, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default in the performance of any material obligation, agreement or condition contained in any bond, debenture, note, indenture, loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, deed of trust or any other material contract, lease or other instrument to which it is subject or by which any of them is bound, or to which any of the material property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in the case of (i) (only with respect to the Company’s Subsidiaries), (ii) and (iii) above, as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Environmental Laws. Except as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any applicable international, national, state or local convention, law, regulation, order, governmental license, convention, treaty (including those promulgated by the International Maritime Organization) or other requirement relating to pollution or protection of human health or safety (as they relate to exposure to Materials of Environmental Concern (as defined below)) or protection of the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or protection of natural resources, including without limitation, conventions, laws or regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum, petroleum products or other hydrocarbons (collectively, “Materials of Environmental Concern”), or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environmental Concern (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received any written communication, whether from a governmental authority, citizens group, employee or otherwise, that alleges that the Company or any such Subsidiary is in violation of any Environmental Law or governmental license required pursuant to Environmental Law; except, in each case, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) there is no claim, action or cause of action filed with a court or governmental authority and no investigation, or other action with respect to which the Company or any Subsidiary has received written notice alleging potential liability for investigatory costs, cleanup costs, governmental response costs, natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys’ fees or penalties arising out of, based on or resulting from the presence, or release into the environment, of any Material of Environmental Concern at any location owned, leased or operated by the Company or any Subsidiary, now or in the past, or from any vessel owned, leased or operated by the Company or any Subsidiary, now or in the past (collectively, “Environmental Claim”), pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary or any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any Subsidiary has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge, presence or disposal of any Material of Environmental Concern, that reasonably would be expected to result in a violation of any Environmental Law, require expenditures to be incurred pursuant to Environmental Law, or form the basis of an Environmental Claim against the Company, any Subsidiary or against any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any Subsidiary has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect (for the avoidance of doubt, the operation of vessels in the ordinary course of business shall not be deemed, by itself, an action, activity, circumstance or condition set forth in this clause (iii)); and (iv) none of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject to any pending proceeding under Environmental Law to which a governmental authority is a party and which the Company reasonably believes is likely to result in monetary sanctions of US$300,000 or more. The Company has reasonably concluded that any existing compliance and remediation costs and liabilities arising under Environmental Laws and resulting from the business, operations or properties of the Company or any Subsidiary would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(o) Laws and Permits. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries holds, and is operating in compliance with, all grants, authorizations, licenses, permits, consents, certificates and orders of any governmental or self-regulatory body required for the conduct of its respective businesses and all such grants, authorizations, licenses, permits, consents, certifications and orders are valid and in full force and effect, except for such noncompliance, failures to hold or failures to be in full force and effect that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such grant, authorization, license, permit, consent, certification or order or has reason to believe that any such grant, authorization, license, permit, consent, certification or order will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except for such notices and such possibility of non-renewal that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company and each of its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations, orders and decrees, except for such noncompliance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Title to Assets. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has good and marketable title to all property (whether real or personal) described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as being owned by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests, other encumbrances or defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The property held under lease by the Company and each of its Subsidiaries is held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with only such exceptions as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries own, possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, domain names, technology, know-how and other intellectual property necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as now conducted or as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property Rights owned by or licensed to the Company and each of the Subsidiaries, has not been adjudged invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property Rights.
(r) Insurance. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) the Company and each of the Subsidiaries carries, or is covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks the Company reasonably believes are adequate for the conduct of its respective business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries and (ii) the Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(s) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. No transaction has occurred or agreement or understanding entered into between or among the Company or any of its Subsidiaries on the one hand, and any officer, director or 10% or greater stockholder of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any affiliate or affiliates of any such officer, director or 10% or greater stockholder that is required to be described and is not so described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(t) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“SOX”), and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission under SOX. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have established and maintain systems of internal accounting controls (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act) sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) amounts reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet for assets are compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act Rules) that have been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company has conducted evaluations of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, since the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(u) Certain Fees. Except for fees payable by the Company to the Placement Agent, the Company has not incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of the Transaction Document or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Purchasers shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due from the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(v) Investment Company. The Company is not, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be required to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(w) Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, no Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(x) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Shares under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Common Shares are currently eligible for electronic transfer through DTC or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to DTC (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.
(y) No Integrated Offering. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(z) Solvency. After giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the proceeds from the sale of the Units hereunder, (i) the fair value of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis will exceed their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis will be able to pay their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured, (iii) the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis will be able to pay their debts as they become due in the usual course of their business and (iv) the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis will not have an unreasonably small amount of assets (or capital) with which to conduct the business in which they are engaged, as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted following the Closing Date.
(aa) Tax Status. Except as (i) disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or (ii) would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) the Company and each of the Subsidiaries have timely filed all applicable federal, state, local, foreign and other income and franchise tax returns required to be filed and are not in default in the payment of any taxes which were payable pursuant to said returns or any assessments with respect thereto, other than any which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is contesting in good faith, (B) there is no pending dispute with any taxing authority relating to any of such returns other than any which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is contesting in good faith, and (C) the Company has no knowledge of any proposed liability for any tax to be imposed upon the properties or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for which there is not an adequate reserve reflected in the Company’s financial statements included in the Registration Statement.
(bb) Foreign Corrupt Practices. To the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) violated in any material respect any provision of FCPA or (iv) made any other unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback, or other unlawful payment to any Person.
(cc) Accountants. The Company’s accounting firm is Deloitte Certified Public Accountants S.A. To the knowledge and belief of the Company, such accounting firm is a registered public accounting firm as required by the Exchange Act.
(dd) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchasers’ Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Purchasers is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Purchaser is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by any Purchaser or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Purchasers’ purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to each Purchaser that the Company’s decision to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its representatives.
(ee) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchaser’s Trading Activity. Anything in this Agreement or elsewhere herein to the contrary notwithstanding (except for Sections 3.2(f) and 4.5 hereof), it is understood and acknowledged by the Company that, subject to compliance by the Purchasers and their Affiliates with applicable laws, including applicable securities laws: (i) none of the Purchasers has been asked by the Company to agree, nor has any Purchaser agreed, to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or short, securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued by the Company or to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii) past or future open market or other transactions by any Purchaser, specifically including, without limitation, Short Sales or “derivative” transactions, before or after the closing of this or future private placement transactions, may negatively impact the market price of the Company’s publicly-traded securities; (iii) any Purchaser, and counter-parties in “derivative” transactions to which any such Purchaser is a party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the Common Shares, and (iv) each Purchaser shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control over any arm’s length counter-party in any “derivative” transaction. The Company further understands and acknowledges that, subject to compliance by the Purchasers and their Affiliates with applicable laws, including applicable securities laws, (y) one or more Purchasers may engage in hedging activities at various times during the period that the Securities are outstanding, including, without limitation, during the periods that the value of the Warrant Shares deliverable with respect to Securities are being determined, and (z) such hedging activities (if any) could reduce the value of the existing shareholders’ equity interests in the Company at and after the time that the hedging activities are being conducted. The Company acknowledges, subject to compliance by the Purchasers and their Affiliates with applicable laws, including applicable securities laws, that such aforementioned hedging activities do not constitute a breach of any of the Transaction Documents.
(ff) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Placement Agent in connection with the placement of the Securities.
(gg) Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).
(hh) Money Laundering. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have complied in all material respects with the money laundering statutes of applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by applicable governmental agencies (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ii) Maritime Representations.
(i) Except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each of the vessels described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as being owned by the Company or any Subsidiary as described therein (“Owned Vessels”) (A) has been duly and validly registered in the name of a Subsidiary under the laws and regulations and flag of the nation of its registration; (B) no other action is necessary to establish and perfect such entity’s title to and interest in any of the Owned Vessels as against any third party; and (C) each Owned Vessel is owned directly by the Company or such Subsidiary free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests or other encumbrances, except, in each case of clauses (A) through (C), such as are described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(ii) Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any memorandum of agreement or option agreement to purchase any shipping vessels or any interest therein that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(iii) Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to any agreement or understanding pursuant to which any new vessel is or will be built for the Company or any Subsidiary that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(iv) Each of the Owned Vessels is in good standing with respect to the payment of past and current taxes, fees and other amounts payable under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is registered, except where such lien or defect of title or record would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) Each of the Owned Vessels is operated in compliance with the rules, codes of practice, conventions, protocols, guidelines or similar requirements or restrictions imposed, published or promulgated by any governmental authority, classification society or insurer applicable to the respective Owned Vessel (collectively, “Maritime Guidelines”) and all applicable international, national, state and local conventions, laws, regulations, orders, governmental licenses and other requirements (including, without limitation, all Environmental Laws), in each case as in effect on the date hereof, except where such failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and each applicable Subsidiary are qualified to own or lease, as the case may be, and operate such Owned Vessels under all applicable international, national, state and local conventions, laws, regulations, orders, governmental licenses and other requirements (including, without limitation, all Environmental Laws) and Maritime Guidelines, including the laws, regulations and orders of each such vessel’s flag state, in each case as in effect on the date hereof, except where such failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) Each of the Owned Vessels is classed by a classification society which is a full member of the International Association of Classification Societies and such Owned Vessels are in class with valid class and trading certificates, without any material overdue recommendations, in each case based on the classification and certification requirements in effect on the date hereof, except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(jj) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(kk) Jurisdiction. The Company has the power to submit, and has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the jurisdiction of any federal or state court in the State of New York, County of New York, and has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and has legally, validly and effectively designated, appointed and empowered, an agent for service of process in any suit or proceeding based on or arising under this Agreement in any federal or state court in the State of New York.
(ll) Cybersecurity. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) to the Company’s knowledge, there has been no material security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and (y) the Company has not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or other compromise to its IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
(mm) Purchasers’ Representations. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Purchaser makes or has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3.2 hereof.
3.2 Representations and Warranties of the Purchasers. Each Purchaser, for itself and for no other Purchaser, hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to the Company as follows (unless as of a specific date therein, in which case they shall be accurate as of such date):
(a) Organization; Authority. Such Purchaser is an entity duly incorporated or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation with full right, corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and performance by such Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action, as applicable, on the part of such Purchaser. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by such Purchaser, and when delivered by such Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of such Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(b) Understandings or Arrangements. Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities (this representation and warranty not limiting such Purchaser’s right to sell the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws). Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
(c) Purchaser Status. At the time such Purchaser was offered the Securities, it was, and as of the date hereof it is, and on each date on which it exercises any Warrants, it will be an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(12), or (a)(13) under the Securities Act.
(d) Experience of Such Purchaser. Such Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. Such Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.
(e) Access to Information. Such Purchaser acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to review the Transaction Documents (including all exhibits and schedules thereto), the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the SEC Reports and has been afforded, (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Securities and the merits and risks of investing in the Securities; (ii) access to information about the Company and its financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment. Such Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that neither the Placement Agent nor any Affiliate of the Placement Agent has provided such Purchaser with any information or advice with respect to the Securities nor is such information or advice necessary or desired. Neither the Placement Agent nor any Affiliate has made or makes any representation as to the Company or the quality of the Securities and the Placement Agent and any Affiliate may have acquired non-public information with respect to the Company which such Purchaser agrees has not and need not be provided to it. In connection with the issuance of the Securities to such Purchaser, neither the Placement Agent nor any of its Affiliates has acted as a financial advisor or fiduciary to such Purchaser.
(f) Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Other than consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, such Purchaser has not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with such Purchaser, directly or indirectly executed any purchases or sales, including Short Sales, of the securities of the Company during the period commencing as of the time that the Placement Agent first contacted such Purchaser about the offering and ending immediately prior to the execution hereof. Other than to other Persons party to this Agreement or to such Purchaser’s representatives, including, without limitation, its officers, directors, partners, legal and other advisors, employees, agents and Affiliates, such Purchaser has maintained the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it in connection with this transaction (including the existence and terms of this transaction). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing contained herein shall constitute a representation or warranty, or preclude any actions, with respect to locating or borrowing shares in order to effect Short Sales or similar transactions in the future made in compliance with applicable laws, including applicable securities laws.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in this Section 3.2 shall not modify, amend or affect such Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
ARTICLE IV.
OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1 Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. The Company shall (a) by the Disclosure Time, issue a press release disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and (b) file a Current Report on Form 6-K, including the Transaction Documents (to the extent not previously filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement) as exhibits thereto, with the Commission within the time required by the Exchange Act. Upon the issuance of such press release, the Company represents to the Purchasers that it shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public information delivered to any of the Purchasers by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. In addition, effective upon the issuance of such press release, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees, Affiliates or agents, including, without limitation, the Placement Agent, on the one hand, and any of the Purchasers or any of their Affiliates on the other hand, shall terminate and be of no further force or effect. The Company understands and confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly disclose the name of any Purchaser, or include the name of any Purchaser in any filing with the Commission or any regulatory agency or Trading Market, without the prior written consent of such Purchaser, except (a) as required by federal securities law in connection with the filing of final Transaction Documents with the Commission and (b) to the extent such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market regulations, in which case the Company shall provide the Purchasers with prior notice of such disclosure permitted under this clause (b) and reasonably cooperate with such Purchaser regarding such disclosure.
4.2 Use of Proceeds. The Company shall use the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder as set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus and shall not use such proceeds in violation of FCPA or OFAC regulations.
4.3 Indemnification of Purchasers. Subject to the provisions of this Section 4.3, the Company will indemnify and hold each Purchaser and its directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees, each Person who controls such Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners or employees of such controlling persons (each, a “Purchaser Party” and collectively a “Purchaser Group”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by such Purchaser Party as a result of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement or (b) any action instituted against such Purchaser Party by any shareholder of the Company who is neither (A) a Purchaser nor (B) an Affiliate or member of the Purchaser Group of such Purchaser Party and that arises out of or results from the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of this Agreement (unless such action is solely based upon a material breach of the applicable Purchaser’s representations, warranties or covenants under this Agreement or any agreements or understandings any member of such Purchaser Group may have with any such shareholder or any violations by any member of such Purchaser Group of state or federal securities laws or other applicable law or any conduct by any member of such Purchaser Group which is finally judicially determined to constitute fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct). If any action shall be brought against any Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Section 4.3, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify the Company in writing, and, the Company shall have the right to assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser Party. Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party except to the extent that (i) the Company has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of counsel a material conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel for all Purchasers and Purchaser Parties. The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement (y) for any settlement by a Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior written consent; or (z) to the extent, but only to the extent that a loss, claim, damage or liability is attributable to the applicable Purchaser’s breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser in this Agreement. The indemnification required by this Section 4.3 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, within thirty (30) days after bills supporting the amounts incurred by such Purchaser Party are received by the Company. The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to any cause of action or similar right of any Purchaser Party against the Company or others and any liabilities the Company may be subject to pursuant to law.
4.4 Listing of Common Shares. Concurrently with the Closing, the Company shall apply to list or quote all of the Shares on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are listed and use its commercially reasonable efforts to secure the listing of all such Shares on such Trading Market.
4.5 Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that neither it nor any Affiliate acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with it will execute any purchases or sales, including Short Sales of any of the Company’s securities during the period commencing with the execution of this Agreement and ending at such time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.1. Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly disclosed by the Company pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.1, such Purchaser will maintain the confidentiality of the existence and terms of this transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing and notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that, in each case subject to compliance with applicable laws, including applicable securities laws by the Purchasers and their Affiliates or agents of the foregoing for purchases or sales of such securities, (i) no Purchaser makes any representation, warranty or covenant hereby that it will not engage in effecting transactions in any securities of the Company after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.1, (ii) no Purchaser shall be restricted or prohibited from effecting any transactions in any securities of the Company from and after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.1.
ARTICLE V.
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by any Purchaser, as to such Purchaser’s obligations hereunder only and without any effect whatsoever on the obligations between the Company and the other Purchasers, by written notice to the other parties, if the Closing has not been consummated on or before the fifth (5th) Trading Day following the date hereof; provided, however, that no such termination will affect the right of any party to sue for any breach by any other party (or parties).
5.2 Fees and Expenses. Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents to the contrary, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees (including, without limitation, any fees required for same-day processing of any instruction letter delivered by the Company and any exercise notice delivered by a Purchaser), stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the initial sale and delivery of the Securities to the Purchasers.
5.3 Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and schedules thereto, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.
5.4 Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of: (a) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto.
5.5 Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and Purchasers which purchased at least a majority in interest of the Shares based on the initial Subscription Amounts hereunder (or, prior to the Closing, the Company and each Purchaser) or, in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom enforcement of any such waived provision is sought, provided that if any amendment, modification or waiver disproportionately and adversely impacts a Purchaser (or group of Purchasers), the consent of such disproportionately impacted Purchaser (or group of Purchasers) shall also be required. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right. Any amendment effected in accordance with this Section 5.5 shall be binding upon each Purchaser and holder of Securities and the Company.
5.6 Headings. The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.
5.7 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Purchaser and no Purchaser may assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Company (in each case other than by operation of law).
5.8 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. The Placement Agent shall be the third party beneficiary of the representations and warranties of the Purchasers in Section 3.2. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.3 and this Section 5.8.
5.9 Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
5.10 Survival. The representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the Closing and the delivery of the Securities.
5.11 Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to each other party, it being understood that the parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
5.12 Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
5.13 Remedies. In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Purchasers and the Company will be entitled to specific performance under this Agreement. The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained herein and hereby agree to waive and not to assert in any action for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.
5.14 Independent Nature of Purchasers’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Purchaser under this Agreement are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Purchaser, and no Purchaser shall be responsible in any way for the performance or non-performance of the obligations of any other Purchaser under this Agreement. Nothing contained herein or in any other Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Purchaser pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Purchasers as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Purchasers are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Each Purchaser shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights including, without limitation, the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of the other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Purchaser to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. Each Purchaser has been represented by its own separate legal counsel in its review and negotiation of the Transaction Documents. For reasons of administrative convenience only, each Purchaser and its respective counsel have chosen to communicate with the Company through Placement Agent Counsel. Placement Agent Counsel does not represent any of the Purchasers and only represents the Placement Agent. The Company has elected to provide all Purchasers with the same terms and Transaction Documents for the convenience of the Company and not because it was required or requested to do so by any of the Purchasers.
5.15 Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.
5.16 Construction. The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel have reviewed and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of the Transaction Documents or any amendments thereto.
5.17 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING IN ANY JURISDICTION BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY, EACH PARTY KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEREBY ABSOLUTELY, UNCONDITIONALLY, IRREVOCABLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES FOREVER TRIAL BY JURY.
(Signature Pages Follow)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
| toro corp. | Address for Notice: | ||
| By: | |||
| Name: | E-Mail: | ||
| Title: | |||
| With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice): | |||
| Sullivan & Cromwell LLP [●] email: [●] attention: [●] |
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[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE PAGE FOR PURCHASER FOLLOWS]
[PURCHASER SIGNATURE PAGES TO TORO SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
| Name of Purchaser: |
| Signature of Authorized Signatory of Purchaser: |
| Name of Authorized Signatory: |
| Title of Authorized Signatory: |
| Email Address of Authorized Signatory: |
Address for Notice to Purchaser:
Address for Delivery of Securities to Purchaser (if not same as address for notice):
Subscription Amount: $_________________
Shares: _________________
Warrant Shares: __________________ Beneficial Ownership Blocker ☐ 4.99% or ☐ 9.99%
EIN Number: ____________________
☐ Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, by checking this box (i) the obligations of the above-signed to purchase the securities set forth in this Agreement to be purchased from the Company by the above-signed, and the obligations of the Company to sell such securities to the above-signed, shall be unconditional and all conditions to Closing shall be disregarded, (ii) the Closing shall occur on the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of this Agreement and (iii) any condition to Closing contemplated by this Agreement (but prior to being disregarded by clause (i) above) that required delivery by the Company or the above-signed of any agreement, instrument, certificate or the like or purchase price (as applicable) shall no longer be a condition and shall instead be an unconditional obligation of the Company or the above-signed (as applicable) to deliver such agreement, instrument, certificate or the like or purchase price (as applicable) to such other party on the Closing Date.
[SIGNATURE PAGES CONTINUE]
Schedule C
Exhibit 4.2
FORM OF CLASS A COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT
TORO CORP.
| Warrant Shares: _______ | Issue Date: [●], 2023 |
THIS COMMON SHARE PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, _____________ or its assigns (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the Issue Date and on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on [●], 2028 (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Toro Corp., a Marshall Islands corporation (the “Company”), up to ______ Common Shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “Warrant Shares”). The purchase price of one Common Share under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).
Section 1. Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Warrant, the following terms have the meanings indicated in this Section 1.
“Affiliate” means with respect to a specified person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with the specified Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, that commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Shares” means common shares of the Company, par value $0.001 per share.
“Common Share Equivalents” means any securities of the Company which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Shares, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Shares.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-[●]).
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period set forth in Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule) as in effect on the applicable date.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Common Shares are traded on a Trading Market.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Shares are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transfer Agent” means the transfer agent of the Company, which as of the Issue Date is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., with a mailing address of 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.
“VWAP” means for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (i) if the Common Shares are then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:00 p.m. (New York City time)), (ii) if the Common shares are then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and the OTCQB or OTCQX, as applicable, is not a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX, as applicable, (iii) if the Common Shares are not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Shares are then reported on the Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per Common Share so reported, or (iv) in all other cases, the fair market value of a Common Share as determined by an independent investment banking, accounting or valuation firm selected by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“Warrants” means this Warrant and other Common Share purchase warrants issued by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement.
Section 2. Exercise.
a) Exercise of Warrant. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Issue Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company of a duly executed copy of the Notice of Exercise (which may be delivered via e-mail) in the form annexed hereto (the “Notice of Exercise”) and, in the event that Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, the Assignment Form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder. Unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is applicable, within the earlier of two (2) Trading Days and the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period following the date of exercise as aforesaid the Holder shall deliver to the Company payment in full of the aggregate Exercise Price for the shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise and any and all applicable transfer or similar taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant in lawful money of the United States, by cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank to the order of the Company, wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company or other form of payment acceptable to the Company. No ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise be required; provided, however, that the Company may require that a medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) be included in any Assignment Form. The Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and this Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date on which the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within one (1) Business Day of receipt of such notice. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.
b) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Common Share under this Warrant shall be $[●], subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).
c) Cashless Exercise. If at the time of exercise hereof, there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for, the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder, the Holder, at its option, may exercise this Warrant, in whole or in part, by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares, in respect of such exercise, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A-B)*(X) by (A), where:
(A) = as applicable: (a) if the Common Shares are then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares on the Trading Market on which the Common Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. during the ten (10) Trading Day period ending on the Trading Day prior to the date that the Notice of Exercise is received by the Company, (b) if the Common shares are then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and the OTCQB or OTCQX, as applicable, is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares on OTCQB or OTCQX, as applicable as reported during the ten (10) OTCQB or OTCQX trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that the Notice of Exercise is received by the Company, (c) if the Common Shares are not then listed or quoted for trading on OTCQB or OTCQX and if prices for the Common Shares are then reported on the Pink Open Market (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per Common Share so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a Common Share as determined by an independent investment banking, accounting or valuation firm selected by the Company’s Board of Directors in good faith;
(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and
(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant and pursuant to the applicable Notice of Exercise if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.
d) Mechanics of Exercise.
i. Delivery of Warrant Shares Upon Exercise. Subject to receipt of the Exercise Price, if any, in accordance with Section 2(a) above, the Company shall cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be delivered to the Holder (A) if the Transfer Agent is then a participant in, and the Common Shares are eligible securities for, the Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) of The Depositary Trust Company (“DTC”) and there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by the Holder, by the Transfer Agent crediting the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with DTC through DWAC or (B) otherwise by delivery of a book-entry position or certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, in either case (1) for the number of whole Warrant Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such exercise, (2) to the account or address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise and (3) by the date that is the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period after delivery to the Company of the duly executed Notice of Exercise in accordance with Section 2(a) above (the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). On the date all conditions for exercise set forth in Section 2(a) above, including the payment in full of the Exercise Price, if any (the “Exercise Date”), the Holder shall be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of record of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has been exercised, irrespective of the date of delivery of the Warrant Shares, except that, if the Exercise Date is a date when the share transfer books of the Company are closed, the Holder shall be deemed to have become the holder of such Warrant Shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books are open. The Company agrees to maintain a transfer agent that is a participant in the FAST program so long as this Warrant remains outstanding and exercisable.
ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of or promptly after delivery of the Warrant Shares, deliver or cause the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Holder a new Warrant certificate evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.
iii. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Warrant to the contrary, no fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise (including by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to Section 3 below), the Company shall round down the number of Warrant Shares issued to the Holder to the nearest whole number.
iv. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause the Warrant Shares to be delivered to the pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.
v. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company in respect of the issuance or delivery of Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of this Warrant or such Warrant Shares. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any duly executed Notice of Exercise and all fees to DTC (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions) required for same-day electronic delivery of the Warrant Shares.
e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations. The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and the Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates (such Persons, “Attribution Parties”)), to the Company’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of Common Shares beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates and Attribution Parties shall include the number of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of Common Shares which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Share Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates or Attribution Parties. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies and solely for purposes of this Section 2(e), the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates and Attribution Parties), in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding Common Shares, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding Common Shares as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent annual or current report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of Common Shares outstanding. Upon the written request of a Holder, the Company shall within two (2) Business Days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of Common Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding Common Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates or Attribution Parties since the date as of which such number of outstanding Common Shares was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% (or, upon election by the Holder prior to the issuance of any Warrants, 9.99%) of the number of the Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder may, upon written notice to the Company, increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation may in no event exceed 9.99% of the number of the Common Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Common Shares upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder. Any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
Section 3. Certain Adjustments.
a) Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a dividend or other distribution in Common Shares (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any Common Shares issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant or other warrants or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or rights to acquire shares) on its Common Shares or on any other equity or equity equivalent securities, (ii) subdivides (by any stock split, recapitalization or otherwise) its outstanding Common Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) its outstanding Common Shares into a smaller number of shares or (iv) issues by reclassification Common Shares for any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be adjusted by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to (A) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution or (B) the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification, by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of which shall be the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after (A) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution or (B) the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
b) Pro Rata Distributions. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, shall distribute to all holders of Common Shares (and not to the Holder) evidences of its indebtedness or assets (including cash, cash dividend and securities (other than Common Shares)) or rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any security, then in each such case the Exercise Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such distribution, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each Common Share in respect of such distribution. In no event will the Exercise Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
c) Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. If at any time while this Warrant is outstanding (i) the Company effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Common Shares), (ii) a tender or exchange offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of all Common Shares , (iii) the Company effects any sale to another corporation or entity of all or substantially all of the assets or other property of the Company in connection with which the Company is dissolved, or (iv) the Company effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the outstanding Common Shares pursuant to which the Common Shares are converted into other securities, cash or property (other than a change under Sections 3(a) or 3(b) hereof), the Holder of this Warrant shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified herein and in lieu of the Warrant Shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented hereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such merger or consolidation, tender or exchange offer, dissolution following any such sale, or reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization, that the Holder would have received if it had exercised this Warrant immediately prior to such event (the “Alternate Consideration”); provided, however, that in connection with the closing of any such merger, consolidation, the successor or purchasing entity shall execute a written undertaking providing for delivery of such Alternate Consideration; provided, further, that if the holders of the Common Shares were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger or tender or exchange offer, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternate Consideration for which this Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Common Shares in such merger or consolidation or tender or exchange offer that affirmatively make such election. The provisions of this Section 3(c) shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations, tender or exchange offers, sales, reclassifications or reorganizations that individually meet the requirements of this Section 3(c). In no event will the Exercise Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
d) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of Common Shares deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of Common Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.
e) Notice to Holder.
i. Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly deliver to the Holder by email a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts that led to such adjustment.
ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 3(a) through 3(c) above or if the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be delivered by email to the Holder at its last email address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, written notice of the record date (which notice shall be given at least 10 calendar days prior to such record date) or the effective date of the event; provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided in this Warrant constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission on Form 6-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
h) Voluntary Adjustment by Company. Subject to the rules and regulations of the Trading Market, the Company may at any time during the term of this Warrant reduce the then current Exercise Price to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the board of directors of the Company.
Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.
a) Transferability. This Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled.
b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the Issue Date and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.
c) Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company (for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.
Section 5. Miscellaneous.
a) No Rights as Shareholder Until Exercise. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a shareholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i), except as expressly set forth in Section 3.
b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of an affidavit of loss reasonably satisfactory to the Company evidencing the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it, and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant.
c) No Settlement in Cash. Without limiting any rights of a Holder to receive Warrant Shares on a “cashless exercise” pursuant to Section 2(c), in no event shall the Company be required to net cash settle an exercise of this Warrant.
d) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Trading Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Trading Day.
e) Authorized Shares.
The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Shares a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of issuing the necessary Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Shares may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).
Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding Warrants (based on the number of Warrant Shares underlying such Warrants), the Company shall not by any action, including, amending its Articles of Incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of the Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.
Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.
f) Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof.
g) Jurisdiction; Agent for Process. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Warrant (whether brought against a party hereto or their respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Warrant and agrees that, subject to applicable law, such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action, suit or proceeding to enforce any provisions of this Warrant, the prevailing party in such action, suit or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for their reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. In addition to and without limiting the foregoing, the Company has confirms that it has appointed [Seward & Kissel LLP, with a business address at One Battery Park Plaza, New York, New York 10004], as its authorized agent (the “Authorized Agent”) upon whom process may be served in any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Warrant or the transactions contemplated herein which may be instituted in any New York federal or state court, by a Holder, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of such Holder and each affiliate of such Holder, and expressly accept the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding. The Company hereby represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as said agent for service of process, and the Company agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect as aforesaid. The Company hereby authorizes and directs the Authorized Agent to accept such service. Service of process upon the Authorized Agent shall be deemed, in every respect, effective service of process upon the Company. If the Authorized Agent shall cease to act as agent for service of process, the Company shall appoint, without unreasonable delay, another such agent in the United States, and notify the Holders of such appointment. Notwithstanding the foregoing and except as set forth herein, any action arising out of or based upon this Warrant may be instituted by a Holder, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of the Holder (if applicable) and each respective affiliate of the Holder, in any court of competent jurisdiction in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this paragraph shall limit or restrict the federal district court in which a Holder may bring a claim under the federal securities laws. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Warrant, in whole or in part.
h) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.
i) Nonwaiver. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies.
j) Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Holders hereunder including, without limitation, any Notice of Exercise, shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to:
If to the Company
Toro Corp.
[●]
Tel: + [●]
Email: [●]
Attn: Chief Executive Officer
or such other email address or address as the Company may specify for such purposes by notice to the Holders. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Company hereunder shall be in writing and delivered personally, by e-mail, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service addressed to each Holder at the e-mail address or address of such Holder appearing on the books of the Company. Any notice or other communication or deliveries hereunder shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (a) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail attachment at the email address set forth on the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via e-mail attachment at the e-mail address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given.
k) Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Share or as a shareholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.
l) Remedies. Each of the Holder, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, acknowledges and agrees that irreparable injury to the other party hereto would occur in the event any of the provisions of this Warrant were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached and that such injury would not be adequately compensable by the remedies available at law (including the payment of money damages). It is accordingly agreed that the Holder, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand (in each case, the “Moving Party”), shall each be entitled to specific enforcement of, and injunctive relief to prevent any violation of, the terms hereof, and the other party hereto will not take action, directly or indirectly, in opposition to the Moving Party seeking such relief on the grounds that any other remedy or relief is available at law or in equity.
m) Persons Having Rights Hereunder. Nothing in this Warrant shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the Holder and the Company any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of Warrant or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Warrant shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Holder and the Company and their successors and assigns.
n) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.
o) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company, on the one hand, and the holders of a majority of the then outstanding Warrants (based on the number of Warrant Shares underlying such Warrants), on the other hand.
p) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.
q) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.
********************
(Signature Page Follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.
| TORO CORP. | |
| By: | |
| Name: | |
| Title: | |
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
TO: TORO CORP.
(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the [attached] Warrant [issued on [●], 2023 in the name of the undersigned] , and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.
(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):
[ ] in lawful money of the United States; or
[ ] if permitted the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).
(3) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:
The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
| DTC number: |
| Account name: |
| Account number: |
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
| Name of Investing Entity: |
| Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: |
| Name of Authorized Signatory: |
| Title of Authorized Signatory: |
| Date: |
EXHIBIT B
ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply required information. Do not use this form to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to
| Name: | |
| (Please Print) | |
| Address: | |
| (Please Print) | |
| Phone Number: | |
| Email Address: | |
| Dated: _______________ __, ______ | |
| Holder’s Signature: _______________ | |
| Holder’s Address: _______________ |
Signature Guaranteed:
NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign this form.
Exhibit 4.3
TORO CORP.
and
broadridge corporate issuer solutions, LLC, as
Warrant Agent
Warrant Agency Agreement
Dated as of [________], 2023
WARRANT AGENCY AGREEMENT
WARRANT AGENCY AGREEMENT, dated as of [_______], 2023 (“Agreement”), between Toro Corp., a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (the “Company”), and Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, LLC (the “Warrant Agent”).
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, pursuant to a registered offering by the Company of [____] Units (the “Offering”), with each Unit consisting of (i) one common share of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Shares”) and (ii) one Class A warrant to purchase one Common Share at a price of $[___] per share (the “Warrants”, and the Common Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, the “Warrant Shares”);
WHEREAS, upon the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth and pursuant to an effective registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-[____]) (the “Registration Statement”), and the terms and conditions of the Warrant Certificate, the Company wishes to issue certain of the Warrants in book entry form;
WHEREAS, the Common Shares and Warrants to be issued in connection with the Offering shall be immediately separable and will be issued separately, but will be purchased together in the Offering; and
WHEREAS, the Company wishes the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing so to act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, exercise and replacement of the Warrants and, in the Warrant Agent’s capacity as the Company’s transfer agent, the delivery of the Warrant Shares.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, all capitalized terms not herein defined shall have the meanings hereby indicated:
(a) “Affiliate” means with respect to a specified person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with the specified Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(b) “Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which the Nasdaq Stock Market is authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
(c) “Close of Business” on any given date means 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day it means 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
(d) “Holders” means each holder of the Warrants, including, if the Warrants are held in “street name” and solely with respect to the provisions of Sections 3(c) and 3(d) hereof, a Participant (as defined below);
(e) “Person” means an individual, corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or political subdivision thereof or governmental agency or other entity.
(f) “Warrant Certificate” means a certificate in substantially the form attached as Exhibit 1hereto, representing such number of Warrant Shares as is indicated therein, provided that any reference to the delivery of a Warrant Certificate in this Agreement shall include delivery of a Definitive Certificate or a Global Warrant (each as defined below).
All other capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Warrant Certificate.
Section 2. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment.
Section 3. Warrant Certificates.
(a) The Warrants shall be registered securities and shall be evidenced by a global warrant (the “Global Warrants”), in the form of the Warrant Certificate, which shall be deposited with the Warrant Agent and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of The Depository Trust Company (the “DTC”), or as otherwise directed by the DTC. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by (i) the DTC or its nominee for each Global Warrant or (ii) institutions that have accounts with the DTC (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”).
(b) If the DTC subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the DTC to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation of each Global Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to each Holder a Definitive Certificate.
(c) A Holder has the right to elect at any time or from time to time a Warrant Exchange (as defined below) pursuant to a Warrant Certificate Request Notice (as defined below). Upon written notice by a Holder to the Company and the Warrant Agent for the exchange of some or all of such Holder’s Global Warrants for a separate certificate substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 1 (such separate certificate, a “Definitive Certificate”), evidencing the same number of Warrants, which request shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 2 (a “Warrant Certificate Request Notice” and the date of delivery of such Warrant Certificate Request Notice by the Holder, the “Warrant Certificate Request Notice Date” and the surrender by the Holder to the Warrant Agent of a number of Global Warrants for the same number of Warrants evidenced by a Definitive Certificate, a “Warrant Exchange”), the Company and the Warrant Agent shall promptly effect the Warrant Exchange and the Company shall promptly issue and deliver to the Holder a Definitive Certificate for such number of Warrants in the name set forth in the Warrant Certificate Request Notice. Such Definitive Certificate shall be dated the original issue date of the Warrants, shall be manually executed by an authorized signatory of the Company and shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 1.
(d) A Holder of a Definitive Certificate has the right to elect at any time or from time to time a Global Warrants Exchange (as defined below) pursuant to a Global Warrants Request Notice (as defined below). Upon written notice by a Holder to the Company for the exchange of some or all of such Holder’s Warrants evidenced by a Definitive Certificate for a beneficial interest in Global Warrants held in book-entry form through the DTC evidencing the same number of Warrants, which request shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 3 (a “Global Warrants Request Notice” and the date of delivery of such Global Warrants Request Notice by the Holder, the “Global Warrants Request Notice Date” and the surrender upon delivery by the Holder of the Warrants evidenced by Definitive Certificates for the same number of Warrants evidenced by a beneficial interest in Global Warrants held in book-entry form through the DTC, a “Global Warrants Exchange”), the Company shall promptly effect the Global Warrants Exchange and shall promptly direct the Warrant Agent to issue and deliver to the Holder Global Warrants for such number of Warrants in the Global Warrants Request Notice, which beneficial interest in such Global Warrants shall be delivered by the DTC’s Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system to the Holder pursuant to the instructions in the Global Warrants Request Notice. In connection with a Global Warrants Exchange, the Company shall direct the Warrant Agent to deliver the beneficial interest in such Global Warrants to the Holder within ten (10) Business Days of the Global Warrants Request Notice pursuant to the delivery instructions in the Global Warrant Request Notice (“Global Warrants Delivery Date”).
Section 4. Form of Warrant Certificates. The Warrant Certificate, together with the form of election to purchase Common Shares (“Notice of Exercise”) and the form of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit 1 hereto.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration. The Warrant Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Vice President, by electronic or facsimile signature. The Warrant Certificates shall be countersigned by the Warrant Agent by electronic or facsimile signature and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Warrant Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Warrant Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Warrant Certificate, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Warrant Agent, issued and delivered with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Warrant Certificate had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Warrant Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Warrant Certificate, shall be an authorized officer of the Company to sign such Warrant Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
The Warrant Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at one of its offices, or at the office of one of its agents, books for registration and transfer of the Warrants issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective Holders of the Warrants, the number of warrants evidenced on the face of each such Warrant Certificate and the date of each such Warrant Certificate.
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Warrant Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Warrant Certificates. With respect to any Warrant Certificate, subject to the provisions of the Warrant Certificate, the payment of relevant fees and expenses provided in this Section 6 and subject to applicable law, rules or regulations, or any “stop transfer” instructions the Company may give to the Warrant Agent, at any time after the closing date of the Offering, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the Termination Date, any Warrant Certificate may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates, entitling the Holder to purchase a like number of Common Shares as the Warrant Certificates or Warrant Certificates surrendered then entitled such Holder to purchase. Any Holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Warrant Certificate shall make such request in writing delivered to the Warrant Agent, and shall surrender the Warrant Certificate to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the principal office of the Warrant Agent. Any requested transfer of Warrants, whether in book-entry form or certificate form, shall be accompanied by reasonable evidence of authority of the party making such request that may be required by the Warrant Agent. Thereupon the Warrant Agent shall, subject to the last sentence of this first paragraph of Section 6, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may require payment from the Holder of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Warrant Certificates. The Company shall compensate the Warrant Agent per the fee schedule mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto and provided separately on the date hereof.
Upon receipt by the Warrant Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Warrant Certificate, which evidence shall include an affidavit of loss, or in the case of mutilated certificates, the certificate or portion thereof remaining, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of an indemnity or security in customary form and amount, and satisfaction of any other reasonable requirements established by Section 8-405 of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York, and reimbursement to the Company and the Warrant Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Warrant Agent and cancellation of the Warrant Certificate if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor to the Warrant Agent for delivery to the Holder in lieu of the Warrant Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. Exercise of Warrants; Exercise Price; Termination Date.
(a) The Warrants shall be exercisable as set forth in the Warrant Certificate. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, a holder whose interest in a Global Warrant is a beneficial interest in a Global Warrant held in book-entry form through the DTC (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions), shall effect exercises by delivering to the DTC (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable) the appropriate instruction form for exercise, complying with the procedures to effect exercise that are required by the DTC (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable). The Company acknowledges that the bank accounts maintained by the Warrant Agent in connection with the services provided under this Agreement will be in its name and that the Warrant Agent may receive investment earnings in connection with the investment at Warrant Agent’s risk and for its benefit of funds held in those accounts from time to time. Neither the Company nor the Holders will receive interest on any deposits or Exercise Price.
(b) Upon receipt of a Notice of Exercise for a Cashless Exercise, and subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Warrant Certificate, the Company will promptly calculate and transmit to the Warrant Agent the number of Warrant Shares issuable in connection with such Cashless Exercise and deliver a copy of the Notice of Exercise to the Warrant Agent, which shall issue such number of Warrant Shares in connection with such Cashless Exercise.
(c) Upon the exercise of a Warrant pursuant to and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Warrant Certificate, and subject to receipt of the Exercise Price, if applicable, the Warrant Agent shall cause the Warrant Shares underlying such Warrant Certificate to be delivered to or upon the order of the Holder of such Warrant Certificate no later than the Warrant Share Delivery Date in the manner set forth in the Warrant Certificate. Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in this Agreement, except in the case of a Cashless Exercise, if any Holder fails to duly deliver payment to the Warrant Agent of an amount equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Warrant Shares to be purchased upon exercise of such Holder’s Warrant as set forth in the Warrant Certificate, the Warrant Agent will not be obligated to deliver such Warrant Shares until following receipt of such payment.
(d) The Warrant Agent shall deposit all funds received by it in payment of the Exercise Price for all Warrants in the account of the Company maintained at a bank or financial institution designated by the Warrant Agent for such purpose (or to such other account as directed by the Company in writing) and shall advise the Company via email at the end of each day on which notices of exercise are received or funds for the exercise of any Warrant are received of the amount so deposited to its account.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Warrant Certificates. All Warrant Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Warrant Agent for cancellation or in canceled form, or, if surrendered to the Warrant Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Warrant Certificate shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Warrant Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Warrant Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Warrant Agent shall deliver all canceled Warrant Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such canceled Warrant Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company, subject to any applicable law, rule or regulation requiring the Warrant Agent to retain such canceled certificates.
Section 9. Certain Representations; Reservation and Availability of Common Shares or Cash.
(a) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the Warrant Agent, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, and the Warrants have been duly authorized, executed and issued by the Company and, assuming due authentication thereof by the Warrant Agent pursuant hereto and payment therefor by the Holders as provided in the Registration Statement, constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms; in each case except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(b) As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company consists of (i) 3,900,000,000 Common Shares, of which, immediately prior to the Offering, 9,461,009 Common Shares are issued and outstanding, and [_____] Common Shares are reserved for issuance upon exercise of the Warrants, and (ii) 100,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.001 per share, of which 140,000 1.00% Series A Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Preferred Shares and 40,000 Series B Preferred Shares are currently issued and outstanding. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, there are no other outstanding obligations, warrants, options or other rights to subscribe for or purchase from the Company any class of capital stock of the Company.
(c) The Company covenants that, during the period any Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Shares a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under the Warrants.
(d) The Warrant Agent will create a special account for the issuance of Common Shares upon the exercise of Warrants.
Section 10. Adjustment of Exercise Price, Number of Common Shares or Number of the Company Warrants. The Exercise Price, the number of shares covered by each Warrant and the number of Warrants outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in the Warrant Certificate. All Warrants originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Exercise Price pursuant to the Warrant Certificate shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, the number of Common Shares purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Warrants, all subject to further adjustment as provided in the Warrant Certificate.
Section 11. Certification of Adjusted Exercise Price or Number of Common Shares. Whenever the Exercise Price or the number of Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Warrant is adjusted as provided in Section 10, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth the Exercise Price of each Warrant as so adjusted, and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, (b) promptly file with the Warrant Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) instruct the Warrant Agent to send a brief summary thereof to each Holder of a Warrant Certificate.
Section 12. Conditions of the Warrant Agent’s Obligations. The Warrant Agent accepts its obligations herein set forth upon the terms and conditions hereof, including the following to all of which the Company agrees and to all of which the rights hereunder of the Holders from time to time of the Warrant Certificates shall be subject:
| (a) | Compensation and Indemnification. The Company agrees promptly to pay the Warrant Agent the compensation detailed on the fee schedule mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto and provided separately on the date hereof for all services rendered by the Warrant Agent and to reimburse the Warrant Agent for documented and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable counsel fees) incurred by the Warrant Agent in connection with the services rendered hereunder by the Warrant Agent. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense arising out of or in connection with (i) its acting as Warrant Agent hereunder, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending against any claim of such liability, (ii) Warrant Agent’s following, accepting or acting upon any instructions or directions of the Company in accordance with this Agreement, (iii) the Company’s breach of this Agreement or (iv) the determination and enforcement by Warrant Agent of its rights pursuant to this Agreement (including, without limitation, this Section) except for any such loss, liability, cost or expense arising as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, fraud, bad faith or willful misconduct (in each case, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction). The indemnities provided by this paragraph shall survive the resignation or discharge of the Warrant Agent or the termination of this Agreement. Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall the Warrant Agent be liable under or in connection with the Agreement for indirect, special, incidental, punitive or consequential losses or damages of any kind whatsoever, including but not limited to lost profits, whether or not foreseeable, even if the Warrant Agent has been advised of the possibility thereof and regardless of the form of action in which such damages are sought, and the Warrant Agent’s aggregate liability to the Company, or any of the Company’s representatives or agents, under this Section 12(a) or under any other term or provision of this Agreement, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, is expressly limited to, and shall not exceed in any circumstances, one (1) year’s fees received by the Warrant Agent as fees and charges under this Agreement, but not including reimbursable expenses previously reimbursed to the Warrant Agent by the Company hereunder, provided, that, such liability cap shall not apply in the case of the Warrant Agent’s own fraud, bad faith or willful misconduct (in each case, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), nor to any claims by the Holders which arise out of the gross negligence, fraud, bad faith or willful misconduct of the Warrant Agent (in each case, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction). |
| (b) | Agent for the Company. In acting under this Agreement and in connection with the Warrant Certificates, the Warrant Agent is acting solely as agent of the Company and does not assume any obligations or relationship of agency or trust for or with any of the Holders of Warrant Certificates or beneficial owners of Warrants. |
| (c) | Counsel. The Warrant Agent may consult with counsel satisfactory to it, which may include counsel for the Company, and the written advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the advice of such counsel. |
| (d) | Documents. The Warrant Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon any Warrant Certificate, notice, direction, consent, certificate, affidavit, statement or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been presented or signed by the proper parties. |
| (e) | Certain Transactions. The Warrant Agent, and its officers, directors and employees, may become the owner of, or acquire any interest in, Warrants, with the same rights that it or they would have if it were not the Warrant Agent hereunder, and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, it or they may engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with the Company and may act on, or as depositary, trustee or agent for, any committee or body of Holders of Warrant Securities or other obligations of the Company as freely as if it were not the Warrant Agent hereunder. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the Warrant Agent from acting as trustee under any indenture to which the Company is a party. |
| (f) | No Liability for Interest. Unless otherwise agreed with the Company, the Warrant Agent shall have no liability for interest on any monies at any time received by it pursuant to any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Warrant Certificates. |
| (g) | No Liability for Invalidity. The Warrant Agent shall have no liability with respect to any invalidity of this Agreement or the Warrant Certificates (except as to the Warrant Agent’s countersignature thereon). |
| (h) | No Responsibility for Representations. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any of the recitals or representations herein or in the Warrant Certificate (except as to the Warrant Agent’s countersignature thereon), all of which are made solely by the Company. |
| (i) | No Implied Obligations. The Warrant Agent shall be obligated to perform only such duties as are set forth herein and in the Warrant Certificates and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement or the Warrant Certificates against the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent shall not be accountable or under any duty or responsibility for the application by the Company of the proceeds of the Warrant Certificate. The Warrant Agent shall have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by the Company in the performance of its covenants or agreements contained herein or in the Warrant Certificates or in the case of the receipt of any written demand from a Holder of a Warrant Certificate with respect to such default, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any duty or responsibility to initiate or attempt to initiate any proceedings at law. |
Section 13. Purchase or Consolidation or Change of Name of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent shall be party, or any entity succeeding to the corporate trust business of the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent, shall be the successor to the Warrant Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such entity would be eligible for appointment as a successor Warrant Agent under the provisions of Section 14. In case at the time such successor Warrant Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement any of the Warrant Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Warrant Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Warrant Agent and deliver such Warrant Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Warrant Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Warrant Agent may countersign such Warrant Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Warrant Agent or in the name of the successor Warrant Agent; and in all such cases such Warrant Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Warrant Certificates and in this Agreement.
In case at any time the name of the Warrant Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Warrant Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Warrant Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver such Warrant Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Warrant Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Warrant Agent may countersign such Warrant Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Warrant Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Warrant Certificates and in this Agreement.
Section 14. Duties of Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company, by its acceptance hereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Warrant Agent may consult with legal counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company (who may be legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Warrant Agent as to any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Vice President of the Company; and such certificate shall be full authentication to the Warrant Agent for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.
(c) Subject to the limitations set forth in Section 12, the Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, fraud, bad faith or willful misconduct, or for a breach by it of this Agreement.
(d) The Warrant Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Warrant Certificate (except its countersignature thereof) by the Company or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Warrant Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Warrant Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Warrant Certificate (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for the adjustment of the Exercise Price or the making of any change in the number of Common Shares required under the provisions of Section 10 or responsible for the manner, method or amount of any such change or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment or change (except with respect to the exercise of Warrants evidenced by the Warrant Certificates after actual notice of any adjustment of the Exercise Price); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Common Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant Certificate or as to whether any Common Shares will, when issued, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) Each party hereto agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the other party hereto for the carrying out or performing by any party of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Vice President of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable and shall be indemnified and held harmless for any action taken or suffered to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with instructions of any such officer, provided the Warrant Agent carries out such instructions without gross negligence, fraud, bad faith or willful misconduct.
(h) Nothing herein shall preclude the Warrant Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
Section 14. Change of Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ notice in writing sent to the Company and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares and to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. The Company may remove the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent upon 30 days’ notice in writing, sent to the Warrant Agent or successor Warrant Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares, and to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. If the Warrant Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Warrant Agent, then the Holder of any Warrant Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Warrant Agent, provided that, for purposes of this Agreement, the Company shall be deemed to be the Warrant Agent until a new warrant agent is appointed. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be an entity organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of a state thereof, in good standing, which is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust, stock transfer, or shareholder services powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Warrant Agent either (a) a combined capital and surplus or (ii) net assets, in each case, on a consolidated bases along with its affiliates, of at least $50,000,000. After appointment, the successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Warrant Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Warrant Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Warrant Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Warrant Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. However, failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 14, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Warrant Agent or the appointment of the successor Warrant Agent, as the case may be.
Section 15. Issuance of New Warrant Certificates. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Warrants to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Warrant Certificates evidencing Warrants in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment or change in the Exercise Price per share and the number or kind or class of shares of stock or other securities or property purchasable under the several Warrant Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Section 16. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made (i) by the Warrant Agent to or on the Company, (ii) subject to the provisions of Section 14, by the Company or by the Holder of any Warrant Certificate to or on the Warrant Agent or (iii) by the Warrant Agent to the Holder of any Warrant Certificate shall be deemed given (a) on the date delivered, if delivered personally, (b) on the first Business Day following the deposit thereof with Federal Express or another recognized overnight courier, if sent by Federal Express or another recognized overnight courier, (c) on the fourth Business Day following the mailing thereof with postage prepaid, if mailed by registered or certified mail (return receipt requested), and (d) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email attachment at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Business Day and (e) the next Business Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email attachment on a day that is not a Business Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Business Day, in each case to the parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like notice):
| (a) | If to the Company, to: |
Toro Corp.
223 Christodoulou Chatzipavlou Street
Hawaii Royal Gardens
3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| (b) | If to the Warrant Agent, to: |
Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, LLC
[_______]
[_________]
(c) If to the Holder of any Warrant Certificate to the address of such Holder as shown on the registry books of the Company. Any notice required to be delivered by the Company to the Holder of any Warrant may be given by the Warrant Agent on behalf of the Company. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the Warrant Certificate, where this Agreement or the Warrant Certificate provides for notice of any event to a Holder of any Warrant, such notice shall be sufficiently given if given to the DTC (or its designee) pursuant to the procedures of the DTC or its designee.
Section 17. Supplements and Amendments.
(a) The Company and the Warrant Agent may from time to time supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any Holders in order to cure any ambiguity, cure, correct or supplement any defective provision contained herein, add to the covenants and agreements of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of the Warrants, to surrender any rights or power reserved to or conferred upon the Company in this Agreement, or to make any other provisions with regard to matters or questions arising hereunder which the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem necessary or desirable provided that such addition, correction, supplement, cure or surrender shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of the Warrants in any material respect.
(b) In addition to the foregoing, with the consent of Holders of Warrants entitled, upon exercise thereof, to receive not less than a majority of the Common Shares issuable under Warrants which are not beneficially owned by Affiliates of the Company, the Company and the Warrant Agent may modify this Agreement for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Agreement or modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of the Warrants. As a condition precedent to the Warrant Agent’s execution of any amendment, the Company shall deliver to the Warrant Agent a certificate from a duly authorized officer of the Company that states that the proposed amendment complies with the terms of this Section 17.
Section 18. Successors. All covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 19. Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any Person other than the Company, the Holders of Warrant Certificates and the Warrant Agent any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement. This Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, to the extent any provision of a Warrant Certificate conflicts with any provision of this Agreement, the provisions of the Warrant Certificate shall govern and be controlling.
Section 20. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflicts of law principles thereof.
Section 21. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 22. Captions. The captions of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
[Signature page to follow]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
| TORO CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| BROADRIDGE CORPORATE ISSUER SOLUTIONS, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Exhibit 1
Form of Warrant Certificate
Exhibit 2
Form of Warrant Certificate Request Notice
WARRANT CERTIFICATE REQUEST NOTICE
To: Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, LLC, as Warrant Agent for Toro Corp. (the “Company”)
The undersigned Holder of Class A Common Share Purchase Warrants (“Warrants”) in the form of Global Warrants issued by the Company hereby elects to receive a Definitive Certificate evidencing the Warrants held by the Holder as specified below:
| 1. | Name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants: _____________________________ |
| 2. | Name of Holder in Definitive Certificate (if different from name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants): ________________________________ |
| 3. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants: ___________________ |
| 4. | Number of Warrants for which Definitive Certificate shall be issued: __________________ |
| 5. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants after issuance of Definitive Certificate, if any: ___________ |
| 6. | Definitive Certificate shall be delivered to the following address: |
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees that, in connection with this Warrant Exchange and the issuance of the Definitive Certificate, the Holder is deemed to have surrendered the number of Warrants in form of Global Warrants in the name of the Holder equal to the number of Warrants evidenced by the Definitive Certificate.
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: ____________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: ______________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: _________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________________
Exhibit 3
Form of Global Warrant Request Notice
GLOBAL WARRANT REQUEST NOTICE
To: Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, LLC, as Warrant Agent for Toro Corp. (the “Company”)
The undersigned Holder of Class A Common Share Purchase Warrants (“Warrants”) in the form of Definitive Certificates issued by the Company hereby elects to receive a Global Warrant evidencing the Warrants held by the Holder as specified below:
| 1. | Name of Holder of Warrants in form of Definitive Certificates: _____________________________ |
| 2. | Name of Holder in Global Warrant (if different from name of Holder of Warrants in form of Definitive Certificates): ________________________________ |
| 3. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Definitive Certificates: ___________________ |
| 4. | Number of Warrants for which Global Warrant shall be issued: __________________ |
| 5. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Definitive Certificates after issuance of Global Warrant, if any: ___________ |
| 6. | Global Warrant shall be delivered to the following address: |
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees that, in connection with this Global Warrant Exchange and the issuance of the Global Warrant, the Holder is deemed to have surrendered the number of Warrants in form of Definitive Certificates in the name of the Holder equal to the number of Warrants evidenced by the Global Warrant.
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investing Entity: ____________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: ______________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ________________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: _________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________________
Exhibit 5.1
|
ONE BATTERY PARK PLAZA |
901 K STREET, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20001 TELEPHONE: (202) 737-8833 FACSIMILE: (202) 737-5184 |
| March 14, 2023 |
Toro Corp.
223 Christodoulou Chatzipavlou Street
Hawaii Royal Gardens
3036 Limassol, Cyprus
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as Marshall Islands counsel to Toro Corp., a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (the “Company”), in connection with the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on March 14, 2023, and as thereafter amended, (the “Registration Statement”), with respect to the Company’s offering (the “Offering”) of up to $50 million of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each Unit consisting of (i) one common share of the Company, nominal value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”) and (ii) one Class A Warrant to purchase one Share (the “Warrants”). As used herein, the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are referred to as the “Warrant Shares”.
We have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Registration Statement and the prospectus (the “Prospectus”) contained therein, (ii) the Warrants, and (iii) such corporate documents and records of the Company and such other instruments, certificates and documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed. In such examinations, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies or drafts of documents to be executed, the genuineness of all signatures and the legal competence or capacity of persons or entities to complete the execution of documents. As to various questions of fact that are material to the opinions hereinafter expressed, we have relied upon statements or certificates of public officials, directors and officers of the Company and others.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, and having regard to such other legal considerations which we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands:
| 1. | The Units have been duly authorized by the Company. |
| 2. | The Shares, when issued, sold and paid for as contemplated in the Prospectus, will be validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable. |
| 3. | The Warrant Shares, when issued and delivered against payment therefor upon the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
March 14, 2023
Page 2 of 2
This opinion is limited to the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands as in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and to the reference to us under the heading “Validity of Securities,” without admitting we are “experts” within the meaning of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to any part of the Registration Statement.
| Very truly yours, |
| /s/ Seward & Kissel LLP |
Exhibit 5.2
[Sullivan & Cromwell Letterhead]
| March 14, 2023 |
Toro Corp.,
223 Christodoulou Chatzipavlou Street,
Hawaii Royal Gardens,
3036 Limassol, Cyprus.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
In connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), of up to 10,121,457 units (the “Units”), each consisting of one common share, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Shares”) and one warrant to purchase one common share (the “Warrants”, and, together with the Units and the Common Shares, the “Securities”), of Toro Corp., a corporation incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (the “Company”), we, as your United States counsel, have examined such corporate records, certificates and other documents, and such questions of law, as we have considered necessary or appropriate for the purposes of this opinion.
Upon the basis of such examination, it is our opinion that when the registration statement relating to the Securities (the “Registration Statement”) has become effective under the Act, when a warrant agency agreement relating to the Warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”) between the Company and Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., as Warrant Agent, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, when the terms of the Warrants and of their issuance and sale have been duly established in conformity with the Warrant Agreement and the Registration Statement so as not to violate any applicable law or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and so as to comply with any requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company, and the Warrants have been duly executed and authenticated in accordance with the Warrant Agreement and issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Warrants will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
| Toro Corp. |
-2- |
In rendering the foregoing opinion, we are not passing upon, and assume no responsibility for, any disclosure in any registration statement or any prospectus or other offering material relating to the offering and sale of the Securities.
The foregoing opinion is limited to the Federal laws of the United States and the laws of the State of New York, and we are expressing no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction. For purposes of our opinion, we have assumed that (i) the Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and (ii) at or prior to their issuance the Warrants will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. With respect to all matters of Marshall Islands law, we note that you have received an opinion, dated March 14, 2023, of Seward & Kissel LLP.
We have relied as to certain factual matters on information obtained from public officials, officers of the Company and other sources believed by us to be responsible.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to us under the heading “Validity of the Securities” in the Prospectus. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act.
| Very truly yours, | |
| /s/ SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP |
Exhibit 8.1
[Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Letterhead]
| March 14, 2023 |
Toro Corp.
223 Christodoulou Chatzipavlou Street
Hawaii Royal Gardens
3036 Limassol, Cyprus.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as your United States federal income tax counsel in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement on Form F-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) on March 14, 2023 (the “Registration Statement”). Based on the facts as set forth in the Registration Statement, and in particular, on the representations, covenants, assumptions, conditions and qualifications described in the section entitled “Taxation”, we hereby confirm to you that, in our opinion, the statements of United States federal income tax law expressed in the section entitled “Taxation” are accurate in all material respects, subject to the limitations set forth therein.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act.
|
Very truly yours,
/s/ Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
|
Exhibit 10.2
MASTER MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
This Master Management Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated as of the 7th day of March 2023 (the “Effective Date”) is entered into by and between:
| 1. | TORO CORP., a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Marshall Islands with its registered office at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro MH96960, Marshall Islands (the “TORO”); |
| 2. | CASTOR SHIPS S.A., a company duly organized and existing under the laws of the Marshall Islands with its registered office at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro MH96960, Marshall Islands, having established a branch office in Greece pursuant to the provisions of art. 25 of Law 27/1975 (formerly law 89/1967) at 25 Foinikos Street, 14564 Nea Kifisia, Athens, Greece (the “Manager”); and |
| 3. | The shipowning corporations listed in Schedule A-1 hereto (as such list may be supplemented and/or amended from time to time, the “Shipowning Subsidiaries”) and the shipowning corporations that used to own a vessel prior to the Effective Date listed in Schedule A-2 hereto (the “Ex- Shipowning Subsidiaries”, and together with TORO and the Shipowning Subsidiaries, collectively the “Company”) |
(hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Parties” or individually as a “Party”).
WHEREAS:
| (A) | TORO, directly or indirectly, wholly or partially, owns the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries, and each Shipowning Subsidiary, in turn, owns or charters in the vessels specified next to each Shipowning Subsidiary listed in Schedule A-1, (which together with the Additional Vessels (as defined below) shall be hereinafter referred to as the “Vessels”); and |
| (B) | The Manager has the benefit of expertise in the provision of technical management services, commercial management services and crew management services in respect of oceangoing cargo vessels, as well as in the administration and representation of shipowning companies generally, either on its own or through the appointment of one or more specialized Sub-manager(s) (as defined below); and |
| (C) | Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company has retained the Manager to provide certain technical, commercial, crew management services and administrative services in respect of the Vessels and the business affairs of the Company as described in more detail in this Agreement and the Schedules hereto and the Manager is willing and able to provide such Services. |
NOW therefore, in consideration of the foregoing, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Definitions. In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
“Additional Vessels” means vessels not in the ownership of TORO on the date of this Agreement, that TORO may subsequently directly or indirectly wholly or partially purchase or charter in, to be managed by the Manager under the fee structure described herein. For the purposes of this Agreement, any such Additional Vessels to be managed by the Manager under the terms of this Agreement shall also be referred to herein as Vessels. For each Additional Vessel its respective shipowning corporation shall adhere to this Agreement by entering into an adhesion agreement to be executed between such shipowning corporation and the Parties to this Agreement.
“Administrative Management Services” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(i) b. of this Agreement.
“Affiliate” of any specified Person (as defined below) means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control”, when used with respect to any specified Person, means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
“Agreement” means this Master Management Agreement.
“Board” means the Board of Directors of TORO as same may be constituted from time to time.
“Business Day” means a day (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) on which banks are open for general business in Greece, Cyprus and New York.
“Change of Control in TORO” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events, following the Effective Date:
| (i) | the acquisition by an individual, entity or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)) (a “Person”) of beneficial ownership of any capital stock of TORO if, after such acquisition, such Person beneficially owns (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) thirty percent (30%) or more of either (x) the then-outstanding shares of common stock of TORO (the “Outstanding TORO Common Stock”) or (y) the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities of TORO entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “Outstanding TORO Voting Securities”); provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (i), the following acquisitions shall not constitute a Change of Control in TORO: (1) any acquisition directly from TORO; or (2) any acquisition by one or more Permitted Holders (as defined below); or |
| (ii) | a change in the composition of the Board that results in the Continuing Directors (as defined below) no longer constituting a majority of the TORO Board (or, if applicable, the board of directors of a successor corporation to TORO), where the term “Continuing Director” means at any date a member of the Board (x) who was a member of the Board on the Effective Date or (y) who was nominated or elected subsequent to such date by at least a majority of the directors who were Continuing Directors at the time of such nomination or election or whose election to the Board was recommended or endorsed by at least a majority of the directors who were Continuing Directors at the time of such nomination or election; provided, however, that there shall be excluded from this clause (y) any individual whose initial assumption of office occurred as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents, by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board; or |
| (iii) | the consummation of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or share exchange involving TORO, or a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of TORO (a “Business Combination”), unless, immediately following such Business Combination, in the resulting or acquiring corporation in such Business Combination (which shall include, without limitation, a corporation, which as a result of such transaction owns TORO or substantially owns all of TORO’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries) (such resulting or acquiring corporation is referred to herein as the “Acquiring Corporation”) no Person, other than one or more Permitted Holders beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, thirty percent (30%) or more of the then-outstanding shares of common stock of the Acquiring Corporation, or of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Acquiring Corporation; or |
| (iv) | Mr. Petros Panagiotidis ceases to be the Chief Executive Officer of TORO; or |
| (v) | the liquidation or dissolution of TORO. |
“Commission Fees” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(vi) b. of this Agreement.
“Company” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“TORO” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Dispute” has the meaning set forth in Section 15(i) of this Agreement.
“Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Environmental Laws” has the meaning set forth in Section 8(iv) of this Agreement.
“Extraordinary Management Fees” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(i) c. of this Agreement.
“Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries” means the legal entities which previously owned or chartered vessel(s) that have been sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of or have become actual, constructive, agreed or compromised total loss, or become subject to a requisition for title or compulsory acquisition by any government or other competent authority, as listed in Schedule A-2 of this Agreement as such Schedule A-2 may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time.
“Flat Management Fee” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(i) b. of this Agreement.
“Management Fees” means Extraordinary Management Fees, Per Vessel Daily Management Fees and Flat Management Fee.
“Manager” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
“MARPOL” has the meaning set forth in Schedule B, Section 2(iii) of this Agreement.
“OPA” has the meaning set forth in Schedule B, Section 2(iv) of this Agreement.
“Per Vessel Daily Management Fees” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(i) a. of this Agreement.
“Permitted Holders” means (i) Mr. Petros Panagiotidis and/or his ascendants, descendants and/or other immediate family members; (ii) any Affiliate of any of the foregoing; (iii) in the event of incapacity (as adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction) or death of any of the persons described in sub-clause (i), such person’s estate, executor, administrator, committee or other personal representative, in each case who at any particular date will beneficially own or have the right to acquire, directly or indirectly, capital stock or Outstanding TORO Common Stock or Outstanding TORO Voting Securities owned by such person; or (iv) any trusts, general partnerships or limited partnerships created for the benefit of the persons described in sub-clauses (i) or (iii) or any trust for the benefit of any such trust, general partnership or limited partnership.
“Reimbursable Expenses” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(iv) of this Agreement.
“Services” means Administrative Management Services and Ship Management Services.
“Ship Management Services” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(i) a. of this Agreement.
“Ship Management Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(i) a. of this Agreement.
“Shipowning Subsidiaries” means the legal entities which currently own or charter Vessel(s), as listed in Schedule A-1 of this Agreement as such Schedule A-1 may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time.
“Sub-manager” has the meaning set forth in Section 17(ii) of this Agreement.
“Term” has the meaning set forth in Section 9(i) of this Agreement.
“Termination Fee” shall be equal to seven (7) times the total amount of the Flat Management Fee calculated on an annual basis (i.e. four (4) times the quarterly Flat Management Fee applicable in the calendar year, during which the termination takes place, multiplied by seven (7)) and is additional to the termination fees provided under each Ship Management Agreement. The Parties hereby agree that the Termination Fee is reasonable, proportionate and customary for management contracts of this type with publicly listed shipping companies and their respective subsidiaries especially in view of the agreed Term and considering the investment, the personnel and other resources that the Manager is required to maintain for the purposes of performing its obligations under this Agreement and each Ship Management Agreement.
“Vessels” has the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement and includes all vessels set out in Schedule A-1 to this Agreement as of the date hereof and any Additional Vessels.
Section 2. Services.
| (i) | In consideration of the payment of the Management Fees (as specified below, in Section 6), the Manager shall, on its own or through one or more Sub-manager(s), provide to the Company and the Vessels: |
| a. | technical management services, commercial management services and crew management services (the “Ship Management Services”) as set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement and in more detail in the ship management agreement(s) that shall be entered into between the Manager and each of the Shipowning Subsidiaries, which shall be based on the BIMCO Shipman 98 form (or such other form of management agreement that may be agreed between the Parties from time to time) (the “Ship Management Agreement(s)”); for the avoidance of doubt the terms and conditions of this Agreement in relation to the Ship Management Services to be provided by the Manager to the Vessels shall prevail over the terms and conditions of the relevant Ship Management Agreement(s) to the extent the two are inconsistent or in conflict; |
| b. | administrative support services set forth in Schedule C to this Agreement (the “Administrative Management Services”) (together with the Ship Management Services, the “Services”). |
| (ii) | The Manager shall provide all or such portion of the Services, pursuant to the instructions and supervision of the Company, based on the Manager’s policies and standards, which shall not be less than customary international ship management practices and standards and shall take all actions as the Manager may from time to time, at its discretion, consider to be necessary to enable it to perform the Services in accordance with sound commercial, technical, crew and operational ship management standards and with the care, diligence and skill that a prudent manager of oceangoing cargo vessels, similar to the Vessels, would possess and exercise, being in compliance with all relevant and applicable rules and regulations. |
Section 3. Covenants. During the term of this Agreement the Manager shall:
| (i) | diligently provide (or sub-contract in accordance with Section 17 hereof) all or part of the Services to the Company as an independent contractor, and be responsible to the Company for the due and proper performance of same; |
| (ii) | retain at all times qualified and competent staff so as to maintain a level of expertise sufficient to provide the Services; and |
| (iii) | keep full and proper books, records and accounts showing clearly all transactions relating to its provision of the Services in accordance with established general commercial practices and in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles and other regulatory and environmental safety standards. |
Section 4. Non-exclusivity. The Manager and its employees may provide services of a nature similar to the Services set forth in this Agreement to any other person and/or entity. There is no obligation for the Manager to provide the Services to the Company on an exclusive basis.
Section 5. Confidential Information.
| (i) | Any non-publicly available information relating to the Company or its business or trade secrets, which the Manager may obtain pursuant to this Agreement, shall be kept confidential and not be disclosed to any third party during or after termination of this Agreement. Any information relating to the Manager or its business or trade secrets, which the Company may obtain pursuant to this Agreement, shall be kept confidential and not be disclosed to any third party during or after termination of this Agreement. All rights to and concerning such information remain vested in the Party disclosing it, in particular with regard to any and all intellectual property rights, and nothing in any disclosure made hereunder shall be construed as granting any patent, copyright or rights of use or similar industrial property rights which may now or hereinafter exist in the information, to the Party receiving it. |
| (ii) | The following disclosures shall not be deemed to constitute a violation of this Section 5: |
| a. | to the auditors or to the financial and legal advisors or to any other consultants of any Party to this Agreement; |
| b. | as far as necessary to implement and enforce any of the terms of this Agreement; |
| c. | where a Party is under a legal or regulatory obligation to make such disclosure, but limited to the extent of that legal or regulatory obligation; |
| d. | to the extent that it is already in the public domain (other than as a result of a Party’s breach of this Agreement); or |
| e. | with the prior written consent of the other Parties to this Agreement. |
| (iii) | The Parties agree to take all reasonable steps to make their directors, officers, employees, agents and other Affiliates aware of the terms of this Section 5 and to ensure that the latter shall observe those terms. |
Section 6. Management Fees.
| (i) | In consideration of the Services provided by the Manager to the Company under this Agreement and the relevant Ship Management Agreement(s), the following fees shall be paid to the Manager: |
| a. | US$ 975 per Vessel per day (the “Per Vessel Daily Management Fees”), accrued on a daily basis, for the provision of the services provided in the relevant Ship Management Agreement(s) and in this Agreement, which may be adjusted from time to time by written agreement of the Company and the Manager; |
| b. | US$ 750,000 per quarter during the Term of this Agreement, which is an amount expressly agreed to compensate the Manager for the Administrative Management Services, as provided in this Agreement, and which are not covered by the services provided under the separate Ship Management Agreement(s) (the “Flat Management Fee”); |
| c. | Extraordinary Fees and Costs as set forth in Schedule D to this Agreement for extraordinary management services to be provided by the Manager, which are not included in the Services mentioned above (the “Extraordinary Management Fees” and together with the Per Vessel Daily Management Fees and the Flat Management Fee, the “Management Fees”). |
The Per Vessel Daily Management Fees and the Flat Management Fee (described under sub-Sections 6(i) a. and b. above) will be adjusted annually on the anniversary of the Effective Date of this Agreement to account for the CPI (Consumer Price Index) of USA and Greece weighted equally as the above have changed over the preceding 12 months and as published by the official authorities of these two countries.
| (ii) | The Per Vessel Daily Management Fees shall be paid to the Manager by the relevant Shipowning Subsidiary by monthly instalments in advance, within the first five (5) Business Days of each calendar month. The Manager shall have the right to demand payment of the Per Vessel Daily Management Fees in relation to each Vessel from TORO in case the relevant Shipowning Subsidiary is in default of paying the Per Vessel Daily Management Fees, and shall have the right to demand the performance of all other obligations of each Shipowning Subsidiary under the terms of each Ship Management Agreement in case of default of the relevant Shipowning Subsidiary, waiving the benefit of division or discussion and any other right or benefit granted by the applicable law to a guarantor. |
| (iii) | Unless otherwise agreed, the Flat Management Fee shall be paid by TORO in advance at the beginning of each quarter. The Flat Management Fee will be due and payable on the first Business Day of January, April, July and October of each year. For the avoidance of doubt, the Flat Management Fee shall be prorated to the number of days from the Effective Date and the date upon which the first Flat Management fee becomes due and payable. |
| (iv) | The Company hereby agrees to reimburse the Manager for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses actually paid or incurred by the Manager in furtherance of the Company’s business or arising out of or in connection with the provision of the Services, including but not limited to travel and entertainment expenses, fees and expenses charged by external legal, accounting, financial, IT or other advisors (the “Reimbursable Expenses”). |
| (v) | The Management Fees may be adjusted from time to time and additional fees may also be agreed to be payable by the Company to the Manager for services provided by the Manager on a case-by-case basis. |
| (vi) | In addition to the Management Fees, the Manager shall charge and receive the following commissions: |
| a. | Chartering commission at the rate of 1.25% on all gross income received by the Shipowning Subsidiaries arising out of or in connection with the operation of the Vessels, including charter hire, freight, demurrage, dead freight, damages for detention, pool distributions, as well as on any other commissionable amount collected on such transactions; and |
| b. | Sale and purchase brokerage commission at the rate of 1% per consummated Vessel sale and purchase transaction (such commission, for the avoidance of doubt, being applicable, inter alia, to the total consideration to acquire a vessel or the shares of a ship owning entity or control of an entity that owns a number of vessels directly or indirectly) (collectively, the “Commission Fees”). |
| (vii) | Provided that the Manager provides crew for the Vessels, the relevant Shipowning Subsidiary shall cover expenses regarding crew costs in accordance with the respective crew agreements in place. |
| (viii) | Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Manager shall in no circumstances be required to use or commit its own funds to finance the provision of the Services, other than with respect to the employees employed by the Manager in the ordinary course of business. |
Section 7. General Relationship Between the Parties. The relationship between the Parties is that of independent contractor. The Parties to this Agreement do not intend, and nothing herein shall be interpreted so as, to create a partnership, joint venture, employee or agency relationship between the Manager and any other Party or any member of the Company.
Section 8. Liability and Indemnity.
| (i) | Neither the Company nor the Manager shall be under any liability for any failure to perform any of their obligations hereunder by reason of any cause whatsoever of any nature or kind beyond their reasonable control. |
| (ii) | The Manager shall be under no liability whatsoever to the Company for any loss, damage, delay or expense of whatsoever nature, whether direct or indirect (including but not limited to loss of profit arising out of or in connection with a detention of or delay to the Vessels) and howsoever arising in the course of performance of the Services, unless and to the extent that such loss, damage, delay or expense is proven (through a judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction) to have resulted solely from fraud, gross negligence or wilful misconduct of the Manager or its employees, in which case (save where such loss, damage, delay or expense has resulted from the Manager’s personal act or omission committed with the intent to cause same or recklessly and with knowledge that such loss, damage, delay or expense would probably result) the Manager’s liability for each incident or series of incidents giving rise to a claim or claims shall never exceed a total of two (2) times the quarterly Flat Management Fee. |
| (iii) | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Manager shall not be responsible for any of the actions of the crew of the Vessels, even if such actions are negligent, grossly negligent, reckless or wilful. |
| (iv) | The Company shall keep the Manager and its employees, agents, sub-contractors (including any Sub-managers) and consultants indemnified and hold them harmless against all actions, proceedings, claims, demands or liabilities whatsoever or howsoever arising, which may be brought against them or incurred or suffered by them arising out of or in connection with the performance of this Agreement, and against and in respect of all costs, loss, damages and expenses (including legal costs and expenses on a full indemnity basis), which the Manager may suffer or incur (either directly or indirectly) in the course of the performance of this Agreement, including, without limitation, against all actions, proceedings, claims, demands or liabilities brought under or relating to the environmental laws, regulations or conventions of any jurisdiction (the “Environmental Laws”), or otherwise relating to pollution of the environment, and against and in respect of all costs and expenses (including legal costs and expenses on a full indemnity basis) they may suffer or incur due to defending or settling same, provided however that such indemnity shall exclude any or all losses, actions, proceedings, claims, demands, costs, damages, expenses and liabilities whatsoever which may be caused by or due to (A) the fraud, gross negligence or wilful misconduct of the Manager, its employees, agents or sub-contractors, or (B) any breach of this Agreement by the Manager. |
| (v) | Without prejudice to the general indemnity set out in this Section, the Company hereby undertakes to indemnify the Manager, its employees, agents and sub-contractors against all taxes (including but not limited to tonnage taxes), imposts and duties levied by any government as a result of the operations of the Company or the Vessels, whether or not such taxes, imposts and duties are levied on TORO, the Shipowning Subsidiaries, the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries or the Manager. The Company shall pay all applicable taxes, levies, dues or fines imposed on the Company, the Vessels or the Manager as a result of the existence and operations of the Company and Vessels. For the avoidance of doubt, such indemnity shall not apply to taxes imposed on amounts paid to the Manager as consideration for the performance of the Services for the Company. |
| (vi) | It is hereby expressly agreed that no employee or agent of the Manager (including any sub-contractor from time to time employed by the Manager and the employees of such sub-contractor) shall in any circumstances whatsoever be under any liability whatsoever to the Company for any loss, damage or delay of whatsoever kind arising or resulting directly or indirectly from any act, neglect or default on his part while acting in the course of or in connection with his employment and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions in this Section, every exemption, limitation, condition and liberty herein contained and every right, exemption from liability, defence and immunity of whatsoever nature applicable to the Manager or to which the Manager is entitled hereunder shall also be available and shall extend to protect every such employee or agent of the Manager acting as aforesaid. |
| (vii) | The Company acknowledges that the Manager is unable to confirm that the Vessels, their systems, equipment and machinery are free from defects and agrees that the Manager shall not under any circumstances be liable for any losses, costs, claims, liabilities and expenses, which the Company may suffer or incur resulting from pre-existing or latent deficiencies in the Vessels, their systems, equipment and machinery. |
| (viii) | The provisions of this Section 8 shall remain in force notwithstanding termination of this Agreement. |
Section 9. Term and Termination.
| (i) | This Agreement shall be effective as of the Effective Date and shall continue to be in full force and effect for a term of eight (8) years commencing on the Effective Date, and such term shall be automatically renewed annually for the subsequent eight (8) years on each anniversary of the Effective Date (starting from the first anniversary of the Effective Date), unless it is terminated earlier in accordance with the below provisions (the “Term”). |
| (ii) | This Agreement, unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Parties hereto, shall be terminated as follows: |
| a. | The Parties hereto may terminate this Agreement by mutual agreement in writing at any time. |
| b. | This Agreement shall automatically terminate in case the Manager ceases its business or a resolution is passed or a court order is made for the purposes of winding up the Manager. |
| c. | The Manager may terminate this Agreement as follows: |
| 1. | Upon giving three (3) month’s prior written notice to the Company; |
| 2. | Upon giving fifteen (15) Business Days prior written notice to the Company for material breach of the Company’s obligations under this Agreement; if the breach may be remedied by the Company, the Manager may terminate this Agreement upon giving fifteen (15) Business Days prior written notice to the Company to remedy the breach and failing to do so may proceed with the termination of this Agreement in accordance with the provisions of this sub-paragraph; |
| 3. | Upon giving fifteen (15) Business Days prior written notice to the Company in case of a Change of Control in TORO. Any such notice must be given within six (6) months as of the completion of the Change of Control in TORO. |
| d. | The Company may terminate this Agreement as follows: |
| 1. | Upon giving three (3) month’s prior written notice to the Manager; |
| 2. | Upon giving fifteen (15) Business Days prior written notice to the Manager, if the Manager is proven to be unable or to have otherwise failed to perform any or all of the Services to a material extent for a continuous period of two (2) months and provided that the Manager fails to perform the Services within the notice period. |
| (iii) | In case of termination of this Agreement in accordance with any of the provisions of Section 9(ii), the Company shall pay to the Manager on the date of termination: (i) any and all accrued Management Fees and the Reimbursable Expenses of the Manager up to the date of termination and (ii) in advance any and all Commission Fees for any outstanding chartering and/or sale and purchase transaction that was agreed by the Company prior to the date of termination and has not yet been performed on the date of termination, as if such transaction had been performed (namely all such Commission Fees up until the end of the agreed duration of a respective charterparty or up until the completion of the respective sale and purchase transaction shall be due and payable to the Manager on the date of termination). Moreover, in case this Agreement is terminated in accordance with the provisions of sub-Sections 9(ii)(c)(2), 9(ii)(c)(3) and 9(ii)(d)(1), the Company shall pay in addition to the Manager the Termination Fee. For the avoidance of any doubt, in case of termination of this Agreement in accordance with any of the provisions of Section 9(ii) above TORO, the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries shall be jointly and severally liable to pay the accrued Management Fees, the Commission Fees, the Reimbursable Expenses and the Termination Fee (where applicable) to the Manager. |
| (iv) | Upon termination of this Agreement in accordance with the provisions of this Section 9, the Manager shall promptly terminate its services under this Agreement and the Ship Management Agreement(s), if so requested, in order to minimize any interruption to the business of the Company. |
| (v) | With respect to the termination of the Ship Management Agreements applicable are the relevant clauses contained in each respective Ship Management Agreement shall apply in addition to Section 9 contained herein. |
| (vi) | Termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason shall be without prejudice to any rights that shall have accrued to the benefit of a Party prior to such termination or expiration. Such termination or expiration shall not relieve a Party from obligations that are expressly indicated to survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement. |
Section 10. Surrender of Books and Records. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Manager shall forthwith surrender to TORO any and all books, records, documents and other property in the possession or control of the Manager relating to the provision of the Services, to this Agreement and to the business, finance, technology, trademarks or affairs of the Company and, except as required by law, shall not retain any copies of same.
Section 11. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the relevant Ship Management Agreements constitute the entire agreement of the Parties relating to the matters contained herein, superseding all prior contracts or agreements, whether oral or written, relating to the matters contained herein.
Section 12. Amendments to Agreement. This Agreement may be amended, superseded, cancelled, renewed or extended and the terms hereof may be waived, only by a written instrument signed by the Parties.
Section 13. Severability. If any provision herein is held to be void or unenforceable for any reason, the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall remain unaffected and enforceable.
Section 14. Currency. Unless stated otherwise, all currency references herein are to United States Dollars.
Section 15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction.
| (i) | This Agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation, including a dispute relating to the existence, validity or termination of this Agreement or any non-contractual disputes or claims (a “Dispute”) shall be governed by Greek law. |
| (ii) | Subject to below paragraph (iii), the courts of Piraeus, Greece shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any Dispute. |
| (iii) | Paragraph (ii) above is for the exclusive benefit of the Manager, who reserves the right: (a) to commence proceedings in relation to any Dispute in the courts of any country other than Greece and which may have or claim jurisdiction to that Dispute; and (b) to commence such proceedings in the courts of any such country or countries concurrently with or in addition to proceedings in Piraeus, Greece or without commencing proceedings in Piraeus, Greece. The Company shall not commence any proceedings in any country other than Greece in relation to a Dispute. |
Section 16. Notices. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered personally, by courier or shall be served through a process server as follows:
If to the Company:
Toro Corp.
223 Christodoulou Chatzipavlou Street
Hawaii Royal Gardens,
Limassol 3036,
Cyprus
Tel.: +35725357768
Email: [●]
If to the Manager:
Castor Ships S.A.
[●]
Athens, Greece
Tel.: [●]
Email: [●]
Section 17. Assignment and Sub-Contracting.
| (i) | This Agreement, and the Company’s rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned by the Company; provided, however, that in the event of any sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets and business, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, the Company shall assign this Agreement and its rights hereunder to the successor to its assets and business. |
| (ii) | The Manager may freely sub-contract and sub-license this Agreement and/or appoint any person or corporate entity (a “Sub-manager”), at any time throughout the duration of this Agreement, to perform such parts of the Services as may seem convenient or appropriate to the Manager, so long as the Manager remains liable for the performance of the Services and its other obligations under this Agreement and bears and pays the remuneration, however described, of any Sub-manager. |
Section 18. Waiver. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition. Any waiver must be specifically stated as such in writing.
Section 19. Joint and Several Liability. TORO, the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries are jointly and severally liable for the due performance of all of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement and TORO, each Shipowning Subsidiary and each Ex-Shipowning Subsidiary are jointly and severally liable for the obligations of the others or any of them.
Section 20. Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors, permitted assigns, heirs, executors and legal representatives. The Parties declare that they waive any right to contest the validity of, cancel, or annul this Agreement for any reason and cause whatsoever and particularly for the reasons set out in articles 178, 179, 281, 288 and 388 of the Greek Civil Code.
Section 21. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more signed counterparts (including facsimile counterparts or as a “pdf” or similar attachment to an email), which shall together form one instrument.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
TORO CORP.
| By: |
Name: Petros Panagiotidis
Title: Chairman, CEO and CFO
CASTOR SHIPS S.A.
| By: |
Name: [●]
Title: [●]
Signed for and on behalf of the Shipowning Subsidiaries
listed in Schedule A-1 hereto
| By: |
Name: [●]
Title: [●]
Signed for and on behalf of the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries
listed in Schedule A-2 hereto
| By: |
Name: [●]
Title: [●]
SCHEDULE A-1
SHIPOWNING SUBSIDIARIES LIST
| Name of Shipowning Subsidiary |
Vessel Name | Sector | IMO No. | Vessel Flag |
| Rocket Shipping Co. | Wonder Polaris | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Gamora Shipping Co. | Wonder Sirius | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Drax Shipping Co. | Wonder Bellatrix | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Colossus Shipping Co. | Wonder Musica | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Hawkeye Shipping Co. | Wonder Avior | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Xavier Shipping Co. | Wonder Formosa | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Starlord Shipping Co. | Wonder Vega | Tanker | Marshall Islands | |
| Vision Shipping Co. | Wonder Mimosa | Tanker | Marshall Islands |
SCHEDULE A-2
EX- SHIPOWNING SUBSIDIARIES LIST
| Name of Ex- Shipowning Subsidiary |
Vessel Name | Sector | IMO No. | Vessel Flag | Vessel Status | |||
| Elektra Shipping Co. | Wonder Arcturus | Tanker | Marshall Islands | Sold | ||||
SCHEDULE B
SHIP MANAGEMENT SERVICES
The Manager either on its own or through the appointment of one or more specialized Sub-manager(s), shall assume the role of “Company” as defined in the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), as such may be amended and supplemented from time to time, and shall provide such of the following Ship Management Services to the Company, as the Company may from time-to-time request and direct the Manager to provide including indicatively the following:
| (1) | Negotiating on behalf of the Company time charters, voyage charters, bareboat charters and other employment contracts with respect to the Vessels and monitor payments thereunder; |
| (2) | Exercising of due diligence to: |
| (i) | maintain and preserve each Vessel and her equipment in full compliance with applicable rules and regulations, including Environmental Laws, shipping industry practices, good condition, running order, so that each Vessel shall be, insofar as due diligence can make her in every respect seaworthy and in full compliance with environmental and charterers requirements good operating condition; |
| (ii) | keep each Vessel in such condition as will entitle her to the proper notation and rating from the classification society chosen by her owner or charterer rating for vessels of the class, age and type; |
| (iii) | prepare all Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) Manuals, Ship To Ship (STS) Transfer Manuals, Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) Manuals and all other statutory manuals provided for by the International Conventions and codes (including but not limited to SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC), comply with EU MRV reports, DCS IMO reports, proceed with all necessary actions for compliance with EEXI, CII requirements and obtain all necessary approvals for a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP) in a form approved by the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization pursuant to the requirements of Regulation 26 of Annex I of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended (“MARPOL”), and provide assistance with respect to such other documentation and record-keeping requirements pursuant to applicable Environmental Laws; |
| (iv) | arrange for the preparation, filing and updating of a contingency Vessel Response Plan in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 as amended (“OPA”), and instruct the crew in all aspects of the operation of such plan and inform the Company promptly of any major release or discharge of oil or other hazardous material in compliance with applicable law; |
| (v) | provide copies of any vessel inspection reports, valuations, surveys or similar reports upon request. |
The Manager is expressly authorized for and on behalf of the Company to enter into such arrangements by contract or otherwise as are required to ensure the availability of the Services outlined above. The Manager is further expressly authorized by the Company to enter into such other arrangements as may from time to time be necessary to satisfy the requirements of OPA, EU ETS, or other applicable laws and regulations.
| (3) | Storing, victualing and supplying of each Vessel with necessary spare parts and equipment and arranging for the purchase of certain day to day stores, supplies and parts; |
| (4) | Procuring and arranging for port entrance and clearance, pilots, vessel agents, consular approvals, and other services necessary or desirable for the management and safe operation of each Vessel; |
| (5) | Preparing, issuing or causing to be issued to shippers the customary freight contract, cargo receipts and/or bills of lading; |
| (6) | Performing all usual and customary duties concerned with the loading and discharging of cargoes at all ports; |
| (7) | Arranging and retaining in full force and effect all customary insurance pertaining to each Vessel as instructed by the owner or charterer and all such policies of insurance, including but not limited to protection and indemnity, hull and machinery, war risk and oil pollution FDD covering each Vessel; |
| (8) | Adjusting and negotiating settlements, with or on behalf of claimants or underwriters, of any claim, damages for which are recoverable under policies of insurance; |
| (9) | If requested, providing the Company with technical assistance in connection with any sale of any Vessel. The Manager will, if requested in writing by the Company, comment on the terms of any proposed Memorandum of Agreement, but the Company will remain solely responsible for agreeing the terms of any Memorandum of Agreement regulating any sale; |
| (10) | Arranging for employment of counsel, and the investigation, follow-up and negotiating of the settlement of all claims arising, the appointment of an adjuster and assistance in preparing the average account, taking proper security for the cargo’s and freight’s proportion of average and appointing surveyors and technical consultants as necessary; it being understood that the Company will be responsible for the payment of such counsel’s, adjuster’s and such surveyor’s or technical consultant’s fees and expenses respectively; |
| (11) | Negotiating the settlement of insurance claims of the respective Shipowning Subsidiary’s or the charterer’s protection and indemnity insurance and arranging for the making of disbursements accordingly for the Shipowning Subsidiary’s or the charterer’s account; the Company shall arrange for the provision of any necessary guarantee bond or other security; |
| (12) | Attending all matters involving each Vessel’s crew; |
| (13) | Paying all charges incurred in connection with the management of each Vessel, including, but not limited to, the cost of the items listed in (2) to (12) above, canal tolls, repair charges and port charges, and any amounts due to any governmental agency with respect to the Vessel crews; |
| (14) | The Manager shall not in any circumstances have any liability for any bunkers, which do not meet the required specification. The Manager will, however, monitor the quality of the bunkers through accredited organisations and take such action, on behalf of the Company, against the supplier of the bunkers, as is agreed with the Company; |
| (15) | Arranging as per rules of the Classification Society of each Vessel for the intermediate and special survey of each Vessel, in which case all costs in connection with such surveys (including dry-docking) and satisfactory compliance with class requirements will be borne by the Company. |
SCHEDULE C
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
The Manager shall provide such of the following Administrative Management Services to the Company, as the Company may from time-to-time request and direct the Manager to provide pursuant to Section 2, including indicatively the following:
| a. | Keep and maintain at all times the accounting books and records of the Company which shall contain particulars of receipts and disbursements relating to the assets and liabilities of the Company and such books, records and accounts shall be kept pursuant to normal commercial practices that will permit the Company to prepare or cause to be prepared financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; |
| b. | Represent the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries vis-à-vis any contractual counterparties and before any competent authority in any jurisdiction, including without limitation tax authorities, civil, criminal and administrative courts, ministries and other governmental bodies; |
| c. | Settle and pay off any debt of the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries in any jurisdiction; |
| d. | Arrange for the due fulfilment of the tax responsibilities of the Company and its Vessels and the and pay any relevant tax (including but not limited to tonnage tax) and levy as well as legally dispute the legitimacy of any taxes, charges and fines imposed on the Vessels; |
| e. | Provide, or arrange for the provision, of clerical, secretarial, corporate and administrative services as may be reasonably necessary for the performance of the Company’s business; |
| f. | Arrange for the provision by third party providers of such audit, accounting, legal, insurance and other professional services relating to the Company and the Vessels as are reasonably required by the Company from time to time to the extent such advice and analysis can be reasonably provided or arranged by the Manager, provided that nothing herein shall permit the Manager to select the auditor of the Company or to communicate with the auditor other than in the ordinary course of making such books and records available for review as the auditors may require and to respond to queries from the auditors with respect to the accounts and statements prepared by, or arranged by, the Manager, and in particular the Manager will not have any of the authorities, rights or responsibilities of the audit committee of the Company, but shall provide, or arrange for the provision of, information to such committee as may from time to time be required or requested; and provided further that nothing herein shall entitle the Manager to retain legal counsel for the Company unless such selection is specifically approved by the Company; |
| g. | Negotiate, at the request and under the direction of the Company, loan and credit terms with financiers and provide, or arrange for the provision of, such assistance and support as the Company may from time-to-time request in connection with any new or existing debt and/or equity financing for the Vessels and the Company; |
| h. | Make all necessary arrangements for all the board and shareholder meetings of TORO, the Shipowning Subsidiaries and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries and provide, or arrange for the provision of, such additional administrative and ancillary services pertaining to the Company and the Vessels as may be reasonably requested by the Company from time to time; |
| i. | Maintain, or arrange for the maintenance of, TORO’s, the Shipowning Subsidiaries’ and the Ex-Shipowning Subsidiaries’ existence and good standing in necessary jurisdictions; and |
| j. | Provide, or arrange for the provision of, at the request and under the direction of the Company, cash management and services, including assistance with preparation of budgets, overseeing banking services and bank accounts and arranging for the deposit of funds. |
SCHEDULE D
EXTRAORDINARY FEES AND COSTS
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Manager will not be responsible for paying any costs liabilities and expenses in respect of a Vessel, to the extent that such costs, liabilities and expenses are “extraordinary”, which shall consist indicatively of the following:
| (i) | repairs, refurbishment or modifications, including those not covered by the guarantee of the shipbuilder or by the insurance covering the Vessels, resulting from maritime accidents, collisions, other accidental damage, failure of material, or unforeseen events (except to the extent that such accidents, collisions, damage or events are due to the fraud, gross negligence or wilful misconduct of the Manager, its employees or its agents, unless and to the extent otherwise covered by insurance). The Manager shall be entitled to receive additional remuneration for time (charged at the rate of US$950 per man per day of 8 hours) for any time that the personnel of the Manager will spend on attendance on any Vessel in connection with matters set out this subsection (i). In addition, the Company will pay any reasonable travel and accommodation expenses of the Manager personnel incurred in connection with such additional time spent; |
| (ii) | any improvement, upgrade or modification to, structural changes with respect to the installation of new equipment, machinery or system aboard any Vessel that results from a change in, an introduction of new, or a change in the interpretation of, applicable laws, at the recommendation of the classification society or the charterers for that Vessel or otherwise; |
| (iii) | any increase in crew employment expenses resulting from an introduction of new, or a change in the interpretation of, applicable laws or resulting from charterers’ requirements; |
| (iv) | the Manager shall be entitled to receive additional remuneration for time spent on the insurance, average and salvage claims (charged at the rate of US$ 950 per man per day of 8 hours) in respect of the preparation and prosecution of claims, the supervision of repairs and the provision of documentation relating to adjustments); |
| (v) | For purposes of proper maintenance and inspection of the Vessels, the Manager shall ensure a maximum 14 days per year per Vessel without additional cost for the Company other than the Management Fees. Any additional day over the 14 days will be charged at the rate of US$950 per man per day for maximum eight (8) hours per day. For the avoidance of any doubt, the extra time needed for the Manager to prepare the Vessel and the management company during vetting inspections and attendance on the Vessels in connection with the pre-vetting and vetting of the Vessels by any charterers or during Tanker Management Self-Assessment (TMSA) preparation shall be charged at the rate of USD$950 per man per day. In addition, the Company will pay any reasonable travel and accommodation expenses of the Manager personnel incurred in connection with such additional time spent; |
| (vi) | the Company shall pay the deductible of any insurance claims relating to the Vessels or for any claims that are within such deductible range; |
| (vii) | the Company shall pay any increase in insurance premiums; |
| (viii) | the Company shall pay dues or fines imposed on the Vessels or the Manager due to the operation of the Vessels; |
| (ix) | the Company shall pay for any expenses incurred in connection with the sale or acquisition of a Vessel, such as but not limited to inspections and technical assistance; |
| (x) | the Company shall pay for any similar costs, liabilities and expenses that were not reasonably contemplated by the Company and the Manager as being encompassed by or a component of the fees at the time the fees were determined; |
| (xi) | the Company shall pay for any fees and expenses related to any computer and software updates and acquisitions as may be required and to any services provided by the Manager or by any sub-contractor to protect the Company’s operations or the Vessels from cyber security risks; and |
| (xii) | Any other services not mentioned in Schedules B and C (above) that are aimed at ensuring full compliance of the Company with environmental, safety, security and corporate governance regulations and standards, applicable from time to time, as mandated by an internationally recognized body and/or required by charterers of the Company’s Vessels. The outlay and/or the investment that the Manager will need to incur in order to ensure that it is in a position to comply with such regulations and standards will be fully reimbursable to the Manager by the Company. |
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