UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 20-F
 
(Mark One)
 
[  ]
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

[X]
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008

OR

[  ]
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________________ to _________________

OR

[  ]
SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report _________________

Commission file number 000-50859

 
     
 
 
 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
 
     
 
(Translation of Registrant's name into English)
 
     
 
Republic of the Marshall Islands
 
 
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 
     
 
1 Vas. Sofias and Meg. Alexandrou Str, 15124 Maroussi, Greece
 
 
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
     
   Alexandros Tsirikos, (Tel) +30 210 8128180, atsirikos@topships.org, (Fax) +30 210 6141273, 1 Vas.  
   Sofias and Meg. Alexandrou Str, 15124 Maroussi, Greece  
 
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
 
 

 
 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.



Title of each class
 
Name of each exchange
on which registered
     
Common Stock par value $0.01 per share
 
NASDAQ Global Select Market

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

 
NONE
 
(Title of class)
 
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.
 
NONE
(Title of class)
 
 


Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

As of December 31, 2008, 29,901,048 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes
   
No
X
         

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
 
Yes
   
No
X
         
 
Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
 
Yes
X  
No
 
         
 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
 
Yes
   
No
 
         


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer.  See the definitions of "large accelerated filer" and "accelerated filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
 
Large accelerated filer   |    |           Accelerated filer | X |          Non-accelerated filer |   |

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

X
U.S. GAAP
   
 
International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International
 
Accounting Standards Board
   
 
Other
   

If "Other" has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:

 
Item 17
   
Item 18
         

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
 
Yes
   
No
X
         

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
PART I
 
ITEM 1 - IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
  1
ITEM 2 - OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
  1
ITEM 3 - KEY INFORMATION
  1
ITEM 4 - INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
  27
ITEM 4A – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
  48
ITEM 5 - OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
49
ITEM 6 - DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
88
ITEM 7 - MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
93
ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
94
ITEM 9 - THE OFFER AND LISTING
94
ITEM 10 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
95
ITEM 11 - QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
109
ITEM 12 - DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES
111
PART II
 
ITEM 13 - DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES
112
ITEM 14 - MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS
112
ITEM 15 - CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
112
ITEM 16A- AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT
115
ITEM 16B- CODE OF ETHICS
115
ITEM 16C- PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND RELATED SERVICES
115
ITEM 16D- EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEE
116
ITEM 16E- PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY ISSUER AND AFFILIATES.
116
ITEM 16F- CHANGE IN REGISTRANT'S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT.
116
ITEM 16G- CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
116
PART III
 
ITEM 17 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
117
ITEM 18 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
117
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
ITEM 19 – EXHIBITS
 


 
 

 


CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Matters discussed in this report may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.
 
TOP SHIPS INC. desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. This report and any other written or oral statements made by us or on our behalf may include forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. When used in this report, the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.
 
The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.
 
In addition to these assumptions and matters discussed elsewhere herein and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charterhire rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the shipping market, including the effect of changes in OPEC's petroleum production levels and worldwide oil consumption and storage, changes in regulatory requirements affecting vessel operating including requirements for double hull tankers, changes in TOP SHIPS INC.'s operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry-docking and insurance costs, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, changes in the price of our capital investments, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents, political events or acts by terrorists, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
 
 
 

 

PART I
 
ITEM 1.   IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
 
Not Applicable.
 
ITEM 2.   OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
 
Not Applicable.
 
ITEM 3.   KEY INFORMATION
 
Unless the context otherwise requires, as used in this report, the terms ''Company,'' ''we,'' ''us,'' and ''our'' refer to TOP SHIPS INC. and all of its subsidiaries, and ''TOP SHIPS INC.'' refers only to TOP SHIPS INC. and not to its subsidiaries. We use the term deadweight ton or dwt, in describing the size of vessels. Dwt, expressed in metric tons each of which is equivalent to 1,000 kilograms, refers to the maximum weight of cargo and supplies that a vessel can carry.
 

 
1

 

A.           Selected Financial Data
 
The following table sets forth the selected historical consolidated financial data and other operating data of TOP SHIPS INC. and its predecessors for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The following information should be read in conjunction with Item 5 "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included herein. The following selected historical consolidated financial data of TOP SHIPS INC. and its predecessors in the table are derived from our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and have been audited for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2005 by Ernst & Young (Hellas) Certified Auditors Accountants S.A, or Ernst and Young, and for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 by Deloitte, Hadjipavlou, Sofianos & Cambanis S.A., or Deloitte, both independent registered public accounting firms.
 
   
Year Ended December 31,
 
                         
Dollars in thousands, except per share data and average daily results
 
2004
   
2005
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
INCOME STATEMENT DATA
                             
Revenues
    $93,829       $244,215       $310,043       $252,259       $257,380  
Voyage expenses
    16,898       36,889       55,351       59,414       38,656  
Charter hire expense
    -       7,206       96,302       94,118       53,684  
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels
    -       (837 )     (8,110 )     (15,610 )     (18,707 )
Other vessel operating expenses
    16,859       47,315       66,082       67,914       67,114  
Dry-docking costs
    7,365       10,478       39,333       25,094       10,036  
General and administrative expenses (1)
    8,579       23,818       23,016       24,824       31,473  
Foreign currency (gains) losses, net
    75       (68 )     255       176       (85 )
Gain on sale of vessels
    (1,889 )     (10,831 )     (12,667 )     (1,961 )     (19,178 )
Depreciation
    13,108       47,055       35,266       27,408       32,664  
                                         
Total operating expenses
    60,995       161,025       294,828       281,377       195,657  
Operating income (loss)
    32,834       83,190       15,215       (29,118 )     61,723  
Interest and finance costs
    (4,839 )     (19,430 )     (27,030 )     (19,518 )     (25,764 )
Gain / (loss) on financial instruments
    (362 )     (747 )     (2,145 )     (3,704 )     (12,024 )
Interest income
    481       1,774       3,022       3,248       1,831  
Other income (expense), net
    80       134       (67 )     16       (127 )
                                         
                                         
Net income (loss)
    $28,194       $64,921       $(11,005 )     $(49,076 )     $25,639  
                                         
Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted
    $6.54       $6.97       $(1.16 )     $(4.09 )     $1.01  
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic
    4,307,483       9,308,923       10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted
    4,307,483       9,310,670       10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  
                                         
Dividends declared per share
    $1.80       $2.64       $23.13       -       -  

 
2

 


Dollars in thousands, except per share data and average daily results
 
2004
   
2005
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
BALANCE SHEET DATA, at end of period
                             
Current assets                                 
  $ 141,051     $ 67,574     $ 72,799     $ 102,161     $ 57,088  
Total assets                                                           
    533,138       970,386       490,885       776,917       698,375  
Current liabilities, including current portion of long-term debt
    42,811       76,143       45,416       153,290       386,934  
Total long-term debt, including current portion
    194,806       564,103       218,052       438,884       342,479  
Common Stock
    278       280       108       205       283  
Stockholders' equity      315,061       359,147       161,198       211,408       292,051  
                                         
FLEET DATA
                                       
Total number of vessels at end of period
    15.0       27.0       24.0       23.0       12.0  
Average number of vessels (2)                                            
    9.6       21.7       26.7       22.4       18.8  
Total voyage days for fleet (3)         
    3,215       7,436       8,634       7,032       6,099  
Total time charter days for fleet              
    1,780       5,567       6,223       4,720       5,064  
Total spot market days for fleet           
    1,435       1,869       2,411       2,312       1,035  
Total calendar days for fleet (4)       
    3,517       7,905       9,747       8,176       6,875  
Fleet utilization (5)                                   
    91.4 %     94.1 %     88.6 %     86.0 %     88.7 %
                                         
AVERAGE DAILY RESULTS
                                       
Time charter equivalent (6)                               
  $ 23,929     $ 27,881     $ 29,499     $ 27,424     $ 35,862  
Other vessel operating expenses (7)
    4,794       5,985       6,780       8,307       9.762  
General and administrative expenses (8)
    2,439       3,013       2,361       3,036       4,578  
                                         
 
(1)  
General and administrative expenses include, sub-manager fees and other general and administrative expenses. During 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, we paid to the members of our senior management and to our directors' aggregate compensation of approximately $4.4 million, $8.1 million, $4.2 million, $4.8 million and $5.6 million respectively.
 
(2)  
Average number of vessels is the number of vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in that period.
 
(3)  
Total voyage days for fleet are the total days the vessels were in our possession for the relevant period net of off hire days associated with major repairs, dry-dockings or special or intermediate surveys.
 
(4)  
Calendar days are the total days the vessels were in our possession for the relevant period including off hire days associated with major repairs, dry-dockings or special or intermediate surveys.
 
(5)  
Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels were available for revenue generating voyage days, and is determined by dividing voyage days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.
 

 
3

 


(6)  
Time charter equivalent rate, or TCE rate, is a measure of the average daily revenue performance of a vessel on a per voyage basis. Our method of calculating TCE rate is consistent with industry standards and is determined by dividing time charter equivalent revenues or TCE revenues by voyage days for the relevant time period. TCE revenues are revenues minus voyage expenses. Voyage expenses primarily consist of port, canal and fuel costs that are unique to a particular voyage, which would otherwise be paid by the charterer under a time charter contract, as well as commissions. TCE revenues and TCE rate non-GAAP measures, provide additional meaningful information in conjunction with shipping revenues, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, because it assists Company's management in making decisions regarding the deployment and use of its vessels and in evaluating their financial performance.
 
(7)  
Daily other vessel operating expenses, which includes crew costs, provisions, deck and engine stores, lubricating oil, insurance, maintenance and repairs is calculated by dividing other vessel operating expenses by fleet calendar days for the relevant time period.
 
(8)  
Daily general and administrative expenses are calculated by dividing general and administrative expenses by fleet calendar days for the relevant time period.
 

 
4

 

The following table reflects reconciliation of TCE revenues to revenues as reflected in the consolidated statements of operations and calculation of the TCE rate (all amounts are expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for Average Daily Time Charter Equivalent amounts and Total Voyage Days):
 

 
   
2004
   
2005
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
On a consolidated basis
                             
Revenues
    $93,829       $244,215       $310,043       $252,259       $257,380  
Less:
                                       
Voyage expenses
    (16,898 )     (36,889 )     (55,351 )     (59,414 )     (38,656 )
                                         
Time charter equivalent revenues
    $76,931       $207,326       $254,692       $192,845       $218,724  
                                         
Total voyage days
    3,215       7,436       8,634       7,032       6,099  
Average Daily Time Charter Equivalent
    $23,929       $27,881       $29,499       $27,424       $35,862  
                                         

 
   
2004
   
2005
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
Tanker Fleet
                             
Revenues
    $93,829       $244,215       $310,043       $248,944       $163,995  
Less:
                                       
Voyage expenses
    (16,898 )     (36,889 )     (55,351 )     (59,253 )     (34,215 )
                                         
Time charter equivalent revenues
    $76,931       $207,326       $254,692       $189,691       $129,780  
                                         
Total voyage days
    3,215       7,436       8,634       6,991       4,357  
Average Daily Time Charter Equivalent
    $23,929       $27,881       $29,499       $27,134       $29,786  
                                         

 
   
2007
   
2008
 
Drybulk Fleet
           
Revenues
    $1,902       $71,590  
Less:
               
Voyage expenses
    (161 )     (4,441 )
                 
Time charter equivalent revenues
    $1,741       $67,149  
                 
Total voyage days
    41       1,742  
Average Daily Time Charter Equivalent
    $42,463       $38,547  
                 
B.           Capitalization and Indebtedness
 
Not Applicable.
 
C.           Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
 
Not Applicable.
 

 
5

 

D.           Risk Factors
 
The following risks relate principally to the industries in which we operate and our business in general. Any of the risk factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results and the trading price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Industries
 
The international tanker and drybulk industries are both cyclical and volatile and this may lead to reductions and volatility in our charter rates when we re-charter our vessels, vessel values and our results of operations
 
The international tanker and drybulk industries in which we operate are cyclical with attendant volatility in charter hire rates, vessel values and industry profitability. For both tankers and drybulk vessels, the degree of charter rate volatility among different types of vessels has varied widely. If we enter into a charter when charter rates are low, our revenues and earnings will be adversely affected. In addition, a decline in charter hire rates likely will cause the value of our vessels to decline. Our current fleet deployment consists mainly of long term time charters and long term bareboat charters which limits significantly our exposure to charter rate volatility and its effect on our result of operations. We are nonetheless exposed to changes in spot rates for one of our drybulk vessels that do not have long term charter coverage. Additionally, changes in spot rates in the tanker sector and the drybulk sector can affect the value of respective vessels at any given time despite the existence of long term employment contracts. Our ability to re-charter our vessels on the expiration or termination of their current time and bareboat charters and the charter rates payable under any renewal or replacement charters will depend upon, among other things, economic conditions in the tanker and drybulk market.
 
The factors affecting the supply and demand for our vessels are outside our control and are unpredictable. The nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in tanker and drybulk industry conditions are also unpredictable. Factors that influence demand for tanker and drybulk vessel capacity include:
 
 
demand for refined petroleum products and crude oil for tankers and drybulk commodities for drybulk vessels;
 
 
changes in crude oil production and refining capacity as well as drybulk commodity production and resulting shifts in trade flows for crude oil, petroleum product and drybulk commodities;
 
 
the location of regional and global crude oil refining facilities and drybulk commodities markets that affect the distance refined petroleum products and crude oil or drybulk commodities are to be moved by sea;
 
 
global and regional economic and political conditions;
 
 
the location of regional and global crude oil refining facilities and drybulk commodities markets that affect the distance refined petroleum products and crude oil or drybulk commodities are to be moved by sea;
 
 
environmental and other regulatory developments;
 
 
6

 
 
 
currency exchange rates; and
 
 
weather.
 
The factors that influence the supply of oceangoing vessel capacity include:
 
 
the number of newbuilding deliveries;
 
 
the scrapping rate of older vessels;
 
 
the price of steel;
 
 
vessel casualties;
 
 
potential conversion of vessels to alternative use;
 
 
changes in environmental and other regulations that may limit the useful lives of vessels;
 
 
port or canal congestion;
 
 
the number of vessels that are out of service at a given time; and
 
 
changes in global crude oil and drybulk commodity production.
 
The international tanker and drybulk shipping industries have experienced drastic downturns after experiencing historically high charter rates and vessel values in the recent past, and a continued downturn in these markets may have an adverse effect on our earnings, impair the carrying value of our vessels and affect compliance with our loan covenants.
 
The Baltic Drybulk Index, or BDI, a U.S. dollar daily average of charter rates issued by the London based Baltic Exchange (an organization providing maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts) that takes into account input from brokers around the world regarding fixtures for various routes, dry cargoes and various drybulk vessel sizes, declined from a high of 11,793 in May 2008 to a low of 663 in December 2008, which represents a decline of 94%. The BDI fell over 70% during the month of October alone. The decline in charter rates is due to various factors, including the lack of trade financing for purchases of commodities carried by sea, which has resulted in a significant decline in cargo shipments, and the excess supply of iron ore in China, which has resulted in falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles in Chinese ports. The decline in charter rates in the drybulk market also affects the value of our drybulk vessels, which follows the trends of drybulk charter rates, and earnings on our charters, and similarly, affects our cash flows, liquidity and compliance with the covenants contained in our loan agreements. The BDI has since risen to 4,026 as of June 17, 2009. However, there can be no assurance that the drybulk charter market will continue to experience recovery over the next several months and the market could decline from its current level.

 
7

 
 
The Baltic Dirty Tanker Index, a U.S. dollar daily average of charter rates issued by the London based Baltic Exchange that takes into account input from brokers around the world regarding crude oil fixtures for various routes various tanker vessel sizes,  declined from a high of 2,347 in July 2008 to a low of 453 in mid-April 2009, which represents a decline of 80%. The Baltic Clean Tanker Index has fallen over 1,160 points, or 77%, since the early summer of 2008. The decline in charter rates is due to various factors, including the significant fall in demand for crude oil and petroleum products, the consequent rising inventories of crude oil and petroleum products in the United States and in other industrialized nations and the corresponding reduction in oil refining, the dramatic fall in the price of oil in 2008, and the restrictions on crude oil production that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other non-OPEC oil producing countries have imposed in an effort to stabilize the price of oil.

If the current low charter rates in the tanker and drybulk market continue through a significant period, our earnings may be adversely affected and we may have to record impairment adjustments to the carrying values of our fleet, and we may not be able to maintain compliance with the financial covenants in our loan agreements even though we have received waivers for certain breaches as discussed in "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Long term debt". In such a situation, unless our lenders were willing to provide modifications to waivers of covenant compliance or modifications to our covenants, in order to remain viable, we would sell vessels in our fleet and/or seek to raise additional capital in the equity markets. Our lenders' interests may be different from ours, and we may not be able to obtain our lenders' permission or waivers when needed. This may limit our ability to continue to conduct our operations, finance our future operations, make acquisitions or pursue business opportunities. A decline in charter rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
Compliance with environmental laws or regulations may adversely affect our operations.
 
The shipping industry in general and our business and the operation of tankers and drybulk vessels in particular, are affected by a variety of governmental regulations in the form of numerous international conventions, national, state and local laws and international, national and local regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which such tankers and drybulk vessels operate, as well as in the country or countries in which such tankers and drybulk vessels are registered. These regulations include:
 
 
the United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or OPA, which imposes strict liability for the discharge of oil into the 200-mile United States exclusive economic zone, the obligation to obtain certificates of financial responsibility for vessels trading in United States waters and the requirement that newly constructed tankers that trade in United States waters be constructed with double-hulls;
 
 
the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as amended in 2000, or the CLC, entered into by many countries (other than the United States) relating to strict liability for pollution damage caused by the discharge of oil;
 
 
the International Maritime Organization, or IMO (the United Nations agency for maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the related Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, or the MARPOL Convention, which has been updated through various amendments, with respect to strict technical and operational requirements for tankers;
 
 
the IMO International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS Convention, with respect to crew and passenger safety;
 
 
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the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, or LL Convention, with respect to the safeguarding of life and property through limitations on load capability for vessels on international voyages; and

 
the United States Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002, or MTSA.
 
More stringent maritime safety rules have been imposed in Europe as a result of the oil spill off the coast of France in November 2002 relating to the loss of the M/T Prestige, a 26-year old single-hull tanker owned by a company not affiliated with us. Additional laws and regulations may also be adopted that could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of our doing business and that could have a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition, we are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses, certificates and financial assurances with respect to our vessel operations. In the event of war or national emergency, our tankers and drybulk vessels may be subject to requisition by the government of the flag flown by the tanker or drybulk vessel without any guarantee of compensation for lost profits. We believe our vessels are maintained in good condition in compliance with present regulatory requirements, are operated in compliance with applicable safety/environmental laws and regulations and are insured against usual risks for such amounts as our management deems appropriate. Our vessels' operating certificates and licenses are renewed periodically during each vessel's required annual survey. However, government regulation of tankers and drybulk vessels, particularly in the areas of safety and environmental impact, may change in the future and require us to incur significant capital expenditures on our ships to keep them in compliance.
 
Under local, national and foreign laws, as well as international treaties and conventions, we could incur material liabilities, including cleanup obligations, natural resource damages and third-party claims for personal injury or property damages, in the event that there is a release of petroleum or other hazardous substances from our vessels or otherwise in connection with our current or historic operations. We could also incur substantial penalties, fines and other civil or criminal sanctions, including in certain instances seizure or detention of our vessels, as a result of violations of or liabilities under environmental laws, regulations and other requirements.
 
For example, OPA affects all vessel owners shipping oil to, from or within the United States. OPA allows for potentially unlimited liability for owners, operators and bareboat charterers of vessels without regard to fault for oil pollution in United States waters. Similarly, the CLC, which has been adopted by most countries outside of the United States, imposes liability for oil pollution in international waters. OPA expressly permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes with regard to hazardous materials and oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries. Coastal states in the United States have enacted pollution prevention liability and response laws, many providing for unlimited liability.
 
Future accidents may be expected in the shipping industry, and such accidents or other events may be expected to result in the adoption of even stricter laws and regulations, which could limit our operations or our ability to do business and which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
 
 
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Because the market value of our vessels may fluctuate significantly, we may incur losses when we sell vessels or we may be required to write down their carrying value, which will adversely affect our earnings.
 
Current market conditions have caused a decrease in the fair market value of our vessels. The fair market value of our vessels may increase and decrease depending on the following factors:
 
 
general economic and market conditions affecting the international tanker and drybulk shipping industries;
 
 
prevailing level of charter rates;
 
 
competition from other shipping companies;
 
 
types, sizes and ages of vessels;
 
 
other modes of transportation;
 
 
cost of newbuildings;
 
 
price of steel;
 
 
governmental or other regulations; and
 
 
technological advances.
 
If we sell vessels at a time when vessel prices have fallen and before an impairment is identified, the sale may be at less than the vessel's carrying amount in our financial statements, or if vessel prices have fallen below the carrying amount in our financial statements, in which case we evaluate the asset for a potential impairment and may be required to write down the carrying amount of the vessels on our financial statements and incur a loss and a reduction in earnings, if the estimate of undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest charges, expected to be generated by the use of the asset is less than its carrying amount.
 
An increase in the supply of vessel capacity without an increase in demand for vessel capacity would likely cause charter rates and vessel values to decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.
 
The supply of vessels generally increases with deliveries of new vessels and decreases with the scrapping of older vessels, conversion of vessels to other uses, such as floating production and storage facilities, and loss of tonnage as a result of casualties. Currently there is significant new building activity with respect to virtually all sizes and classes of vessels. If the amount of tonnage delivered exceeds the number of vessels being scrapped, vessel capacity will increase. If the supply of vessel capacity increases faster than the demand for vessel capacity, the charter rates paid for our vessels as well as the value of our vessels could materially decline. Such a decline in charter rates and vessel values would likely have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.
 
 
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Our operating results from our tankers are subject to seasonal fluctuations, which may adversely affect our operating results.
 
Eight of the vessels in our combined fleet are tankers. We operate our tankers in markets that have historically exhibited seasonal variations in demand and, therefore, charter rates. This seasonality may result in quarter-to-quarter volatility in our operating results. The tanker sector is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in anticipation of increased consumption of oil and petroleum products in the northern hemisphere during the winter months. As a result, our revenues from our tankers may be weaker during the fiscal quarters ended June 30 and September 30, and, conversely, revenues may be stronger in fiscal quarters ended December 31 and March 31. This seasonality could materially affect our results from operations.
 
Disruptions in world financial markets and the resulting governmental action in the United States and in other parts of the world could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and could cause the market price of shares of our common stock to decline.
 
Over the last year, global financial markets have experienced extraordinary disruption and volatility following adverse changes in the global credit markets. The credit markets in the United States have experienced significant contraction, deleveraging and reduced liquidity, and governments around the world have taken significant measures in response to such events, including the enactment of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 in the United States, and may implement other significant responses in the future.
 
Securities and futures markets and the credit markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations and other requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, other regulators, self-regulatory organizations and exchanges have enacted temporary emergency regulations and may take other extraordinary actions in the event of market emergencies and may effect permanent changes in law or interpretations of existing laws. Recently, a number of financial institutions have experienced serious financial difficulties and, in some cases, have entered into bankruptcy proceedings or are in regulatory enforcement actions. These difficulties have resulted, in part, from declining markets for assets held by such institutions, particularly the reduction in the value of their mortgage and asset-backed securities portfolios. These difficulties have been compounded by a general decline in the willingness by banks and other financial institutions to extend credit. In addition, these difficulties may adversely affect the financial institutions that provide our credit facilities and may impair their ability to continue to perform under their financing obligations to us, which could have an impact on our ability to fund current and future obligations, including our ability to take delivery of our newbuildings.
 
We face risks attendant to changes in economic environments, changes in interest rates and instability in securities markets around the world, among other factors. Major market disruptions and the current adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate in the United States and worldwide may adversely affect our business or impair our ability to borrow amounts under our credit facilities or any future financial arrangements. We cannot predict how long the current market conditions will last. However, these recent and developing economic and governmental factors may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows and could cause the price of shares of our common stock to decline significantly or impair our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
 

 
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Compliance with safety and other vessel requirements imposed by classification societies may be very costly and may adversely affect our business.
 
The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be classed by a classification society authorized by its country of registry. The classification society certifies that a vessel is safe and seaworthy in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the country of registry of the vessel and the Safety of Life at Sea Convention. Our vessels are currently enrolled with the American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Det Norske Veritas and Bureau Veritas each of which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies.
 
A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a vessel's machinery may be placed on a continuous survey cycle, under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a five-year period. Our vessels are on special survey cycles for hull inspection and continuous survey cycles for machinery inspection. Every vessel is also required to be dry docked every two to three years for inspection of the underwater parts of such vessel.
 
If a vessel does not maintain its class and/or fails any annual survey, intermediate survey or special survey, the vessel will be unable to trade between ports and will be unemployable, which will negatively impact our revenues and results from operations.
 
Our earnings may be adversely affected if we do not successfully employ our vessels.
 
Given current market conditions, we seek to deploy our vessels on time and bareboat charters in a manner that will help us achieve a steady flow of earnings. As of the date of this report, three of our tanker vessels and four of our drybulk vessels were contractually committed to time charters, and five of our tanker vessels and one of our drybulk vessels were contractually committed to bareboat charters. Although these period charters provide relatively steady streams of revenue as well as a portion of the revenues generated by the charterer's deployment of the vessels in the spot market or otherwise, our vessels committed to period charters may not be available for spot voyages during an upturn in the tanker or drybulk industry cycle, as the case may be, when spot voyages might be more profitable. The spot market is highly competitive, and spot market charter rates may fluctuate dramatically based on the supply and demand for the major commodities carried internationally by water as well as other factors.   As of the date of this report, we did not have any vessels that were trading in the spot market. If we cannot continue to employ our vessels on profitable time charters or trade them in the spot market profitably, our results of operations and operating cash flow may suffer if rates achieved are not sufficient to cover respective vessel operating and financial expenses.
 
World events could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
 
Terrorist attacks such as the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the bombings in Spain on March 11, 2004 and in London on July 7, 2005 and the continuing response of the United States to these attacks, as well as the threat of future terrorist attacks in the United States or elsewhere, continue to cause uncertainty in the world financial markets and may affect our business, operating results and financial condition. The continuing conflict in Iraq may lead to additional acts of terrorism and armed conflict around the world, which may contribute to further economic instability in the global financial markets. These uncertainties could also adversely affect our ability to obtain any additional financing or, if we are able to obtain additional financing, to do so on terms favorable to us. In the past, political conflicts have also resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt international shipping, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 

 
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Acts of piracy on oceangoing vessels have recently increased in frequency, which could adversely affect our business.
 
Acts of piracy have historically affected oceangoing vessels trading in regions of the world such as the South China Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Throughout 2008 and 2009, the frequency of piracy incidents against commercial shipping vessels increased significantly, particularly in the Gulf of Aden. For example, in November 2008 the M/T Sirius Star, a tanker not affiliated with us, was captured by pirates in the Indian Ocean while carrying crude oil estimated to be worth $100.0 million. Since the beginning of 2009, numerous tanker and drybulk vessels have fallen victim to piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia.  For example, in February 2009, the M/V Saldanha, a drybulk vessel not affiliated with us, was seized by pirates while transporting coal through the Gulf of Aden.
 
If these piracy attacks result in regions in which our vessels are deployed being characterized by insurers as "war risk" zones, as the Gulf of Aden temporarily was in May 2008, or Joint War Committee (JWC) "war and strikes" listed areas, premiums payable for such insurance coverage could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. Crew costs, including those due to employing onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. In addition, while we believe the charterer remains liable for charter payments when a vessel is seized by pirates, the charterer may dispute this and withhold charter hire until the vessel is released. A charterer may also claim that a vessel seized by pirates was not "on-hire" for a certain number of days and it is therefore entitled to cancel the charter party, a claim that we would dispute. We may not be adequately insured to cover losses from these incidents, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, detention hijacking as a result of an act of piracy against our vessels, or an increase in cost, or unavailability of insurance for our vessels, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
 
Changes in the economic and political environment in China and policies adopted by the government to regulate its economy may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in such respects as structure, government involvement, level of development, growth rate, capital reinvestment, allocation of resources, rate of inflation and balance of payments position. Prior to 1978, the Chinese economy was a planned economy. Since 1978, increasing emphasis has been placed on the utilization of market forces in the development of the Chinese economy. Annual and five-year plans, or State Plans, are adopted by the Chinese government in connection with the development of the economy. Although state-owned enterprises still account for a substantial portion of the Chinese industrial output, in general, the Chinese government is reducing the level of direct control that it exercises over the economy through State Plans and other measures. There is an increasing level of freedom and autonomy in areas such as allocation of resources, production, pricing and management and a gradual shift in emphasis to a "market economy" and enterprise reform. Limited price reforms were undertaken, with the result that prices for certain commodities are principally determined by market forces. Many of the reforms are unprecedented or experimental and may be subject to revision, change or abolition based upon the outcome of such experiments. If the Chinese government does not continue to pursue a policy of economic reform the level of imports to and exports from China could be adversely affected by changes to these economic reforms by the Chinese government, as well as by changes in political, economic and social conditions or other relevant policies of the Chinese government, such as changes in laws, regulations or export and import restrictions, all of which could, adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
 
 
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A further economic slowdown in the Asia Pacific region could exacerbate the effect of recent slowdowns in the economies of the United States and the European Union and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations
 
We anticipate a significant number of the port calls made mainly by our drybulk vessels will continue to involve the loading or discharging of drybulk commodities in ports in the Asia Pacific region. As a result, negative changes in economic conditions in any Asia Pacific country, particularly in China, may exacerbate the effect of recent slowdowns in the economies of the United States and the European Union and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations, as well as our future prospects. In recent years, China has been one of the world's fastest growing economies in terms of gross domestic product, which has had a significant impact on shipping demand. Through the end of the fourth quarter of 2008, growth in China's gross domestic product was approximately 4.2% lower than it was during the same period in 2007, and it is likely that China and other countries in the Asia Pacific region will continue to experience slowed or even negative economic growth in the near future. Moreover, the current economic slowdown in the economies of the United States, the European Union and other Asian countries may further adversely affect economic growth in China and elsewhere. China has recently announced a $586.0 billion stimulus package aimed in part at increasing investment and consumer spending and maintaining export growth in response to the recent slowdown in its economic growth. Our business, financial condition and, results of operations as well as our future prospects, will likely be materially and adversely affected by a further economic downturn in any of these countries.
 
Increased inspection procedures and tighter import and export controls could increase costs and disrupt our business.
 
International shipping is subject to various security and customs inspection and related procedures in countries of origin and destination. Inspection procedures can result in the seizure of contents of our vessels, delays in the loading, offloading or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us. It is possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us. Furthermore, changes to inspection procedures could also impose additional costs and obligations on our customers and may, in certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or impractical. Any such changes or developments may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
 
Our vessels call on ports located in countries that are subject to restrictions imposed by the United States government.
 
From time to time, our time charterers or bareboat charterers who make use of our vessels in our fleet may call on ports located in countries subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the United States government and countries identified by the United States government as state sponsors of terrorism. Although these sanctions and embargoes do not prevent our vessels from making calls to ports in these countries, potential investors could view such port calls negatively, which could adversely affect our reputation and the market for shares of our common stock. Investor perception of the value of shares of our common stock may be adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in these and surrounding countries.
 


 
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Risks Related to Our Company
 
We are in breach of certain financial covenants contained in our loan agreements, have received notices from certain of our lenders regarding these covenant breaches, and if we are not successful in obtaining waivers and amendments with respect to covenants breached, our lenders may declare an event of default and accelerate our outstanding indebtedness under the relevant agreement, which would impair our ability to continue to conduct our business.
 
 Our loan agreements require that we maintain certain financial and other covenants. The current low drybulk and tanker charter rates and respective drybulk and tanker vessel values have affected our ability to comply with covenants relating to vessel values such as asset cover ratio, adjusted net worth and net asset value covenants. A violation of these covenants constitutes an event of default under our credit facilities, which would, unless waived by our lenders, provide our lenders with the right to require us to post additional collateral, enhance our equity and liquidity, increase our interest payments, pay down our indebtedness to a level where we are in compliance with our loan covenants, sell vessels in our fleet, reclassify our indebtedness as current liabilities and accelerate our indebtedness and foreclose their liens on our vessels, which would impair our ability to continue to conduct our business. Our total indebtedness of $342.5 million is presented within current liabilities in our audited consolidated balance sheet for the year ended December 31, 2008 included in this annual report as a result of cross-default provisions within our loan agreements. A cross-default provision means that if we are in default with regards to a specific loan then we are automatically in default of all our loans that contain such provisions. For this reason, we are not able to breakdown our debt obligations into current and long term, unless we are able to receive waivers for all covenants breaches. The amount of long term debt that has been reclassified from long term debt and presented together with current liabilities amounts to $290.0 million.
 
Several of our lenders notified us that we are in breach of certain financial and other covenants relating to vessel values such as asset cover ratio, adjusted net worth and net asset value covenants (as defined by each bank) contained in our loan agreements. As of the date of this annual report, we have received certain waivers on these covenant breaches from HSH Nordbank and Alpha Bank until March 31, 2010. In addition, we are in the process of drafting amendments to our agreements with DVB and Emporiki Bank regarding covenant breaches and we are in negotiations with RBS with regards to covenant breaches. For more details on breaches and waivers see "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Long term debt".
 
During 2009, we expect to be in breach of covenants relating to the minimum liquidity and EBITDA as defined by each bank.
 
Breach of our loan covenants, without applicable waiver, may entitle our lenders to accelerate our debt. If our indebtedness is accelerated, it would be very difficult in the current financing environment for us to refinance our debt or obtain additional financing and we could lose our vessels if our lenders foreclose their liens. Further, as discussed below, our independent registered public accounting firm has issued its opinion with an explanatory paragraph emphasizing that we have prepared our financial statements under the going concern assumption despite our covenants breaches and working capital deficit.
 

 
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Our inability to comply with certain financial and other covenants under our loan agreements raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
 
As discussed above, we are in breach of certain financial and other covenants contained in our loan agreements as a result of the decline in the drybulk and tanker charter markets and related decline in vessel values. We may be unable to meet the financial and other covenants contained in our loan agreements for the foreseeable future and our lenders may choose to accelerate our indebtedness. Therefore, our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on management's ability to successfully generate revenue to meet our obligations as they become due and have the continued support of our lenders. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued its opinion with an explanatory paragraph emphasizing that we have prepared our financial statements under the going concern assumption despite our covenants breaches and working capital deficit. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of our inability to continue as a going concern. However, there is a material uncertainty related to events or conditions which raises significant doubt on our ability to continue as a going concern and, therefore, we may be unable to realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business.
 
 If we need to receive waivers and/or amendments to our loan agreements in the future, our lenders may impose additional operating and financial restrictions on us and/or modify the terms of our existing loan agreements.
 
In addition to certain financial covenants relating to our financial position, operating performance and liquidity, in connection with future waivers or amendments that we may need, lenders may impose additional restrictions on us. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Breach of Loan Covenants." Therefore, we may need to seek permission from our lenders in order to engage in some corporate actions. Our lenders' interests may be different from ours and we may not be able to obtain our lender's permission when needed, which could prevent us from pursuing a course of action that we deem necessary. In addition to the above restrictions, our lenders may require the payment of additional fees, require prepayment of a portion of our indebtedness to them, or impose other conditions on the issuance of waivers, which could adversely affect our financial results and hinder our ability to raise capital.
 
Servicing current and future debt will limit funds available for other purposes and impair our ability to react to changes in our business.
 
To finance our fleet expansion program, we incurred secured indebtedness. We must dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness. These payments limit funds otherwise available for working capital, capital expenditures and other purposes. As of December 31, 2008, we had total indebtedness of $346.9 million (excluding unamortized deferred financing fees of $4.4 million), and a ratio of indebtedness to total capital of approximately 54%. We will need to take on additional indebtedness as we expand our fleet, which could increase our debt to equity ratio. Our substantial level of indebtedness increases the possibility that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay, when due, the principal of, interest on or other amounts due in respect of, our indebtedness. Our substantial debt could also have other significant consequences. For example, it could:
 
 
increase our vulnerability to general economic downturns and adverse competitive and industry conditions;
 
 
require us to dedicate a substantial portion, if not all, of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;
 

 
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limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
 
 
place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors that have less debt or better access to capital;
 
 
limit our ability to raise additional financing on satisfactory terms or at all; and
 
 
adversely impact our ability to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants in the indenture governing the notes and the credit agreements governing the debts of our subsidiaries, which could result in an event of default under such agreements.
 
Furthermore, our interest expense could increase if interest rates increase because some of the debt under the credit facilities of our subsidiaries is variable rate debt. If we do not have sufficient earnings, we may be required to refinance all or part of our existing debt, sell assets, borrow more money or sell more securities, none of which we can guarantee we will be able to do.
 
Our loan agreements contain restrictive covenants that may limit our liquidity and corporate activities.
 
Our loan agreements impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions may limit our ability to:
 
 
incur additional indebtedness;
 
 
create liens on our assets;
 
 
sell capital stock of our subsidiaries;
 
 
engage in mergers or acquisitions;
 
 
pay dividends;
 
 
make capital expenditures or other investments;
 
 
change the management of our vessels or terminate or materially amend the management agreement relating to each vessel; and
 
 
sell our vessels.
 
Therefore, we may need to seek permission from our lenders in order to engage in some corporate actions. Our lenders' interests may be different from ours, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain our lenders' permission when needed. This may prevent us from taking actions that are in our best interest.
 
If we fail to manage our planned growth properly, we may not be able to successfully expand our market share.
 
We intend to continue to grow our fleet. Our growth will depend on:
 
 
locating and acquiring suitable vessels;
 
 
identifying and consummating acquisitions or joint ventures;

 
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integrating any acquired business successfully with our existing operations;
 
 
enhancing our customer base;
 
 
managing expansion; and
 
 
obtaining required financing.
 
Growing any business by acquisition presents numerous risks such as undisclosed liabilities and obligations, difficulty in obtaining additional qualified personnel, managing relationships with customers and suppliers and integrating newly acquired operations into existing infrastructures. We cannot give any assurance that we will be successful in executing our growth plans or that we will not incur significant additional expenses and losses in connection therewith.
 
If the recent volatility in LIBOR continues, it could affect our profitability, earnings and cash flow.
 
The London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, has recently been volatile, with the spread between LIBOR and the prime lending rate widening significantly at times. These conditions are the result of the recent disruptions in the international credit markets. Because the interest rates borne by our outstanding indebtedness fluctuate with changes in LIBOR, if this volatility were to continue, it would affect the amount of interest payable on our debt, which in turn, could have an adverse effect on our profitability, earnings and cash flow.
 
Furthermore, interest in most loan agreements in our industry has been based on published LIBOR rates. Recently, however, lenders have insisted on provisions that entitle the lenders, in their discretion, to replace published LIBOR as the base for the interest calculation with their cost-of-funds rate. If we are required to agree to such a provision in future loan agreements, our lending costs could increase significantly, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability, earnings and cash flow.
 
Our ability to obtain additional debt financing may be dependent on the performance of our then existing charters and the creditworthiness of our charterers.
 
The actual or perceived credit quality of our charterers, and any defaults by them, may materially affect our ability to obtain the additional capital resources that we will require to purchase additional vessels or may significantly increase our costs of obtaining such capital. Our inability to obtain additional financing at all or at a higher than anticipated cost may materially affect our results of operation and our ability to implement our business strategy.
 
We may not be able to renew our time charters when they expire.
 
We might not be able to renew our existing time charters or, if renewed, they might not be at favorable rates. If, upon expiration of the existing time charters, we are unable to obtain time charters or voyage charters at desirable rates, our profitability may be adversely affected.
 

 
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In the highly competitive international tanker and drybulk shipping markets, we may not be able to compete for charters with new entrants or established companies with greater resources.
 
We employ our vessels in a highly competitive market that is capital intensive and highly fragmented. The operation of tanker and drybulk vessels and the transportation of cargoes shipped in these vessels, as well as the shipping industry in general, is extremely competitive. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners, including major oil companies as well as independent tanker and drybulk shipping companies, some of whom have substantially greater resources than we do. Competition for the transportation of oil and refined petroleum products and drybulk cargoes can be intense and depends on price, location, size, age, condition and the acceptability of the vessel and its operators to the charterers. Due in part to the highly fragmented market, competitors with greater resources could enter and operate larger fleets through consolidations or acquisitions that may be able to offer better prices and fleets than us.
 
We depend upon a few significant customers for a large part of our revenues. The loss of one or more of these customers could adversely affect our financial performance.
 
We have historically derived a significant part of our revenue from a small number of charterers. In 2007 and 2008, approximately 33% and 26%, respectively, of our revenue was derived from two charterers. These two charterers, Glencore and PDVSA, respectively provided 23% and 10% of our revenues in 2007 and 17% and 9% of our revenues in 2008. The occurrence of any problems with these charterers may adversely affect our revenues.
 
We may be unable to attract and retain key management personnel and other employees in the international tanker and drybulk shipping industries, which may negatively impact the effectiveness of our management and our results of operations.
 
Our success depends to a significant extent upon the abilities and efforts of our management team. We have entered into employment contracts with our President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, Evangelos Pistiolis, our Chief Financial Officer and Director, Alexandros Tsirikos, our Executive Vice President and Director, Vangelis Ikonomou and our Vice President Demetris Souroullas. Our success will depend upon our ability to hire and retain key members of our management team. The loss of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business prospects and financial condition. Difficulty in hiring and retaining personnel could adversely affect our results of operations. We do not intend to maintain ''key man'' life insurance on any of our officers.
 
As we expand our business, we will need to improve our operations and financial systems and staff; if we cannot improve these systems or recruit suitable employees, our performance may be adversely affected.
 
Our current operating and financial systems may not be adequate as we implement our plan to expand the size of our fleet, and our attempts to improve those systems may be ineffective. If we are unable to operate our financial and operations systems effectively or to recruit suitable employees as we expand our fleet, our performance may be adversely affected.
 
Risks involved with operating oceangoing vessels could affect our business and reputation, which would adversely affect our revenues and stock price.
 
The operation of an oceangoing vessel carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of:
 
 
marine disaster;

 
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piracy;
 
 
environmental accidents;
 
 
cargo and property losses or damage; and
 
 
mechanical failure, human error, war, terrorism, political action in various countries, labor strikes or adverse weather conditions.
 
Any of these circumstances or events could result in death or injury to persons, loss of revenues or property, environmental damage, higher insurance rates, damage to our customer relationships, delay or rerouting, and could increase our costs or lower our revenues. The involvement of our vessels in an oil spill or other environmental disaster may harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel operator. If one of our vessels were involved in an accident with the potential risk of environmental contamination, the resulting media coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
 
Delays in deliveries of our vessels could harm our operating results.
 
The delivery of our last newbuilding product tanker could be delayed, which would affect our results of operations and financial condition .
 
We expend substantial sums during construction of newbuildings without assurance that they will be completed.
 
We are typically required to expend substantial sums as progress payments during construction of a newbuilding, but we do not derive any revenue from the vessel until after its delivery.
 
If we are unable to obtain financing required to complete payments on our newbuilding orders, we could effectively forfeit all or a portion of the progress payments previously made. As of December 31, 2008, we had six newbuildings on order with deliveries scheduled during 2009. As of December 31, 2008, progress payments made towards these newbuildings totaled $152.0 million.
 
To fund the remaining portion of existing or future capital expenditures, we will be required to use cash from operations or incur borrowings or raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Our ability to obtain bank financing or to access the capital markets for future offerings may be limited by our financial condition at the time of any such financing or offering as well as by adverse market conditions resulting from, among other things, general economic conditions and contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control. Our failure to obtain the funds for necessary future capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even if we are successful in obtaining necessary funds, incurring additional debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, which could limit our financial flexibility and ability to pursue other business opportunities.
 

 
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Due to market conditions, we may not take delivery of our newbuildings or may sell them at a loss .
 
Since the highs reached during the summer of 2008, vessel values in both the drybulk and tanker industries have declined significantly.  Some, if not all, of our newbuildings have also declined in value from the price we have agreed to pay for such newbuildings.  If such vessel values remain depressed or decline further, we may choose to terminate our contract with the shipyard, which may result in termination payments in addition to any forfeiture of payments already made, or we may sell the newbuildings on the market at a loss, which might also include addtional payments.  Either of these scenarios would affect our cash flow and financial condition.
 
Rising fuel prices may adversely affect our profits.
 
Fuel is a significant, if not the largest, operating expense for many of our shipping operations when our vessels are not under period charter. The price and supply of fuel is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by OPEC and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns. As a result, an increase in the price of fuel may adversely affect our profitability. Further, fuel may become much more expensive in future, which may reduce the profitability and competitiveness of our business versus other forms of transportation, such as truck or rail.
 
Our vessels may suffer damage and we may face unexpected drydocking costs, which could affect our cash flow and financial condition.
 
If our vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking facility, resulting in vessel downtime. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and can be substantial. We may have to pay drydocking costs that our insurance does not cover. The inactivity of these vessels while they are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, would decrease our earnings. In addition, space at drydocking facilities is sometimes limited and not all drydocking facilities are conveniently located. We may be unable to find space at a suitable drydocking facility or we may be forced to move to a drydocking facility that is not conveniently located to our vessels' positions. The loss of earnings while our vessels are forced to wait for space or to relocate to drydocking facilities that are farther away from the routes on which our vessels trade would decrease our earnings.
 
A drop in spot charter rates may provide an incentive for some charterers to default on their charters.
 
When we enter into a time or bareboat charter, charter rates under that charter are fixed for the term of the charter. If the spot charter rates in the tanker or drybulk shipping industry, as applicable, become significantly lower than the time charter equivalent rates that some of our charterers are obligated to pay us under our existing charters, the charterers may have incentive to default under that charter or attempt to renegotiate the charter. If our charterers fail to pay their obligations, we would have to attempt to re-charter our vessels at lower charter rates, which would affect our ability to comply with our loan covenants and operate our vessels profitably. If we are not able to comply with our loan covenants and our lenders choose to accelerate our indebtedness and foreclose their liens, we could be required to sell vessels in our fleet and our ability to continue to conduct our business would be impaired.
 
 
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The aging of our fleet may result in increased operating costs in the future, which could adversely affect our earnings.
 
In general, the cost of maintaining a vessel in good operating condition increases with the age of the vessel. Our current operating fleet has an average age of approximately nine years. As our fleet ages, we will incur increased costs. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient and more costly to maintain than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. Cargo insurance rates also increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers. Governmental regulations, including environmental regulations, safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may require expenditures for alterations, or the addition of new equipment, to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which our vessels may engage. As our vessels age, market conditions might not justify those expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives.
 
Purchasing and operating previously owned, or secondhand, vessels may result in increased operating costs and vessels off-hire, which could adversely affect our earnings.
 
While we rigorously inspect previously owned, or secondhand vessels prior to purchase, this does not normally provide us with the same knowledge about their condition and cost of any required (or anticipated) repairs that we would have had if these vessels had been built for and operated exclusively by us. Also, we do not receive the benefit of warranties from the builders if the vessels we buy are older than one year. In general, the costs to maintain a vessel in good operating condition increase with the age of the vessel. As of the date of this report, six of the tanker vessels in our fleet were more than 10 years of age. Older vessels are typically less fuel efficient and more costly to maintain than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. Cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers. Governmental regulations, safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may require expenditures for alterations or the addition of new equipment to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which the vessels may engage. As our vessels age, market conditions might not justify those expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives. If we sell vessels, the price for which we sell them might be lower than their carrying amount at that time which would result in a loss.
 
We may not have adequate insurance to compensate us if we lose our vessels.
 
We procure insurance for our fleet against those types of risks commonly insured against by vessel owners and operators. These insurances include hull and machinery insurance, protection and indemnity insurance, which includes environmental damage and pollution insurance coverage, war risk insurance and insurance against loss of hire, which covers business interruptions that result in the loss of use of a vessel. While we currently have loss of hire insurance that covers, subject to annual coverage limits, all of the vessels in our fleet, we may not purchase loss of hire insurance to cover newly acquired vessels. We can give no assurance that we are adequately insured against all risks. We may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates for our fleet in the future. The insurers may not pay particular claims. Our insurance policies contain deductibles for which we will be responsible as well as, limitations and exclusions which may nevertheless increase our costs or lower our revenue.
 

 
22

 

Maritime claimants could arrest our vessels, which could interrupt our cash flow.
 
Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and other parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against that vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lienholder may enforce its lien by arresting a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could interrupt our cash flow and require us to pay large sums of money to have the arrest lifted. In addition, in some jurisdictions, such as South Africa, under the ''sister ship'' theory of liability, a claimant may arrest both the vessel which is subject to the claimant's maritime lien and any ''associated'' vessel, which is any vessel owned or controlled by the same owner. Claimants could try to assert ''sister ship'' liability against one vessel in our fleet for claims relating to another of our ships.
 
Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency, resulting in loss of earnings.
 
A government could requisition for title or seize our vessels. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes her owner. Also, a government could requisition our vessels for hire. Requisition for hire occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes her charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during a period of war or emergency. Government requisition of one or more of our vessels could negatively impact our revenues should we not receive adequate compensation.
 
Certain existing stockholders, who hold approximately 36.97% of our common stock, may have the power to exert control over us, which may limit your ability to influence our actions.
 
As of June 24, 2009, Sovereign Holdings Inc., or Sovereign Holdings, a company that is wholly owned by our President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Evangelos J. Pistiolis, and Kingdom Holdings Inc., or Kingdom Holdings, a company owned primarily by adult relatives of Mr. Pistiolis, own, directly or indirectly, approximately 13.17% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, Sphinx Investment Corp., Maryport Navigation Corp. and Mr. George Economou own 13.99% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. QVT Financial LP, QVT Financial GP LLC and QVT Associates GP LLC own 9.81% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Sphinx Investment Corp., Maryport Navigation Corp., QVT Financial LP, QVT Financial GP LLC and QVT Associates GP LLC are entities owned and controlled by unaffiliated third parties. Together, these existing shareholders own 36.97% of our common stock. While these shareholders have no agreement, arrangement or understanding relating to the voting of their shares of common stock, due to the number of shares of our common stock they own, they have the power to exert considerable influence over our actions.
 
Our President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis, has affiliations with a private shipping company which could create conflicts of interest.
 
The family of our President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis, owns a private shipping company.  This relationship could create conflicts of interest between us, on the one hand, and this private shipping company, on the other hand. These conflicts may arise in connection with the chartering, purchase, sale and operations of the vessels in our fleet versus tankers and drybulk vessels managed by this private shipping company. For example, Mr. Pistiolis may give preferential treatment to vessels that are beneficially owned by this private shipping company because Mr. Pistiolis and members of his family may receive greater economic benefits.
 
We may have to pay tax on United States source income, which would reduce our earnings.
 
Under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel owning or chartering corporation, such as ourselves and our subsidiaries, that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that does not begin and end, in the United States is characterized as United States source shipping income and such income is subject to a 4% United States federal income tax without allowance for deduction, unless that corporation qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code. We expect that we and each of our subsidiaries will qualify for this statutory tax exemption and we have taken this position for United States federal income tax return reporting purposes. However, there are factual circumstances beyond our control that could cause us to lose the benefit of this tax exemption and thereby become subject to United States federal income tax on our United States source income. Therefore, we can give no assurances on our tax-exempt status or that of any of our subsidiaries. If we or our subsidiaries are not entitled to this exemption under Section 883 for any taxable year, we or our subsidiaries would be subject for those years to a 4% United States federal income tax on our United States source shipping income. The imposition of this taxation could have a negative effect on our business.
 

 
23

 

United States tax authorities could treat us as a ''passive foreign investment company,'' which could have adverse United States federal income tax consequences to United States holders.
 
A foreign corporation will be treated as a ''passive foreign investment company,'' or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of ''passive income'' or (2) at least 50% of the average value of the corporation's assets produce or are held for the production of those types of ''passive income.'' For purposes of these tests, ''passive income'' includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. For purposes of these tests, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute ''passive income.'' United States shareholders of a PFIC are subject to a disadvantageous United States federal income tax regime with respect to the income derived by the PFIC, the distributions they receive from the PFIC and the gain, if any, they derive from the sale or other disposition of their shares in the PFIC.
 
As of March 2009, 67% of the average value of our fleet was employed under bareboat charters that produce passive income. If our fleet and charter composition remains the same, we would likely be treated as a PFIC for our 2009 taxable year. Nevertheless, it is management's intention to take necessary steps in order to avoid PFIC status as this would have negative tax consequences for our investors. Remedial actions could involve the sale of passive income producing vessels or the purchase of non passive income producing assets.
 
In this regard, we intend to treat the gross income we derive or are deemed to derive from our time chartering activities as services income, rather than rental income. Accordingly, we believe that our income from our time chartering activities does not constitute ''passive income,'' and the assets that we own and operate in connection with the production of that income do not constitute passive assets.
 
There is, however, no direct legal authority under the PFIC rules addressing our proposed method of operation. We believe there is substantial legal authority supporting our position consisting of case law and United States Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, pronouncements concerning the characterization of income derived from time charters and voyage charters as services income for other tax purposes. However, we note that there is also authority which characterizes time charter income as rental income rather than services income for other tax purposes. Accordingly, there is a risk that the IRS or a court of law could determine that we are a PFIC. Moreover, there is a risk that we could constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in the nature and extent of our operations or if our vessels continue to be bareboat chartered.
 
If the IRS were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, our United States shareholders will face adverse United States tax consequences. Under the PFIC rules, unless those shareholders make an election available under the Code (which election could itself have adverse consequences for such shareholders, as discussed below under ''Tax Considerations— United States Federal Income Taxation of United States Holders''), such shareholders would be liable to pay United States federal income tax at the then prevailing income tax rates on ordinary income plus interest upon excess distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common stock, as if the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the shareholder's holding period of our common stock. See ''Tax Considerations— United States Federal Income Taxation of United States Holders'' for a more comprehensive discussion of the United States federal income tax consequences to United States shareholders if we are treated as a PFIC.

Because we generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars but incur a portion of our expenses in other currencies, exchange rate fluctuations could hurt our results of operations.
 
We generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars but incur approximately 16% of our expenses in currencies other than U.S. dollars, mainly Euros. This difference could lead to fluctuations in net income due to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the other currencies, in particular, the Euro. During 2008, the Euro appreciated versus the US dollar more than it ever has for the past five years, reaching almost 1.6 US dollars to 1 Euro during the summer of 2008. Should the Euro further appreciate relative to the U.S. dollar in future periods, our expenses will increase in U.S dollar terms, thereby decreasing our net income. We have not hedged these risks. Our operating results could suffer as a result.


 
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Risks Relating to Our Common Shares
 
There is no guarantee of a continuing public market for you to resell our common shares.
 
Our common shares commenced trading on the Nasdaq National Market, now the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in July 2004. An active and liquid public market for our common shares may not continue. The price of our common shares may be volatile and may fluctuate due to factors such as:
 
 
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results and those of other public companies in our industry;
 
 
mergers and strategic alliances in the drybulk shipping industry;
 
 
market conditions in the drybulk shipping industry and the general state of the securities markets;
 
 
changes in government regulation;
 
 
shortfalls in our operating results from levels forecast by securities analysts; and
 
 
announcements concerning us or our competitors.
 
You may not be able to sell your common shares in the future at the price that you paid for them or at all. In addition, if the price of our common shares falls below $1.00, we may be involuntarily delisted from the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
 
Future sales of our common shares could cause the market price of our common shares to decline
 
Sales of a substantial number of our common shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market price for our common shares. These sales could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities in the future.
 
We are incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of corporate law.
 
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws and by the Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act, or BCA. The provisions of the BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the United States. However, there have been few judicial cases in the Republic of the Marshall Islands interpreting the BCA. The rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under the law of the Republic of the Marshall Islands are not as clearly established as the rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in certain United States jurisdictions. Security holder rights may differ as well. While the BCA does specifically incorporate the non-statutory law, or judicial case law, of the State of Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative provisions, our security holders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling shareholders than would security holders of a corporation incorporated in a United States jurisdiction.
 

 
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A small number of our stockholders effectively control the outcome of matters on which our stockholders are entitled to vote.
 
Entities affiliated with Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis, our Chief Executive Officer, currently own, directly or indirectly, approximately 9.57% of our outstanding common stock as of June 24, 2009. In addition, entities affiliated with Mr. George Economou currently own, directly or indirectly, approximately 13.99% of our outstanding common stock as of June 24, 2009. While, as far as we are aware, those stockholders have no agreement, arrangement or understanding relating to the voting of their shares of our common stock, they will effectively control the outcome of matters on which our stockholders are entitled to vote, including the election of directors and other significant corporate actions. The interests of these stockholders may be different from your interests.
 
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents could have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing a merger, amalgamation or acquisition, which could reduce the market price of our common shares.
 
Several provisions of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated Bylaws could make it difficult for our shareholders to change the composition of our board of directors in any one year, preventing them from changing the composition of management. In addition, the same provisions may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that shareholders may consider favorable.
 
These provisions include:
 
 
authorizing our board of directors to issue "blank check" preferred stock without shareholder approval;
 
 
providing for a classified board of directors with staggered, three-year terms;
 
 
prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors;
 
 
authorizing the removal of directors only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote for the directors;
 
 
prohibiting shareholder action by written consent unless the written consent is signed by all shareholders entitled to vote on the action;
 
 
limiting the persons who may call special meetings of shareholders; and
 
 
establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by shareholders at shareholder meetings.
 
In addition, we have entered into a Stockholder Rights Agreement that will make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the support of our board of directors and principal shareholders. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public shareholders to benefit from a change in control and, as a result, may reduce the market price of our common stock and your ability to realize any potential change of control premium.
 
The market price of our common shares has fluctuated widely and may fluctuate widely in the future
 
The market price of our common shares has fluctuated widely since our common shares and warrants began trading in the Nasdaq National Market, now the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in July 2004.
 

 
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ITEM 4.   INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
 
A.           History and Development of the Company
 
Our predecessor, Ocean Holdings Inc., was formed as a corporation in January 2000 under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and renamed TOP TANKERS INC. in May 2004. In December 2007, TOP TANKERS INC. was renamed TOP SHIPS INC. Our common stock is currently listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "TOPS". The current address of our principal executive office is 1 Vas. Sofias and Meg. Alexandrou Str, 15124 Maroussi, Greece. The telephone number of our registered office is +30 210 812 8000.
 
On July 23, 2004, we completed our initial public offering. The net proceeds of our initial public offering, approximately $124.6 million, were primarily used to finance the acquisition of 10 vessels, comprising of eight Ice-class double-hull Handymax tankers and two double-hull Suezmax tankers. The total cost of the acquisition was approximately $251.3 million.
 
On November 5, 2004, we completed a follow-on offering of our common stock. The net proceeds of our follow-on offering, approximately $139.5 million, were used primarily to finance the acquisition of five double-hull Suezmax tankers. The total cost of the acquisition was approximately $249.3 million.
 
During 2005, we acquired five double-hull Handymax and four double-hull Suezmax tankers at a total cost of $453.4 million and sold one double-hull Handymax and our last single-hull Handysize tanker. We sold and leased-back five double-hull Handymax tankers for a period of seven years.
 
From April 2006, until July 2006, we issued through a "controlled equity offering" 1,302,454 shares of common stock, par value $0.01. The net proceeds totaled $26.9 million.
 
During 2006, we sold and leased-back on a fixed charter basis four double-hull Handymax, four double-hull Suezmax and five double-hull Suezmax tankers for periods of five years, five years and seven years, respectively. Additionally, we sold three double-hull Handymax tankers, and we entered into an agreement with SPP Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of the Republic of Korea, or SPP, for the construction of six product/chemical tankers.
 
In May 2007, we re-acquired four Suezmax tankers that we sold in 2006 in an earlier sale and leaseback transaction and terminated the respective bareboat charters. The re-acquisition price was $208.0 million and was partially financed by the early redemption of the seller's credit of $20.6 million associated with the 2006 sales and leaseback transactions, along with secured debt financing and cash from operations.
 
From June 2007 until July 2007, we issued through a "controlled equity offering" 1,435,874 shares of common stock, par value $0.01. The net proceeds totaled $29.4 million.
 
During July and August 2007, we agreed to acquire one Supramax, one Handymax and four Panamax drybulk vessels at a total cost of $370.1 million. The Handymax and two of the four Panamax drybulk vessels were delivered to us during the fourth quarter of 2007. The Supramax and the remaining two Panamax drybulk vessels were delivered to us during the first two quarters of 2008.
 
In December 2007, we completed a follow-on offering of our common stock. The net proceeds of this follow-on offering, approximately $68.9 million, were used primarily to repay outstanding secured debt and to partially finance the acquisition of the six drybulk vessels mentioned above, one of which we have since sold.
 
 
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During 2007 we sold one Suezmax tanker, we agreed to sell one Suezmax tanker that we later delivered in January 2008 to its new owners, and we terminated the bareboat charters on three Handymax tankers that we sold in 2006 in sale and leaseback transactions, due to the sale of the vessels by their owners to third parties.
 
During 2008, we took delivery of one Supramax drybulk vessel and two Panamax drybulk vessels, which we had agreed to acquire in 2007 as mentioned above. Additionally, during 2008, we sold seven owned Suezmax tankers and one Panamax drybulk vessel and we arranged the sale of six chartered-in vessels, under bareboat charters, and terminated the respective charters.
 
On March 20, 2008, we effected a three-for-one reverse stock split of our common stock. There was no change in the number of authorized common shares. As a result of the reverse stock split, the number of outstanding shares as of March 20, 2008 decreased to 20,705,380, while the par value of our common shares remained unchanged at $0.01 per share.
 
In April 2008, we privately placed with various investors 7.3 million unregistered shares of common stock, par value $0.01, for aggregate proceeds of approximately $51.0 million. The 7.3 million shares were sold for $7.00 per share, which represents a discount of 15.5 percent based on the closing share price of $8.28 on April 23, 2008. In July 2008, we filed a registration statement on Form F-3, with respect to these 7.3 million shares.
 
As of December 31, 2008, our fleet consisted of twelve vessels – seven Handymax tankers, one Supramax drybulk vessel, one Handymax drybulk vessel, and three Panamax drybulk vessels, with total carrying capacity of 0.7 million dwt (including five tankers sold and leased back), as compared to 23 vessels, with total carrying capacity of 2.4 million dwt (including 11 tankers sold and leased back), as of December 31, 2007.
 
In February 2009, the Company took delivery of Miss Marilena and Lichtenstein from SPP. Miss Marilena and Lichtenstein are two out of six 50,000 dwt product / chemical tankers scheduled to be delivered in 2009. Miss Marilena and Lichtenstein entered into bareboat time-charter employment for a period of 10 years at a daily rate of $14,400 and $14,550, respectively.
 
On March 19, 2009, the Company took delivery of Ionian Wave and Tyrrhenian Wave from SPP. Ionian Wave and Tyrrhenian Wave are the third and fourth out of the six 50,000 dwt product / chemical tankers discussed above. Ionian Wave and Tyrrhenian Wave entered into bareboat time-charter employment for a period of seven years at a daily rate of $14,300, with three successive one-year options at a higher daily rate.
 
In April 2009, we agreed with the owners of the M/T Relentless to terminate the bareboat charter initially entered into as part of the sale and leaseback deal in 2005. Under this agreement, we will redeliver the vessel to its owners and pay a termination fee of $2.5 million during the third quarter of 2009. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2012.
 
On May 22, 2009, the Company took delivery of Britto from SPP. Britto is the fifth out of the six 50,000 dwt newbuilding product / chemical tankers scheduled to be delivered in 2009. Britto entered into bareboat time-charter employment for a period of ten years at a daily rate of $14,550.
 

 
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On June 24, 2009, we terminated the bareboat charters and redelivered the vessels M/T Faithful, the M/T Doubtless, the M/T Spotless and the M/T Vanguard to their owners after paying $11.75 million in termination fees and expenses. In addition to the termination fees and expenses, we have forfeited our right to receive the seller's credit of $10.0 million from the initial sale of the vessels, which would have been received upon the expiration of the bareboat charter, and we have undertaken to pay for the dry-dock of the M/T Spotless which is currently in progress. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2011. We will remain the managers of these vessels until the expiration of their current time charters, in early 2010, and will be reimbursed by the owners for all expenses incurred. These were the last leased vessels in our fleet.
 
B.           Business Overview
 
Business Strategy
 
We are a provider of international seaborne transportation services, carrying petroleum products, crude oil for the oil industry and drybulk commodities for the steel, electric utility, construction and agriculture-food industries. We employ our tanker and drybulk vessels under time charters, bareboat charters, or in the spot charter market. Three of our tankers and four of our drybulk vessels are currently employed on time charters and five of our tankers and one of our drybulk vessels are employed on bareboat charters. We actively manage the deployment of our fleet between time charters and bareboat charters, which last from several months to several years. 56% of our fleet by dwt are sister ships, which enhances the revenue generating potential of our fleet by providing us with operational and scheduling flexibility. Sister ships also increase our operating efficiencies because technical knowledge can be applied to all vessels in a series and create cost efficiencies and economies of scale when ordering spare parts, supplying and crewing these vessels.
 
As of the date of this report, our tanker fleet under management consists of 12 owned (seven tankers and five drybulk vessels) and one chartered-in tanker vessel from a sale and leaseback transaction that we completed in 2005. The purpose of the sale and leaseback transaction was to take advantage of the high asset price environment prevailing in the market at the time and to maintain commercial and operations control of the vessels for a period of five to seven years.
 
However, the vessels sold and leased back proved to have higher operating expenses due to the increased need for regular repairs and maintenance. In addition, freight market conditions deteriorated during the years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008. At the inception of the lease period we had assumed a utilization rate of approximately 90% for those vessels. However, most of these vessels underwent their drydockings in 2006 and early 2007. All of these drydockings required significantly more time and expense than originally anticipated because of the unexpected, increased amount of works required and overbooking of the Chinese shipyards at which the vessels were drydocked, which caused significant delays. These circumstances decreased the utilization rate to approximately 71%. As a result of the above, the transaction proved uneconomical and had a negative impact on our operating results.
 
The chartered-in vessels constituted the majority of the fleet in 2006, but soon thereafter we initiated a process to unwind a number of bareboat agreements. We have successfully unwound all bareboat charter agreements, either by re-acquiring tankers previously sold and leased back, initiating the sale process by the lessors to third parties or by terminating the leases in exchange for a termination fee.  Our last leased vessel will be redelivered to its owners in the third quarter of 2009.
 
During 2006 we ordered six newbuilding product tankers in the SPP shipyard in the Republic of Korea in order to modernize our tanker fleet. Five of these tankers have already been delivered to us during the first two quarters of 2009 and the sixth one is expected to be delivered during the summer of 2009.
 
In addition, during 2007 we diversified our fleet portfolio by acquiring drybulk vessels, beginning with the acquisition of six drybulk vessels, one of which we subsequently sold.
 

 
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We intend to continue to review the market for tanker and drybulk vessels to continue our program of acquiring suitable vessels on accretive terms.
 
We believe we have established a reputation in the international ocean transport industry for operating and maintaining our fleet with high standards of performance, reliability and safety. We have assembled a management team comprised of executives who have extensive experience operating large and diversified fleets of tankers and drybulk vessels, and who have strong ties to a number of national, regional and international oil companies, charterers and traders.
 
Our Fleet
 
The following table presents the Company's fleet list and employment as of the date of this report:
 
 
Dwt
Year
Built
Charter Type
Expiry
Daily Base Rate
Profit Sharing
Above Base Rate (2009)
Eight Tanker Vessels
           
Relentless (A)
47,084
1992
Time Charter
Q2/2009
 $14,000
50% thereafter
Dauntless (B)
46,168
1999
Time Charter
Q1/2010
 $16,250
100% first $1,000 + 50% thereafter
Ioannis P (B)
46,346
2003
Time Charter
Q4/2010
 $18,000
100% first $1,000 + 50% thereafter
Miss Marilena (B)
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2019
$14,400
None
Lichtenstein (B)
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2019
 $14,550
None
Ionian Wave (B)
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2016
 $14,300
None
Thyrrhenian Wave (B)
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2016
 $14,300
None
Britto (B)
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2019
 $14,550
None
             
One Newbuilding Product Tanker
           
Hull S-1033
50,000
2009
Bareboat Charter
Q1-2/2019
 $14,550
None
             
Total Tanker dwt
439,598
         
             
Five Drybulk Vessels
           
Cyclades (B)
75,681
2000
Time Charter
Q2/2011
$54,250
None
Amalfi (B)
45,526
2000
Time Charter
Q2/2009
$10,000
None
Voc Gallant (B)
51,200
2002
Bareboat Charter
Q2/2012
$24,000
None
Pepito (B)
75,928
2001
Time Charter
Q2/2013
$41,000
None
Astrale (B)
75,933
2000
Time Charter
Q2/2011
$18,000
None
             
Total Drybulk dwt
324,268
         
             
TOTAL DWT
763,866
         

A. Vessel sold and leased back in September 2005 for a period of 7 years.
B. Owned vessels.

 
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Management of the Fleet
 
Since July 1, 2004, TOP Tanker Management Inc., or TOP Tanker Management, our wholly-owned subsidiary, has been responsible for all of the chartering, operational and technical management of our fleet, including crewing, maintenance, repair, capital expenditures, drydocking, vessel taxes, maintaining insurance and other vessel operating expenses under management agreements with our vessel owning subsidiaries. TOP Tanker Management has built a management team with significant experience in operating large and diversified fleets of tankers and drybulk vessels and has expertise in all aspects of commercial, technical, management and financial areas of our business. Prior to July 1, 2004, the operations of our fleet were managed by Primal Tankers Inc., which was wholly-owned by the father of our Chief Executive Officer.
 
As of December 31, 2008, TOP Tanker Management has subcontracted the day-to-day technical management and crewing of two Handymax tankers to V. Ships Management Limited, a ship management company Additionally, TOP Tanker Management has also subcontracted the crewing of three Handymax tankers to V. Ships Management Limited and has also subcontracted the crewing of two Handymax tankers and four drybulk vessels to Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc. TOP Tanker Management pays a monthly fee of $11,800 per vessel for technical management and crewing of the two vessels and $3,550 per vessel for the crewing of three vessels under its agreements with V. Ships Management, and a monthly fee of $1,700 per vessel for the six vessels under its agreements with Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc.
 
Crewing and Employees
 
As of December 31, 2007 and 2008, TOP SHIPS INC. had four employees, while our wholly-owned subsidiary, TOP Tanker Management, employed 92 employees in 2007 and 66 employees in 2008, all of whom are shore-based. TOP Tanker Management ensures that all seamen have the qualifications and licenses required to comply with international regulations and shipping conventions, and that our vessels employ experienced and competent personnel.
 
During 2008, V. Ships Management, Hanseatic Shipping Company and Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc, were responsible for the crewing of the fleet. Such responsibilities include training, transportation, compensation and insurance of the crew.
 
All of the employees of TOP Tanker Management are subject to a general collective bargaining agreement covering employees of shipping agents in Greece. These agreements set industry-wide minimum standards. We have not had any labor problems with our employees under this collective bargaining agreement and consider our workplace and labor union relations to be good.
 
The Industry - Tankers
 
The international tanker industry represents, we believe, the most efficient and safest method of transporting large volumes of crude oil and refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, gas oil and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals. Over the past five years, seaborne transportation of petroleum products has grown substantially, although it declined during 2008.
 

 
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Freight rates in the tanker shipping industry are determined by the supply of product tankers and the demand for crude oil and refined petroleum products transportation. Factors that affect the supply of product tankers and the demand for transportation of crude oil and refined petroleum products include:
 
Demand
 
 
general economic conditions, including increases and decreases in industrial production and transportation, in which China has played a significant role since it joined the World Trade Organization.
 
 
oil prices;
 
 
environmental issues or concerns;
 
 
climate;
 
 
competition from alternative energy sources; and
 
 
regulatory environment.
 
Supply
 
 
the number of combined carriers, or vessels capable of carrying oil or drybulk cargoes, carrying oil cargoes;
 
 
the number of newbuildings on order and being delivered;
 
 
the number of tankers in lay-up, which refers to vessels that are in storage, dry-docked, awaiting repairs or otherwise not available or out of commission; and
 
 
the number of tankers scrapped for obsolescence or subject to casualties;
 
 
prevailing and expected future charterhire rates;
 
 
costs of bunkers, fuel oil, and other operating costs;
 
 
the efficiency and age of the world tanker fleet;
 
 
current shipyard capacity; and
 
 
government and industry regulation of maritime transportation practices, particularly environmental protection laws and regulations.

 
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Developments in the International Tanker Market
 
The Baltic Dirty Tanker Index, a U.S. dollar daily average of charter rates issued by the London based Baltic Exchange (an organization providing maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts) which takes into account input from brokers around the world regarding crude oil fixtures for various routes various tanker vessel sizes, declined from a high of 2,347 in July 2008 to a low of 453 in mid-April 2009, which represents a decline of 80%. The Baltic Clean Tanker Index has fallen over 1,160 points, or 77%, since the early summer of 2008. The decline in charter rates is due to various factors, including the significant fall in demand for crude oil and petroleum products, the consequent rising inventories of crude oil and petroleum products in the United States and in other industrialized nations and the corresponding reduction in oil refining, the dramatic fall in the price of oil in 2008, and the restrictions on crude oil production that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC and other non-OPEC oil producing countries have imposed in an effort to stabilize the price of oil.
 
The price of crude oil rose sharply in the first half of 2008. From a starting point of $99 per barrel at the turn of the year, spot prices for West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, a specific type of oil, rose to peak prices above $145 per barrel in July. The rise in prices caused OPEC to continue increasing crude oil production in the first seven months of 2008, driving tanker earnings to the highest levels witnessed since late 2004 in most markets. After July, oil prices declined sharply as a result of the deterioration in the world economy, the collapse of financial markets, declining oil demand and bearish market sentiment. The fall in prices and in demand and rising oil inventories led OPEC to reduce crude oil production and exports resulting in lower, albeit still historically high, tanker earnings in the second half of the year. In the first quarter of 2009 oil prices stabilized in a trading range of $35-$55 per barrel as OPEC continued to reduce production levels.
 

 
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The Industry – Drybulk Vessels
 
Drybulk cargo is cargo that is shipped in quantities and can be easily stowed in a single hold with little risk of cargo damage. According to industry sources, approximately 3,065 million tons of drybulk cargo was transported by sea, consisting of iron ore, coal and grains representing 27.5%, 25.87% and 10.24% of the total drybulk trade, respectively.
 
The demand for drybulk vessel capacity is determined by the underlying demand for commodities transported in drybulk vessels, which in turn is influenced by trends in the global economy. Between 2001 and 2007, trade in all drybulk commodities increased from 2,108 million tons to 2,961 million tons, an increase of 40.46%. One of the main reasons for that increase in drybulk trade was the growth in imports by China of iron ore, coal and steel products during the last eight years. Chinese imports of iron ore alone increased from 92.2 million tons in 2001 to approximately 382 million tons in 2007. In 2008, overall trade in all drybulk commodities increased from 2,961 million tons in 2007 to 3,065 million tons, an increase of 3.5%. However, demand for drybullk shipping decreased dramatically in the second quarter of 2008 evidenced by the decrease in Chinese iron ore imports which decreased from a high of 119.5 million tons in the second quarter of 2008 to a low of 96.2 million tons during the fourth quarter of 2008 representing a decrease of 19.5%.
 
The supply of drybulk vessels is dependent on the delivery of new vessels and the removal of vessels from the global fleet, either through scrapping or loss. The orderbook of new drybulk vessels scheduled to be delivered in 2009 represents approximately 28.3% of the world drybulk fleet. The level of scrapping activity is generally a function of scrapping prices in relation to current and prospective charter market conditions, as well as operating, repair and survey costs. Drybulk vessels at or over 25 years old are considered to be scrapping candidate vessels.
 
Developments in the International Drybulk Shipping Industry
 
The Baltic Drybulk Index, or BDI, a US dollar daily average of charter rates issued by the London based Baltic Exchange which takes into account input from brokers around the world regarding fixtures for various routes, dry cargoes and various drybulk vessel sizes, declined from a high of 11,793 in May 2008 to a low of 663 in December 2008, which represents a decline of 94%. The BDI fell over 70% during the month of October 2008 alone. The decline in charter rates is due to various factors, including the lack of trade financing for purchases of commodities carried by sea, which has resulted in a significant decline in cargo shipments, and the excess supply of iron ore in China, which has resulted in falling iron ore prices and increased stockpiles in Chinese ports. The decline in charter rates in the drybulk market also affects the value of drybulk vessels which follow the trends of drybulk charter rates. During 2009, the BDI has risen to 4,026 as of June 17, 2009.
 

 
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Environmental Regulation
 
Government regulation significantly affects the ownership and operation of our vessels. We are subject to international conventions, national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the countries in which our vessels may operate or are registered relating to safety and health and environmental protection, including the storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of hazardous and nonhazardous materials, the remediation of contamination, and liability for damage to natural resources. Compliance with such laws, regulations and other requirements entails significant expense, including vessel modifications and implementation of certain operating procedures.
 
A variety of governmental and private entities subject our vessels to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections. These entities include the local port authorities (U.S. Coast Guard, harbor master or equivalent), classification societies, flag state administration (country of registry) and charterers, particularly terminal operators and oil companies. Certain of these entities require us to obtain permits, licenses and certificates for the operation of our vessels. Failure to maintain necessary permits, certificates or approvals could require us to incur substantial costs or temporarily suspend the operation of one or more of our vessels.
 
We believe that the heightened level of environmental and quality concerns among insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers have lead to greater inspection and safety requirements on all vessels and may accelerate the scrapping of older vessels throughout the industry. Increasing environmental concerns have created a demand for vessels that conform to the stricter environmental standards. We are required to maintain operating standards for all of our vessels that emphasize operational safety, quality maintenance, continuous training of our officers and crews and compliance with United States and international regulations. We believe that the operation of our vessels is in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations and that our vessels have all material permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations necessary for the conduct of our operations. However, because such laws and regulations are frequently changed and may impose increasingly stricter requirements, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with these requirements, or the impact of these requirements on the resale value or useful lives of our vessels. In addition, a future serious marine incident that results in significant oil pollution or otherwise causes significant adverse environmental impact could result in additional legislation or regulation that could negatively affect our profitability.
 
International Maritime Organization
 
The International Maritime Organization, or IMO (the United Nations agency for maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships), has adopted the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, which has been updated through various amendments, or the MARPOL Convention. The MARPOL Convention implements environmental standards including oil leakage or spilling, garbage management, as well as the handling and disposal of noxious liquids, harmful substances in packaged forms, sewage and air emissions. Under IMO regulations, in order to trade in ports of IMO member nations, a newbuild tanker of 5,000 dwt or above must be of double-hull construction or a mid-deck design with double-sided construction or be of another approved design ensuring the same level of protection against oil pollution if the tanker:
 
 
is the subject of a contract for a major conversion or original construction on or after July 6, 1993;
 
 
commences a major conversion or has its keel laid on or after January 6, 1994; or
 
 
completes a major conversion or is a newbuilding delivered on or after July 6, 1996.

 
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Since the enactment of these regulations, the IMO has accelerated the timetable for the phase-out of single-hull oil tankers. We do not currently own any single-hull tankers.

In December 2003, the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the IMO, or MEPC, adopted an amendment to the MARPOL Convention, which became effective in April 2005. The amendment revised an existing regulation 13G accelerating the phase-out of single-hull oil tankers and adopted a new regulation 13H on the prevention of oil pollution from oil tankers when carrying heavy grade oil. Under the revised regulation, single-hull oil tankers were required to be phased out no later than April 5, 2005 or the anniversary of the date of delivery of the ship on the date or in the year specified in the following table:
 
Category of Oil Tankers
 
Date or Year for Phase Out
Category 1 – oil tankers of 20,000 dwt and above carrying crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil as cargo, and of 30,000 dwt and above carrying other oils, which do not comply with the requirements for protectively located segregated ballast tanks
 
April 5, 2005 for ships delivered on April 5, 1982 or earlier
2005 for ships delivered after April 5, 1982
Category 2 – oil tankers of 20,000 dwt and above carrying crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil as cargo, and of 30,000 dwt and above carrying other oils, which do comply with the protectively located segregated ballast tank requirements
 
and
 
Category 3 – oil tankers of 5,000 dwt and above but less than the tonnage specified for Category 1 and 2 tankers.
 
April 5, 2005 for ships delivered on April 5, 1977 or earlier
2005 for ships delivered after April 5, 1977 but before January 1, 1978
2006 for ships delivered in 1978 and 1979
2007 for ships delivered in 1980 and 1981
2008 for ships delivered in 1982
2009 for ships delivered in 1983
2010 for ships delivered in 1984 or later
 
Under the revised regulations, a flag state may permit continued operation of certain Category 2 or 3 tankers beyond their phase out date in accordance with the above table. Under regulation 13G, the flag state may allow for some newer single-hull oil tankers registered in its country that conform to certain technical specifications to continue operating until the earlier of the anniversary of the date of delivery of the vessel in 2015 or the 25th anniversary of their delivery. Under regulations 13G and 13H, as described below, certain Category 2 and 3 tankers fitted only with double bottoms or double sides may be allowed by the flag state to continue operations until their 25th anniversary of delivery. Any port state, however, may deny entry of those single-hull oil tankers that are allowed to operate under any of the flag state exemptions. These regulations have been adopted by over 150 nations, including many of the jurisdictions in which our tankers operate.
 

 
36

 

Revised Annex I to the MARPOL Convention entered into force in January 2007. Revised Annex I incorporates various amendments adopted since the MARPOL Convention entered into force in 1983, including the amendments to regulation 13G (regulation 20 in the revised Annex) and Regulation 13H (regulation 21 in the revised Annex). Revised Annex I also imposes construction requirements for oil tankers delivered on or after January 1, 2010. A further amendment to revised Annex I includes an amendment to the definition of heavy grade oil that will broaden the scope of regulation 21. On August 1, 2007, regulation 12A (an amendment to Annex I) came into effect requiring oil fuel tanks to be located inside the double-hull in all ships with an aggregate oil fuel capacity of 600m 3 and above, and which are delivered on or after August 1, 2010, including ships for which the building contract is entered into on or after August 1, 2007 or, in the absence of a contract, ships for which a keel is laid on or after February 1, 2008.
 
In September 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention to address air pollution from ships. Annex VI was ratified in May 2004 and became effective in May 2005. Annex VI sets limits on sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from all commercial vessel exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances (such as halons and chlorofluorocarbons), emissions of volatile compounds from cargo tanks, and the shipboard incineration of specific substances. Annex VI also includes a global cap on the sulfur content of fuel oil and allows for special areas to be established with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions. We believe that all our vessels are currently compliant in all material respects with these regulations. Additional or new conventions, laws and regulations may be adopted that could require the installation of expensive emission control systems and could adversely affect our business, cash flows, results of operations and financial condition. In October 2008, the IMO adopted amendments to Annex VI regarding particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions standards that will enter into force July 1, 2010. The amended Annex VI would reduce air pollution from vessels by, among other things, (i) implementing a progressive reduction of sulfur oxide emissions from ships, with the global sulfur cap reduced initially to 3.50% (from the current cap of 4.50%), effective from January 1, 2012, then progressively to 0.50%, effective from January 1, 2020, subject to a feasibility review to be completed no later than 2018; and (ii) establishing new tiers of stringent nitrogen oxide emissions standards for new marine engines, depending on their date of installation. Once these amendments become effective, we may incur costs to comply with these revised standards. The United States ratified the Annex VI amendments in October 2008, thereby rendering U.S. air emissions standards equivalent to IMO requirements.

The IMO has also adopted the SOLAS Convention and the LL Convention, which impose a variety of standards to regulate design and operational features of ships. SOLAS Convention and LL Convention standards are revised periodically. We believe that all our vessels are in substantial compliance with SOLAS Convention and LL Convention standards.

Under Chapter IX of the SOLAS Convention, the requirements contained in the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, or ISM Code, promulgated by the IMO, also affect our operations. The ISM Code requires the party with operational control of a vessel to develop an extensive safety management system that includes, among other things, the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for operating its vessels safely and describing procedures for responding to emergencies.
 
The ISM Code requires that vessel operators obtain a safety management certificate for each vessel they operate. This certificate evidences compliance by a vessel's management with the ISM Code requirements for a safety management system. No vessel can obtain a certificate unless its operator has been awarded a document of compliance, issued by each flag state, under the ISM Code. We have obtained documents of compliance for our offices and safety management certificates for all of our vessels for which the certificates are required by the IMO. As required by the ISM Code, we renew these documents of compliance and safety management certificates annually.
 

 
37

 

Noncompliance with the ISM Code and other IMO regulations may subject the shipowner or bareboat charterer to increased liability, may lead to decreases in available insurance coverage for affected vessels and may result in a tanker's denial of access to, or detention in, some ports. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and European Union authorities have indicated that vessels not in compliance with the ISM Code by the applicable deadlines will be prohibited from trading in U.S. and European Union ports, as the case may be.
 
The IMO has negotiated international conventions that impose liability for oil pollution in international waters and a signatory's territorial waters. Additional or new conventions, laws and regulations may be adopted which could limit our ability to do business and which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The IMO adopted an International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, or the BWM Convention, in February 2004. The BWM Convention's implementing regulations call for a phased introduction of mandatory ballast water exchange requirements (beginning in 2009), to be replaced in time with mandatory concentration limits. The BWM Convention will not become effective until 12 months after it has been adopted by 30 states, the combined merchant fleets of which represent not less than 35% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping tonnage. To date, there has not been sufficient adoption of this standard for it to take force.

Although the United States is not a party to these conventions, many countries have ratified and follow the liability plan adopted by the IMO and set out in the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as amended in 2000, or the CLC. Under this convention and depending on whether the country in which the damage results is a party to the 1992 Protocol to the CLC, a vessel's registered owner is strictly liable for pollution damage caused in the territorial waters of a contracting state by discharge of persistent oil, subject to certain defenses. The limits on liability outlined in the 1992 Protocol use the International Monetary Fund currency unit of Special Drawing Rights, or SDR. Under an amendment to the 1992 Protocol that became effective on November 1, 2003, for vessels between 5,000 and 140,000 gross tons (a unit of measurement for the total enclosed spaces within a vessel), liability is limited to approximately $6.92 million (4.51 million SDR) plus $970 (631 SDR) for each additional gross ton over 5,000. For vessels of over 140,000 gross tons, liability is limited to $138.01 million (89.77 million SDR). As the convention calculates liability in terms of a basket of currencies, these figures are based on currency exchange rates of 0.65046 SDR per U.S. dollar on June 17, 2009. The right to limit liability is forfeited under the CLC where the spill is caused by the shipowner's actual fault and under the 1992 Protocol where the spill is caused by the shipowner's intentional or reckless conduct. Vessels trading with states that are parties to these conventions must provide evidence of insurance covering the liability of the owner. In jurisdictions where the CLC has not been adopted, various legislative schemes or common law govern, and liability is imposed either on the basis of fault or in a manner similar to that of the convention. We believe that our protection and indemnity insurance will cover the liability under the plan adopted by the IMO.
 
IMO regulations also require owners and operators of vessels to adopt Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plans or SOPEPs. Periodic training and drills for response personnel and for vessels and their crews are required.
 
The IMO continues to review and introduce new regulations. It is impossible to predict what additional regulations, if any, may be passed by the IMO and what effect, if any, such regulations might have on our operations.


 
38

 

U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
 
In 1990, the United States Congress enacted the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or OPA to establish an extensive regulatory and liability regime for environmental protection and cleanup of oil spills. OPA affects all owners and operators whose vessels trade with the United States or its territories or possessions, or whose vessels operate in the waters of the United States, which include the United States territorial sea and the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the United States. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA, imposes liability for clean-up and natural resource damage from the release of hazardous substances (other than oil) whether on land or at sea. Both OPA and CERCLA impact our operations.
 
Under OPA, vessel owners, operators and bareboat charterers are "responsible parties" who are jointly, severally and strictly liable (unless the spill results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war) for all containment and clean-up costs and other damages arising from oil spills from their vessels. These other damages are defined broadly to include:
 
 
natural resource damage and related assessment costs;
 
 
real and personal property damage;
 
 
net loss of taxes, royalties, rents, profits or earnings capacity;
 
 
net cost of public services necessitated by a spill response, such as protection from fire, safety or health hazards; and
 
 
loss of subsistence use of natural resources.
 
Under amendments to OPA that became effective on July 11, 2006, the liability of responsible parties is limited with respect to tanker vessels to the greater of $1,900 per gross ton or $16.0 million per vessel that is over 3,000 gross tons, and with respect to non tanker vessels, to the greater of $950 per gross ton or $0.8 million per vessel (subject to periodic adjustment for inflation). On September 24, 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard proposed adjustments to the limits of liability that would increase the limits for tank vessels to the greater of $2,000 per gross ton or $17.0 million per vessel that is over 3,000 gross tons and for non tank vessels to the greater of $1,000 per gross ton or $848,000 and establish a procedure for adjusting the limits for inflation every three years. The comment period for the proposed rule closed on November 24, 2008, and the adjustments will become effective after publication as final regulations. OPA specifically permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes with regard to oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries, and some states have enacted legislation providing for unlimited liability for discharge of pollutants within their waters. In some cases, states that have enacted this type of legislation have not yet issued implementing regulations defining tanker owners' responsibilities under these laws.
 
CERCLA, which applies to owners and operators of vessels, contains a similar liability regime and provides for cleanup, removal and natural resource damages. Liability under CERCLA is limited to the greater of $300 per gross ton or $5.0 million for vessels carrying a hazardous substance as cargo and the greater of $300 per gross ton or $0.5 million for any other vessel.
 
These limits of liability do not apply, however, where the incident is caused by violation of applicable U.S. federal safety, construction or operating regulations, or by the responsible party's gross negligence or willful misconduct. These limits also do not apply if the responsible party fails or refuses to report the incident or to cooperate and assist in connection with the substance removal activities. OPA and CERCLA each preserve the right to recover damages under existing law, including maritime tort law.
 

 
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OPA also requires owners and operators of vessels to establish and maintain with the U.S. Coast Guard evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to meet the limit of their potential strict liability under the act. On October 17, 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard regulatory requirements under OPA and CERCLA were amended to require evidence of financial responsibility in amounts that reflect the higher limits of liability imposed by the July 2006 amendments to OPA, as described above. The increased amounts became effective on January 15, 2009. U.S. Coast Guard regulations currently require evidence of financial responsibility in the amount of $2,200 per gross ton for  tankers, coupling the current OPA limitation on liability of $1,900 per gross ton with the CERCLA liability limit of $300 per gross ton. Under the regulations, evidence of financial responsibility may be demonstrated by insurance, surety bond, self-insurance or guaranty. Under OPA regulations, an owner or operator of more than one tanker is required to demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility for the entire fleet in an amount equal only to the financial responsibility requirement of the tanker having the greatest maximum strict liability under OPA and CERCLA. We have provided such evidence and received certificates of financial responsibility from the U.S. Coast Guard for each of our vessels required to have one.
 
We insure each of our vessels with pollution liability insurance in the maximum commercially available amount of $1.0 billion. A catastrophic spill could exceed the insurance coverage available, in which event there could be a material adverse effect on our business.
 
The U.S. Clean Water Act
 
The U.S. Clean Water Act, or CWA, prohibits the discharge of oil or hazardous substances in U.S. navigable waters unless authorized by a duly-issued permit or exemption, and imposes strict liability in the form of penalties for any unauthorized discharges. The CWA also imposes substantial liability for the costs of removal, remediation and damages and complements the remedies available under OPA and CERCLA.
 
The United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has enacted rules governing the regulation of ballast water discharges and other discharges incidental to the normal operation of vessels within U.S. waters. Under the new rules, which took effect February 6, 2009, commercial vessels 79 feet in length or longer (other than commercial fishing vessels), or Regulated Vessels , are required to obtain a CWA permit regulating and authorizing such normal discharges. This permit, which the EPA has designated as the Vessel General Permit for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of Vessels, or VGP, incorporates the current U.S. Coast Guard requirements for ballast water management as well as supplemental ballast water requirements, and includes limits applicable to specific discharge streams.
 
Although the VGP became effective on February 6, 2009, the VGP application procedure, known as the Notice of Intent, or NOI, has yet to be finalized. Accordingly, Regulated Vessels will effectively be covered under the VGP from February 6, 2009 until June 19, 2009, at which time the "eNOI" electronic filing interface will become operational. Thereafter, owners and operators of Regulated Vessels must file their NOIs prior to September 19, 2009, or the Deadline. Any Regulated Vessel that does not file a NOI by the Deadline will not be allowed to discharge into U.S. navigable waters until it has obtained a VGP.  Our fleet is composed entirely of Regulated Vessels, and we intend to submit NOIs for each vessel in our fleet as soon after June 19, 2009 as practicable.
 

 
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Owners and operators of vessels visiting U.S. waters will be required to comply with this VGP program or face penalties. Compliance with the VGP may require the installation of equipment on our  vessels to treat ballast water before it is discharged or the implementation of other port facility disposal arrangements or procedures at potentially substantial cost, and/or otherwise restrict our vessels from entering U.S. waters.  In addition, the CWA requires each state to certify federal discharge permits such as the VGP. Certain states have enacted more stringent discharge standards as conditions to their certification of the VGP.  The VGP and its state-specific regulations and any similar restrictions enacted in the future will increase the costs of operating in the relevant waters.
 
The U.S. National Invasive Species Act, or NISA, was enacted in 1996 in response to growing reports of harmful organisms being released into U.S. ports through ballast water taken on by ships in foreign ports. NISA established a ballast water management program for ships entering U.S. waters. Under NISA mid-ocean ballast water exchange is voluntary except for ships heading to the Great Lakes or Hudson River, or vessels engaged in the foreign export of Alaskan North Slope crude oil. However NISA's reporting and record keeping requirements are mandatory for vessels bound for any port in the United States. Although ballast water exchange is the primary  means of compliance with the act's guidelines, compliance can also be achieved through the retention of ballast water on-board the ship, or the use of environmentally sound alternative ballast water management methods approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. If the mid-ocean ballast exchange  is made mandatory throughout the United States, or if water treatment requirements or options are instituted, the cost of compliance could increase for ocean carriers. Although we do not believe that the costs of compliance with a mandatory mid-ocean ballast exchange would be material, it is difficult to predict the overall impact of such a requirement on the shipping industry. In April 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that amends NISA by prohibiting the discharge of ballast water unless it has been treated with specified methods or acceptable alternatives. Similar bills have been introduced in the U.S. Senate, but we cannot predict which bill, if any, will be enacted into law. In the absence of federal standards, states have enacted legislation or regulations to address invasive species through ballast water and hull cleaning management and permitting requirements. For instance, the State of California has recently enacted legislation extending its ballast water management program to regulate the management of "hull fouling" organisms attached to vessels and adopted regulations limiting the number of organisms in ballast water discharges. Michigan's ballast water management legislation mandating the use of various techniques for ballast water treatment was upheld by the federal courts. Other states may proceed with the enactment of similar requirements that could increase the costs of operating in state waters.
 
Other Regulations
 
The U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and 1990, or the CAA, requires the EPA to promulgate standards applicable to emissions of volatile organic compounds and other air contaminants. Our tanker vessels are subject to vapor control and recovery requirements for certain cargoes when loading, unloading, ballasting, cleaning and conducting other operations in regulated port areas. Our tanker vessels that operate in such port areas with restricted cargoes are equipped with vapor recovery systems that satisfy these requirements. The CAA also requires states to draft State Implementation Plans, or SIPs, designed to attain national health-based air quality standards in primarily major metropolitan and/or industrial areas. Several SIPs regulate emissions resulting from vessel loading and unloading operations by requiring the installation of vapor control equipment. As indicated above, our tanker vessels operating in covered port areas are already equipped with vapor recovery systems that satisfy these requirements. Although a risk exists that new regulations could require significant capital expenditures and otherwise increase our costs, based on the regulations that have been proposed to date, we believe that no material capital expenditures beyond those currently contemplated and no material increase in costs are likely to be required.
 

 
41

 

On October 9, 2008, the United States ratified the amended Annex VI to the IMO's MARPOL Convention, addressing air pollution from ships, which went into effect on January 8, 2009. The EPA and the state of California, however, have each proposed more stringent regulations of air emissions from ocean-going vessels. The California Air Resources Board or CARB, has recently adopted clean-fuel regulations applicable to all vessels sailing within 24 miles of the California coastline whose itineraries call for them to enter any California ports, terminal facilities, or internal or estuarine waters. The new CARB regulations require such vessels to use low sulfur marine fuels rather than bunker fuel. By July 1, 2009, such vessels are required to switch either to marine gas oil with a sulfur content of no more than 1.5% or marine diesel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.5%. By 2012, only marine gas oil and marine diesel oil fuels with 0.1% sulfur will be allowed. CARB adopted the new regulations in spite of the invalidation of similar regulations by the courts, and more legal challenges to the standards are expected to follow. If CARB prevails and the new regulations go into effect as scheduled on July 1, 2009, in the event our vessels were to travel within such waters, these new regulations would require significant expenditures on low-sulfur fuel and would increase our operating costs. Finally, although the more stringent CARB regime was technically superseded when the United States ratified and implemented the amended Annex VI, on March 27, 2009, the United States requested IMO to designate the area extending 200 miles from the territorial sea baseline adjacent to the Atlantic/Gulf and Pacific coasts and the eight main Hawaiian Islands as Emission Control Areas under the Annex VI amendments. If approved by the IMO, more stringent emissions standards similar to the new CARB regulations would apply in the Emission Control Areas, which would cause us to incur further costs.
 
Several of our vessels currently carry cargoes to U.S. waters and we believe that all of our vessels are suitable to meet OPA and other U.S. environmental requirements.
 
European Union Tanker Restrictions
 
In 2005, the European Union (EU) adopted a directive on ship-source pollution, imposing criminal sanctions for intentional, reckless or negligent pollution discharges by ships. The directive could result in criminal liability for pollution from vessels in waters of EU countries that adopt implementing legislation. Criminal liability for pollution may result in substantial penalties or fines and increased civil liability claims.
 
Greenhouse Gas Regulation
 
In February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which we refer to as the Kyoto Protocol, entered into force. Pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol, adopting countries are required to implement national programs to reduce emissions of certain gases, generally referred to as greenhouse gases, which are suspected of contributing to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere. Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol. A new treaty is expected to be adopted at the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, and there is pressure to include shipping. The European Union has also indicated that it intends to propose an expansion of the existing E.U. emissions trading scheme to include emissions of greenhouse gases from vessels. In the U.S., on April 17, 2009, the EPA Administrator signed a proposed finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health and safety and that emissions from new motor vehicle engines contribute to concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Although the proposed finding does not extend to vessels and vessel engines, the EPA is separately considering a petition from the California Attorney General and a coalition of environmental groups to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ocean-going vessels under the Clean Air Act. Climate change initiatives are also being considered by the U.S. Congress in this session.
 

 
42

 

Any passage of climate control legislation or other regulatory initiatives by the IMO, E.U., the U.S. or other individual countries where we operate that restrict emissions of greenhouse gases could require us to make significant financial expenditures that we cannot predict with certainty at this time.
 
Vessel Security Regulations
 
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there have been a variety of initiatives intended to enhance vessel security. On November 25, 2002, the U.S. Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, or MTSA, came into effect. To implement certain portions of the MTSA, the United States Coast Guard in July 2003 issued regulations requiring the implementation of certain security requirements aboard vessels operating in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to the SOLAS Convention created a new chapter of the convention dealing specifically with maritime security. The new chapter went into effect on July 1, 2004 and imposes various detailed security obligations on vessels and port authorities, most of which are contained in the recently created International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, or the ISPS Code. The ISPS Code is designed to protect ports and international shipping against terrorism. After July 1, 2004, to trade internationally, a vessel must obtain an International Ship Security Certificate from a recognized security organization approved by the vessel's flag state. Among the various requirements are:
 
 
on-board installation of automatic identification systems to provide a means for the automatic transmission of safety-related information from among similarly equipped ships and shore stations, including information on a ship's identity, position, course, speed and navigational status;

 
on-board installation of ship security alert systems, which do not sound on the vessel but only alerts the authorities on shore;

 
the development of vessel security plans;

 
ship identification number to be permanently marked on a vessel's hull;

 
a continuous synopsis record kept onboard showing a vessel's history including, name of the ship and of the state whose flag the ship is entitled to fly, the date on which the ship was registered with that state, the ship's identification number, the port at which the ship is registered and the name of the registered owner(s) and their registered address; and

 
compliance with flag state security certification requirements.

The U.S. Coast Guard regulations, intended to align with international maritime security standards, exempt from MTSA vessel security measures non-U.S. vessels that have on board, as of July 1, 2004, a valid ISSC attesting to the vessel's compliance with SOLAS Convention security requirements and the ISPS Code. We have implemented the various security measures addressed by MTSA, the SOLAS Convention, and the ISPS Code, and our fleet is in compliance with applicable security requirements.


 
43

 

Inspection by Classification Societies
 
Every seagoing vessel must be ''classed'' by a classification society. The classification society certifies that the vessel is ''in class,'' signifying that the vessel has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules of the classification society and complies with applicable rules and regulations of the vessel's country of registry and the international conventions of which that country is a member. In addition, where surveys are required by international conventions and corresponding laws and ordinances of a flag state, the classification society will undertake them on application or by official order, acting on behalf of the authorities concerned.
 
The classification society also undertakes or requests other surveys and checks that are required by regulations and requirements of the flag state. These surveys are subject to agreements made in each individual case and/or to the regulations of the country concerned.
 
For maintenance of the class, regular and extraordinary surveys of hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and any special equipment classed are required to be performed as follows:
 
Annual Surveys: For seagoing ships, annual surveys are conducted for the hull and the machinery, including the electrical plant, and where applicable for special equipment classed, at intervals of 12 months from the date of commencement of the class period indicated in the certificate.
 
Intermediate Surveys: Extended annual surveys are referred to as intermediate surveys and typically are conducted two and one-half years after commissioning and each class renewal. Intermediate surveys may be carried out on the occasion of the second or third annual survey.
 
Class Renewal Surveys: Class renewal surveys, also known as special surveys, are carried out for the ship's hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and for any special equipment classed, at the intervals indicated by the character of classification for the hull. At the special survey, the vessel is thoroughly examined, including audio-gauging to determine the thickness of the steel structures. Should the thickness be found to be less than class requirements, the classification society would prescribe steel renewals. The classification society may grant a one-year grace period for completion of the special survey. Substantial amounts of money may have to be spent for steel renewals to pass a special survey if the vessel experiences excessive wear and tear. In lieu of the special survey every four or five years, depending on whether a grace period was granted, a shipowner has the option of arranging with the classification society for the vessel's hull or machinery to be on a continuous survey cycle, in which every part of the vessel would be surveyed within a five-year cycle.
 
At an owner's application, the surveys required for class renewal may be split according to an agreed schedule to extend over the entire period of class. This process is referred to as continuous class renewal.
 
All areas subject to survey as defined by the classification society are required to be surveyed at least once per class period, unless shorter intervals between surveys are prescribed elsewhere. The period between two subsequent surveys of each area must not exceed five years.
 
Most vessels are also dry-docked every 30 to 36 months for inspection of the underwater parts and for repairs related to inspections. If any defects are found, the classification surveyor will issue a ''recommendation'' which must be rectified by the ship owner within prescribed time limits.
 

 
44

 

Most insurance underwriters make it a condition for insurance coverage that a vessel be certified as ''in class'' by a classification society which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies. All our vessels are certified as being ''in class'' by the American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd's Register of Shipping or Det Norske Veritas. All new and secondhand vessels that we purchase must be certified prior to their delivery under our standard contracts and memorandum of agreement. If the vessel is not certified on the date of closing, we have no obligation to take delivery of the vessel.
 
Risk of Loss and Liability Insurance General
 
The operation of any cargo vessel includes risks such as mechanical failure, collision, property loss, cargo loss or damage and business interruption due to political circumstances in foreign countries, hostilities and labor strikes. In addition, there is always an inherent possibility of marine disaster, including oil spills and other environmental mishaps, and the liabilities arising from owning and operating vessels in international trade. OPA, which imposes virtually unlimited liability upon owners, operators and demise charterers of any vessel trading in the United States exclusive economic zone for certain oil pollution accidents in the United States, has made liability insurance more expensive for ship owners and operators trading in the United States market. While we carry loss of hire insurance to cover 100% of our fleet, we may not be able to maintain this level of coverage. Furthermore, while we believe that our present insurance coverage is adequate, not all risks can be insured, and there can be no guarantee that any specific claim will be paid, or that we will always be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates.
 
Hull and Machinery Insurance
 
We have obtained marine hull and machinery and war risk insurance, which includes the risk of actual or constructive total loss, general average, particular average, salvage, salvage charges, sue and labor, damage received in collision or contact with fixed or floating objects for all of the vessels in our fleet. The vessels in our fleet are each covered up to at least fair market value, with deductibles of $100,000 per vessel per incident, for the seven Handymax tankers and five drybulk vessels. We also have arranged increased value coverage for some vessels. Under this increased value coverage, in the event of total loss of a vessel, we will recover for amounts not recoverable under the hull and machinery policy by reason of any under-insurance.
 
Loss of Hire Insurance
 
We have obtained Loss of Hire Insurance to cover the loss of hire of each vessel for 90 days in excess of 30 days in case of an incident that is coverable by Hull and Machinery policy.
 
Protection and Indemnity Insurance
 
Protection and indemnity insurance is provided by mutual protection and indemnity associations, or P&I Associations, which covers our third party liabilities in connection with our shipping activities. This includes third party liability and other related expenses of injury or death of crew, passengers and other third parties, loss or damage to cargo, claims arising from collisions with other vessels, damage to other third party property, pollution arising from oil or other substances, including wreck removal. Protection and indemnity insurance is a form of mutual indemnity insurance, extended by protection and indemnity mutual associations, or ''clubs.'' Subject to the ''capping'' discussed below, our coverage, except for pollution, is unlimited.
 

 
45

 

Our current protection and indemnity insurance coverage for pollution is $1.0 billion per vessel per incident. The 13 P&I Associations that comprise the International Group insure approximately 90% of the world's commercial tonnage and have entered into a pooling agreement to reinsure each association's liabilities. Each P&I Association has capped its exposure to this pooling agreement at $4.25 billion. As a member of a P&I Association, which is a member of the International Group, we are subject to calls payable to the associations based on its claim records as well as the claim records of all other members of the individual associations, and members of the pool of P&I Associations comprising the International Group.
 
Competition
 
We operate in markets that are highly competitive and based primarily on supply and demand. We compete for charters on the basis of price, vessel location, size, age and condition of the vessel, as well as on our reputation as an operator. We arrange our time charters and voyage charters in the spot market through the use of brokers, who negotiate the terms of the charters based on market conditions. We compete primarily with owners of tankers in the Handymax class sizes and also with owners of drybulk vessels in the Handymax and Panamax class sizes. Ownership of tankers is highly fragmented and is divided among major oil companies and independent vessel owners. The drybulk market is less fragmented with more small operators.
 
Seasonality
 
We operate our vessels in markets that have historically exhibited seasonal variations in demand and, therefore, charter rates. This seasonality may affect operating results. Currently, one of our drybulk vessels is not under any long term charter employment and as a result its revenues may be affected by the seasonality of the drybulk market which is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in anticipation of increased consumption of coal and other raw materials.
 
Legal Proceedings Against Us
 
In December 2006, the Company and certain of its executive officers and directors were named as defendants in various class action securities complaints brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, which were subsequently consolidated under the caption In re Top Tankers, Inc. Securities Litigation, Case No. 06-cv-13761 (CM), which we refer to as the Putative Class Action. On December 18, 2007, the Court denied the motion to dismiss brought by the Company and other defendants in connection with the Putative Class Action. On or about January 18, 2008, the parties reached a settlement agreement in principle whereby the plaintiff, on behalf of members of the Class who do not opt out, would dismiss all claims against the Company with prejudice in exchange for a settlement payment of $1.2 million.
 
On April 28, 2008, the Court entered an order preliminarily approving the proposed settlement and directing that notice be given to all potential members of the Class of the proposed settlement. The Court ordered a hearing on July 31, 2008 to determine whether the settlement should be approved. The settlement hearing took place as scheduled, and Judge McMahon approved the settlement and award of attorneys' fees to class counsel. The clerk of the court terminated the case on July 31, 2008. The settlement was funded by the Company's directors and officers' insurance carriers.

 
46

 

C. Organizational Structure
 
TOP SHIPS INC. is the sole owner of all outstanding shares of the wholly-owned subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008. TOP SHIPS INC. is the sole owner of all outstanding shares of the following subsidiaries:
 
 
Shipowning Companies with vessels sold
1
Olympos Shipping Company Limited
2
Vermio Shipping Company Limited ( "Faithful")
3
Kalidromo Shipping Company Limited ("Kalidromo")
4
Olympos Shipping Company Limited ("Olympos")
5
Rupel Shipping Company Inc. ("Rupel")
6
Helidona Shipping Company Limited ("Helidona")
7
Mytikas Shipping Company Ltd. ("Mytikas")
8
Litochoro Shipping Company Ltd. ("Litochoro")
9
Vardousia Shipping Company Ltd. ("Vardousia")
10
Psiloritis Shipping Company Ltd. ("Psiloritis")
11
Menalo Shipping Company Ltd. ("Menalo")
12
Pintos Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pintos")
13
Pylio Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pylio")
14
Taygetus Shipping Company Ltd. ("Taygetus")
15
Imitos Shipping Company Limited ("Imitos")
16
Parnis Shipping Company Limited ("Parnis")
17
Parnasos Shipping Company Limited ("Parnasos")
18
Vitsi Shipping Company Limited ("Vitsi")
19
Kisavos Shipping Company Limited ("Kisavos")
20
Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited ("Agion Oros")
21
Giona Shipping Company Limited ("Giona")
22
Agrafa Shipping Company Limited ("Agrafa")
23
Ardas Shipping Company Limited ("Ardas")
24
Nedas Shipping Company Limited ("Nedas")
25
Kifisos Shipping Company Limited ("Kifisos")
26
Sperhios Shipping Company Limited ("Sperhios")
27
Noir Shipping S.A. ("Noir")
   
 
Shipowning Companies with sold and leased back vessels at December 31, 2008
28
Gramos Shipping Company Inc. ("Gramos")
29
Falakro Shipping Company Ltd. ("Falakro")
30
Pageon Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pageon")
31
Idi Shipping Company Ltd. ("Idi")
32
Parnon Shipping Company Ltd. ("Parnon")
   


 
47

 


 
Shipowning Companies with vessels in operations at December 31, 2008
33
Lefka Shipping Company Limited ("Lefka")
34
Ilisos Shipping Company Limited ("Ilisos")
35
Amalfi Shipping Company Limited ("Amalfi")
36
Jeke Shipping Company Limited ("Jeke")
37
Japan I Shipping Company Limited ("Japan I")
38
Japan II Shipping Company Limited ("Japan II")
39
Japan III Shipping Company Limited ("Japan III")
   
 
Shipowning Companies with vessels under construction at December 31, 2008
40
Warhol Shipping Company Limited ("Warhol")
41
Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited ("Lichtenstein")
42
Banksy Shipping Company Limited ("Banksy")
43
Indiana R Shipping Company Limited ("Indiana R")
44
Britto Shipping Company Limited ("Britto")
45
Hongbo Shipping Company Limited ("Hongbo")
   
 
Other Companies
46
Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited
47
Top Bulker Management Inc
48
TOP Tanker Management Inc ((the "Manager")
49
Ierissos Shipping Inc

 
D.           Properties, Plants and Equipment
 
For a list of our fleet see "Business Overview – Our Fleet" above.
 
In January 2006, we entered into an agreement with an unrelated party to lease office space in Athens, Greece. The office is located at 1, Vasilisis Sofias & Megalou Alexandrou Street, 151 24 Maroussi, Athens, Greece. The agreement is for a duration of 12 years beginning May 2006 with a lessee's option for an extension of 10 years. The current monthly rental is $161,231 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2008) adjusted annually for inflation increase plus 1.0%.
 
In addition, our subsidiary TOP TANKERS (U.K.) LIMITED, a representative office in London, leases office space in London, from an unrelated third party.
 
ITEM 4A.          Unresolved Staff Comments
 
None.
 
 
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ITEM 5.   OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
 
The following management's discussion and analysis is intended to discuss our financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of operations, and should be read in conjunction with our historical consolidated financial statements and their notes included in this report.
 
This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, such as those set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this report.
 
Overview
 
We are an international provider of seaborne transportation services, carrying petroleum products, crude oil and drybulk commodities for the steel, electric utility, construction and agriculture-food industries.
 
As of December 31, 2008, our fleet consisted of 12 vessels (five drybulk vessels and seven tankers), with total carrying capacity of approximately 0.7 million dwt (including seven owned and five vessels sold and leased back for a period of five to seven years) as compared to 23 vessels (three drybulk vessels and 20 tankers), with total carrying capacity of approximately 2.4 million dwt (including 11 vessels sold and leased back for a period of five to seven years) on December 31, 2007.
 
Since 2007, we have been seeking to reduce our ongoing financial expenditure by unwinding or reacquiring the vessels sold and leased back during 2005 and 2006.
 
During 2007, we reacquired four previously sold and leased back Suezmax tankers. During 2008, we unwound six leased vessels by assisting their owners in disposing them. To date during 2009, we have managed to unwind or agreed to unwind the remaining five leased vessels by incurring one off termination fees. Specifically, as of the date of this report, we have redelivered four out of five leased vessels to their new owners. The fifth one will be redelivered in the third quarter of 2009. After the redelivery of the last leased vessel, our company will remain with a very young tanker fleet of seven product tankers – five built in 2009, one built in 2003 and one built in 1999, and a relatively young drybulk fleet, five drybulk vessels – two Panamaxes built in 2000, one Handymax built in 2000, one Panamax built in 2001 and one Supramax built in 2002
 
Also, in 2007, we diversified our fleet portfolio by adding drybulk vessels to our fleet. This diversification significantly added to our net income during 2008 and is expected to contribute positively to our results during 2009.
 
The termination of the leases which took away older, loss making vessels from our fleet together with a well timed entrance in the drybulk sector and the employment of these vessels on charters at above market rates which contributed significantly to 2008 results, helped transform the company from a loss making one in 2007 to a profitable one in 2008.  See "Results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008" for more information.
 
Segments
 
Since the acquisition of drybulk vessels in the fourth quarter of 2007, we have been analyzing and reporting our results of operations in two segments: tanker fleet and drybulk fleet.
 
Tanker fleet : For the year ended December 31, 2008, revenues for this segment were $164.0 million and operating income $13.0 million.
 
Drybulk fleet : For the year ended December 31, 2008, revenues for this segment were $71.6 million and operating income $26.8 million.
 
 
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A. Operating results
 
Factors affecting our results of operations – all segments
 
We believe that the important measures for analyzing trends in the results of our operations for both tankers and drybulk vessels consist of the following:
 
• Calendar days. We define calendar days as the total number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet was in our possession, including off-hire days associated with major repairs, dry dockings or special or intermediate surveys. Calendar days are an indicator of the size of our fleet over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the amount of expenses that we record during that period.
 
• Voyage days. We define voyage days as the total number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet (including vessels we operate under our lease agreements) was in our possession net of off-hire days associated with major repairs, dry dockings or special or intermediate surveys. The shipping industry uses voyage days (also referred to as available days) to measure the number of days in a period during which vessels actually generate revenues.
 
• Fleet utilization. We calculate fleet utilization by dividing the number of our voyage days during a period by the number of our calendar days during that period. The shipping industry uses fleet utilization to measure a company's efficiency in finding suitable employment for its vessels and minimizing the amount of days that its vessels are off-hire for reasons such as scheduled repairs, vessel upgrades, dry dockings or special or intermediate surveys.
 
• Spot Charter Rates. Spot charter rates are volatile and fluctuate on a seasonal and year-to-year basis. Fluctuations are by imbalances in the availability of cargoes for shipment and the number of vessels available at any given time to transport these cargoes.
 
• TCE revenues. We define TCE revenues as revenues minus voyage expenses. Voyage expenses primarily consist of port, canal and fuel costs that are unique to a particular voyage, which would otherwise be paid by a charterer under a time charter, as well as commissions. We believe that presenting revenues net of voyage expenses neutralizes the variability created by unique costs associated with particular voyages or the deployment of vessels on the spot market and facilitates comparisons between periods on a consistent basis. We calculate daily TCE rates by dividing TCE revenues by voyage days for the relevant time period. TCE revenues include demurrage revenue, which represents fees charged to charterers associated with our spot market voyages when the charterer exceeds the agreed upon time required to load or discharge a cargo. We calculate daily direct vessel operating expenses and daily general and administrative expenses for the relevant period by dividing the total expenses by the aggregate number of calendar days that we owned each vessel for the period.
 

 
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In accordance with GAAP measures, we report revenues in our income statements and include voyage expenses among our expenses. However, in the shipping industry the economic decisions are based on vessels' deployment upon anticipated TCE rates, and industry analysts typically measure shipping freight rates in terms of TCE rates. This is because under time-charter and bareboat contracts the customer usually pays the voyage expenses, while under voyage charters the ship-owner usually pays the voyage expenses, which typically are added to the hire rate at an approximate cost. Consistent with industry practice, management uses TCE as it provides a means of comparison between different types of vessel employment and, therefore, assists decision making process.
 
Voyage Revenues
 
Tanker segment

Our voyage revenues are driven primarily by the number of vessels in our fleet, the number of voyage days during which our vessels generate revenues and the amount of daily charterhire that our vessels earn under charters, which, in turn, are affected by a number of factors, including our decisions relating to vessel acquisitions and disposals, the amount of time that we spend positioning our vessels, the amount of time that our vessels spend in dry dock undergoing repairs, maintenance and upgrade work, the duration of the charter, the age, condition and specifications of our vessels, levels of supply and demand in the global transportation market for oil products or bulk cargo and other factors affecting spot market charter rates such as vessel supply and demand imbalances.
 
Vessels operating on period charters, time charters or bareboat charters, provide more predictable cash flows, but can yield lower profit margins than vessels operating in the short-term, or spot, charter market during periods characterized by favorable market conditions. Vessels operating in the spot charter market generate revenues that are less predictable, but may enable us to capture increased profit margins during periods of improvements in charter rates, although we are exposed to the risk of declining charter rates, which may have a materially adverse impact on our financial performance. If we employ vessels on period charters, future spot market rates may be higher or lower than the rates at which we have employed our vessels on period time charters.
 
Under a time charter, the charterer typically pays us a fixed daily charter hire rate and bears all voyage expenses, including the cost of bunkers (fuel oil) and port and canal charges. We remain responsible for paying the chartered vessel's operating expenses, including the cost of crewing, insuring, repairing and maintaining the vessel, the costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other miscellaneous expenses, and we also pay commissions to one or more unaffiliated ship brokers and to in-house brokers associated with the charterer for the arrangement of the relevant charter.
 
Under a bareboat charter, the vessel is chartered for a stipulated period of time which gives the charterer possession and control of the vessel, including the right to appoint the master and the crew. Under bareboat charters all voyage and operating costs are paid by the charterer. During 2009, we have taken delivery of five newbuilding product tankers all of which are on bareboat charters for a period between 7 and 10 years.  During 2007 and 2008, we also employed vessels in the spot market and we may do so again in the future depending on prevailing market conditions at the time our period charters expire.
 
Drybulker segment
 
The above discussion for the Tanker Segment also applies to the drybulker segment with the only difference being the different economics that apply in the global markets for oil versus the global market for dry products shipped in bulk.
 
As of the date of this report, four of our drybulk vessels were operating under time charters and one under a bareboat charter.
 
 
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Revenues for the drybulker segment include amortization of fair value of below market acquired time charter liability. Specifically, when vessels are acquired with period charters attached and the rates on such charters are below market on the acquisition date, we allocate the total cost between the vessel and the fair value of below market time charter based on the relative fair values of the vessel and the liability acquired. The fair value of the attached period charter is computed as the present value of the difference between the contractual amount to be received over the term of the period charter and management's estimates of the market period charter rate at the time of acquisition. The fair value of below market period charter is amortized over the remaining period of the period charter as an increase to revenues.
 
In November and December 2007 and February 2008, we acquired the drybulk vessels M/V Bertram, M/V Amalfi and M/V Voc Gallant, respectively, with attached time charter contracts. As a result, the purchase price of the vessels was allocated between vessel cost and the fair value of the time charter contracts, totaling in aggregate $43.3 million, which is reflected in Fair Value of Below Market Time Charter on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Following the sale of the M/V Bertram, in April 16, 2008, the then unamortized fair value of below market time charter of $16.1 million was written-off to the loss from the sale of vessel. For the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2008, the amortization of the fair value of the time charter contracts totaled $1.4 million and $21.8 million, respectively and is included in Revenues in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

Voyage Expenses
Tanker segment
 
Voyage expenses primarily consist of port charges, including canal dues, bunkers (fuel costs) and commissions. All these expenses, except commissions, are paid by the charterer under a time charter or bareboat charter contract. The amount of voyage expenses are mainly driven by the routes that the vessels travel, the amount of ports called on, the canals crossed and the price of bunker fuels paid. This category was less significant in 2008 when compared to 2007 due the fact that less vessels were operating in the spot market in 2008. In 2009, voyage expenses are expected to be even less significant since all our tanker vessels are either on time charters or bareboat charters expiring after 2009.

Drybulker segment
Our drybulk vessels are operating under time charter or bareboat charter contracts and hence voyage expenses primarily consist of commissions on the time charters.

Charter Hire Expenses
Tanker segment
 
Charter hire expenses consist of lease payments for vessels sold and leased-back during 2005 and 2006 for periods between five to seven years.

Drybulker segment
 
Not applicable.


 
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Other Vessel Operating Expenses
Tanker and Drybulker segment
 
Vessel operating expenses include crew wages and related costs, the cost of insurance, expenses relating to repairs and maintenance, the costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other miscellaneous expenses for vessels that we own and vessels that we lease under our operating leases. Our vessel operating expenses, which generally represent fixed costs, have historically increased as a result of the increase in the size of our fleet. We analyze vessel operating expenses on a $ / per day basis. Additionally, vessel operating expenses can fluctuate due to factors beyond our control, such as unplanned repairs and maintenance which can be quite significant, or factors which may affect the shipping industry in general, such as developments relating to insurance premiums, or developments relating to the availability of crew, may also cause these expenses to increase.

Dry-docking Costs
Tanker segment
 
Dry docking costs relate to the regularly scheduled intermediate survey or special survey dry-docking necessary to preserve the quality of our vessels (see relevant accounting policy) as well as to comply with international shipping standards and environmental laws and regulations. Dry docking costs can vary according to the age of the vessel, the location where the drydock takes place, shipyard availability, local availability of manpower and material, the billing currency of the yard, the days the vessel is off hire in order to complete its survey and the diversion necessary in order to get from the last port of employment to the yard and back to a position for the next employment. In the case of tankers, dry docking costs may also be affected by new rules and regulations (see "Item 4 – Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Environmental Regulations).
 
Drybulker segment
 
The above discussion for the Tanker Segment also applies to the drybulker segment. The effect of new rules and regulations on cost is lower in the drybulker segment due to the lower pollution risk this segment has compared to tankers.

Sub Managers Fees
Tanker segment
 
Historically, we have been outsourcing part or all of our technical functions and crewing to third parties. Since 2007, Top Tanker Management, our wholly owned subsidiary has been undertaking a larger role in technical management thereby reducing the dependence on third parties. Given the relatively small size of the company our Board of Directors is currently in the process of determining the most cost efficient model of management, i.e. in-house management versus outsourcing. With regards to crewing, we will continue to use third parties due to access to larger pools of crew.
 
Drybulker segment
 
Top Tankers Management performs the technical management of the drybulk vessels, except crew management, from the date of delivery to us. Given the relatively small size of the company our Board of Directors is currently in the process of determining the most cost efficient model of management, i.e. in-house management versus outsourcing. With regards to crewing, we will continue to use third parties due to access to larger pools of crew.
 

 
53

 

Other General and Administrative Expenses
Tanker and Drybulker segments
 
Other general and administrative expenses include the salaries and other related costs of senior management, directors and other on shore employees, our office rent, legal and auditing costs, regulatory compliance costs, other miscellaneous office expenses, long-term compensation costs, non cash stock compensation, and corporate overhead. Other general and administrative expenses are Euro denominated except for some legal fees and are therefore affected by the conversion rate of the U.S. dollar versus the Euro.
 
General and administrative expenses are allocated to different segments based on calendar days of vessels operated.
 
Interest and Finance Costs
Tanker and Drybulker segments
 
We have historically incurred interest expense and financing costs in connection with vessel-specific debt. Interest expense is directly related with the repayment schedule of our loans, the prevailing LIBOR and the relevant margin.
 
Recently, however, lenders have insisted on provisions that entitle the lenders, in their discretion, to replace published LIBOR as the base for the interest calculation with their cost-of-funds rate which in all cases is higher than LIBOR. Additionally, as part of our discussions with banks with regards to certain loan covenant breaches, we have agreed to increase the margins to certain of our loans (see " – B. Liquidity and Capital Resources).
 
Inflation
Tanker and Drybulker segments
 
Inflation has not had a material effect on our expenses given current economic conditions. In the event that significant global inflationary pressures appear, these pressures would increase our operating, voyage, administrative and financing costs.
 
In evaluating our financial condition, we focus on the above measures to assess our historical operating performance and we use future estimates of the same measures to assess our future financial performance. In assessing the future performance of our fleet, the greatest uncertainty relates to the spot market which affects those of our vessels not employed on time charter or bareboat charter or whose charters will expire. Decisions about future purchases and sales of vessel, and the unwinding of the sales leaseback transactions are based on the financial and operational evaluation of such actions and depend on the overall state of the drybulk and tanker markets, the availability of relevant purchase candidates, the availability of financing and our general assessment of the prospects for the segments that we operate in.
 
Lack of Historical Operating Data for Vessels Before Their Acquisition

Although vessels are generally acquired free of charter, we have acquired (and may in the future acquire) some vessels with time charters. Where a vessel has been under a voyage charter, the vessel is usually delivered to the buyer free of charter. It is rare in the shipping industry for the last charterer of the vessel in the hands of the seller to continue as the first charterer of the vessel in the hands of the buyer. In most cases, when a vessel is under time charter and the buyer wishes to assume that charter, the vessel cannot be acquired without the charterer's consent and the buyer entering into a separate direct agreement (a "novation agreement") with the charterer to assume the charter. The purchase of a vessel itself does not transfer the charter because it is a separate service agreement between the vessel owner and the charterer.
 

 
54

 

Where we identify any intangible assets or liabilities associated with the acquisition of a vessel, we allocate the purchase price to identified tangible and intangible assets or liabilities based on their relative fair values. Fair value is determined by reference to market data and the discounted amount of expected future cash flows. Where we have assumed an existing charter obligation or entered into a time charter with the existing charterer in connection with the purchase of a vessel at charter rates that are less than market charter rates, we record a liability, based on the difference between the assumed charter rate and the market charter rate for an equivalent vessel. Conversely, where we assume an existing charter obligation or enter into a time charter with the existing charterer in connection with the purchase of a vessel at charter rates that are above market charter rates, we record an asset, based on the difference between the market charter rate for an equivalent vessel and the contracted charter rate. This determination is made at the time the vessel is delivered to us, and such assets and liabilities are amortized as a reduction or increase to revenue over the remaining period of the charter.
 
In November and December 2007 and February 2008, the Company acquired the drybulk vessels M/V Bertram, M/V Amalfi and M/V Voc Gallant, respectively, with attached time charter contracts. As a result, the purchase price of the vessels was allocated between vessel cost and the fair value of the time charter contracts, totaling in aggregate $43.3 million, which is reflected in Fair Value of Below Market Time Charter on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
 
During 2009, the Company did not acquire any vessels which were under existing bareboat or time charter contracts.
 
When we purchase a vessel and assume or renegotiate a related time charter, we must take the following steps before the vessel will be ready to commence operations:
 
 
obtain the charterer's consent to us as the new owner;
 
 
obtain the charterer's consent to a new technical manager;
 
 
in some cases, obtain the charterer's consent to a new flag for the vessel;
 
 
arrange for a new crew for the vessel, and where the vessel is on charter, in some cases, the crew must be approved by the charterer;
 
 
replace all hired equipment on board, such as gas cylinders and communication equipment;
 
 
negotiate and enter into new insurance contracts for the vessel through our own insurance brokers; and
 
 
register the vessel under a flag state and perform the related inspections in order to obtain new trading certificates from the flag state.
 
The following discussion is intended to help you understand how acquisitions of vessels affect our business and results of operations. Our business is comprised of the following main elements:
 
 
employment and operation of our tanker and drybulk vessels; and
 
 
management of the financial, general and administrative elements involved in the conduct of our business and ownership of our tanker and drybulk vessels.
 

 
55

 

The employment and operation of our vessels require the following main components:
 
 
vessel maintenance and repair;
 
 
crew selection and training;
 
 
vessel spares and stores supply;
 
 
contingency response planning;
 
 
onboard safety procedures auditing;
 
 
accounting;
 
 
vessel insurance arrangement;
 
 
vessel chartering;
 
 
vessel security training and security response plans (ISPS);
 
 
obtain ISM certification and audit for each vessel within the six months of taking over a vessel;
 
 
vessel hire management;
 
 
vessel surveying; and
 
 
vessel performance monitoring.
 
The management of financial, general and administrative elements involved in the conduct of our business and ownership of our vessels requires the following main components:
 
 
management of our financial resources, including banking relationships, i.e., administration of bank loans and bank accounts;
 
 
management of our accounting system and records and financial reporting;
 
 
administration of the legal and regulatory requirements affecting our business and assets; and
 
 
management of the relationships with our service providers and customers.
 
The principal factors that affect our profitability, cash flows and shareholders' return on investment include:
 
 
Charter rates and periods of charter hire for our tanker and drybulk vessels;
 
 
Utilization of our tanker and drybulk vessels (earnings efficiency);
 
 
levels of our tanker and drybulk vessels' operating expenses and dry docking costs;
 
 
depreciation and amortization expenses;
 
 
financing costs; and
 
 
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

 
56

 
 
Results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
 
The following table depicts changes in the results of operations for 2008 compared to 2007 and 2007 compared to 2006.
 
   
Year Ended December 31,
   
change
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
   
YE07 v YE06
   
YE08 v YE07
 
   
($ in thousands)
            $ %           $ %
Voyage Revenues
    310,043       252,259       257,380       (57,784 )     -18.6 %     5,121       2.0 %
Voyage expenses
    55,351       59,414       38,656       4,063       7.3 %     (20,758 )     -34.9 %
Charter hire expenses
    96,302       94,118       53,684       (2,184 )     -2.3 %     (40,434 )     -43.0 %
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and lease
    (8,110 )     (15,610 )     (18,707 )     (7,500 )     92.5 %     (3,097 )     19.8 %
Other Vessel operating expenses
    66,082       67,914       67,114       1,832       2.8 %     (800 )     -1.2 %
Dry-docking costs
    39,333       25,094       10,036       (14,239 )     -36.2 %     (15,058 )     -60.0 %
Depreciation
    35,266       27,408       32,664       (7,858 )     -22.3 %     5,256       19.2 %
Sub-Manager fees
    2,755       1,828       1,159       (927 )     -33.6 %     (669 )     -36.6 %
Other general and administrative expenses
    20,261       22,996       30,314       2,735       13.5 %     7,318       31.8 %
Foreign currency (gains) / losses, net
    255       176       (85 )     (79 )     -31.0 %     (261 )     -148.3 %
Gain on sale of vessels
    (12,667 )     (1,961 )     (19,178 )     10,706       -84.5 %     (17,217 )     878.0 %
Expenses
    294,828       281,377       195,657       (13,451 )     -4.6 %     (85,720 )     -30.5 %
Operating income (loss)
    15,215       (29,118 )     61,723       (44,333 )     -291.4 %     90,841       -312.0 %
Interest and finance costs
    (27,030 )     (19,518 )     (25,764 )     7,512       -27.8 %     (6,246 )     32.0 %
Gain / (loss) on financial instruments
    (2,145 )     (3,704 )     (12,024 )     (1,559 )     72.7 %     (8,320 )     224.6 %
Interest income
    3,022       3,248       1,831       226       7.5 %     (1,417 )     -43.6 %
Other, net
    (67 )     16       (127 )     83       -123.9 %     (143 )     -893.8 %
Total other income (expenses), net
    (26,220 )     (19,958 )     (36,084 )     6,262       -23.9 %     (16,126 )     80.8 %
Net income (loss)
    (11,005 )     (49,076 )     25,639       (38,071 )     345.9 %     74,715       -152.2 %
                                                         


 
57

 

The table below presents the key measures of each of our segments for the each of the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 (also see Item 18 — Financial Statements: Note 4 — Segment Reporting). The Average TCE ($/day) amounts are reconciled to GAAP measures, (see "Item 3 – A Selected Financial Data").
 
   
12-months ended December 31,
   
change
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
   
YE07 v YE06
   
YE08 v YE07
 
   
($ in thousands)
   
%
   
%
 
TANKER FLEET***
                             
Total number of vessels at end of period
    24.0       20.0       7.0       -16.7 %     -65.0 %
Average number of vessels
    26.7       22.2       13.9       -16.8 %     -37.3 %
Total calendar days for fleet
    9,747       8,110       5,095       -16.8 %     -37.2 %
Total voyage days for fleet under SPOT
    2,411       2,312       1,035       -4.1 %     -55.2 %
Total voyage days for fleet under time charters
    6,223       4,679       3,322       -24.8 %     -29.0 %
Fleet utilization
    88.6 %     86.2 %     85.5 %     -2.7 %     -0.8 %
Average TCE ($/day)
    29,499       27,134       29,786       -8.0 %     9.8 %
                                         
DRY BULKER FLEET
                                       
Total number of vessels at end of period
    -       3.0       5.0       -       66.7 %
Average number of vessels
    -       0.2       4.9       -       2589.6 %
Total calendar days for fleet*
    -       66       1,780       -       2597.0 %
Total voyage days for fleet under time charters
    -       41       1,742       -       4148.8 %
Fleet utilization
    -       62.1 %     97.9 %     -       57.5 %
Average TCE ($/day)**
    -       42,463       38,547       -       -9.2 %
                                         
TOTAL FLEET
                                       
Total number of vessels at end of period
    24.0       23.0       12.0       -4.2 %     -47.8 %
Average number of vessels
    26.7       22.4       18.8       -16.1 %     -16.1 %
Total calendar days for fleet*
    9,747       8,176       6,875       -16.1 %     -15.9 %
Total voyage days for fleet under SPOT
    2,411       2,312       1,035       -4.1 %     -55.2 %
Total voyage days for fleet under time charters
    6,223       4,720       5,064       -24.2 %     7.3 %
Fleet utilization
    88.6 %     86.0 %     88.7 %     -2.9 %     3.1 %
Average TCE ($/day)**
    29,499       27,424       35,862       -7.0 %     30.8 %
                                         
* Total calendar days for fleet for 2008 include 335 days of bareboat charter relating to vessel Voc Gallant
 
** Amortization of Time Charter Fair Value is not included in the calculation of the Average TCE ($/day) of the drybulk fleet, but it is included in the total fleet consistent with our segment presentation.
 
*** Includes owned and leased back vessels.
 

 
58

 

Year On Year Comparison Of Operating Results
 
Revenues

   
Year Ended December 31,
   
change
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
   
YE07 v YE06
   
YE08 v YE07
 
Revenues by Segment
 
($ in thousands)
          $   %         $   %
Tanker Fleet
    310,043       248,944       163,995       (61,099 )     -19.7 %     (84,949 )     -34.1 %
Drybulk Fleet
    -       1,902       71,590       1,902       -       69,688       3663.9 %
Unallocated
    -       1,413       21,795       1,413       -       20,382       1442.5 %
Consolidated Revenues
    310,043       252,259       257,380       (57,784 )     -18.6 %     5,121       2.0 %
                                                         
 
Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, tanker revenues decreased by $84.9 million or 34.1% compared to 2007. This was mainly due to the decrease in the average number of tanker vessels that we operated, from 22.2 in 2007 to 13.9 in 2008, as a result of our lease unwinding strategy, which resulted in the termination of six leases during 2008, and the sale of seven owned vessels during 2008. The decrease in the revenues relating to the vessels sold in 2008 amounted to $ 66.4 million. In addition, during 2008 total days operating in the spot market decreased by 55.2% which was partially offset by an increase in average TCE by 9.8%. Utilization during 2008 was lower than 2007 by 0.8% as a result of increased downtime due to repairs and maintenance.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, tanker revenues decreased by $61.1 million or 19.7% compared to 2006. This was mainly due to the decrease in the average number of tanker vessels that we operated, from 26.7 in 2006 to 22.2 in 2007 as a result of the termination of three leases and the sale of one owned vessel during 2007. In addition, the total voyage days operating in the spot market decreased by 4.1% during 2007 compared to 2006 and this decrease was further intensified by a decrease in average TCE by 8.0%. Utilization during 2007 was lower than 2006 by 2.7% due to increased downtime due to repairs and maintenance.

Drybulker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, drybulk vessel revenues increased by $69.7 million or 3,663.9% compared to 2007. This was due to the fact that the drybulk fleet had its first full year of operation during 2008. Our first three drybulkers were delivered during the fourth quarter of 2007, and the remaining three during the first two quarters of 2008 (M/V Bertram which was delivered during 2007 was sold in 2008). Our drybulk fleet is expected to contribute significantly to our revenues during 2009 due to the high charter rates that we have achieved on some of our vessels (see Item 4. Information on the Company – Fleet List).

2007 Vs 2006
During 2006, we had no drybulk vessels.

Unallocated revenues   This amount refers to the amortization of the fair value of the time charter contracts of the drybulk vessels M/V Bertram, M/V Amalfi and M/V Voc Gallant. This amount is included in the total Revenues but is excluded from segment revenue to be consistent with how management evaluates segment performance and allocates resources.

 
59

 

Expenses
 
1.  
Voyage expenses

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Voyage Expenses by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
55,351
59,253
34,215
3,902
7.0%
(25,038)
-42.3%
Drybulk Fleet
-
161
4,441
161
-
4,280
2658.4%
Consolidated Voyage Expenses
55,351
59,414
38,656
4,063
7.3%
(20,758)
-34.9%
               

Voyage expenses primarily consist of port charges, including bunkers (fuel costs), canal dues and commissions.

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, voyage expenses decreased by $25.0 million or 42.3% compared to 2007 mainly due to the decrease of the average number of our tanker vessels by 37.3% and the decrease in voyage days operating in the spot market by 55.2%. The decrease was a result of our lease unwinding strategy which resulted in the termination of six leases during 2008 and the sale of seven owned vessels. The decrease in the voyage expenses relating to the vessels sold in 2008 amounted to $ 22.7 million.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, voyage expenses increased by $3.9 million or 7.0% compared to 2006, despite the decrease in the average number of tanker vessels that we operated, from 26.7 in 2006 to 22.2 in 2007 and the decrease in the total voyage days of the fleet in the spot market by 4.1%. The main reason behind the increase in voyage expenses was a 9.0% increase in the bunkers expenses from $34.0 million in 2006 to $36.9 million in 2007. In addition, the cost of canal dues increased mainly as a result of a 13.6% increase in canal passes from 22 in 2006 to 25 in 2007.

Drybulker segment
No year on year comparisons can be made due to the fact that the entrance in the drybulk sector begun in the fourth quarter of 2007 but it mainly affected the results of 2008. Voyage expenses of our drybulk vessels relate to mainly commissions on the time charters.

In 2009, voyage expenses are expected to decrease further as both the tanker and drybulk fleet are currently on period charters whereby voyage expenses are assumed by the charterers.

 

 

 
60

 

2.  
Charter hire expenses

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Charter Hire Expense by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
96,302
94,118
53,684
(2,184)
-2.3%
(40,434)
-43.0%
Drybulk Fleet
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Consolidated Charter Hire Expense
96,302
94,118
53,684
(2,184)
-2.3%
(40,434)
-43.0%
               

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, charter hire expense decreased by $40.4 million or 43.0% compared to 2007. This was mainly due to the termination of six leases during 2008. As of December 31, 2008 we had five Handymax tankers under sale and leaseback arrangements compared to six Handymax and five Suezmax tankers on sale and leaseback arrangements as of December 31, 2007.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, charter hire expense decreased by $2.2 million or 2.3% compared to 2006. As of December 31, 2007 we had six Handymax and five Suezmax tankers on sale and leaseback arrangements compared to nine Handymax and nine Suezmax tankers as of December 31, 2006. Four sale and leaseback agreements were terminated late in the second quarter of 2007 and three were terminated in the third quarter 2007.
 
Drybulker segment
Not applicable.

Latest Developments
In April 2009, we agreed with the owners / lessors of the M/T Relentless to terminate the bareboat charter. Under this agreement, during the third quarter of 2009 we will redeliver the M/T Relentless to its owners and pay a termination fee of $2.5 million. In addition to the termination fee we have undertaken to perform certain works on the vessel prior to its redelivery which will involve additional costs. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2012.
 
On June 24, 2009, we terminated the bareboat charters and redelivered the vessels M/T Faithful, the M/T Doubtless, the M/T Spotless and the M/T Vanguard to their owners after paying $11.75 million in termination fees and expenses. In addition to the termination fees and expenses, we have forfeited our right to receive the seller's credit of $10.0 million from the initial sale of the vessels, which would have been received upon expiration of the bareboat charter, and we have undertaken to pay for the dry-dock of the M/T Spotless which is currently in progress. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2011. We will remain the managers of these vessels until the expiration of their current time charters, in early 2010, and will be reimbursed by the owners for all expenses incurred. These were the last leased vessels in our fleet.
 
As a  result of the termination of these five leases, we will incur minimal, if any, charter hire expenses in the second half of 2009 depending on the redelivery date of the M/T Relentless.
 
 
61

 


3.  
 Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Amortization of Deferred Gain on Sale and Leaseback of Vessels by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
(8,110)
(15,610)
(18,707)
(7,500)
92.5%
(3,097)
19.8%
Drybulk Fleet
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Consolidated Amortization of Deferred Gain on Sale and Leaseback of Vessels
(8,110)
(15,610)
(18,707)
(7,500)
92.5%
(3,097)
19.8%
               

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, amortization of deferred gain was higher by $3.1 million or 19.8% compared to 2007 due to the unwinding of six leases in 2008 which resulted in the immediate recognition of the unamortized gain of $27.2 from the initial sale and leaseback transaction, net of sale expenses of $14.3 million. The 2008 amount also includes the yearly deferred gain amortization of $4.4 million, which is decreased due to the termination of 7 leases in 2007 and the termination of 6 leases in 2008.
 
  2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, amortization of deferred gain was higher by $7.5 million or 92.5% compared to 2006 due to the unwinding of seven leases in 2007 which resulted in the immediate recognition of the unamortized gain of $8.3 million from the initial sale and leaseback transaction.
 
Drybulker segment
Not applicable.


4.  
Other Vessel Operating Expenses


 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Vessel Operating Expense by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
66,082
67,225
56,272
1,143
1.7%
(10,953)
-16.3%
Drybulk Fleet
-
689
10,842
689
-
10,153
1473.6%
Consolidated Other Vessel Operating Expenses
66,082
67,914
67,114
1,832
2.8%
(800)
-1.2%
               

Vessel operating expenses include:
-  
crew wages and related costs,
-  
insurance,
-  
repairs and maintenance,
-  
spares and consumable stores,
-  
tonnage taxes and VAT.

Vessel operating expenses, which generally represent fixed costs, have historically increased as a result of the increase in the size of our fleet.


 
62

 

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, vessel operating expenses decreased overall by $11.0 million or 16.3% compared to 2007 mainly as a result of a 37.3% reduction in the average number of tanker vessels that we operate from 22.2 in 2007 to 13.9 in 2008.
On a daily basis, vessel operating expenses increased in 2008 by $2,755 per day, or 33.2%, from 2007. The increase was partly a result of higher crew wages and related costs which were higher during 2008 by $985 per day, or 29.1%, from 2007. Crew wages increased due to a change in the mix of our crew during the latter part of 2007. Other factors that lead to higher crew wages were the appreciation of the Euro in respect of the US dollar, indemnities paid to seafarers of ships sold and changeover costs related to change of crewing sub-managers. Repairs and maintenance during 2008, increased by $1,012 per day, or 44.1%, from 2007. Also, during 2008 the daily insurance cost increased by $458 per day, or 60.4%, from 2007 as a result of additional P&I insurance premiums imposed. Finally, spares and consumable stores increased by $280 per day, or 14.4% ,during 2008 compared to 2007 as a result of the increased repairs and maintenance.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, vessel operating expenses increased overall by $1.1 million, or 1.7%, compared to 2006.
On a daily basis, vessel operating expenses increased in 2007 by $1,509 per day, or 22.3%, from 2006. The increase was partly a result of higher crew wages and related costs during 2007 by $621 per day or 22.5% compared to similar costs in 2006. Crew wages increased due to a change in the mix of our crew during the latter part of 2007 and due to overall increases in crew wages during 2007 as a result of the increase in demand for seafarers due to the euphoria in all shipping markets. Another factor that lead to higher crew wages was the appreciation of the Euro in respect of the U.S. dollar. During 2007, repairs and maintenance also increased by $620 per day, or 37.0%, from 2006. Spares and consumable stores increased by $277 per day, or 16.5%, during 2007 compared to 2006 as a result of the increased repairs and maintenance.

Drybulker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, vessel operating expenses increased by $10.2 million or 1,473.6% compared to 2007. This is mainly a result of the increase in the average number of vessels that we operated in 2008 to 4.9 compared to 0.2 in 2007.

2007 Vs 2006
We entered the drybulker segment in late 2007 and therefore no comparisons can be drawn with 2006.

5.  
Dry-docking costs


 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Dry-docking Costs by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
39,333
25,094
9,450
(14,239)
-36.2%
(15,644)
-62.3%
Drybulk Fleet
-
-
586
-
-
586
-
Consolidated Dry-docking Costs
39,333
25,094
10,036
(14,239)
-36.2%
(15,058)
-60.0%
               
 
 
63

 

Tanker segment

2008 dry-docking costs mainly relate to the special surveys of two Suezmax tankers and two Handymax tankers and the intermediate survey of one Suezmax tanker that was completed in 2008.

2007 dry-docking costs mainly relate to the special surveys of three Suezmax tankers and three Handymax tankers that were completed in 2007.

2006 dry-docking costs mainly relate to the special surveys of four Suezmax tankers and four Handymax tankers that were completed in 2006.

Drybulker segment

During 2008, we completed the intermediate survey of one Panamax vessel.


6.  
Depreciation


 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Deprecation by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
35,266
26,560
13,867
(8,706)
-24.7%
(12,693)
-47.8%
Drybulk Fleet
-
848
18,797
848
-
17,949
2116.6%
Consolidated Depreciation
35,266
27,408
32,664
(7,858)
-22.3%
5,256
19.2%
               

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, depreciation decreased by $12.7 million or 47.8% compared to 2007 due to the sale of seven owned Suezmax tankers which decreased the number of owned vessels from nine as of December 31, 2007 to two as of December 31, 2008. As of December 31, 2008 our owned fleet consisted of two Handymax tankers.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, depreciation decreased by $8.7 million or 24.7% compared to 2006. The decrease is a result of three sale and leaseback transactions for a total of 13 tankers which were concluded in mid March (eight tankers) and April (five tankers) 2006, the sale of three tankers in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the sale of one tanker in April 2007 and partially off set by the repurchase of four tankers in May 2007.

Drybulker segment
2008 Vs 2007
Depreciation during 2008 increased by $17.9 million, or 2,116.6%, from 2007, due to the acquisition of six drybulk vessels. Our first three drybulkers were delivered during the fourth quarter of 2007, and the remaining three during the first two quarters of 2008 including the M/V Bertram which was delivered during 2007 and then sold in 2008.

2007 Vs 2006
We entered the drybulker segment in late 2007 and therefore no comparison can be drawn with 2006.

 
64

 

7.  
Sub Managers Fees

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Sub-Manager Fees by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
2,755
1,821
1,096
(934)
-33.9%
(725)
-39.8%
Drybulk Fleet
-
7
79
7
-
72
1028.6%
Unallocated
-
-
(16)
-
-
(16)
-
Consolidated Sub-Manager Fees
2,755
1,828
1,159
(927)
-33.6%
(669)
-36.6%
               

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, sub-managers fees decreased by $0.7 million or 39.8% compared to 2007 mainly due to the decrease in the average number of vessels of our fleet and the shift of technical management from third parties to Top Tanker Management. Specifically, as of December 31, 2008 the number of vessels under third party technical management was two compared to four as of December 31, 2007. Additionally, as of December 31, 2008 the number of vessels under third crew management was nine compared to 19 as of December 31, 2007.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, sub-managers fees decreased by $0.9 million or 33.9% compared to 2006 mainly due to the decrease in the average number of vessels of our fleet and the shift in technical management from third parties to Top Tanker Management. Specifically, as of December 31, 2007 the number of vessels under third party technical management was four compared to 21 as of December 31, 2006. However, as of December 31, 2007 the number of vessels under third party crew management was 19 compared to only three as of December 31, 2006.

Drybulker segment
2008 Vs 2007
For our drybulker segment, we only outsource crewing to sub-managers and therefore the increase in the expense is a result of the increase in the number of vessels.

2007 Vs 2006
No year on year comparisons can be made for sub-manager fees for 2006 and 2007 due to the fact that our entrance in the drybulk sector began in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Unallocated sub managers fees
This amount refers to management fees receivable relating to third party vessels.

8.  
Other General and Administrative Expenses

Other general and administrative expenses include the salaries and other related costs of senior management, directors and other on shore employees, our office rent, legal and auditing costs, regulatory compliance costs, other miscellaneous office expenses, long-term compensation costs, and corporate overhead. General and administrative expenses are allocated to different segments based on calendar days of vessels operated. As a result, the below analysis is not performed by segment.
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Other General and Administrative Expenses by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
20,261
22,729
22,458
2,468
12.2%
(271)
-1.2%
Drybulk Fleet
-
267
7,856
267
-
7,589
2842.3%
Consolidated Other General and Administrative Expenses
20,261
22,996
30,314
2,735
13.5%
7,318
31.8%


 
65

 

2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, our general and administrative expenses increased by $7.3 million or 31.8%, compared to 2007. This increase was attributed primarily to an increase in non cash restricted stock expense of $4.2 million, from $0.9 million in 2007 to $5.1 million in 2008, mainly related to senior management and directors pursuant to our equity incentive plan (See Item 6- Directors, Senior Management and Employees – Compensation). Additionally, salaries and related costs increased by $2.6 million during 2008 as a result of the shift of technical management from sub managers to Top Tanker Management which started during the last two quarters of 2007 but affected salaries mainly during 2008. The increase in salaries during 2008 is also attributed to severance payments relating to layoffs relevant to the tanker segment due to sale of tanker vessels or unwinding of leases and also to the increase in employees supporting the drybulker segment which we entered late 2007 but affected our results mainly in 2008. Also, during 2008, our audit fees were higher by $0.7 million compared to 2007. Finally, other general and administrative expenses are Euro denominated except for some legal fees and during 2008, the Euro appreciated versus the U.S. dollar more than it ever has for the past five years, reaching almost 1.6 U.S. dollars to 1 Euro during the summer of 2008. During 2008, the average exchange rate was $1.4709 to 1 Euro. During 2007, the average exchange rate was $1.3708 to 1 Euro.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, general and administrative expenses increased by $2.7 million or 13.5% compared to 2006. More specifically, salaries and related costs increased by $3.2 million during 2007 as a result of the shift of technical management from sub managers to Top Tanker Management, which started during the last two quarters of 2007 and additional staff bonus expenses. The increase in salaries and related costs was partly off set by a decrease in share based payment compensation. Specifically, the share based compensation expenses amounted to $0.9 million in 2007 from $3.7 million in 2006. In addition, our audit fees were higher by $0.3 million compared to 2006. Also legal and consulting fees increased by $0.8 million due to increased legal fees and consulting fees for SOX compliance. Finally, other general and administrative expenses are Euro denominated except for some legal fees. During 2007, the average exchange rate was $1.3708 to 1 Euro. During 2006, the average exchange rate was $1.2558 to 1 Euro.

9.  
Gain on sale of vessels

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Gain on Sale of Vessels by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
(12,667)
(1,961)
(21,347)
(19,386)
988.6%
10,706
-84.5%
Drybulk Fleet
-
-
2,169
2,169
-
-
-
Consolidated Gain on Sale of Vessels
(12,667)
(1,961)
(19,178)
(17,217)
878.0%
10,706
-84.5%
               

Tanker segment
 
During 2008 we recognized a total gain of $19.4 million from the sale of M/T Edgeless, M/T Ellen P., M/T Limitless and M/T Endless, a gain of $1.8 from the sale of M/T Stormless, and a gain of $0.6 from the sale of M/T Noiseless.

During 2007, we realized a gain of $2.0 million from the sale of M/T Errorless.

During 2006, we recognized a total gain of $12.7 million from the sale of M/T Taintless, M/T Soundless and M/T Topless.

Drybulker segment
During 2008 we recognized a loss of $2.2 million from the sale of M/V Bertram in April 2008.

 
66

 


10.  
 Interest and Finance Costs

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Interest and Finance Costs by Segment
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Tanker Fleet
(27,030)
(17,464)
(11,888)
9,566
-35.4%
5,576
-31.9%
Drybulk Fleet
-
(2,054)
(13,876)
(2,054)
-
(11,822)
575.6%
Consolidated Interest and Finance Costs
(27,030)
(19,518)
(25,764)
7,512
-27.8%
(6,246)
32.0%
               

Tanker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, interest and finance costs decreased by $5.6 million or 31.9% compared to 2007. The decrease is mainly due to the loan prepayment of $28.2 million in January, 2008 associated with the sale of tanker vessel M/T Noiseless, the loan prepayment of $108.7 million in September, 2008 associated with the sale of tanker vessels M/T Limitless, M/T Endless, M/T Ellen P, and M/T Stainless, the loan prepayment of $31.7 million in July, 2008 associated with the sale of tanker vessel M/T Edgeless and the loan prepayment of $29.2 million in June, 2008 associated with the sale of tanker vessel M/T Stormless and the fact that the average interest rate as of December 31, 2008 was 4.54% compared to 6.12% at December 12, 2007.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, interest and finance costs decreased by $9.6 million or 35.4% compared to 2006. This decrease is mainly due to the early repayment of $322.2 million in secured debt associated with thirteen vessels sold and leaseback in March and April 2006, three vessels sold in the fourth quarter of 2006 and one vessel sold during April 2007. The effect of debt repayment was partially off set by the drawdown of $20.0 million during the fourth quarter of 2006 and $316.8 million during 2007 ($157.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2007 and $159.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2007). The average interest rate as of December 31, 2007 was 6.12% compared to 5.32% at December 12, 2006.

Drybulker segment
2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, interest and finance costs increased by $11.8 million or 575.6% compared to 2007. Specifically, during 2008 we drew down $133.1 million in order to finance the acquisition of three dry bulk vessels of which $42.0 million was repaid in April 2008 following the sale of M/V Bertram.

In addition, an amount of $1.2 million was charged as interest in 2008 related to the drybulk vessel M/V Astrale's capital lease entered into in February 2008 for two months before the vessel was acquired by the Company.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, we drew down $159.4 million in order to finance the acquisition of three dry bulk vessels and we prepaid $23.6 million from the proceeds of the offering. During 2006 we had no loans relating to the drybulker segment.



 
67

 

Other Income or Expenses Not Allocated to Segments
 
Our management does not review the gain / (loss) on financial instruments and interest income by segment.

11.  
Gain / (loss) on financial instruments

 
Year Ended December 31,
change
 
2006
2007
2008
YE07 v YE06
YE08 v YE07
Gain / (loss) on Financial Instruments
($ in thousands)
$
%
$
%
Fair value change on financial instruments
(2,733)
(4,904)
(10,650)
(2,171)
79.4%
(5,746)
117.2%
Swap Interest
588
1,200
(1,374)
612
104.1%
(2,574)
-214.5%
Total Gain / (loss) on Financial Instruments
(2,145)
(3,704)
(12,024)
(1,559)
72.7%
(8,320)
224.6%
               

2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, fair value change in financial instruments increased by $5.7 million or 117.2% compared to 2007.  During 2008, we had a negative change in the fair value of our swaps due to adverse fluctuations of interest rate parameters. This negative change was partly set-off by the gain of $5.6 million as a result of the termination of a derivative product in the fourth quarter of 2008. Additionally, during 2008 we entered into several new swap agreements in order to hedge our exposure related to the loans of our drybulk vessels.  (See Item 11 - Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk).

During 2008, swap interest changed by $2.6 million to $1.4 million additional interest expense from $1.2 million interest income in 2007.  This was a result of the falling interest rates which precipitated significantly during the last two quarters of 2008, and negatively affected interest income from our swaps.

2007 Vs 2006
During 2007, fair value change in financial instruments increased by $2.2 million or 79.4% compared to 2006. This increase is due to the interest derivative product that the Company entered into in November 2007 with a fair value charge of $2.2 million.

During 2007, swap interest income increased by $0.6 million to $1.2 million or 104.1% compared to 2006. This increase was due to favorable flucations of market conditions relative to the swaps with steepening terms that were in effect for the whole year in 2007.

12.  
Interest Income

2008 Vs 2007
During 2008, interest income decreased by 43.6% to $1.8 million from $3.2 million during 2007. This decrease is mainly due to the decrease in the amounts kept under time deposits and relevant interest rates.

2007 Vs 2006
2007 interest income was $3.0 million, at similar levels with 2006.
 
 
68

 
 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
 
As of December 31, 2008, we were in breach of certain covenants contained in our loan agreements relating to our overall outstanding indebtedness of $342.5 million. These constitute a potential event of default and could result in the lenders requiring immediate repayment of the loans. As a result of these breaches, we have classified all our debt as current as discussed in "Item 18 – Financial Statements –Consolidated Financial Statements - Note 12". During 2009, as of the date of this report, we have already received waivers on certain covenants from two of our lenders and are in discussions or negotiations with the remaining lenders to obtain waivers and restructure the debt. We expect that the lenders will not demand payment of the loans before their maturity, provided that we pay loan installments and accumulated or accrued interest as they fall due under the existing credit facilities. We do not expect that existing cash reserves together with cash generated from the operations of the vessels owned or operated by the Company to be sufficient to repay the total balance of loans in default if such debt is accelerated by the lenders. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources – Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations - Long term Debt" below for further information.

During 2009, until the date of this report, we have taken delivery of five newly built 50,000 dwt product / chemical tankers from SPP. These tankers are the: M/T Miss Marilena, M/T Lichtenstein, M/T Ionian Wave, M/T Tyrrhenian Wave and M/T Britto. All vessels have entered into bareboat charter employments for periods between seven to ten years at a gross average daily rate of $14,442 per day per vessel.  Our sixth and final newbuilding product tanker is also scheduled to be delivered in 2009.

During 2009, until the date of this report we have terminated or agreed to terminate all five sale and leaseback agreements as discussed under "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Operating Leases" .
 

 
69

 

B.           Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since our formation, our principal source of funds has been equity provided by our shareholders through equity offerings or at the market sales, operating cash flow and long-term borrowing. Our principal use of funds has been capital expenditures to establish and grow our fleet, maintain the quality of our vessels, comply with international shipping standards and environmental laws and regulations, fund working capital requirements, make principal repayments on outstanding loan facilities and pay dividends.
 
In December 2007 and April 2008 we raised a total of $120.0 million of equity capital to fund our diversification into the drybulk sector and our newbuilding program. Additionally, during 2008 we sold seven owned Suezmax tankers and one owned Panamax drybulk vessel for an aggregate sale price of $380.5 million.
 
We also completed the refinancing of our six new-building product tankers in 2008 and chartered all six vessels with three major charterers at fixed rates for periods that range between seven and 10 years. These charters have been agreed on a bareboat basis, which not only reduces our long-term market risk relating to the vessels, but also eliminates the Company's operational risk for that period.
 
Our business is capital intensive and its future success will depend on our ability to maintain a high-quality fleet through the acquisition of newer vessels and the selective sale of older vessels. Our practice has been to acquire tankers and drybulk vessels using a combination of funds received from equity investors and bank debt secured by mortgages on our vessels.  Future acquisitions are subject to management's expectation of future market conditions, our ability to acquire vessels on favorable terms and our liquidity and capital resources.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had total indebtedness under various senior secured credit facilities of $346.9 million, excluding unamortized financing fees of $4.4 million, with our lenders, the Royal Bank of Scotland, or "RBS", HSH Nordbank, or "HSH", DVB Bank, or "DVB", ALPHA BANK or "ALPHA" and EMPORIKI BANK or "EMPORIKI", maturing from 2008 through 2015.
 
Breach of Loan Covenants
 
As of December 31, 2008, we were in breach of the minimum asset cover ratio and other vessel value related covenants contained in our loan agreements relating to our overall outstanding indebtedness of $342.5 million. As a result of these breaches, and due to cross-default provisions within our loan agreements, we have classified all our debt as current as discussed in Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. Cross-default provisions, provide that, if we are in default with regards to a specific loan then we are automatically in default of all our loans containing cross-default provisions. For this reason, we are not able to breakdown our debt obligations into current and long term unless we are able to receive waivers for all covenants breaches. During 2009, we expect to be in breach of covenants relating to the minimum liquidity on EBITDA as defined by each bank (See below Working Capital Requirements and Sources of Capital).
 
A violation of covenants constitutes an event of default under our credit facilities, which would, unless waived by our lenders, provide our lenders with the right to require us to post additional collateral, enhance our equity and liquidity, increase our interest payments, pay down our indebtedness to a level where we are in compliance with our loan covenants, sell vessels in our fleet and accelerate our indebtedness, which would impair our ability to continue to conduct our business.
 

 
70

 

As of the date of this report, we have received waivers for certain covenants from two of our lenders and are in discussions or negotiations with the remaining lenders to obtain waivers and restructure the debt. We expect that the lenders will not demand payment of the loans before their maturity, provided that we pay loan installments and accumulated or accrued interest as they fall due under the existing credit facilities. We do not expect that existing cash reserves together with cash generated from the operations of the vessels owned or operated by the Company to be sufficient to repay the total balance of loans in default if such debt is accelerated by the lenders.
 
For details of credit facilities as of December 31, 2008 and discussion about waivers see Item 5F "Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations - Long Term Debt".
 
Working Capital Requirements and Sources of Capital
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had a working capital deficit (current assets – current liabilities) of $329.8 million.  This working capital deficit was composed of the following (figures in millions):
 
Cash (non restricted)
$46.2
Other current assets
$10.9
Total current assets
$57.1
Current portion of debt
$52.5
Current portion of debt (previously categorised as long term)
$290.0
Other current liabilities
$44.4
Total current liabilities
$386.9

 
As of December 31, 2008, our material capital requirements for the coming 12 months were as follows (figures in millions):
 
Long term debt $  346.9 
Interest payments $    20.7 
Newbuilding instalments
$  133.3
Operating leases
$      2.0
Lease payments under sale and leasebacks
$    23.2
Total requirements:
$ 526.1
The total capital available as of December 31, 2008 was as follows (figures in millions):
Cash – non restricted   $    46.2  
Undrawn amount from secured financing for newbuildings  $  132.2  
Total available capital:
$ 178.4
Cash shortfall (Total Requirements less Total available capital)
$ 347.7
 
 
71

 

We expect that our lenders will not demand payment of the loans before their maturity, provided that we pay loan installments and accumulated or accrued interest as they fall due under the existing credit facilities.  If we adjust the cash shortfall for this assumption then the cash shortfall becomes $57.7 million.
 
We believe that, if necessary, banks will allow us to make use of a certain portion of the restricted cash of $52.6 million provided that such amount goes towards loan repayments but we cannot be certain of the amount that we will be allowed to use, if at all. If we resort to making use of part of our restricted cash then we will be in breach of liquidity and minimum cash covenants under certain of our loan facilities which may constitute an event of default. In such a case we would need to get waivers for such a breach.
 
We intend to make up the shortfall in working capital from cash generated from operations as well as from proceeds of an equity offering or at the market sales which will be initiated during the second half of 2009. We do not expect bank financing to be available for working capital purposes.
 
As of the date of this annual report, we have made payments to our banks according to our repayment schedules and we have taken delivery of five newbuilding vessels. Our newbuildings have a positive cash flow effect on our overall cash position and since their deliveries they have helped to make up the shortfall of working capital. However, the winding up of leases during 2009, which involved total termination payments of $14.25 million, has used up a significant part of our available cash and has further increased the financing gap.
 
Cash Flow Information
 
Cash and cash equivalents increased by $20.2 million to $46.2 million as of December 31, 2008 compared to $26.0 million as of December 31, 2007. That increase resulted primarily from the net proceeds from the sale of vessels during the year as well as positive operating results.
 
NET CASH FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES--increased 204.9% for 2008 to $11.8 million compared to ($11.3) million for 2007. This increase was attributed to the overall increase in operating income by $90.8 million, or 312.0%, to $61.7 million for 2008 compared to an operating loss of $29.1 million for 2007.  Improved operating results during 2008 were mainly due to the termination of 6 leases together with the delivery of our drybulk vessels, which were deployed on time charters at premium rates. The effect of the drybulk vessels is expected to continue during 2009 given the time charters involved. Additionally, during 2009 we expect a positive cash contribution from our 6 newbuilding product tankers that have already been committed to bareboat charters for 7 to 10 years.
 
NET CASH FROM (USED) IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES--2008 ended with net cash inflows of $58.6 million, mainly due to net proceeds from the sale of vessels totaling $338.1 million. Specifically, during 2008 we sold seven owned Suezmax tankers and one owned Panamax drybulk vessel.  Also, during 2008, we invested $118.1 million upon delivery of two of our drybulk vessels (representing payment of the remaining purchase price of $115.6 million and capitalized expenses of $2.5 million) and $114.3 as advances for vessels acquisitions / under construction for our six newbuilding product tankers (representing payment of the second installment for all vessels, the third installment for five vessels and the fourth installment for two vessels in an aggregate amount of $109.2 million and capitalized interest and expenses of $5.1 million). For 2007, we had net cash outflows of $318.3 million mainly as a result of the repurchase of Suezmax tankers that were sold in 2006 in a sale-and-lease-back transaction, the acquisition of three drybulk vessels for $167.6 million, and advances for vessel acquisitions under construction.
 

 
72

 

NET CASH FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES--2008 ended with net cash outflows of $50.2 million. During 2008, the Company made total loan repayments of $368.6 million relating to sold vessels. Additionally, the Company drew $271.2 of new bank loans relating to the purchase of drybulk vessels and installments of newbuildings. Also, during 2008 the Company privately placed with various investors 7.3 million unregistered shares of common stock for aggregate proceeds of approximately $51.0 million. For 2007, the Company had net cash inflows of $325.6 million mainly as a result of the drawdown of $10.0 million from the existing revolving credit facility to partially finance the installment for the two newbuildings, the drawdown of $147.5 million from a new credit facility to partially finance the repurchase of four Suezmax tankers and the drawdown of $159.4 million for the acquisition of three drybulk vessels, the repayment of a loan installment and to cover loan arrangement fees. During 2007 the Company issued 1,435,874 new shares of common stock that were sold at the market, under its shelf registration, for total net proceeds of $29.4 million and 8,050,000 new shares of common stock that were sold through a follow-on offering, for total net proceeds of $68.9 million. During 2009, we will make use of our secured credit lines in relation to our newbuildings. Also during 2009, we expect to inject new capital in the company as a result of an equity offering or at the market sales that we are planning to initiate during the second half of 2009.
 
C.           Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.
 
Not applicable.
 
D.           Trend Information
 
For industry trends refer to Business Overview under industry information. For company specific trends refer to ITEM 5 under discussion of operations.
 
 
E.            Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
As of December 31, 2008 our total undrawn amount under our newbuildings' financing facilities was $132.2 million .
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company had agreed with the lessors of four vessels through a performance guarantee deed to irrevocably and unconditionally guarantee the prompt and punctual payment of all sums payable by the Company to the lessors under or pursuant to the sale and leaseback agreements. The term of the performance guarantee covers the period of the leases. As of June 24, 2009, this guarantee has expired as a result of the termination of the respective leases.
 
 
73

 

 
F.
Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations
 
The following table sets forth our contractual obligations and their maturity dates as of December 31, 2008:
 
   
Payments due by period
 
Contractual Obligations:
 
Total
   
Less than 1
year
   
1-3
years
   
3-5
years
   
More than
5 years
 
                               
(1) (i) Long term debt (A)
    $346,907       $346,907       -       -       -  
      (ii) Interest (B)
    $20,712       $20,712                          
(2) Newbuildings (C)
    $133,344       $133,344       -       -       -  
(3) Operating leases (D)
    $18,700       $2,004       $2,004       $2,004       $12,688  
(4) Lease payments under sale and leasebacks (E)
    $57,483       $23,206       $23,206       $8,104       $2,967  
Total
    $577,146       $526,173       $25,210       $10,108       $15,655  
                                         

A. Relates to the outstanding balance as of December 31, 2008, consisting of 1(a) (60.9 million), 1(b) (i) ($53.2 million), 1(b) (ii) ($56.6 million), 1(c) (i) ($41.0 million), 1(c) (ii) ($26.7 million), 1(d) (i) ($37.0 million), 1(d) (ii) ($24.8 million) and 1(e) ($46.7 million), discussed below.
B. Interest payments are calculated using the Company's average going interest rate of 5.97%, as of December 31, 2008,  which takes into account additional interest expense from interest rate swaps, applied on the amortized long term debt as presented in the table above.
C. Relates to the remaining construction installments for the construction of six newbuildings.
D. Relates to the minimum rentals payable for the office space.
E. Relates to remaining lease payments for the five vessels that were sold and leased back as of December 31, 2008.


 
74

 

(1) Long Term Debt:

(a) RBS Revolving Credit Facility:
 
As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount under the RBS revolving credit facility was $60.9 million, payable in 19 consecutive quarterly installments of approximately $2.1 million starting February 2009, plus a balloon payment of $21.5 million payable together with the last installment. As of December 31, 2008, there was no undrawn amount under the RBS revolving credit facility.
 
Additional terms and conditions of the RBS credit facility are as follows:
 
During 2007, the interest rate on the RBS credit facility was 85 basis points over LIBOR. From March 26, 2008, the interest rate was adjusted to 125 basis points over LIBOR. The RBS credit facility is collateralized by a first priority mortgage on each of the M/T Ioannis P. and M/T Dauntless as of December 31, 2008.
 
The RBS credit facility contains, among other things,  various financial covenants, including i) security value maintenance whereby the market value of the vessels and the market value of any additional security are greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding loan and the fair value of outstanding swaps, ii) market value adjusted net worth is greater than or equal to $250.0 million and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA is greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $10.0 million or $0.5 million per group vessel and v) a minimum balance of $5.0 million to be maintained in the operating accounts.
 
The RBS credit facility also contains general covenants that require us to maintain adequate insurance coverage and obtain the bank's consent before we incur new indebtedness that is secured by the vessels mortgaged there under. In addition, the RBS credit facility prohibits us, without the lender's consent, from appointing a Chief Executive Officer, or CEO, other than Evangelos Pistiolis and requires that the vessels mortgaged thereunder be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which will subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessels to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., and any other company acceptable to the lender. We will be permitted to pay dividends under the RBS credit facility so long as we are not in default of a loan covenant.
 
Waivers
 
As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the security value maintenance covenant. We are currently in discussions with RBS in order to receive waivers until March 31, 2010. The outcome of these discussions remains unknown.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had three interest rate swaps with RBS, summarized as follows:
 
 
(i)
for a notional amount of $25.4 million, with effective date of June 30, 2005 and for a period of four years, we pay a fixed rate of 4.66%, in order to hedge portion of the variable interest rate exposure.  As of the date of this annual report this SWAP has expired.

 
(ii)
for a notional amount of $10.0 million, with effective date of September 30, 2006 and for a period of seven years, with an initial fixed interest rate of 4.23%, in order to hedge portion of the variable interest rate exposure.

 
(iii)
for a notional amount of $10.0 million, with effective date of September 30, 2006 and for a period of seven years, with an initial fixed interest rate of 4.11%, in order to hedge portion of the variable interest rate exposure.

 
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For swaps (ii) and (iii) we will pay an initial fixed interest rate, as designated above, and will receive a floating interest rate, which is the 3-month LIBOR, as is determined on the reset dates. During 2008, the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate was greater to 8 basis points, and we paid the initial fixed rate and received the floating interest rate. In all subsequent periods, if the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate is greater or equal to 8 basis points, then we will continue to pay the previous rate and continue to receive the respective floating rate. If the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate is less than 8 basis points, then we will pay the previous rate, plus three times the difference between 8 basis points and the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate. The interest rate that we will pay for those swaps is capped at 10.25%.
 
(b) HSH Credit Facilities:
 
(i) Loan of an initial amount of $95.0 million: As of December 31, 2008, we had a secured term loan outstanding of $53.2 million, which was ultimately part of a $95.0 million secured term loan available to partially finance the acquisition cost of the M/V Bertram, M/V Amalfi and the M/V Voc Gallant.

The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin. Until March 27, 2008 the margin was 100 basis points over LIBOR. From March 28, 2008 until March 24 2009 the margin was adjusted to 135 basis points over LIBOR as a result of the waiver received for our breach of the EBITDA covenant during 2008. From March 24, 2009 until March 31, 2010, the margin has been set at 250 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Breach of Loan Covenants" above. Thereafter the margin will be reduced to 100 basis points per annum while each of the Vessels are employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to the Agent for periods of at least twelve (12) months and 112.5 basis points per annum at all other times;"

The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been set at 130% for the first four years and 135% from then on until maturity. During 2008 these figures were adjusted to 140% and 145% respectively as a result of the waiver received for our breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250.0 million and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25.0 million or $0.5 million per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adjusted to $30.0 million as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, v) No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.

In addition, the HSH credit facility requires that the mortgaged vessels be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which may subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessels to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., or any other company acceptable to the lender. In addition, it prohibits the three borrowers, which are our subsidiaries, from declaring or paying any dividends or making any distributions to Top Ships in excess of 70% of their net income.

M/V Bertram: The loan of $28.1 million was drawn down on November 9, 2007 (originally amounted to $29.6 million). In December 2007, $1.5 million was prepaid from the net proceeds of the equity offering. Following the sale of the vessel in April 2008, the then outstanding loan of $26.5 million was fully repaid.


 
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M/V Amalfi: The loan of $28.7 million was drawn down on December 27, 2007 (originally amounted to $30.3 million). In December 2007, $1.6 million was prepaid on this loan from the net proceeds of the equity offering. As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $24.8 million, payable in payable in 24 consecutive quarterly installments of approximately $0.53 million, starting in March 2009, and a balloon payment of $11.9 million payable together with the last installment.

M/V Voc Gallant: On February 1, 2008, following the delivery of the vessel, $33.2 million, net of a prepayment of $1.9 million, was drawn (originally amounted to $35.1 million). As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $28.4 million, payable in 25 consecutive quarterly installments as follows: (i) one installment of $1.6 million, starting in February, 2009; (ii) four installments of $0.85 million; (iii) twenty installments of $0.50 million; and (iv) a balloon payment of $13.4 million payable together with the last installment.

(ii) Loan of an initial amount of $121.3 million: As of December 31, 2008, we had a secured term loan outstanding of $56.6 million, which is part of a $121.3 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings product tankers S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031 all scheduled to be delivered in 2009.

The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin. Until March 24, 2009 the margin was 175 basis points over LIBOR. From March 24, 2009 until March 31, 2010, the margin has been set at 200 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Breach of Loan Covenants" above. Thereafter the margin will be reduced to 175 basis points per annum until maturity of the loan while each of the Vessels are employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to the Agent for periods of at least twelve (12) months and 112.5 basis points per annum at all other times;"

The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been set at 120% for the first four years and 125% from then on until maturity. During 2008, these initial required percentage was adjusted to 125% as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250.0 million and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25.0 million or $0.5 million per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adjusted to  $30.0 million as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, v) No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.

In addition, the HSH credit facility requires that the mortgaged vessels be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which may subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessels to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., or any other company acceptable to the lender. In addition, it prohibits the three borrowers, which are our subsidiaries, from declaring or paying any dividends or making any distributions to Top Ships in excess of 70% of their net income.

As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the asset maintenance and adjusted net worth covenants for which we have received waivers as discussed below.


 
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M/T Miss Marilena : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $23.1 million out of a total of $40.1 million (which is part of a $121.3 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031), out of which $16.5 million was drawn down in October 2008 and $6.6 million was drawn down in November 2008. The repayment schedule involves forty consecutive installments payable quarterly, in arrears and commencing three months from last drawdown. The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.60 million; (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.70 million; and (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.75 million.  A balloon of $11.9 million payable together with the last installment. The repayment of the loan started in May 2009, following the delivery of the vessel.

M/T Tyrrhenian Wave : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $16.7 million out of a total of $40.6 million (which is part of a $121.3 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031), which was drawn down in October 2008. The repayment schedule involves forty consecutive installments payable quarterly, in arrears and commencing three months from last drawdown. The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.60 million; (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.70 million; and (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.75 million.  A balloon of $12.4 million payable together with the last installment.

During vessel's delivery, the total amount drawn was adjusted to $29.3 million from $40.6 million as a result of a drop in the vessel's value. Following this adjustment, the repayment amounts were adjusted accordingly as follows, starting in June 2009: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.43 million; (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.50 million; (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.54 million. A balloon of $8.9 million payable together with the last installment.

M/T Britto : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $16.7 million out of a total of $40.6 million (which is part of a $121.3 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031), out of which $10.0 million was drawn down in October 2008 and $6.7 million was drawn down in November 2008. The repayment schedule involves forty consecutive installments payable quarterly, in arrears and commencing three months from last drawdown. The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.60 million; (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.70 million; and (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.75 million.  A balloon of $12.4 million payable together with the last installment.

During vessel's delivery, the total amount drawn was adjusted to $35.2 million from $40.6 million as a result of a drop in the vessel's value. Following this adjustment, the repayment amounts were adjusted accordingly as follows, starting in August 2009: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.52 million; (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.60 million; (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of $0.65 million. A balloon of $10.7 million payable together with the last installment.

As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the asset maintenance and adjusted net worth covenants under this facility for which we have received waivers as discussed below.
 

 
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Waivers
 
During May 2009, we received waivers we respect to our $95.0 million drybulker financing and our $121.3 million product tanker financing. Specifically, we have received waivers until March 31, 2010 for asset maintenance clause, for EBITDA to fixed charges and for adjusted net worth. In the case of adjusted net worth, the minimum of $250.0 million has been replaced by $125.0 million. Following discussions with regards to a further decrease of minimum adjusted net worth to $75.0 million, HSH has not agreed to further reduce the minimum from $125.0 million but they have reassured us that they will be accommodating in providing us with waivers for any breaches until March 31, 2010 . In the case of asset cover ratio for the product tanker financing, the required percentage has been increased from 120% to 125% until March 31, 2010.

The amendatory agreements that we have signed with HSH Nordbank provide for the following: (1) a pledged amount of $6.5 million which will be applied against future installments of the drybulker financing starting from August 2009; 50% pro rata against the 12 instalments starting from August 2009, and 50% pro rata against all remaining instalments of the facility including the balloon, starting from August 2009 (2) a restructuring fee of $0.15 million, (3) increase in margin of drybulker financing from 1.35% to 2.50% until March 31, 2010, thereafter the margin will be reduced to 1% per annum while each of the vessels are employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to the agent for periods of at least 12 months and 1.125% per annum at all other times, (4) increase in margin of product tanker financing from 1.75% to 2.00% until 31 March 31, 2010, thereafter the margin will be reduced to 1.75% until maturity of the loan while each of the vessels is employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to HSH for periods of at least twelve (12) months and 1.125% per annum at all other times (5) in the case of sale of vessels financed by HSH 100% of the sale proceeds following debt repayment to be applied towards full covenant compliance, (6) in the case of sale of vessels not financed by HSH, following debt repayment HSH to be allocated an amount of the remaining sale proceeds equal to the proportion of total HSH outstanding loans over our total indebtedness, (7) In the case of a successful offering, HSH to be allocated an amount (on the basis of 50% of offering proceeds) equal to the proportion of total HSH outstanding loans over our total indebtedness (8) Our cash deposits, in addition to the pledged amounts, shall be at least equal to $3.7 million (i.e. $0.75 million per vessel) (9) Minimum liquidity has been redefined as $25.0 million inclusive of all pledged deposits with all banks (10) cross collateralisation of the two facilities.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had seven interest rate swaps with HSH, summarized as follows:

 
(i-iii)  
3 swaps for a notional amount, as of December 31, 2008 of $11.2 million, with effective date of December 12, 2008 and for a period of two years. We pay a fixed interest rate of 4.80% and receive 3 month Libor, in order to hedge portion of the variable interest rate exposure of the newbuildings' loans.

 
(iv)
for a notional amount, as of December 31, 2008, of $7.4 million with effective date of March 27, 2008 and for a period of five years. If 3 month Libor is greater than or equal to 4.842105% or lower than 1.5% we pay a fixed interest rate of 4.6% and receive 3 month libor. If 3 month Libor is greater than or equal to 1.5% and less than or equal to 4.842105% we pay 3 month Libor multiplied by 0,95 and receive 3 month libor.

 
(v)
for a notional amount, as of December 31, 2008, of $15.1 million with effective date of March 27, 2008 and for a period of five years. If 3 month Libor is greater than or equal to 4.842105% or lower than 1.5% we pay a fixed interest rate of 4.6% and receive 3 month libor. If 3 month Libor is greater than or equal to 1.5% and less than or equal to 4.842105% we pay 3 month Libor multiplied by 0,95 and receive 3 month libor.


 
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(vi)
for a notional amount, as of December 31, 2008, of $13.4 million with effective date of July 15, 2008 and for a period of seven years. We pay 5.55% less a variable which depends on whether the 3 month libor is within an upper and a lower limit or outside these limits and receive 3 month libor. Our current swap rollover has been fixed at 5.55%.

 
(vii)
for a notional amount of $15.1 million, with effective date of June 28, 2010 and for a period of four years. We pay a fixed interest rate of 4.73% and receive 3 month Libor, in order to hedge portion of the variable interest rate exposure under the Amalfi loan.

(c) DVB Credit Facilities:
 
(i) M/V Astrale : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $41.0 million. The loan of $48.0 million was drawn down in April, 2008 to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Astrale.

The repayment schedule involves eighteen consecutive quarterly installments: the first shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $3.5 million; the next shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $9.5 million; each of the next four of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $2.5 million; each of the next twelve of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $0.6 million; A balloon of $10.8 million shall be paid together with the last installment.

The amended repayment schedule of this facility is discussed under "Waivers" below.
 
 The facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin. The margin has been agreed at 175 basis points per annum for the period commencing on the date of the drawdown and ending on, but not including, the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date, and 150 basis points annum thereafter.
 
The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 140% of the outstanding loan for the first two years and 130% thereafter, ii) a Net Asset Value that is greater than $125.0 million, iii) Stockholder's equity to be greater than $100.0 million, and iv) minimum cash balances of $25.0 million.
 
In addition, the DVB credit facility prohibits the borrower without the lender's consent, from declaring or paying any dividends or returning any capital to its equity holder and requires that the mortgaged vessels be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which may subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessels to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., or any other company acceptable to the lender. Finally, Top Ships is not allowed to appoint any chief executive officer other than Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis without the prior written consent of DVB.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the value maintenance and net asset value covenants of this loan for which we are in the process of receiving waivers as discussed below.
 
  (ii) Loan of an initial amount of $80.0 million : As of December 31, 2008, we had a secured term loan outstanding of $26.7 million, which is part of an $80.0 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings product tankers S-1027, S-1033 all scheduled to be delivered in 2009.
 

 
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The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 155 basis points per annum. From March 16, 2009 the margin for the loan of the Ionian Wave has been set at 175 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Waivers" below.

The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 110% of the outstanding loan for the predelivery period, 115% for the first five years and 125% thereafter, ii) a Net Asset Value that is greater than $225.0 million, iii) Stockholder's equity to be greater than $180.0 million, iv) minimum cash balances of the higher of $25.0 million or $0.5 million per group vessel, and (v) Interest cover ratio of no less than 1.2 times (defined as EBITDAR divided by interest expense) pre delivery and 1.5 times post delivery.
 
In addition, the DVB credit facility prohibits the borrower without the lender's consent, from declaring or paying any dividends or returning any capital to its equity holder and requires that the mortgaged vessels be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which may subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessels to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., or any other company acceptable to the lender. Finally, Top Ships is not allowed to appoint any chief executive officer other than Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis without the prior written consent of DVB.
 
M/T Ionian Wave : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $16.7 million out of a total of $40.0 million (which is part of an $80.0 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1027 and S-1033) which was drawn down in October 2008. The repayment schedule involves forty equal consecutive installments payable quarterly, in arrears and commencing six months from last drawdown. The amount of each of the installments shall be $0.6 million and a balloon of $15.0 million payable together with the last installment.
 
During vessel's delivery, the total amount drawn was adjusted to $33.7 million from $40.0 million as a result of a drop in the vessel's value. Following this adjustment, the repayment amounts were adjusted accordingly as follows, starting in September 2009: The amount of each of the installments shall be $0.5 million and a balloon payment of $12.7 million payable together with the last installment.

M/T Hongbo (Hull 1033) : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $10.0 million out of a total of $40.0 million (which is part of an $80.0 million loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1027 and S-1033) which was drawn down in October 2008. The repayment schedule involves forty equal consecutive installments payable quarterly, in arrears and commencing six months from last drawdown. The amount of each of the installments shall be 0.6 million and a balloon of $15.0 million payable together with the last installment.

The amount of each of the installments shall be determined upon delivery of the vessel during the summer of 2009 when the amount of the final advance will be determined based on a test relevant to the market value of the vessel around the delivery date.

As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the net asset value covenant as defined under this facility and we are in the process of receiving waivers as discussed below.
 

 
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Waivers
 
With respect to our $48.0 million drybulker financing and our $80.0 million product tanker financing, we are in the process of receiving waivers until March 31, 2010 for asset maintenance clause and minimum net asset value. In the case of the asset maintenance clause, we have agreed the following minimum required value to loan ratios with regards to the drybulker financing:
 
-  
100% until March 31, 2010
 
-  
105% until March 31, 2011
 
-  
110% until March 31, 2012
 
-  
120% thereafter
 
The asset value maintenance clause for the product tankers will not change.
 
The amendatory agreements that we are in the process of signing with DVB provide for the following: (1) a repayment installments' moratorium for 11 months commencing at the end of April 2009 following the repayment of a scheduled $9.5 million balloon installment, (2) a reduction in scheduled repayments after the moratorium including 2 quarterly installments of $0.35 million, 21 quarterly installments of $0.7 million and a balloon of $12.6 million, (3) with regards to the drybulker financing, a cash sweep mechanism for the period commencing after the end of April 2010 until the maturity of the loan agreement whereby 60% of any excess cash earned by the M/V Astrale will be applied in the inverse order of maturity to the amount outstanding under the loan agreement. Excess cash is defined as net earnings less: (i) aggregate operating expenses and general and administrative capped at $10,000 per day as adjusted for an annual increase of 3%, (ii) scheduled installment repayments and (iii) interest costs. The cash sweep mechanism will cease to function in the event the ratio of the vessel's charter free fair market value over the outstanding loan is equal or greater than 140% for a period of more than 3 consecutive months, (4) a restructuring fee of $80,000, (5) cross collateralisation of the two facilities.
 
(d) ALPHA BANK Credit Facilities:
 
(i) M/V Cyclades : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $37.0 million. The loan of $48.0 million was drawn down on December 17, 2007 to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Cyclades.

The repayment schedule involves twenty eight consecutive quarterly installments, starting in March 2009, as follows: (i) four installments of $2.25 million; (ii) four installments of $1.25 million; (iii) twenty installments of $0.75 million; and (iv) a balloon payment of $8.0 million payable together with the last installment.

The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 130 basis points. From April 3, 2009 the margin has been set at 250 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Waivers" below.

The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including: i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding loan, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250.0 million iii) book equity (total assets less consolidated debt) to be greater than $100.0 million and iv) minimum cash balances of $25.0 million.


 
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As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the asset maintenance and adjusted net worth covenants for which we have received waivers as discussed below.

(ii) M/T Lichtenstein : As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $24.8 million which was drawn down in August, September and November of 2008. The loan of $39.0 million was entered into on December 17, 2007 to partially finance the construction cost of newbuilding S-1026.

The repayment schedule involves forty equal consecutive quarterly installments of $0.6 million starting in May 2009 and a balloon payment of $15.0m together with the last installment.

The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 165 basis points. From April 3, 2009 the margin has been set at 225 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Breach of Loan Covenants" above.

The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including: including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding loan, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 iii) book equity (total assets less consolidated debt) to be greater than $100,000, and iv) minimum cash balances of $25,000.

As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the market value adjusted net worth covenant for which we have received waivers as discussed below.
 
Waivers
 
With respect to our $48.0 million drybulker financing and our $39.0 million product tanker financing, we have received waivers until March 31, 2010 for asset maintenance clause and adjusted net worth.
 
The amendatory agreements that we signed in April 2009, with Alpha Bank provide for the following: (1) a cash pledge of $ 4.0 million to be maintained with Alpha Bank; this amount will be applied towards the drybulker financing in case of renegotiation or cancellation of the existing time charter agreement of M/V Cyclades. $2.0 million of the pledged cash will be released on December 31, 2009 subject to the above and no other event of default. The remaining $2.0 million will be released on March 30, 2010 given that: a) no renegotiation or cancellation of the existing time charter agreement will be effected until then, b) no event of default has occurred in the respective loan facility. (2) increase in margin of the drybulker financing from 1.30% to 2.50%, (3) increase in margin of product tanker financing from 1.65% to 2.25%, (4) Minimum liquidity is reduced to $15.0 million from $25.0 million until March 31, 2010, (5) cross collateralisation of the two facilities.
 
 (e) EMPORIKI Credit Facility: As of December 31, 2008 the outstanding amount was $46.7 million. The loan of $50.0million was entered into in March 2008 in order to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel M/V Pepito.
 
The repayment schedule involves 13 consecutive semi-annual installments, starting from March 2009, as follows: (i) three installments of $3.3 million, starting on September 8, 2008; (ii) ten installments of $2.4 million; and (iii) a balloon payment of $12.9 million payable together with the last installment.
 
 
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The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 110 basis points. From March 31, 2009 until March 31, 2010, the margin has been set at 250 basis points over LIBOR as part of the restructuring discussed under "Waivers" below. Thereafter the margin will be reduced to 175 basis points per annum until maturity of the loan.
 
The facility contains, among other things, various financial covenants including: (i) the aggregate market value of the mortgaged vessel is equal to at least 125% of the outstanding principal amount under the loan, (ii) the leverage ratio (as defined in the EMPORIKI credit facility agreement) will not exceed 75% and (iii) the interest cover ratio (as defined in the EMPORIKI credit facility agreement) will stand at the minimum level of 2.5:1.
 
In addition, the EMPORIKI credit facility prohibits us, without the lender's consent, from appointing a CEO other than Evangelos Pistiolis and requires that the mortgaged vessel be managed by TOP Tanker Management, which may subcontract the technical management of the mortgaged vessel to V.Ships Management Limited, Hanseatic Shipping Company Ltd., or any other company acceptable to the lender. In addition, it prohibits the borrower, which is our subsidiary, without the lender's consent, from declaring or paying any dividends or making any distributions to its shareholders.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we were not in compliance with the asset maintenance and leverage ratio covenants for which we are in the process of receiving waivers as discussed below.
 
Waivers
 
With respect to our $50.0 million drybulker financing we are in the process of receiving waivers until March 31,2010 for asset maintenance clause and minimum leverage ratio defined as Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets adjusted to FMV of vessels.
 
The amendatory agreements that we are in the process of signing with Emporiki Bank provide for the following: (1) an increase in margin from 1.10% to 2.50% until March 31, 2010. From April 1, 2010 the margin and until maturity of the loan the margin will be 1.75%, (2) an addendum to the first mortgage in form and substance satisfactory to the bank.
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had one interest rate swap with Emporiki Bank, summarized as follows:

(i) for a notional amount of $20.0 million for a seven year period, with effective date May 15, 2008. Based on this agreement, we received an upfront amount of $1.5 million. During the first year we will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and pay a fixed rate of 5.50%. From the second year, we will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and will pay a rate of 5.10%, if two conditions are met: i) the difference between the 10 year Euro swap rate and the 2 year Euro swap rate is greater or equal than -0.15% and ii) the 6 month USD Libor is between 1.00% and 6.00%. Otherwise, we will pay the 10.85% less 5.75% multiplied by the number of days that the above two conditions are not met, divided by the total number of days of the period.
 

 
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Other Interest Rate Swaps/Derivative Products:
 
Interest Rate Swaps: In July 2006, we entered with Egnatia Bank into an interest rate swap agreement as follows:

(i) for a notional amount of $10.0 million, with effective date of July 3, 2006 and for a period of seven years.  Under this agreement, we pay an initial fixed interest rate of 4.7% and receive a floating interest rate, which is the 3-month LIBOR, as is determined on the reset dates. If the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate is greater or equal to 5 basis points, then we will continue to pay the initial fixed rate and continue to receive the respective floating rate. If the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate is less than 5 basis points, then we will pay the initial fixed rate, plus two times the difference between 5 basis points and the difference between the 10-year swap rate and the 2-year swap rate. The interest rate that we will pay is capped at 8.80%.

Interest Rate Derivative Product : In November 2007, we entered into an interest rate derivative product. Under this agreement, we received an upfront payment of $8.5million and would have to pay five annual interest payments on a notional amount of $85.0 million. Based on the cumulative performance of a portfolio of systematic foreign exchange trading strategies, the interest payments would have a minimum floor at 0.00% and a cap at 7.50%.

On September 15, 2008, the parent company of the counterparty in this derivative product, announced its intention to file a petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Soon after this announcement, we initiated discussions with the counterparty in order to examine the potential effect of this bankruptcy on our liability.

As at September 30, 2008, we had classified the liability within our current liabilities, as valued on September 12, 2008, at $15,215. On December 30, 2008 we signed an agreement with the counterparty terminating the interest rate derivative product against a one-off termination payment of $5.0 million.

(2) Newbuildings:
 
In October 2006, the Company entered into an agreement for the construction of six Handymax Product / Chemical tankers. The total contract price was $285.4 million, payable in five installments as follows: 15% is payable upon arrangement of the Refund Guarantee, 15% is payable upon commencement of steel cutting, 20% is payable upon keel laying, 20% is payable upon launching and 30% upon delivery of the vessel.

The first installment for the six vessels of $42.8 million was paid in December 2006 and January 2007. The second installment for all vessels, the third installment for five vessels and the fourth installment for two vessels in an aggregate amount of $109.2 million was paid during 2008. The third installment for one vessel, the fourth installment for four vessels and the delivery installment for five vessels in an aggregate amount of $119.1 million, was paid during 2009 up to the date of this annual report. The only remaining payment is a payment of $14.3 million upon delivery of the last of our newbuildings, which is expected to take place during the second half of 2009.

The vessels' construction installments to date have been partially financed by HSH Nordbank, DVB and Alpha Bank.


 
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(3) Operating Leases:
 
In January 2006, we entered into an agreement to lease office space in Athens, Greece, with an unrelated party. The office is located at 1, Vasilisis Sofias & Megalou Alexandrou Street, 151 24 Maroussi, Athens, Greece. The agreement is for a duration of 12 years beginning May 2006 with a lessee's option for an extension of 10 years. The monthly rental is $161,231 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2008) adjusted annually for inflation increase plus 1.0%.
 
  (4) Lease Payments under Sale and Leasebacks:
 
On April 3, 2009, we entered into an agreement to terminate the bareboat charter of M/T Relentless and redeliver the vessel to its owners during the third quarter of 2009.
 
On June 24, 2009, we terminated the bareboat charters of the vessels M/T Faithful, the M/T Doubtless, the M/T Spotless and the M/T Vanguard and redelivered them to their owners.
 
We will incur minimal, if any, lease payments during the third quarter of 2009 depending on the redelivery date of  M/T Relentless to its owners.
 
Other Contractual Obligations:
 
TOP Tanker Management, our wholly-owned subsidiary, is responsible for the chartering, operational and technical management of our tanker fleet, including crewing, maintenance, repair, capital expenditures, drydocking, vessel taxes, maintaining insurance and other vessel operating expenses under management agreements with our vessel owning subsidiaries.
 
As of December 31, 2008, TOP Tanker Management has subcontracted the day-to-day technical management and crewing of two Handymax tankers to V.Ships Management Limited, a ship management company Additionally, TOP Tanker Management has also subcontracted the crewing of three Handymax tankers to V. Ships Management Limited and has also subcontracted the crewing of two Handymax tankers and four drybulk vessels to Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc. TOP Tanker Management pays a monthly fee of $11,800 per vessel for technical management and crewing of the two vessels and $3,550 per vessel for the crewing of three vessels under its agreements with V. Ships Management, and a monthly fee of $1,700 per vessel for the six vessels under its agreements with Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc.  The agreements between Top Tanker Management and V.Ships Management Limited and Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc, continue until written notice of termination is given by either party. In such case, they terminate after a period of two or three months from the date upon which such notice was given. Accordingly, they are not included in the table of contractual obligations presented above.
 
Other major capital expenditures include funding our maintenance program of regularly scheduled intermediate survey or special survey dry-docking necessary to preserve the quality of our vessels as well as to comply with international shipping standards and environmental laws and regulations. Although we have some flexibility regarding the timing of this maintenance, the costs are relatively predictable. Management anticipates that the vessels that are younger than 15 years are required to undergo in-water intermediate surveys 2.5 years after a special survey dry-docking and that such vessels are to be dry-docked every five years, while vessels 15 years or older are to be dry-docked for an intermediate survey every 2.5 years in which case the additional intermediate survey dry-dockings take the place of in-water surveys.
 
During 2009, one owned tanker vessel has completed its special survey and one leased vessel is currently undergoing its special survey, and we will cover the cost as part of the termination agreement entered into on June 24, 2009.
 

 
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Critical Accounting Policies:
 
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of those financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
 
Critical accounting policies are those that reflect significant judgments or uncertainties, and potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. We have described below what we believe are our most critical accounting policies that involve a higher degree of judgment and the methods of their application. For a description of all of our significant accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included herein.
 
Depreciation. We record the value of our vessels at their cost (which includes the contract price, pre-delivery costs incurred during the construction of newbuildings, capitalized interest and any material expenses incurred upon acquisition such as initial repairs, improvements and delivery expenses to prepare the vessel for its initial voyage) less accumulated depreciation. We depreciate our vessels on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, estimated to be 25 years from the date of initial delivery from the shipyard. Depreciation is based on cost of the vessel less its residual value which is estimated to be $160 per light-weight ton. A decrease in the useful life of the vessel or in the residual value would have the effect of increasing the annual depreciation charge. When regulations place limitations over the ability of a vessel to trade on a worldwide basis, the vessel's useful life is adjusted at the date such regulations become effective. We have not historically experienced change in estimate used in calculating depreciation and do not expect to experience changes in estimates in a future.
 
Impairment of long-lived assets.    We evaluate the carrying amounts and periods over which long-lived assets are depreciated to determine if events have occurred which would require modification to their carrying values or useful lives. In evaluating useful lives and carrying values of long-lived assets, we review certain indicators of potential impairment, such as undiscounted projected operating cash flows, vessel sales and purchases, business plans and overall market conditions. We determine undiscounted projected net operating cash flows for each vessel and compare it to the vessel carrying value. When the estimate of undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest charges, expected to be generated by the use of the asset is less than its carrying amount, we should evaluate the asset for an impairment loss. In the event that impairment occurred, we would determine the fair value of the related asset and we record a charge to operations calculated by comparing the asset's carrying value to the estimated fair market value. We estimate fair market value primarily through the use of third party valuations performed on an individual vessel basis.
 
The carrying values of the Company's vessels may not represent their fair market value at any point in time since the market prices of second-hand vessels tend to fluctuate with changes in charter rates and the cost of newbuildings.
 
The Company did not note for 2006 and 2007, any events or changes in circumstances indicating that the carrying amount of its vessels may not be recoverable. However, in the fourth quarter of 2008, market conditions changed significantly as a result of the credit crisis and resulting slowdown in world trade.   Since the end of the third quarter of 2008, the charter rates in the drybulk and tanker market have declined significantly and vessel values must have also declined (there have been scarce transactions to document that) both as a result of a slowdown in the availability of global credit and the significant deterioration in charter rates. These are conditions that the Company considers to be indicators of potential impairment. The Company performed the undiscounted cash flow test as of December 31, 2008. We determine undiscounted projected net operating cash flows for each vessel and compare it to the vessel's carrying value.   This assessment is made at the individual vessel level since separately identifiable cash flow information for each vessel is available. In developing estimates of future cash flows, the Company made assumptions about future charter rates, utilization rates, ship operating expenses, future dry docking costs  and the estimated remaining useful lives of the vessels. These assumptions are based on historical trends as well as future expectations in line with the Company's historical performance and our expectations for future fleet utilization under our current fleet deployment strategy.  The Company determined that the carrying amounts of its vessels held for use were recoverable.  
 
Our impairment test exercise is highly sensitive on variances in the time charter rates, fleet effective utilization rate, estimated scrap values, future drydocking costs and estimated vessel operating costs. Our current analysis, which involved also a sensitivity analysis by assigning possible alternative values to these inputs, indicates that there is no impairment of individual long lived assets. However, there can be no assurance as to how long term charter rates and vessel values will remain at their currently low levels or whether they will improve by any significant degree. Charter rates may remain at depressed levels for some time which could adversely affect our revenue and profitability, and future assessments of vessel impairment.
 
Derivatives:   The SFAS No. 133, " Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities " as amended, establishes accounting and reporting standards requiring that every derivative instrument be recorded in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at its fair value, with changes in the derivatives’ fair value recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met.

We have determined fair value of our derivatives in accordance with SFAS No. 157 "Fair value measurements", which became effective on January 1, 2008, applies to financial assets and liabilities and also non-financial assets and liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis on recurring basis. SFAS No. 157 requires disclosure that establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. This statement enables the reader of the financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those measurements by establishing a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. The statement requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2: Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data;

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.

All our interest rate swap payments or receipts, and therefore the fair value of our swaps, depend on observable market inputs, namely, the 3-month LIBOR rate, the 10 year U.S. dollar swap rate, the two year U.S. dollar swap rate, the 10 year Euro swap rate and the 2 year Euro swap rate, see "Item 11 quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk". We have therefore categorized all our swaps as level 2 items.  In regard to the Fair Value Measurement, please also refer to Note 22 in our consolidated financial statements.

We have not applied hedge accounting for our interest rate swaps. Additionally, we have not adjusted the fair value of our derivative liabilities for non-performance risk as we expect to be able to perform under the contractual terms of our derivative agreements, such as making cash payments at periodic net settlement dates or upon termination. Also refer to " Item 5 – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Working capital requirements and sources of capital " for availability of capital.
 
Allowance for doubtful accounts.   Revenue is based on contracted voyage and time charter parties and, although our business is with customers who we believe to be of the highest standard, there is always the possibility of dispute, mainly over terms, calculation and payment of demurrages. In such circumstances, we assess the recoverability of amounts outstanding and we estimate a provision if there is a possibility of non-recoverability, combined with the application of a historical recoverability ratio, for purposes of determining the appropriate provision for doubtful accounts. Although we believe our provisions to be based on fair judgment at the time of their creation, it is possible that an amount under dispute is not recovered and the estimated provision for doubtful recoverability is inadequate.
 
Fair value of time charter acquired. When vessels are acquired with existing time charters we allocate the total cost between the vessel and the fair value of the time charter based on the relative fair values of the vessel and the time charter acquired. The fair value of the attached time charter is computed as the present value of the difference between the contractual amount to be received over the term of the time charter and management's estimates of the market time charter rate at the time of acquisition. The fair value of the time charter is amortized over the remaining period of the time charter to revenues.

New accounting pronouncements: No significant effect from new accounting pronouncements. See Notes to the December 31, 2008 Financial Statements for a full description of new accounting pronouncements and effect on our financials.

G.           Safe Harbor
 
Forward looking information discussed in this Item 5 includes assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events. These statements are intended as ''forward-looking statements''. We caution that assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events may and often do vary from actual results and the differences can be material. Please see "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in this Report.

 
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ITEM 6.   DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
 
A.           Directors and Senior Management
 
Set forth below are the names, ages and positions of our directors, executive officers and key employees. Members of our Board of Directors are elected annually on a staggered basis, and each director elected holds office for a three-year term. Officers are elected from time to time by vote of our Board of Directors and hold office until a successor is elected.
 
Name
Age
Position
Thomas F. Jackson
61
Director and Chairman of the Board
Evangelos J. Pistiolis
36
Director, President, Chief Executive Officer
Alexandros Tsirikos
35
Director, Chief Financial Officer
Vangelis G. Ikonomou
44
Director and Executive Vice President
Michael G. Docherty
49
Director
Christopher J. Thomas
49
Director
Roy Gibbs
59
Director
Stavros Emmanuel
66
Chief Operating Officer of TOP Tanker Management
Demetris P. Souroullas
46
Vice President
Eirini Alexandropoulou
37
Secretary
     
Biographical information with respect to each of our directors and executives is set forth below.
 
Thomas F. Jackson has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors since July 2004, and has over 28 years experience in the shipping industry. Mr. Jackson is also a Director of Paralos Finance Corporation, which he established in 2000 as a provider of financial advisory and consultancy services to select Greek shipping companies. Mr. Jackson commenced his banking career with National Westminster Bank in 1967, and moved to the Piraeus Branch, Greece in 1977. In 1986 he headed the Bank's Operations Department in Athens, and returned to Piraeus in 1989 where he assumed the role of Corporate and Shipping Marketing Manager. In 1994 he was appointed Head of Shipping for the Bank in Greece. Mr. Jackson is an Associate of the Institute of Financial Services (formerly the Chartered Institute of Bankers), and is a past lecturer for the Institutes examinations.
 
Evangelos J. Pistiolis founded our Company in 2000, is our President and Chief Executive Officer and has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. Mr. Pistiolis graduated from Southampton Institute of Higher Education in 1999 where he studied shipping operations and from Technical University of Munich in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. His career in shipping started in 1992 when he was involved with the day to day operations of a small fleet of drybulk vessels. From 1994 through 1995 he worked at Howe Robinson & Co. Ltd., a London shipbroker specializing in container vessels. While studying at the Southampton Institute of Higher Education, Mr. Pistiolis oversaw the daily operations of Compass United Maritime Container Vessels, a ship management company located in Greece.
 

 
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Alexandros Tsirikos has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 1, 2009. Mr. Tsirikos, is a UK qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) and has been employed with Top Ships since July 2007 as the Company's Corporate Development Officer. Prior to joining TOP Ships, Mr Tsirikos was a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers, or PwC, where he worked as a member of the PwC Advisory team and the PwC Assurance team thereby drawing experience both from consulting as well as auditing. As a member of the Advisory team, he lead and participated in numerous projects in the public and the private sectors, involving strategic planning and business modelling, investment analysis and appraisal, feasibility studies, costing and project management. As a member of the Assurance team, Mr. Tsirikos was part of the International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, technical team of PwC Greece and lead numerous IFRS conversion projects for listed companies. He holds a Master's of Science in Shipping Trade and Finance from City University of London and a Bachelor's Degree with honours in Business Administration from Boston University in the United States. He speaks English, French and Greek.
 
Vangelis G. Ikonomou is our Executive Vice President and has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ikonomou was the Commercial Director of Primal Tankers Inc. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Ikonomou worked with George Moundreas & Company S.A. where he was responsible for the purchase and sale of second-hand vessels and initiated and developed a shipping industry research department. Mr. Ikonomou worked, from 1993 to 2000, for Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Ltd., a ship management company in Greece, in the commercial as well as the safety and quality departments. Mr. Ikonomou holds a Masters degree in Shipping Trade and Finance from the City University Business School in London, a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Athens in Greece and a Navigation Officer Degree from the Higher State Merchant Marine Academy in Greece.
 
Michael G. Docherty has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. Mr. Docherty is a founding partner of Independent Average Adjusters Ltd., an insurance claims adjusting firm located in Athens, Greece, which he co-founded in 1997. Mr. Docherty has 25 years of international experience handling maritime insurance claims.
 
Christopher J. Thomas has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. Mr. Thomas is also the Chief Financial Officer of Paragon Shipping Inc. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Thomas was the Chief Financial Officer of DryShips Inc., which is a publicly traded company with securities registered under the Exchange Act. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Thomas was the Chief Financial Officer and a director of Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd., which is also a publicly traded company with securities registered under the Exchange Act. Prior to joining Excel, Mr. Thomas was the Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff Marine Inc. Mr. Thomas holds a degree in Business Administration from Crawley University, England.
 
Roy Gibbs has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. Mr. Gibbs has been the chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank, Greece, formerly ANZ Grindlays, since 1992. From 1988 to 1992, Mr. Gibbs was the chief manager of domestic banking at ANZ Grindlays, London. Prior to that he was assistant director for property, construction and shipping at ANZ London. Mr. Gibbs joined National and Grindlays Bank in 1965.
 
Captain Stavros Emmanuel has been the Chief Operating Officer of TOP Tanker Management since July 2004. He has 33 years experience in the shipping industry and expertise in operation and chartering issues. Prior to joining TOP Tanker Management, Captain Emmanuel served as General Manager of Primal Tankers Inc., where his responsibilities included chartering and operations management. Prior to joining Primal Tankers in 2000, Captain Emmanuel worked in various management capacities for Compass United Maritime. Captain Emmanuel obtained a Naval Officers degree from ASDEN Nautical Academy of Aspropyrgos, Greece and earned a Master Mariners degree in 1971.
 

 
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Demetris P. Souroullas is Vice President of Top Ships Inc. and has been with our company since 2007. Prior to joining the Company, and from 2001 onwards Mr. Souroullas held the positions of Chief Executive Officer for the Fleet of Admibros Shipmanagement Co. Ltd and Technical and General Manager of LMZ Transoil Shipmanagement S.A. Prior to that Mr. Souroullas worked with the Cyprus Bureau of Shipping where he started in 1988 as a Surveyor and left in 2001 as the Head of Classification. Mr. Souroullas holds a Masters degree in Naval Architecture from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and a Bachelors degree in Maritime Technology from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology.
 
Eirini Alexandropoulou has been our Secretary since August 2004. Mrs. Alexandropoulou's principal occupation for the past nine years is as a legal advisor providing legal services to ship management companies with respect to corporate and commercial as well as shipping and finance law issues in Greece. From 2001 to 2004, Mrs. Alexandropoulou served as a legal advisor to Eurocarriers SA, a ship manager. Most recently, from 2000 to 2001, Mrs. Alexandropoulou served as a legal advisor to Belize's ship registry office in Piraeus. Mrs. Alexandropoulou has been a member of the Athens Bar Association since 1997 and has a law degree from the Law Faculty of the University of Athens.
 
B.           Compensation
 
During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, we paid to the members of our senior management and to our directors' aggregate compensation of $4.4 million, $8.1 million, $4.2 million, $4.8 million and $5.6 million, respectively. We do not have a retirement plan for our officers or directors.
 
Equity Incentive Plan
 
In April 2005 the Board adopted the TOP SHIPS INC. 2005 Stock Incentive Plan, or the Plan, under which our officers, key employees and directors may be granted options to acquire common stock. A total of 1,000,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the Plan, which is administered by the Board. Since the Plan's inception, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan has been increased to 5,000,000. The Plan also provides for the issuance of stock appreciation rights, dividend equivalent rights, restricted stock, unrestricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance shares at the discretion of our Board of Directors. The Plan will expire 10 years from the date of its adoption. On July 11, 2007, the Company increased the Plan's reserve by 1,000,000 shares.
 
Please refer to Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 18 describing grants under the Plan, which have occurred between  April 2005 and January 2008.
 
On January 22, 2008, the Company granted 197,560 shares of restricted common stock of the Company, or Shares, pursuant to the Company's Plan. These shares were granted to two officers and employees and proportionally vest over a period of four years in equal annual installments with the following provisions: in case of change of control or termination of employment, Shares will immediately vest, with the exception of voluntary resignation or termination of employment for cause, in which event the Shares will be forfeited. The fair value of each Share on the grant date was $6.69.
 

 
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On July 1, 2008, the Company increased the Plan's reserve by 1,000,000 shares and granted 500,000 Shares, pursuant to the Company's Plan. All 500,000 Shares were awarded to our CEO, Evangelos Pistiolis, and issued to Sovereign Holdings Inc., a company wholly-owned by Mr. Pistiolis. The restrictions on the shares granted to the CEO schedule 125,000 shares to vest on the grant date and schedule the remainder of the shares to vest over a period of three years in equal annual installments beginning one year from the grant date. However, as the shares granted to the Company's CEO do not contain any future service vesting conditions, all such shares are considered vested shares on the grant date. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $6.20
 
On July 10, 2008, the Company granted 2,666 Shares pursuant to the Company's Plan. All 2,666 Shares were awarded to one of our employees, such Shares to vest over a period of 6 months. The fair value of each Share on the grant date was $5.15.
 
On September 2, 2008, the Company granted 387,666 Shares pursuant to the Company's Plan. 375,000 of the Shares from this date were granted to our non-executive directors, such Shares to vest five years after the grant date. 10,000 of the Shares from this date were granted to one of our employees, such Shares to vest proportionally over a period of three years in equal installments, commencing on the grant date. 2,666 of the Shares from this date were granted to another of our employees, such Shares to vest over a period of 6 months. The fair value of each Share on the grant date was $5.08.
 
On September 4, 2008, the Company increased the Plan's reserve by 2,000,000 shares and granted 1,472,438 Shares pursuant to the Company's Plan. All 1,472,438 Shares were awarded to our CEO, Evangelos Pistiolis in lieu of cash compensation that would be owed to Mr. Pistiolis under his employment agreement with the Company, or the employment agreement, in the event of a change in control of the Company. These Shares were issued to Sovereign Holdings Inc., a company wholly-owned by Mr. Pistiolis. The Shares will vest in the event of a change in control of the Company, as defined in the employment agreement. The fair value of each Share on the grant date was $5.23.
 
All share amounts have been adjusted for the 1:3 reverse stock split effected on March 20, 2008.
 
 
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A summary of the status of the Company's vested and non-vested Shares as of December 31, 2008 and movement during the year ended December 31, 2008, is presented below:
 
 
Number of non-vested shares
Weighted average grant date fair value per non-vested share
As of December 31, 2007
213,333
$23.97
Granted in 2008
2,060,331
$5.34
Vested in 2008
(157,078)
$14.56
Forfeited in 2008
(39,322)
$12.59
As of December 31, 2008
2,077,264
$6.42

 
Number of vested shares
As of December 31, 2007
229,917
Granted in 2008
500,000
Non-vested shares granted in 2007 and 2008, vested during 2008
157,078
As of December 31, 2008
886,995

C. Board Practices
 
Committees of the Board of Directors
 
We have established an audit committee composed of three members, which pursuant to a written audit committee charter is responsible for reviewing our accounting controls and recommending to the Board of Directors, or the Board, the engagement of our outside auditors. Each member is an independent director under the corporate governance rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The members of the audit committee are Messrs. Docherty, Gibbs and Thomas. While the Company is exempt from the requirement to have an audit committee financial expert, both Mr. Thomas and Mr. Gibbs meet the qualifications of an audit committee financial expert. In June 2007, we established a compensation committee and a nominating and governance committee. Both committees are composed of four members, all of whom are independent directors. The compensation committee carries out the Board's responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company's executive and non-executive officers and provides such other guidance with respect to compensation matters as the Committee deems appropriate. The nominating and governance committee assists the Board in: (i) identifying, evaluating and making recommendations to the Board concerning individuals for selections as director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders or to otherwise fill Board vacancies; (ii) developing and recommending to the Board a set of corporate governance guidelines and principles applicable to the Company, and (iii) reviewing the overall corporate governance of the Company and recommending improvements to the Board from time to time.
 
The board has determined that Mr. Thomas and Mr. Gibbs, whose biographical details are included elsewhere in this Item 6, members of our audit committee, qualify as a financial experts and are considered to be independent under the corporate governance rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
 

 
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D. Employees
 
As of December 31, 2008, we had four employees, while our wholly-owned subsidiary, TOP Tanker Management, employed 66 employees, all of whom are shore-based. As of December 31, 2008 we employed also 300 sea going employees, directly and indirectly through our sub-managers.
 
E. Share Ownership
 
The common shares beneficially owned by our directors and senior managers and/or companies affiliated with these individuals are disclosed in "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions".
 
ITEM 7.   MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
 
A.           Major Shareholders
 
The following table sets forth information regarding (i) the owners of more than five percent of our common stock that we are aware of and (ii) the total amount of capital stock owned by our officers and directors as of June 24, 2009. All of the shareholders, including the shareholders listed in this table, are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held. The percentages below are calculated as of June 24, 2009.
 
 
Title of Class
 
Identity of Person or Group
Amount Owned
Percent
of Class
Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
Sphinx Investment Corp.*
4,133,333
13.99%
 
Maryport Navigation Corp.*
4,133,333
13.99%
 
George Economou*
4,133,333
13.99%
 
QVT Financial LP**
2,899,568
9.81%
 
QVT Financial GP LLC**
2,899,568
9.81%
 
QVT Associates GP LLC**
2,305,801
7.80%
 
Kingdom Holdings Inc.***
1,065,393
3.60%
 
Sovereign Holdings****
2,826,564
9.57%
 
Evangelos Pistiolis*****
2,826,564
9.57%
 
Shares of Officers and directors other than Evangelos Pistiolis
567,880
1.92%
 
All officers and directors as a group
3,394,444
11.49%
       
 
_______________________
*
As of October 24, 2008. Sphinx Investment Corp., Maryport Navigation Corp. and Mr. Economou may constitute a "group" for reporting purposes of Rule 13d-5 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
**
As of January, 16, 2009. QVT Financial LP, QVT Financial GP LLC and QVT Associates GP LLC share beneficial ownership of the shares listed in this table.
***
A company owned primarily by adult relatives of our President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, Evangelos Pistiolis.
****
A company that is wholly owned by Evangelos Pistiolis.
*****
By virtue of the shares owned directly through Sovereign Holdings Inc.

B.           Related Party Transactions
 
For Related Party Transactions please refer to Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 18.

C.           Interests of Experts and Counsel.
 
Not applicable.
 
 
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ITEM 8.   FINANCIAL INFORMATION.
 
Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information.
 
See Item 18.
 
Dividend Policy
 
The Company paid special dividends of $15.00 per share and $7.50 per share on March 27, 2006 and April 25, 2006, respectively. On April 6, 2006 our Board decided to discontinue the Company's policy of paying regular quarterly dividends. The declaration and payment of any future special dividends shall remain subject to the discretion of the Board and shall be based on general market and other conditions including the Company's earnings, financial strength and cash requirements and availability.
 
We are permitted to pay dividends under the loans so long as we are not in default of a loan covenant and if such dividend payment would not result in a default of a loan covenant.
 
Significant Changes.
 
Please refer to Note 23 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 18.
 
ITEM 9.   THE OFFER AND LISTING.
 
Price Range of Common Stock
 
The trading market for our common stock is the NASDAQ Global Select Market, on which the shares are listed under the symbol ''TOPS.'' The following table sets forth the high and low closing prices for our common stock since our initial public offering of common stock at $33.00 per share on July 23, 2004, as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The high and low closing prices for our common stock for the periods indicated were as follows:
 
 
HIGH
LOW
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2008
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007*
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2006*
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2005*
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004 (beginning July 23, 2004)*
$10.62
$25.2
$54.96
$66.00
$72.42
$1.40
$9.09
$13.83
$36.81
$31.53
 
For the Quarter Ended*
   
March 31, 2009
December 31, 2008
September 30, 2008
June 30, 2008
March 31, 2008*
December 31, 2007*
September 30, 2007*
June 30, 2007*
March 31, 2007*
 
$2.30
$4.66
$6.31
$10.28
$10.65
$22.23
$25.20
$22.41
$15.75
 
$0.77
$1.40
$3.81
$6.40
$6.06
$9.09
$14.88
$13.44
$13.35
 

 
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For the Month
HIGH
LOW
June 2009 (to June 24, 2009)
$3.52
$1.98
May 2009
$1.77
$1.54
April 2009
$1.65
$0.98
March 2009
$1.08
$0.77
February 2009
$2.00
$1.26
January 2009
$2.30
$1.83
*Adjusted for the 1:3 reverse stock split effective March 20, 2008
   

ITEM 10.   ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A.           Share Capital
 
Not applicable.
 
B.           Memorandum and Articles of Association
 
Our purpose is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may now or hereafter be organized under the Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act, or BCA. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws do not impose any limitations on the ownership rights of our shareholders.
 
Under our Amended and Restated By-laws, annual shareholder meetings will be held at a time and place selected by our board of directors. The meetings may be held in or outside of the Marshall Islands. Special meetings of the shareholders, unless otherwise prescribed by law, may be called for any purpose or purposes at any time exclusively by the board of directors. Notice of every annual and special meeting of shareholders shall be given at least 15 but not more than 60 days before such meeting to each shareholder of record entitled to vote thereat.
 
Directors.     Our directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the shareholders by the holders of shares entitled to vote in the election. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-laws prohibit cumulative in the election of directors.
 
The board of directors must consist of at least one member and not more than twelve, as fixed from time to time by the vote of not less than 66 2 /3% of the entire board. Each director shall be elected to serve until the third succeeding annual meeting of shareholders and until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, except in the event of his death, resignation, removal, or the earlier termination of his term of office. The board of directors has the authority to fix the amounts which shall be payable to the members of our board of directors, and to members of any committee, for attendance at any meeting or for services rendered to us.
 
Classified Board

Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provide for the division of our board of directors into three classes of directors, with each class as nearly equal in number as possible, serving staggered, three-year terms. Approximately one-third of our board of directors will be elected each year. This classified board provision could discourage a third party from making a tender offer for our shares or attempting to obtain control of our company. It could also delay shareholders who do not agree with the policies of the board of directors from removing a majority of the board of directors for two years.
 

 
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Election and Removal

Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated by-laws require parties other than the board of directors to give advance written notice of nominations for the election of directors. Our Amended and Restated articles of incorporation provide that our directors may be removed only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote for those directors. These provisions may discourage, delay or prevent the removal of incumbent officers and directors.
 
Dissenters' Rights of Appraisal and Payment .     Under the Business Corporation Act of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or BCA, our shareholders have the right to dissent from various corporate actions, including any merger or sale of all or substantially all of our assets not made in the usual course of our business, and receive payment of the fair value of their shares. In the event of any further amendment of the articles, a shareholder also has the right to dissent and receive payment for his or her shares if the amendment alters certain rights in respect of those shares. The dissenting shareholder must follow the procedures set forth in the BCA to receive payment. In the event that, among other things, the institution of proceedings in the circuit court in the judicial circuit in the Marshall Islands in which our Marshall Islands office is situated. The value of the shares of the dissenting we and any dissenting shareholder fail to agree on a price for the shares, the BCA procedures involve shareholder is fixed by the court after reference, if the court so elects, to the recommendations of a court-appointed appraiser.
 
Shareholders' Derivative Actions .     Under the BCA, any of our shareholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action, provided that the shareholder bringing the action is a holder of common stock both at the time the derivative action is commenced and at the time of the transaction to which the action relate.
 
Anti-takeover Provisions of our Charter Documents .     Several provisions of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated by-laws may have anti-takeover effects. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, lessen our vulnerability to a hostile change of control and enhance the ability of our board of directors to maximize shareholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these anti-takeover provisions, which are summarized below, could also discourage, delay or prevent (1) the merger or acquisition of our company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, that a shareholder may consider in its best interest and (2) the removal of incumbent officers and directors.
 
Business Combinations

The Company's Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation include provisions which prohibit the Company from engaging in a business combination with an interested shareholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested shareholder, unless:
 
• prior to the date of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the Board approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder;

• upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced;


 
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• at or subsequent to the date of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of shareholders by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2 /3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested shareholder; and

• the shareholder became an interested shareholder prior to the consummation of the initial public offering.

Limited Actions by Shareholders

Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated By-laws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our shareholders must be effected at an annual or special meeting of shareholders or by the unanimous written consent of our shareholders.
 
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated By-laws provide that only our board of directors may call special meetings of our shareholders and the business transacted at the special meeting is limited to the purposes stated in the notice. Accordingly, a shareholder may be prevented from calling a special meeting for shareholder consideration of a proposal over the opposition of our board of directors and shareholder consideration of a proposal may be delayed until the next annual meeting.
 
Blank Check Preferred Stock

Under the terms of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, our board of directors has authority, without any further vote or action by our shareholders, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock. Our board of directors may issue shares of preferred stock on terms calculated to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or the removal of our management.
 
Super-majority Required for Certain Amendments to Our By-Laws

On February 28, 2007, we amended our by-laws to require that amendments to certain provisions of our by laws may be made when approved by a vote of not less than 66 2 /3% of the entire Board of Directors. These provisions that require not less than 66 2 /3% vote of the Board of Directors to be amended are provisions governing: the nature of business to be transacted at our annual meetings of shareholders, the calling of special meetings by our Board of Directors, any amendment to change the number of directors constituting our Board of Directors, the method by which our Board of Directors is elected, the nomination procedures of our board of directors, removal of our board of directors and the filling of vacancies on our Board of Directors.
 
C.           Material Contracts
 
Long Term Debt
 
As of December 31, 2008 we had long term debt obligations under credit facilities with RBS, HSH, DVB, EMPORIKI and ALPHA BANK. For a full description of our credit facilities see "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Long Term Debt".
 

 
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Newbuildings
 
As of December 31, 2008 we had commitments under six shipbuilding contracts for the construction of six Handymax product/chemical tankers scheduled for delivery during 2009. For a full description of our newbuildings see "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Newbuildings".
 
Office space lease
 
In January 2006, we entered into an agreement to lease office space in Athens, Greece, with an unrelated party. The agreement is for a duration of 12 years beginning May 2006 with a lessee's option for an extension of 10 years. For a full description of the office space lease see "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Operating Leases".
 
Sale and Leaseback
 
As of December 31, 2008 we had commitments under sale and leaseback agreements for five out of the twelve of our vessels under management. In March and April of 2006, the subsidiaries of the Company had sold and subsequently leased back thirteen vessels for a period of five to seven years. During 2009, up to the date of this report we have terminated or agreed to terminate all five sale and leaseback agreements as discussed under "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Operating Leases".
 

 
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Stockholders Rights Agreement
 
We entered into a Stockholders Rights Agreement with Computershare Investor Services, LLC, as Rights Agent, as of August 19, 2005. Under this Agreement, we declared a dividend payable of one right, or Right, to purchase one one-thousandth of a share of the Company's Series A Participating Preferred Stock for each outstanding share of Top Ships Inc. common stock, par value U.S.$0.01 per share. The Rights will separate from the common stock and become exercisable after (1) the 10th day after public announcement that a person or group acquires ownership of 15% or more of the company's common stock or (2) the 10th business day (or such later date as determined by the company's Board of Directors) after a person or group announces a tender or exchange offer which would result in that person or group holding 15% or more of the company's common stock. On the distribution date, each holder of a right will be entitled to purchase for $25 (the "Exercise Price") a fraction (1/1000th) of one share of the company's preferred stock which has similar economic terms as one share of common stock. If an acquiring person (an "Acquiring Person") acquires more than 15% of the company's common stock then each holder of a right (except that Acquiring Person) will be entitled to buy at the exercise price, a number of shares of the company's common stock which has a market value of twice the exercise price. If after an Acquiring Person acquires more than 15% of the company's common stock, the company merges into another company or the company sells more than 50% of its assets or earning power, then each holder of right (except for those owned by the acquirer) will be entitled to purchase at the Exercise Price, a number of shares of common stock of the surviving entity which has a then current market value of twice of the Exercise Price. Any time after the date an Acquiring Person obtains more than 15% of the company's common stock and before that Acquiring Person acquires more than 50% of the company's outstanding common stock, the company may exchange each right owned by all other rights holders, in whole or in part, for one share of  the company's common stock. The rights expire on the earliest of (1) August 31, 2015 or (2) the exchange or redemption of the rights as described above. The company can redeem the rights at any time on or prior to the earlier of a public announcement that a person has acquired ownership of 15% or more of the company's common stock, or the expiration date. The terms of the rights and the Stockholders Rights Agreement may be amended without the consent of the rights holders at any time on or prior to the Distribution Date. After the Distribution Date, the terms of the rights and the Stockholders Rights Agreement may be amended to make changes that do not adversely affect the rights of the rights holders (other than the Acquiring Person). The rights do not have any voting rights. The rights have the benefit of certain customary anti-dilution protections.
 
D.           Exchange controls
 
The Marshall Islands imposes no exchange controls on non-resident corporations.
 
E.           Tax Consequences
 
The following is a discussion of the material Marshall Islands and United States federal income tax considerations relevant to an investment decision by a U.S. Holder and a non U.S. Holder, each as defined below, with respect to the common stock. This discussion does not purport to deal with the tax consequences of owning common stock to all categories of investors, some of which, such as dealers in securities and investors whose functional currency is not the United States dollar, may be subject to special rules. You are encouraged to consult your own tax advisors concerning the overall tax consequences arising in your own particular situation under United States federal, state, local or foreign law of the ownership of common stock.
 

 
99

 

Marshall Islands Tax Consequences
 
In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, the following are the material Marshall Islands tax consequences of our activities to us and shareholders of our common stock. We are incorporated in the Marshall Islands. Under current Marshall Islands law, we are not subject to tax on income or capital gains, and no Marshall Islands withholding tax will be imposed upon payments of dividends by us to our shareholders.
 
United States Federal Income Tax Consequences
 
In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, our United States counsel, the following are the material United States federal income tax consequences to us of our activities and to U.S. Holders and non U.S. Holders, each as defined below, of our common stock. The following discussion of United States federal income tax matters is based on the Code, judicial decisions, administrative pronouncements, and existing and proposed regulations issued by the United States Department of the Treasury, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Treasury Regulations interpreting Code Section 883 became effective on January 1, 2005 for calendar year taxpayers such as ourselves and our subsidiaries. The discussion below is based, in part, on the description of our business as described in "Business" above and assumes that we conduct our business as described in that section. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion is based on the assumption that we will not maintain an office or other fixed place of business within the United States. References in the following discussion to "we" and "us" are to TOP SHIPS INC. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.
 
United States Federal Income Taxation of Our Company
 
Taxation of Operating Income: In General
 
Unless exempt from United States federal income taxation under the rules discussed below, a foreign corporation is subject to United States federal income taxation in respect of any income that is derived from the use of vessels, from the hiring or leasing of vessels for use on a time, voyage or bareboat charter basis, from the participation in a pool, partnership, strategic alliance, joint operating agreement, code sharing arrangements or other joint venture it directly or indirectly owns or participates in that generates such income, or from the performance of services directly related to those uses, which we refer to as "shipping income," to the extent that the shipping income is derived from sources within the United States. For these purposes, 50% of shipping income that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the United States constitutes income from sources within the United States, which we refer to as "U.S.-source shipping income."
 
Shipping income attributable to transportation that both begins and ends in the United States is considered to be 100% from sources within the United States. We are not permitted by law to engage in transportation that produces income which is considered to be 100% from sources within the United States.
 
Shipping income attributable to transportation exclusively between non-U.S. ports will be considered to be 100% derived from sources outside the United States. Shipping income derived from sources outside the United States will not be subject to any United States Federal income tax.
 
In the absence of exemption from tax under Section 883, our gross U.S. source shipping income would be subject to a 4% tax imposed without allowance for deductions as described below.
 

 
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Exemption of Operating Income from United States Federal Income Taxation
 
Under Section 883 of the Code and the regulations there under, we will be exempt from United States federal income taxation on our U.S.-source shipping income if:
 
(1)
we are organized in a foreign country, or our country of organization, 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 our country of organization or of another foreign country that grants an "equivalent exemption" to corporations organized in the United States, which we refer to as the "50% Ownership Test," or
 
 
(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 United States corporations, or in the United States, which we refer to as the "Publicly-Traded Test".
 
The Marshall Islands, Cyprus and Liberia, the jurisdictions where our ship-owning subsidiaries are incorporated, each grant an "equivalent exemption" to United States corporations. Therefore, we will be exempt from United States federal income taxation with respect to our U.S.-source shipping income if either the 50% Ownership Test or the Publicly-Traded Test is met.
 
The regulations provide, in pertinent part, that stock of a foreign corporation will be considered to be "primarily traded" on an established securities market if the number of shares of each class of stock that are traded during any taxable year on all established securities markets in that country exceeds the number of shares in each such class that are traded during that year on established securities markets in any other single country. Our common stock, which is our sole class of issued and outstanding stock, is and we anticipate will continue to be "primarily traded" on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
 
Under the regulations, our common stock will be considered to be "regularly traded" on an established securities market if one or more classes of our stock representing more than 50% of our outstanding shares, by total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote and total value, is listed on the market which we refer to as the listing threshold. Since our common stock, our sole class of stock, is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, we will satisfy the listing requirement.
 
It is further required that with respect to each class of stock relied upon to meet the listing threshold, (i) such class of stock be traded on the market, other than in minimal quantities, on at least 60 days during the taxable year or one-sixth of the days in a short taxable year; and (ii) the aggregate number of shares of such class of stock traded on such market is at least 10% of the average number of shares of such class of stock outstanding during such year or as appropriately adjusted in the case of a short taxable year. We believe we will satisfy the trading frequency and trading volume tests. Even if this were not the case, the regulations provide that the trading frequency and trading volume tests will be deemed satisfied if, as is the case with our common stock, such class of stock is traded on an established market in the United States and such stock is regularly quoted by dealers making a market in such stock.
 

 
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, the regulations provide, in pertinent part, that each class of our stock will not be considered to be "regularly traded" on an established securities market for any taxable year in which 50% or more of each class of our outstanding shares of the stock are owned, actually or constructively under specified stock attribution rules, on more than half the days during the taxable year by persons who each own 5% or more of the value of each class of our outstanding stock, which we refer to as the "5 Percent Override Rule."
 
For purposes of being able to determine the persons who own 5% or more of our stock, or "5% Shareholders," the regulations permit us to rely on those persons that are identified on Schedule 13G and Schedule 13D filings with the SEC, as having a 5% or more beneficial interest in our common stock. The regulations further provide that an investment company identified on a SEC Schedule 13G or Schedule 13D filing which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, will not be treated as a 5% shareholder for such purposes.
 
In the event the 5 Percent Override Rule is triggered, the regulations provide that the 5 Percent Override Rule will not apply if we can establish that among the closely-held group of 5% Shareholders, there are sufficient 5% Shareholders that are considered to be qualified shareholders for purposes of Section 883 to preclude non-qualified 5% Shareholders in the closely-held group from owning 50% or more of each class of our stock for more than half the number of days during such year.
 
We believe that we currently satisfy the Publicly-Traded Test and are not subject to the 5 Percent Override Rule and we will take this position for U.S. federal income tax reporting purposes.  However, there are factual circumstances beyond our control which could cause us to lose the benefit of this exemption.
 
Taxation in the Absence of Code Section 883 Exemption
 
To the extent the benefits of Code Section 883 are unavailable, our U.S. source shipping income, to the extent not considered to be "effectively connected" with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described below, would be subject to a 4% tax imposed by Section 887 of the Code on a gross basis, without the benefit of deductions. Since under the sourcing rules described above, no more than 50% of our shipping income would be treated as being derived from U.S. sources, the maximum effective rate of U.S. federal income tax on our shipping income would never exceed 2% under the 4% gross basis tax regime.
 
To the extent the benefits of the Code Section 883 exemption are unavailable and our U.S. source shipping income is considered to be "effectively connected" with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described below, any such "effectively connected" U.S. source shipping income, net of applicable deductions, would be subject to the U.S. federal corporate income tax currently imposed at rates of up to 35%. In addition, we may be subject to the 30% "branch profits" taxes on earnings effectively connected with the conduct of such trade or business, as determined after allowance for certain adjustments, and on certain interest paid or deemed paid attributable to the conduct of its U.S. trade or business.
 
Our U.S. source shipping income would be considered "effectively connected" with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business only if:

 
We have, or are considered to have, a fixed place of business in the United States involved in the earning of shipping income; and

 
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substantially all of our U.S. source shipping income is attributable to regularly scheduled transportation, such as the operation of a vessel that follows a published schedule with repeated sailings at regular intervals between the same points for voyages that begin or end in the United States.
 
We do not have currently or intend to have, or permit circumstances that would result in having any vessel operating to the United States on a regularly scheduled basis. Based on the foregoing and on the expected mode of our shipping operations and other activities, we believe that none of our U.S. source shipping income will be "effectively connected" with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business.
 
United States Taxation of Gain on Sale of Vessels
 
Regardless of whether we qualify for exemption under Code Section 883, we will not be subject to United States federal income taxation with respect to gain realized on a sale of a vessel, provided the sale is considered to occur outside of the United States under United States federal income tax principles. In general, a sale of a vessel will be considered to occur outside of the United States for this purpose if title to the vessel, and risk of loss with respect to the vessel, pass to the buyer outside of the United States. It is expected that any sale of a vessel by us will be considered to occur outside of the United States.
 
United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders
 
As used herein, the term "U.S. Holder" means a beneficial owner of our common stock that
 
 
is a United States citizen or resident, United States corporation or other United States entity taxable as a corporation, an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source, or a trust if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary jurisdiction over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust,
 
 
owns the common stock as a capital asset, generally, for investment purposes, and
 
 
owns less than 10% of our common stock for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
If a partnership holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our common stock, you are encouraged to consult your tax advisor.
 
Distributions
 
Subject to the discussion of passive foreign investment companies below, any distributions made by us with respect to our common stock to a U.S. Holder will generally constitute dividends, which may be taxable as ordinary income or "qualified dividend income" as described in more detail below, to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our earnings and profits will be treated first as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. Holder's tax basis in his common stock on a dollar for dollar basis and thereafter as capital gain. Because we are not a United States corporation, U.S. Holders that are corporations will not be entitled to claim a dividends received deduction with respect to any distributions they receive from us. Dividends paid with respect to our common stock will generally be treated as "passive category income" or, in the case of certain types of U.S. Holders, "general category income" for purposes of computing allowable foreign tax credits for United States foreign tax credit purposes.
 

 
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Dividends paid on our common stock to a U.S. Holder who is an individual, trust or estate (a "U.S. Individual Holder") should be treated as "qualified dividend income" that is taxable to such U.S. Individual Holders at preferential tax rates (through 2010) provided that (1) the common stock is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (such as the NASDAQ Global Select Market on which our stock is currently traded); (2) we are not a passive foreign investment company for the taxable year during which the dividend is paid or the immediately preceding taxable year (which we do not believe we are, have been or will be); and (3) the U.S. Individual Holder has owned the common stock for more than 60 days in the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the date on which the common stock becomes ex-dividend. Legislation has been recently introduced in the United States Congress, which if enacted in its present form, would preclude our dividends from qualifying for such preferential rates prospectively from the date of enactment. There is no assurance that any dividends paid on our common stock will be eligible for these preferential rates in the hands of a U.S. Individual Holder. Any dividends paid by the Company which are not eligible for these preferential rates will be taxed as ordinary income to a U.S. Individual Holder.
 
Special rules may apply to any "extraordinary dividend" generally, a dividend in an amount which is equal to or in excess of ten percent of a shareholder's adjusted basis (or, at the election of the U.S. Individual Holder, the stock's then fair market value) in a share of common stock paid by us. If we pay an "extraordinary dividend" on our common stock that is treated as "qualified dividend income," then any loss derived by a U.S. Individual Holder from the sale or exchange of such common stock will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of such dividend.
 
Sale, Exchange or other Disposition of Common Stock
 
Assuming we do not constitute a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized by the U.S. Holder from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the U.S. Holder's tax basis in such stock. Such gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder's holding period is greater than one year at the time of the sale, exchange or other disposition. Such capital gain or loss will generally be treated as U.S.-source income or loss, as applicable, for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. A U.S. Holder's ability to deduct capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
 
Passive Foreign Investment Company Status and Significant Tax Consequences
 
Special United States federal income tax rules apply to a U.S. Holder that holds stock in a foreign corporation classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes. In general, we will be treated as a passive foreign investment company with respect to a U.S. Holder if, for any taxable year in which such holder held our common stock, either
 
 
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.

 
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For purposes of determining whether we are a passive foreign investment company, we will be treated as earning and owning our proportionate share of the income and assets, respectively, of any of our subsidiary corporations in which we own at least 25 percent of the value of the subsidiary's stock. Income earned, or deemed earned, by us in connection with the performance of services would not constitute passive income. By contrast, rental income would generally constitute "passive income" unless we were treated under specific rules as deriving our rental income in the active conduct of a trade or business.
 
As of March 31, 2009, 67% of the average value of our fleet was employed under bareboat charters that qualify as passive income. If our fleet and charter composition remains the same, we would likely be treated as a passive foreign investment company for our 2009 taxable year. Nevertheless, it is management's intention to take necessary steps in order to avoid passive foreign investment company status as this would have the negative tax consequences for our investors more fully described, below. Remedial actions could involve the sale of passive income producing vessels or the purchase of non passive income producing assets.
 
Assuming that such steps are taken and based on our current operations and future projections, we do not believe that we are, nor do we expect to become, a passive foreign investment company with respect to any taxable year. Although there is no legal authority directly on point, and we are not relying upon an opinion of counsel on this issue, our belief is based principally on the position that, for purposes of determining whether we are a passive foreign investment company, the gross income we derive or are deemed to derive from the time chartering and voyage chartering activities of our wholly-owned subsidiaries should constitute services income, rather than rental income. Correspondingly, such income should not constitute passive income, and the assets that we or our wholly-owned subsidiaries own and operate in connection with the production of such income, in particular, the vessels, should not constitute passive assets for purposes of determining whether we were a passive foreign investment company. We believe there is substantial legal authority supporting our position consisting of case law and Internal Revenue Service pronouncements concerning the characterization of income derived from time charters and voyage charters as services income for other tax purposes. However, there is also authority which characterizes time charter income as rental income rather than services income for other tax purposes. In the absence of any legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing passive foreign investment companies, the Internal Revenue Service or a court could disagree with our position. In addition, although we intend to conduct our affairs in a manner to avoid being classified as a passive foreign investment company with respect to any taxable year, we cannot be certain that the nature of our operations will not change in the future.
 
As discussed more fully below, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder would be subject to different taxation rules depending on whether the U.S. Holder makes an election to treat us as a "Qualified Electing Fund," which election we refer to as a "QEF election." As an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder should be able to make a "mark-to-market" election with respect to our common stock, as discussed below.
 

 
105

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a Timely QEF Election
 
If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election, which U.S. Holder we refer to as an "Electing Holder," the Electing Holder must report each year for United States federal income tax purposes his pro rata share of our ordinary earnings and our net capital gain, if any, for our taxable year that ends with or within the taxable year of the Electing Holder, regardless of whether or not distributions were received from us by the Electing Holder. The Electing Holder's adjusted tax basis in the common stock will be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed earnings and profits. Distributions of earnings and profits that had been previously taxed will result in a corresponding reduction in the adjusted tax basis in the common stock and will not be taxed again once distributed. An Electing Holder would generally recognize capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock. A U.S. Holder would make a QEF election with respect to any year that our company is a passive foreign investment company by filing one copy of IRS Form 8621 with his United States federal income tax return and a second copy in accordance with the instructions to such form. If we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, we would provide each U.S. Holder with all necessary information in order to make the qualified electing fund election described below. It should be noted that if any of our subsidiaries is treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, a U.S. Holder must make a separate QEF election with respect to each such subsidiary.
 
Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a "Mark-to-Market" Election
 
Alternatively, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year and, as we anticipate, our stock is treated as "marketable stock," a U.S. Holder would be allowed to make a "mark-to-market" election with respect to our common stock, provided the U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the relevant instructions and related Treasury Regulations. If that election is made, the U.S. Holder generally would include as ordinary income in each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the common stock at the end of the taxable year over such holder's adjusted tax basis in the common stock. The U.S. Holder would also be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder's adjusted tax basis in the common stock over its fair market value at the end of the taxable year, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. A U.S. Holder's tax basis in his common stock would be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amount. Gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the common stock would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included by the U.S. Holder. It should be noted that if any of our subsidiaries is treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, a U.S. Holder likely will not be able to make a mark-to-market election with respect to each such subsidiary.
 
Taxation of U.S. Holders Not Making a Timely QEF or Mark-to-Market Election
 
Finally, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder who does not make either a QEF election or a "mark-to-market" election for that year, whom we refer to as a "Non-Electing Holder," would be subject to special rules with respect to (1) any excess distribution (i.e., the portion of any distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder on our common stock in a taxable year in excess of 125 percent of the average annual distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder in the three preceding taxable years, or, if shorter, the Non-Electing Holder's holding period for the common stock), and (2) any gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock. Under these special rules:
 
 
the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over the Non-Electing Holders aggregate holding period for the common stock;

 
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the amount allocated to the current taxable year 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 deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year.
 
These penalties would not apply to a qualified pension, profit sharing or other retirement trust or other tax-exempt organization that did not borrow money or otherwise utilize leverage in connection with its acquisition of our common stock. If a Non-Electing Holder who is an individual dies while owning our common stock, such holder's successor generally would not receive a step-up in tax basis with respect to such stock.
 
United States Federal Income Taxation of "Non-U.S. Holders"
 
A beneficial owner of common stock that is not a U.S. Holder is referred to herein as a "Non-U.S. Holder."
 
Dividends on Common Stock
 
Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax or withholding tax on dividends received from us with respect to our common stock, unless that income is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States. If the Non-U.S. Holder is entitled to the benefits of a United States income tax treaty with respect to those dividends, that income is taxable only if it is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States.
 
Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Stock
 
Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax or withholding tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock, unless:
 
 
the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States. If the Non-U.S. Holder is entitled to the benefits of an income tax treaty with respect to that gain, that gain is taxable only if it is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States; or
 
 
the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of disposition and other conditions are met.
 
If the Non-U.S. Holder is engaged in a United States trade or business for United States federal income tax purposes, the income from the common stock, including dividends and the gain from the sale, exchange or other disposition of the stock that is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business will generally be subject to regular United States federal income tax in the same manner as discussed in the previous section relating to the taxation of U.S. Holders. In addition, if you are a corporate Non-U.S. Holder, your earnings and profits that are attributable to the effectively connected income, which are subject to certain adjustments, may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, or at a lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.
 

 
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Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
 
In general, dividend payments, or other taxable distributions, made within the United States to you will be subject to information reporting requirements. In addition, such payments will be subject to backup withholding tax if you are a non-corporate U.S. Holder and you:
 
 
fail to provide an accurate taxpayer identification number;
 
 
are notified by the Internal Revenue Service that you have failed to report all interest or dividends required to be shown on your federal income tax returns; or
 
 
in certain circumstances, fail to comply with applicable certification requirements.
 
Non-U.S. Holders may be required to establish their exemption from information reporting and backup withholding by certifying their status on IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8ECI or W-8IMY, as applicable.
 
If you sell your common stock to or through a United States office or broker, the payment of the proceeds is subject to both United States backup withholding and information reporting unless you certify that you are a non-U.S. person, under penalties of perjury, or you otherwise establish an exemption. If you sell your common stock through a non-United States office of a non-United States broker and the sales proceeds are paid to you outside the United States then information reporting and backup withholding generally will not apply to that payment. However, United States information reporting requirements, but not backup withholding, will apply to a payment of sales proceeds, even if that payment is made to you outside the United States, if you sell your common stock through a non-United States office of a broker that is a United States person or has some other contacts with the United States. Backup withholding tax is not an additional tax. Rather, you generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax liability by filing a refund claim with the Internal Revenue Service.
 
F.           Dividends and Paying Agents
 
Not applicable
 
G.           Statement by Experts
 
Not applicable
 
         H.           Documents on Display.
 
We file annual reports and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the public reference section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, as well as on our website at http://www.topships.org
 
I.           Subsidiary Information
 
Not applicable
 
Incorporation by Reference
 
This Form 20-F is hereby incorporated by reference to the registration statement on Form F-3 filed on July 3, 2008 (Registration No. 333-152150).
 

 
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ITEM 11.   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
 
Our risk management policy
     
Our primary market risks relate to adverse movements in freight rates in the product tanker market and in the Handymax and Panamax sectors of the drybulk market. In 2008, we started to implement our strategy of entering into long term period charters (either time or bareboat). As of the date of this report, all but one of our vessels are on long term period charters with duration of more than one year, and therefore we believe we have mitigated this market risk until the expiration of each charter.

Our policy is to continuously monitor our exposure to other business risks, including the impact of changes in interest rates, currency rates, and bunker prices on earnings and cash flows. We assess these risks and, when appropriate, enter into derivative contracts with credit-worthy counter parties to minimize our exposure to the risks. With regard to bunker prices, as our employment policy for our vessels has been and is expected to continue to be with a high percentage of our fleet on period employment, we are not directly exposed with respect to those vessels to increases in bunker fuel prices, as these are the responsibility of the charterer under period charter arrangements.

Interest rate risk

We are subject to market risks relating to changes in interest rates because we have floating rate debt outstanding under our loan agreements on which we pay interest based on LIBOR plus a margin. In order to manage our exposure to changes in interest rates due to this floating rate indebtedness, we enter into interest rate swap agreements. Set forth below is a table of our interest rate swap arrangements as of December 31, 2007 and 2008 (in thousands).
 
Counterparty
Nr
 
Notional
Amount
Period
Effective
Date
Interest
Rate
Payable
 
Fair Value – Asset
(Liability)
                         
31-Dec-07
 
31-Dec-08
RBS
   
1
    $ 25,357  
4 years
30-Jun-05
    4.66 %   $ (240 )   $ (270 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
2
    $ 11,193  
2 years
12-Dec-08
    4.80 %           $ (701 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
3
    $ 11,193  
2 years
12-Dec-08
    4.80 %   $ (779 )   $ (701 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
4
 
  $ 11,193  
2 years
12-Dec-08
    4.80 %           $ (701 )
RBS
   
5
    $ 10,000  
7 years
30-Sep-06
    4.23 %   $ (514 )   $ (1,852 )
RBS
   
6
 
  $ 10,000  
7 years
30-Sep-06
    4.11 %   $ (461 )   $ (1,812 )
DEUTSCHE
   
    $ 50,000  
6 years
28-Sep-07
    -     $ (3,530 )     -  
EGNATIA
   
8
    $ 10,000  
7 years
3-Jul-06
    4.76 %   $ (588 )   $ (1,650 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
9
    $ 15,072  
5 years
27-Mar-08
    3.03 %     -     $ (732 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
10
 
  $ 7,443  
5 years
27-Mar-08
    4.60 %     -     $ (468 )
EMPORIKI
   
11
    $ 20,000  
7 years
15-May-08
    5.50 %     -     $ (3,944 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
12
    $ 13,359  
7 years
15-Jul-08
    5.44 %     -     $ (2,344 )
HSH NORDBANK
   
13
    $ 15,108  
4 years
28-Jun-10
    -       -     $ (1,263 )
                                $ (6,112 )   $ (16,438 )
                                             
 
 
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SWAP Nr 1 – This SWAP agreement expired during May 2009.

SWAPS Nr 2, 3, 4,13 - Under these SWAP agreements, we pay a fixed rate and we receive variable three month Libor.

SWAPS Nr 5, 6 - Under these SWAP agreements, we pay RBS a fixed rate of 4.23% and 4.11% respectively plus a variable portion which is equal to three times the difference between 0.08% and the difference of the 10 year U.S. dollar swap rate and the two year U.S. dollar swap rate. The coupon payments are capped at 10.25%. We receive from RBS variable three month Libor.

SWAP Nr 7 - In April 2008, we mutually agreed with Deutsche Bank to terminate the swap. The then-outstanding liability of $7,500 was repaid up to September 30, 2008 in varying installments plus 10% of interest.

SWAP Nr 8 - Under this SWAP agreement, we pay Egnatia a fixed rate of 4.70% plus a variable portion which is equal to two times the difference between 0.05% and the difference of the 10 year U.S. dollar swap rate and the two year U.S. dollar swap rate. The coupon payment is capped at 8.80%. We receive from Egnatia variable three month Libor.

SWAPS Nr 9, 10 – Under these SWAP agreements, we pay a fixed rate of the three-month U.S. Dollar Libor multiplied with the factor 0.95 per annum if the three month U.S. Dollar Libor is between 1.50% and 4.84%. In case the U.S. Dollar Libor is lower than 1.50% or higher 4.84%, we will pay a fixed rate of 4.60% per annum for that period. We receive from HSH Nordbank variable three month Libor.

SWAP Nr 11 – Under this SWAP agreement, we received an upfront amount of $1,500. During the first year, we will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and pay a fixed rate of 5.50%. From the second year, we will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and will pay a rate of 5.10%, if two conditions are met: i) the difference between the 10 year Euro swap rate and the 2 year Euro swap rate is greater or equal than -0.15% and ii) the six month USD Libor is between 1.00% and 6.00%. Otherwise, we will pay the 10.85% less 5.75% multiplied by the number of days that the above two conditions are not met, divided by the total number of days of the period.

SWAP Nr 12 - Under this SWAP agreement, we receive the three month LIBOR and pay 5.55%, less 2.5% multiplied by the quotient of the number of days the three month LIBOR and the 10 year swap rate is set in fixed ranges.
 
As of December 31, 2008, our total bank indebtedness was $342.5 million, of which $144.8 million was covered by the interest rate swap agreements described above. As set forth in the above table, as of December 31 , 2008, we paid fixed rates ranging from 3.03% to 5.50% and received floating rates on the SWAPs that are based on three month LIBOR, of approximately 3.00%. As of December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, our interest rate swap agreements are, on an average basis, above the prevailing three month LIBOR rates over which our loans are priced due to the steep reduction in prevailing interest rates during 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. Accordingly, the effect of these interest rate swap agreements in 2008 and the first three months of 2009 has been to increase our interest expense.

Based on the amount of our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2008, and our interest swap arrangements as of December 31, 2008, a hypothetical one percentage point increase or decrease in the three month U.S. dollar LIBOR would increase our interest rate expense for 2009, on an annualized basis, by approximately $2.5 million and decrease our interest rate expense by approximately $1.8 million, respectively. We have not and do not intend to enter into interest rate swaps for speculative purposes.

 
110

 

Foreign exchange rate fluctuation

We generate all of our revenues in U.S. dollars. During 2008, almost 16% of our total expenses incurred were in currencies other than U.S. dollars, mainly in Euros. For accounting purposes, expenses incurred in other currencies are converted into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing on the date of each transaction. We have not hedged currency exchange risks associated with our expenses and our operating results could be adversely affected as a result. We constantly monitor the U.S dollar exchange rate and we try to achieve the most favorable exchange rates from the financial institutions we work with.
 
Based on our total expenses for the year ended December 31, 2008, and using as an exchange rate the 2008 average exchange rate of $1.4709 / 1 Euro, a 5% decrease in the exchange rate to $1.3974 / 1 Euro, which reflects current exchange rate levels, would result in an expense saving of approximately $2.0 million.
 
ITEM 12.   DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES
 
Not Applicable.
 

 
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Part II
 
ITEM 13.   DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES
 
As of December 31, 2008 we were in breach of certain loan covenants (Refer to discussion of covenant breaches under "Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review And Prospects - Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations – Long term debt" above. Despite these breaches,  neither we nor any of our subsidiaries have been subject to a material default in the payment of principal, interest, a sinking fund or purchase fund installment or any other material default that was not cured within 30 days..
 
ITEM 14.   MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS
 
Not Applicable.
 
ITEM 15.       CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
a)           Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
 
Management, under the supervision and with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), as of the end of the period covered by this annual report (as of December 31, 2008).
 
The term disclosure controls and procedures are defined under SEC rules as controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.
 
Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of December 31, 2008.
 
b)           Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
 
Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company's principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the Company's Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:
 

 
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•           Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;
 
•           Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of Company's management and directors; and
 
•           Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
 
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system's objectives will be met. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Further, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
 
Our management with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer assessed the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008. In making this assessment, the Company used the control criteria framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, or COSO, published in its report entitled Internal Control-Integrated Framework. As a result of its assessment, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's internal controls over financial reporting are effective as of December 31, 2008.
 

c)
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
 
Deloitte, Hadjipavlou, Sofianos and Cambanis S.A., or Deloitte., an independent registered public accounting firm, as auditors of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008, has issued the following attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008.
 
113

 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Top Ships Inc., Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands
 
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Top Ships Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying "management's annual report on internal controls over financial reporting".  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
 
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.  Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances.  We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company's board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
 
Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.  Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
 
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008, of the Company and our report dated June 26, 2009 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and financial statement schedule and included an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.
 
/s/ Deloitte. Hadjipavlou, Sofianos, & Cambanis S.A.
Athens, Greece
June 26, 2009
 
 
 
 
 
 
114

 

d)
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
 
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this annual report that have materially effected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
 
ITEM 16A.        AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT
 
We have established an audit committee composed of three members that is responsible for reviewing our accounting controls and recommending to the Board of Directors the engagement of our outside auditors. Each member is an independent director under the corporate governance rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The members of the audit committee are Messrs. Docherty, Gibbs and Thomas. While the Company is exempt from the requirement to have an audit committee financial expert, both Mr. Thomas and Mr. Gibbs meet the qualifications of an audit committee financial expert.
 
ITEM 16B.           CODE OF ETHICS
 
The Board of Directors has adopted a Corporate Code of Business Ethics and Conduct that applies to all employees, directors and officers, that complies with applicable guidelines issued by the SEC. The finalized Code of Ethics has been approved by the Board of Directors and was distributed to all employees, directors and officers. We will also provide any person a hard copy of our code of ethics free of charge upon written request. Shareholders may direct their requests to the attention of Ms. Eirini Alexandropoulou at the Company's registered address and phone numbers.
 
ITEM 16C.        PRINCIPAL AUDITOR FEES AND SERVICES
 
Our principal auditors for the year ended December 31, 2008 were Deloitte. For the 2008 audit, Deloitte audit fees were $1,375,003. Our principal auditors for the year ended December 31, 2007 were Deloitte. For the 2007 audit, Deloitte audit fees were $2,191,442. Audit fees relate to regular audit services, audit of our internal controls, services required for follow-on common stock offerings and services related to SEC comment letters.
 
Our audit committee pre-approves all audit, audit-related and non-audit services not prohibited by law to be performed by our independent auditors and associated fees prior to the engagement of the independent auditor with respect to such services.
 
 
115

 

ITEM 16D.        EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

See Item 16A above.
 

ITEM 16E.        PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASES

During the fourth quarter of 2008, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program up to $20 million for a share price of not more than $2.50 per share for the duration of one year. Share repurchases started during the fourth quarter of 2008 and the transactions were open market based through the NASDAQ under Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act.

As at December 31, 2008 we had repurchased and cancelled an amount of 396,949 shares from the open market at an average price of $1.82. We continued our repurchase program until February 3, 2009 and during the first two months of 2009 we repurchased an amount of 358,601 shares from the open market at an average price of $2.02. The outstanding amount of 358,601 shares was cancelled effective as of February 25, 2009.

ITEM 16F.        CHANGE IN REGISTRANT'S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

 
Not applicable.
 
ITEM 16G.        CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Company has certified to NASDAQ that its corporate governance practices are in compliance with, and are not prohibited by, the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Therefore, the Company is exempt from all of NASDAQ's corporate governance practices other than the requirements regarding the disclosure of a going concern audit opinion, notification of material non-compliance with NASDAQ corporate governance practices, and the establishment and composition of an audit committee that complies with SEC Rule 10A-3 and a formal written audit committee charter. The practices followed by the Company in lieu of NASDAQ's corporate governance rules are described below.

The practices followed by the Company in lieu of NASDAQ's corporate governance rules are described below.
 
 
The Company holds annual meetings of shareholders under the BCA, similar to NASDAQ requirements.
 
 
In lieu of obtaining an independent review of related party transactions for conflicts of interests, the disinterested members of the Board of Directors approve related party transactions under the BCA.
 
 
In lieu of obtaining shareholder approval prior to the issuance of designated securities, the Company complies with provisions of the BCA requiring that the Board of Directors approves share issuances.
 
 
The Board of Directors does not hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 
116

 
 
PART III

ITEM 17.           FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Not Applicable.

ITEM 18.            FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following financial statements, together with the reports of Deloitte, Hadjipavlou, Sofianos & Cambanis S.A., Certified Auditors Accountants S.A., thereon, are filed as part of this report:


 
 
117

 

TOP SHIPS INC.
 
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 

   
Page
     
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Acc ou nting Firm
 
 
F- 2
     
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2007 and 2008
 
F-3
     
Consolidated Statements of Operations
for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
 
 
F-4
     
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity
for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
 
 
F-5
     
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
 
 
F-6
     
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
 
F-7
     
Schedule I – Condensed Financial Information of Top Ships Inc. (Parent Company Only)
 
F-52


 
 
F-1

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Top Ships Inc., Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands
 
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Top Ships Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2007 and 2008, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008.  Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 18.  These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.
 
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Top Ships Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Also, in our opinion, such financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects, the information set forth therein.
 
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern.  As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company's inability to comply with financial covenants under its current loan agreements as of December 31, 2008 and its negative working capital position raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.  Management's plans concerning these matters are also discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements.  The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
 
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated June 26, 2009 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
 
/s/ Deloitte. Hadjipavlou, Sofianos, & Cambanis S.A.
Athens, Greece
June 26, 2009


 
 
F-2

 

 
TOP SHIPS INC.
           
             
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
           
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
           
             
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars - except share and per share data)
           
             
   
December 31,
   
December 31,
 
   
2007
   
2008
 
             
ASSETS
           
             
CURRENT ASSETS:
           
             
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 26,012     $ 46,242  
Trade accounts receivable, net of provision of $801 and $3,275 as of December 31, 2007 and 2008, respectively
    15,184       4,208  
Insurance claims
    51       173  
Inventories (Note 7)
    7,958       965  
Advances to various creditors
    1,108       776  
Prepayments and other (Note 8)
    5,580       4,724  
Vessels held for sale (Note 10)
    46,268       -  
                 
      Total current assets
    102,161       57,088  
                 
FIXED ASSETS:
               
                 
Advances for vessels acquisitions / under construction (Note 9)
    66,026       159,971  
Vessels, net (Notes 10, 11 and 12)
    553,891       414,515  
Other fixed assets, net (Note 5)
    5,711       6,545  
                 
      Total fixed assets
    625,628       581,031  
                 
OTHER NON CURRENT ASSETS:
               
                 
Long-term receivables (Note 6)
    22,628       7,681  
Restricted cash (Notes 6 and 12)
    26,500       52,575  
                 
      Total assets
  $ 776,917     $ 698,375  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
               
                 
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
               
                 
Current portion of long-term debt (Note 12)
  $ 79,332     $ 342,479  
                 
Debt related to vessel held for sale (Note 12)
    28,156       -  
Current portion of financial instruments (Note 12)
    6,105       16,438  
Accounts payable
    21,341       8,968  
Other current liabilities (Note 13)
    -       5,000  
Accrued liabilities (Note 14)
    11,906       7,435  
Unearned revenue
    6,450       6,614  
                 
      Total current liabilities
    153,290       386,934  
                 
FAIR VALUE OF BELOW MARKET TIME CHARTER (Note 11)
    29,199       3,911  
                 
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, net of current portion (Note 12)
    10,683       -  
                 
LONG-TERM DEBT, net of current portion (Note 12)
    331,396       -  
                 
DEFERRED GAIN ON SALE AND LEASEBACK OF VESSELS (Note 6)
    40,941       15,479  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 16)
               
                 
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:
               
                 
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; none issued
    -       -  
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 20,508,575
and 29,901,048 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2007 and 2008, respectively (Note 16)
    205       283  
Additional paid-in capital (Note 16)
    216,150       271,056  
Accumulated other comprehensive income (Note 17)
    4       24  
Retained earnings / (Accumulated deficit)
    (4,951 )     20,688  
                 
      Total stockholders' equity
    211,408       292,051  
                 
      Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
  $ 776,917     $ 698,375  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated  financial statements.




 
 
F-3

 
 


TOP SHIPS INC.
               
                 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
               
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006, 2007 AND 2008
               
                 
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars - except share and per share data)
               
                 
                 
   
2006
   
2007
 
2008
 
                   
REVENUES:
                 
                   
Revenues (Notes 4 and 11)
    310,043     $ 252,259     $ 257,380  
                         
EXPENSES:
                       
                         
Voyage expenses (Note 19)
    55,351       59,414       38,656  
Charter hire expense (Note 6)
    96,302       94,118       53,684  
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels (Note 6)
    (8,110 )     (15,610 )     (18,707 )
Other vessel operating expenses (Note 19)
    66,082       67,914       67,114  
Dry-docking costs
    39,333       25,094       10,036  
Depreciation (Note 10)
    35,266       27,408       32,664  
Sub-Manager fees (Note 1)
    2,755       1,828       1,159  
Other general and administrative expenses
    20,261       22,996       30,314  
Foreign currency (gains) / losses, net
    255       176       (85 )
Gain on sale of vessels (Note 10)
    (12,667 )     (1,961 )     (19,178 )
                         
Operating income (loss)
    15,215       (29,118 )     61,723  
                         
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES):
                       
                         
Interest and finance costs (Notes 12 and 20)
    (27,030 )     (19,518 )     (25,764 )
Gain / (loss) on financial instruments (Note 12)
    (2,145 )     (3,704 )     (12,024 )
Interest income
    3,022       3,248       1,831  
Other, net
    (67 )     16       (127 )
                         
Total other expenses, net
    (26,220 )     (19,958 )     (36,084 )
                         
Net Income (loss)
    (11,005 )   $ (49,076 )   $ 25,639  
                         
Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted (Note 18)
    (1.16 )   $ (4.09 )   $ 1.01  
                         
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic
    10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  
                         
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted
    10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 
 
F-4

 


TOP SHIPS INC.
                 
                     
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
                 
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006, 2007 AND 2008
                 
                     
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars - except share and per share data)
                 

         
Common Stock
                         
   
Comprehensive
Income
   
# of Shares
   
Par Value
   
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
   
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive Income (loss)
   
Retained
Earnings /
(Accumulated
Deficit)
   
Total
 
BALANCE,
December 31, 2005
          9,360,213     $ 94     $ 297,902     $ 98     $ 61,053     $ 359,147  
                                                       
Net loss
  $ (11,005 )     0       0       0        -       (11,005 )     (11,005 )
Dividends paid
(US dollars 0.21 per share)
    0       0       0       0        -       (5,923 )     (5,923 )
Dividends paid
(US dollars 5.00 per share)
    0       0       0       (141,028 )      -       0       (141,028 )
Dividends paid
(US dollars 2.50 per share)
    0       0       0        (70,515 )      -       0       (70,515 )
Issuance of restricted shares, net of forfeitures
    0       147,034       1       3,709        -       0       3,710  
Issuance of common stock
    0       1,302,454       13       26,903        -       0       26,916  
Other comprehensive income
                                                       
- Accumulated unrecognized actuarial losses
    0       0       0       0        (6 )     0       (6 )
- Reclassification of gains to earnings due to discontinuance of cash flow hedges
    (98 )     0       0       0       (98 )     0        (98 )
                                                         
Comprehensive loss
  $ (11,103 )                                                
                                                         
BALANCE,
December 31, 2006
            10,809,701     $ 108     $ 116,971     $  (6 )   $ 44,125     $ 161,198  
                                                         
Net loss
  $ (49,076 )     0       0       0        -       (49,076 )     (49,076 )
Issuance of restricted shares, net of forfeitures
    0       213,000       2       933        -       0       935  
Issuance of common stock
    0       9,485,874       95       98,246        -       0       98,341  
Other comprehensive income
                                                       
- Accumulated unrecognized actuarial gain
    10       0       0       0       10       0       10  
                                                         
Comprehensive loss
  $ (49,066 )                                                
                                                         
BALANCE,
December 31, 2007
            20,508,575     $ 205     $ 216,150     $ 4     $ (4,951 )   $ 211,408  
                                                         
Net income
  $ 25,639       -       -       -       -       25,639       25,639  
Issuance of restricted shares, net of forfeitures
    -       2,521,009       9       5,107       -       -       5,116  
Cancellation of fractional shares
    -       (279 )     -        (2 )     -       -       (2 )
Repurchase and cancellation of common stock (396.949 shares)
            (396,949 )     (4 )     (727 )                      (731 )
Issuance of common stock
    -       7,268,692       73       50,528       -       -       50,601  
Other comprehensive income
                                                       
- Accumulated unrecognized actuarial gain
    20       -       -       -       20       -       20  
                                                         
Comprehensive income
  $ 25,659                                                  
                                                         
BALANCE,
December 31, 2008
            29,901,048     $ 283     $ 271,056     $ 24     $ 20,688     $ 292,051  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 
 
F-5

 



TOP SHIPS INC.
         
               
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
         
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006, 2007 AND 2008
   

                   
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars)
                 
                   
                   
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
                   
Cash Flows from (used in) Operating Activities:
                 
                   
Net income (loss)
    (11,005 )     (49,076 )     25,639  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
                       
 provided by operating activities:
                       
Depreciation
    35,594       28,043       33,474  
Amortization and write off of deferred financing costs
    4,534       2,081       5,131  
Stock-based compensation expense
    3,710       935       5,116  
Change in fair value of financial instruments
    3,711       4,904       10,650  
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels
     (8,110 )     (15,610 )     (18,707 )
Amortization of fair value of below market time charter
             (1,413 )     (21,795 )
(Gain) / Loss on sale of other fixed assets
     (10 )     69       126  
Gain on sale of vessels
    (12,667 )      (1,961 )     (19,178 )
Provision for Doubtful Accounts
    508       1,302       3,142  
(Increase) Decrease in:
                       
Trade accounts receivable
    11,832       10,701       7,834  
Insurance claims
    11        (1,656 )     (3,569 )
Inventories
     (152 )      (1,498 )     6,993  
Advances to various creditors
     (624 )     2,599       332  
Prepayments and other
     (4,270 )      (374 )     874  
Increase (Decrease) in:
                       
Accounts payable
    2,586       6,350       (12,428 )
Accrued liabilities
     (1,142 )      (1,460 )     (4,451 )
Unearned revenue
     (3,436 )     4,774       164  
Financial instrument termination payments
    -       -       (7,500 )
                         
Net Cash from (used in) Operating Activities
    21,070       (11,290 )     11,847  
                         
Cash Flows from (used in) Investing Activities:
                       
                         
Principal payments received under capital lease
                    46,000  
Principal payments paid under capital lease
    -               (68,828 )
Advances for vessels acquisition / under construction
    (28,683 )     (37,343 )     (114,260 )
Vessel acquisitions and improvements
     (18 )     (355,045 )     (118,142 )
Insurance claims recoveries
    -       1,852       3,447  
Increase in restricted cash
    (36,500 )     -       (26,075 )
Decrease in restricted cash
    -       23,500       -  
Net proceeds from sale of vessels
    599,176       51,975       338,143  
Net proceeds from sale of fixed assets
    255       74       58  
Acquisition of other fixed assets
     (2,639 )      (3,295 )     (1,792 )
                         
Net Cash from (used in) Investing Activities
    531,591       (318,282 )     58,551  
                         
Cash Flows used in (from) Financing Activities:
                       
                         
Proceeds from long-term debt
    20,000       316,851       271,156  
Principal payments of long-term debt
    (19,119 )     (26,955 )     (51,413 )
Prepayment of long-term debt
    (350,399 )     (65,582 )     (317,150 )
Financial instrument upfront receipt
            8,500       1,500  
Issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs
    26,916       98,341       50,601  
Cancellation of fractional shares
    -       -        (2 )
Repurchase and cancellation of common stock
                     (731 )
Payment of financing costs
     (63 )      (5,563 )     (4,129 )
Dividends paid
    (217,466 )             -  
                         
Net Cash used in (from) Financing Activities
    (540,131 )     325,592       (50,168 )
                         
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    12,530        (3,980 )     20,230  
                         
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
    17,462       29,992       26,012  
                         
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
    29,992       26,012       46,242  
                         
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
                       
                         
Interest paid
    22,307       13,731       19,616  
                         
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH INVESTING ACTIVITIES
                       
                       
Fair value of below market time charter
    0       30,612       12,647  
Amounts owed for capital expenditures
    0       1,215       55  
                         

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated  financial statements.
 
 
F-6

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

1.       Basis of Presentation and General Information:
 
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Top Ships Inc. (formerly Top Tankers Inc. and Ocean Holdings Inc.) and its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively the "Company"). Ocean Holdings Inc. was formed on January 10, 2000, under the laws of Marshall Islands, was renamed to Top Tankers Inc. and Top Ships Inc. in May 2004 and December 2007 respectively, and is the sole owner of all outstanding shares of the following subsidiaries:
 
 
Shipowning Companies
with vessels sold
Date of
Incorporation
Country of
Incorporation
Vessel
1
Olympos Shipping Company Limited
December 1999
British Cayman Islands
Med Prologue (sold to "Olympos Shipping Company Limited")
2
Vermio Shipping Company Limited ("Faithful")
December 2001
Marshall Islands
Faithful (sold to "Gramos Shipping Company Inc" - July 2003)
3
Kalidromo Shipping Company Limited ("Kalidromo")
May 2003
Marshall Islands
Tireless (sold - September 2004)
4
Olympos Shipping Company Limited ("Olympos")
May 2003
Marshall Islands
Med Prologue (sold - December 2004)
5
Rupel Shipping Company Inc. ("Rupel")
January 2003
Marshall Islands
Fearless (sold - July 2005)
6
Helidona Shipping Company Limited ("Helidona")
May 2003
Marshall Islands
Yapi (sold - September 2005)
7
Mytikas Shipping Company Ltd. ("Mytikas")
February 2004
Marshall Islands
Limitless (sold - September 2008) (Note 6, 10)
8
Litochoro Shipping Company Ltd. ("Litochoro")
March 2004
Marshall Islands
Endless (sold  - September 2008) (Note 6, 10)
9
Vardousia Shipping Company Ltd. ("Vardousia")
July 2004
Cyprus
Invincible (sold by its new owners - July 2007) (Note 6)
10
Psiloritis Shipping Company Ltd. ("Psiloritis")
July 2004
Liberia
Victorious (sold by its new owners - August 2007) (Note 6)
11
Menalo Shipping Company Ltd. ("Menalo")
July 2004
Cyprus
Restless (sold by its new owners - September 2007) (Note 6)
12
Pintos Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pintos")
July 2004
Cyprus
Sovereign (sold by its new owners - August 2008) (Note 6)
13
Pylio Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pylio")
July 2004
Liberia
Flawless (sold by its new owners - September 2008) (Note 6)
14
Taygetus Shipping Company Ltd. ("Taygetus")
July 2004
Liberia
Timeless (sold by its new owners - September 2008) (Note 6)
15
Imitos Shipping Company Limited ("Imitos")
November 2004
Marshall Islands
Noiseless (sold - January 2008) (Note 6, 10)
16
Parnis Shipping Company Limited ("Parnis")
November 2004
Marshall Islands
Stainless (sold - January 2008) (Note 6)
17
Parnasos Shipping Company Limited ("Parnasos")
November 2004
Liberia
Faultless (sold by its new owners - March 2008) (Note 6)
18
Vitsi Shipping Company Limited ("Vitsi")
November 2004
Liberia
Stopless (sold  by its new owners - September 2008) (Note 6)
19
Kisavos Shipping Company Limited ("Kisavos")
November 2004
Marshall Islands
Priceless (sold by its new owners - September 2008) (Note 6)
20
Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited ("Agion Oros")
February 2005
Marshall Islands
Topless (sold - December 2006)
 
 
 
 
F-7

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
1.       Basis of Presentation and General Information (continued):
 
21
Giona Shipping Company Limited ( " Giona " )
March 2005
Marshall Islands
Taintless (sold – November 2006)
22
Agrafa Shipping Company Limited ( " Agrafa " )
March 2005
Marshall Islands
Soundless (sold – November 2006)
23
Ardas Shipping Company Limited ( " Ardas " )
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Errorless (sold – April 2007)
24
Nedas Shipping Company Limited ( " Nedas " )
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Stormless (sold – June 2008) (Note 10)
25
Kifisos Shipping Company Li mited ( " Kifisos " )
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Edgeless (sold – July 2008) (Note 10)
26
Sperhios Shipping Company Limited ( " Sperhios " )
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Ellen P. (sold – September 2008) (Note 10)
27
Noir Shipping S.A. ( " Noir " )
June 2007
Marshall Islands
Bertram (sold – April 2008) (Note 10, 11 )
         

 
Shipowning Companies with sold and leased back vessels at December 31, 2008
Date of
Incorporation
Country of
Incorporation
Vessel
28
Gramos Shipping Company Inc. ("Gramos")
January 2003
Marshall Islands
Faithful (sold and leased back - March 2006) (Note 6)
29
Falakro Shipping Company Ltd. ("Falakro")
July 2004
Liberia
Doubtless (sold and leased back - March 2006) (Note 6)
30
Pageon Shipping Company Ltd. ("Pageon")
July 2004
Cyprus
Vanguard (sold and leased back - March 2006) (Note 6)
31
Idi Shipping Company Ltd. ("Idi")
July 2004
Liberia
Spotless (sold and leased back - March 2006) (Note 6)
32
Parnon Shipping Company Ltd. ("Parnon")
July 2004
Cyprus
Relentless (sold and leased back - September 2005) (Note 6, 23)
         

 
Shipowning Companies with vessels
in operations at December 31, 2008
Date of
Incorporation
Country of
Incorporation
Vessel
33
Lefka Shipping Company Limited ( " Lefka " )
March 2005
Marshall Islands
Dauntless (acquired – March 2005)
34
Ilisos Shipping Company Limited ( " Ilisos " )
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Ioannis P. (acquired in November 2005)
35
Amalfi Shipping Company Limited ( " Amalfi " )
July 2007
Marshall Islands
Amalfi (acquired – December 2007) (Note 11)
36
Jeke Shipping Company Limited ( " Jeke " )
July 2007
Liberia
Voc Gallant (acquired – February 2008) (Note 10, 11)
37
Japan I Shipping Company Limited ( " Japan  I " )
August 2007
Liberia
Pepito (acquired – March 2008) (Note 10)
38
Japan II Shipping Company Limited ( " Japan  II " )
August 2007
Liberia
Astrale (acquired  May 2008) (Note 6 , 10 )
39
Japan III Shipping Company Limited ( " Japan  III " )
August 2007
Liberia
Cyclades (acquired – December 2007)
         

 
 
 
 
F-8

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
1.       Basis of Presentation and General Information (continued):
 
 
Shipowning Companies with vessels under construction at December 31, 2008
Date of
Incorporation
Country of
Incorporation
Vessel
40
Warhol Shipping Company Limited ("Warhol")
July 2008
Liberia
Miss Marilena (delivered - February 2009) (Note 9, 23)
41
Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited ("Lichtenstein")
July 2008
Liberia
L ichtenstein (delivered February 2009) (Note 9 , 23)
42
Banksy Shipping Company Limited ("Banksy")
July 2008
Liberia
Ionian Wave (delivered March 2009) (Note 9, 23)
43
Indiana R Shipping Company Limited (" Indiana  R")
July 2008
Liberia
Tyrrhenian Wave (delivered March 2009) (Note 9, 23)
44
Britto Shipping Company Limited ("Britto")
July 2008
Liberia
Britto (delivered May 2009) (Note 9 , 23)
45
Hongbo Shipping Company Limited ("Hongbo")
July 2008
Liberia
Hull No. S-1033

 
Other Companies
Date of
Incorporation
Country of
Incorporation
Activity
46
Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited
January 2005
England and Wales
Representative office in London
47
Top Bulker Management Inc
April 2005
Marshall Islands
Inactive Management Company
48
TOP Tanker Management Inc
May 2004
Marshall Islands
Management Company
49
Ierissos Shipping Inc
November 2008
Marshall Islands
Cash Manager
 
The Company is an international provider of worldwide seaborne crude oil and petroleum products transportation services and of drybulk transportation services, through the ownership and operation of the vessels mentioned above.
 
The Company's Manager
 
Top  Tanker Management Inc (the "Manager") is responsible for all of the chartering, operational and technical management of the Company's fleet. The Company's ship-owning subsidiaries have a management agreement with the Manager, under which management servi c es are provided in exchange for a fixed monthly fee per vessel.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Manager has subcontracted the day to day technical management of certain vessels to unaffiliated ship management companies, V. Ships Management Limited and Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc. (collectively the "Sub-Managers"). The Sub-Managers provide day to day operational and technical services to the Company's vessels at a fixed monthly fee per vessel. Such fees for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 totaled $2,755, $1,828 and $1,159 respectively and are separately reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. At December 31, 2007 and 2008 the amount due to the Sub-Managers totaled $269 and $702 respectively and is included in Accounts Payable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
 

 

 
 
F-9

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 


2.         Significant Accounting Policies:
 
(a)
Principles of Consolidation:  The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S generally accepted accounting principles ("US GAAP") and include the accounts and operating results of Top Ships Inc. and its wholly- owned subsidiaries referred t o in Note 1. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
 
(b)
Use of Estimates :  The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S generally accepted accounting principles requires management to ma ke estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the r e porting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
(c)
Other Comprehensive  Income (Loss):  The Company follows the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards "Statement of Comprehensive Income" (SFAS 130), which requires separ ate presentation of certain transactions, which are recorded directly as components of stockholders' equity.
 
(d)
Foreign Currency Translation:  The Company's functional currency is the U.S. Dollar because all vessels operate in international shipping marke ts, and therefore primarily transact business in U.S. Dollars. The Company's books of accounts are maintained in U.S. Dollars. Transactions involving other currencies during the year are converted into U.S. Dollars using the exchange rates in effect at th e  time of the transactions. At the balance sheet dates, monetary assets and liabilities, which are denominated in other currencies, are translated to reflect the year-end exchange rates. Resulting gains or losses are reflected separately in the accompanyin g  consolidated statements of operations.
 
(e)
Cash and Cash  Equivalents:  The Company considers highly liquid investments such as time deposits and certificates of deposit with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
 
        (f) Restricted Cash:   The Company considers amounts that are pledged, blocked, held as cash collateral, required to be maintained with a specific bank or be maintained by the Company as an overall cash position as part of a loan agreement, as restricted  (Notes 6, 12 and 13 ).
 
(g)
Trade Accounts Receivable, net:  The amount shown as Trade Accounts Receivable, net at each balance sheet date, includes estimated recoveries from charterers for hire, freight and demurrage billings, net of a provision for doubtful accounts. At each balance sheet date, all potentially u n collectible accounts are assessed individually, combined with the application of a historical recoverability ratio, for purposes of determining the appropriate provision for doubtful accounts. Provision for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2007 and 2008 t otalled $801 and $3,275, and is summarized as follows:

 
 
F-10

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

2.         Significant Acc ounting Policies - (continued):
 
 
Provision for
doubtful accounts
 
Balance, December 31, 2005
316
Additions
508
Reversals / write-offs
(541)
Balance, December 31, 2006
283
Additions
1,302
 Reversals / write-offs
(784)
Balance, December 31, 2007
801
Additions
3,866
 Reversals / write-offs
(1,392)
Balance, December 31, 2008
3,275
 
(h)
Insurance  Claims:  Insurance claims, relating mainly to crew medical expenses and hull and machinery incidents are recorded upon collection or agreement with the relevant party of the collectible amount.
 
 
 (i)
Inventories :  Inventories consist of bunkers, lubricants and consumable stores which are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost, which consists of the purchase price, is determined by the first in, first out method.
 
 
 (j)
Vessel Cost:   Vessels are stated at cost, w hich consists of the contract price, pre-delivery costs incurred during the construction of newbuildings, capitalized interest and any material expenses incurred upon acquisition (improvements and delivery costs). Subsequent expenditures for conversions a n d major improvements are also capitalized when they appreciably extend the life, increase the earning capacity or improve the efficiency or safety of the vessels. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred and are included in Other vessel o perating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
 
(k)
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets:   Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may  not be recoverable. When the estimate of undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest charges is expected to be generated by the use of the asset is less than the asset's carrying amount,   the Company performs an analysis of the anticipated undiscounted f uture net cash flows of the related long-lived assets.  If the carrying value of the related asset exceeds its undiscounted future net cash flows, the carrying value is reduced to its fair value. Various factors including future charter rates and vessel o p erating costs are included in this analysis. The Company did not note for 2006 and 2007, any events or changes in circumstances indicating that the carrying amount of its vessels may not be recoverable.  However, in the fourth quarter of 2008, market cond i tions changed significantly as a result of the credit crisis and resulting slowdown in world trade. Charter rates for both drybulk carriers and tanker vessels fell significantly and values of assets were significantly affected although there were limited t ransactions to confirm that. The Company considered these market developments as indicators of potential impairment of the carrying amount of its assets. The Company performed the undiscounted cash flow test as of December 31, 2008 for its vessels held fo r  use and determined that the carrying amount of those vessels were not impaired.    

 
 
F-11

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
 
(l)
Assets Held for Sale :   It is the Company's policy to dispose of vessels when suitable opportunities occur and not n ecessarily to keep them until the end of their useful life. The Company classifies vessels as being held for sale when: management has committed to a plan to sell the vessels; the vessels are available for immediate sale in their present condition; an act i ve program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell the vessels have been initiated; the sale of the vessels is probable, and transfer of the asset is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year ;  the vessels are being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to their current fair value and actions required to complete the plan to sell indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or tha t  the plan will be withdrawn. Long-lived assets classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. These vessels are not depreciated once they meet the criteria to be classified as held for sale.   At December 31, 2007, the tanker vessel M/T Noiseless was classified as held for sale and its carrying amount of $46,268 is separately reflected in the 2007 accompanying consolidated balance sheet.  No vessels were determined to be held for sale at Decemb e r 31, 2008.
 
(m)
Vessel Depreciation:  Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the vessels, after deducting the estimated salvage value. Each vessel's salvage value is equal to the product of its lightweig ht tonnage and estimated scrap rate. Management estimates the useful life of the Company's vessels to be 25 years from the date of initial delivery from the shipyard. Second hand vessels are depreciated from the date of their acquisition through their rem a ining estimated useful life. When regulations place limitations over the ability of a vessel to trade on a worldwide basis, its useful life is adjusted at the date such regulations are adopted.
 
(n)
Other Fixed Assets, Net: Other fixed assets, net consists of furniture, office equipment, cars and leasehold improvements, stated at cost, which consists of the purchase / contract price less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the assets, while leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lease term, as presented below:
 
 
Description
Useful Life (years)
 
Leasehold improvements
12
 
Cars
6
 
Office equipment
5
 
Furniture and fittings
5
 
Computer equipment
3
 
(o)
Accounting for Dry-Docking Costs:  All dry-docking costs are accounted for under the direct expense method, under which they are expensed as incurred and are reflected separately in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
 
(p)
Sale and Leaseback Transactions:   The gains on sale of vessel sale and leaseback transactions are deferred and amortized to income over the lease period.
 
(q)
Financing Costs:  Fees incurred and paid to the lenders for obtaining new loans or refinancing existing ones are recorded as a contra to debt and such fees are amortized to

 
 
F-12

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

2.
Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
 
interest expense over the life of the related debt using the effective interest method. Unamortized fees relating to loans repaid or refinanced are expensed when a repayment or refinancing is made and charged to interest and finance costs.
 
(r)
Pension and Retirement Benefit Obl igations Crew:   The ship-owning companies included in the consolidation, employ the crew on board, under short-term contracts (usually up to nine months) and accordingly, they are not liable for any pension or post retirement benefits.
 
 
 (s)
Staff leaving Indemnities – Administrative personnel: The Company's employees are entitled to termination payments in the event of dismissal or retirement with the amount of payment varying in relation to the employee's compensation, length of service and manner of termination (dismissed or retired). Employees who resign, or are dismissed with cause are not entitled to termination payments. The Company's liability on an actuarially determined basis, at December 31, 2007 and 2008 amounted to $288 and $258, respectively.
 
(t)
Accounting for Revenue and Expenses:   Revenues are generated from voyage and time charter agreements. Time charter revenues are recorded over the term of the charter as service is provided. Profit sharing represents the excess between an agreed daily base rate and the actual rate generated by the vessel every quarter, if any, and is settled and recorded on a quarterly basis. Under a voyage charter the revenues, including demurrages and associated voyage costs, with the exception of port expenses which are recorded as incurred, are recognized on a proportionate performance method over the duration of the voyage. A voyage is deemed to commence upon the latest between the completion of discharge of the vessel's previous cargo and the charter party date of the current voyage and is deemed to end upon the completion of discharge of the current cargo. Demurrage income represents payments by the charterer to the Company when loading or discharging time exceeded the stipulated time in the voyage charter. Vessel operating expenses are accounted for on the accrual basis. Unearned revenue represents cash received prior to year-end related to revenue applicable to periods after December 31 of each year.
 
 
When vessels are acquired with time charters attached and the rates on such charters are below market on the acquisition date, the Company allocates the total cost between the vessel and the fair value of below market time charter based on the relative fair values of the vessel and the liability acquired. The fair value of the attached time charter is computed as the present value of the difference between the contractual amount to be received over the term of the time charter and management's estimates of the market time charter rate at the time of acquisition. The fair value of below market time charter is amortized over the remaining period of the time charter as an increase to revenues.
 
(u)  
Stock Incentive Plan: All share-based compensation related to the grant of restricted shares provided to employees and to non-employee directors, for their services as directors, is included in Other general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The shares that do not contain any future service vesting conditions are considered vested shares and recognized in full on the grant date. The shares that contain a time-based service vesting condition are considered non-vested shares on the grant date and recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The shares, vested and non-vested are measured at fair value, which is equal to the market value of the Company's common stock on the grant date.
 
 
 
 
F-13

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
(v)
Earnings per Share:  Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares deemed outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised.
 
(w)
Related Parties:   The Company considers as related parties the affiliates of the Company; entities for which investments are accounted for by the equity method; principal owners of the Company; its management; members of the immediate families of principal owners of the Company; and other parties with which the Company may deal if one party controls or can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully p ursuing its own separate       interests. Another party also is a related party if it can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the transacting parties and can significantly influence the other to an extent that one or more of th e  transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests. An Affiliate is a party that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or has common control with the Company. Control is   the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of an enterprise through ownership, by contract and otherwise. Immediate Family is family members whom a principal owner or a member of manage m ent might control or influence or by whom they might be controlled or influenced because of the family relationship. Management is the persons who are responsible for achieving the objectives of the Company and who have the authority to establish policies   and make decisions by which those objectives are to be pursued. Management normally includes members of the board of directors, the CEO, the CFO, Vice President in charge of principal business functions and other persons who perform similar policy making f unctions. Persons without formal titles may also be members of management. Principal owners are owners of record or known beneficial owners of more than 10% of the voting interests of the Company.
 
(x)
  Derivatives :  The SFAS No. 133, "Accounting for Deriv ative Instruments and Hedging Activities" as amended, establishes accounting and reporting standards requiring that every derivative instrument (including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts) be recorded in the balance sheet as eith e r an asset or liability measured at its fair value, with changes in the derivatives' fair value recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. The Company has not applied hedge accounting for its derivative instruments   during the periods presented.
 
The fair value of derivative liabilities was not adjusted for nonperformance risk as the Company, as one of the parties to a derivative transaction expects to be able to perform under the contractual terms of its derivative  agreements, such as making cash payments at periodic net settlement dates or upon termination. 
 
(y)  
  Segment Reporting:  In 2007, the Company diversified its fleet portfolio by adding drybulk vessels to the Company's fleet. Management, including the c hief operating decision maker, reviews operating results by vessel type. As a result the Company's acquisition of drybulk vessels in the fourth quarter of 2007 has resulted in the Company determining that it operates under two reportable segments, as a pr o vider of international seaborne transportation services, carrying petroleum products and crude oil ("Tanker Fleet") and, drybulk commodities for the steel, electric utility, construction and agri-food industries ("Drybulk Fleet"). Consequently, the Compan y  did not present segment information for 2006. The accounting policies applied to the reportable segments are the same as those used in the preparation of the Company's consolidated financial statements. The Company's chief operating decision maker started  reviewing interest expense by segment beginning in 2008
 
 

 
 
F-14

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
 
2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
 
when interest expense for its dry bulk vessels became significant. The 2007 segment disclosure has also been revised to include interest expense.
 
 
The Company reports financial information and evaluates its operations by charter revenues and not by the length of ship employment for its customers (i.e., spot or time charters) or by geographical region as the charterer is free to trade the vessel worl d wide and, as a result, the disclosure of geographic information is impracticable. The Company does not have discrete financial information to evaluate the operating results for each such type of charter. Although revenue can be identified for these types o f charters, management cannot and does not identify expenses, profitability or other financial information for these charters.
 
 
(aa)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
 
    (a)   
FASB Statement No. 157: In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, "Fair Value Measurement" ("SFAS 157"). SFAS 157 addresses standardizing the measurement of fair value for companies that are required to use a fair value measure of recognition for recognition or disclosure purposes. The FASB defines fair value as "the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measure date". SFAS 157 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007.  The Company has adopted SFAS 157 effective January 1, 2008 and the adoption of this statement did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In February 2008, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position ("FSP") FASB 157-2 "Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 157" ("FSP FASB 157-2"). FSP FASB 157-2, which was effective upon issuance, delays the effective date of SFAS 157 for nonfinancial assets and liabilities, except for items recognized or disclosed at fair value at least once a year, to fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008. FSP FASB 157-2 also covers interim periods within the fiscal years for items within the scope of this FSP. The adoption of this statement in the first quarter of 2009 did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows. On October 10, 2008, the FASB issued the proposed FSP FAS 157-3, "Determining the Fair Value of a Financial Asset When the Market for That Asset Is Not Active", ("FSP FAS 157-3"), on an expedited basis to clarify the application of FASB Statement No. 157, "Fair Value Measurements", in a market that is not active and provides an example to illustrate key considerations in determining the fair value of a financial asset when the market for that financial asset is not active. FSP FAS 157-3 was effective upon issuance including prior periods for which financial statements have not been issued. The Company has incorporated this new guidance as it relates to the Company's derivative instruments. The adoption of SFAS 157-3 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.
 
 
 
 
F-15

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
(b)  
FSP EITF 03-6-1: In June 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. EITF 03-6-1, "Determining Whether Instruments Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions Are Participating Securities" ("FSP EITF 03-6-1"). FSP EITF 03-6-1 concludes that unvested share-based payment awards that contain rights to receive non-forfeitable dividends or dividend equivalents are participating securities, and thus, should be included in the two-class method of computing earnings per share ("EPS"). FSP EITF 03-6-1 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those years. Early application of EITF 03-6-1 is prohibited. It also requires that all prior-period EPS data be adjusted retrospectively. The Company has adopted EITF 03-6-1 effective January 1, 2009 and the adoption of this statement will result in a decrease of $0.04 in the basic and diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2008 once retroactively adjusted in 2009. When EITF 03-6-1 was retrospectively applied to the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 EPS data was not affected due to the fact that the Company was incurring losses.
 
(c)  
FASB Statement No. 159: In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, "The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" ("SFAS 159"), which permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. SFAS 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity's first fiscal year that begins after November 15, 2007. Earlier adoption is permitted as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins on or before November 15, 2007, provided the entity also elects to apply the provisions of FASB Statement No. 157, "Fair Value Measurements". The Company has not elected to use the Fair Value Option under SFAS 159.
 
(d)  
FASB Statement No. 141R: In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 141R, "Business Combinations" ("SFAS 141R"). SFAS 141R establishes principles and requirements on how the acquirer in a business combination recognizes and measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the entity acquired. In addition, SFAS 141R provides guidance on the recognition and measurement of goodwill acquired in the business combination or a gain from a bargain purchase as well as what information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial impact of the business combination. SFAS 141R is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008 and was adopted by the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009. The adoption of SFAS 141R did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows. .
 
(e)  
FASB Statement No. 160: In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, "Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements - an Amendment of ARB No. 51" ("SFAS 160"). SFAS 160 establishes principles and requirements on how to treat the portion of equity in a subsidiary that is not attributable directly or indirectly to a parent. This is commonly known as a minority interest. The objective of SFAS 160 is to improve relevance, comparability, and transparency concerning ownership interests in subsidiaries held by parties other than the parent by providing disclosures that clearly identify between interests of the parent and interest of the noncontrolling owners and the related impacts on the consolidated statement of operations and the consolidated statement of financial position. SFAS 160 also provides guidance on disclosures related to changes in the parent's ownership interest and deconsolidation of a subsidiary. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and was adopted by the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009. The adoption of SFAS 160 did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
 
(f)  
FASB Statement No. 161: In March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, "Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities". The new standard is intended to improve financial reporting about derivative instruments and hedging activities by requiring enhanced disclosures to enable investors to better understand their effects on an entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. It is
 
 
 
 
F-16

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early application encouraged. The adoption of SFAS 161 did not effect the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows as this statement relates only to financial statement disclosures.
 
(g)  
FASB Statement No. 162: In May 2008 the FASB issued SFAS No. 162, "The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles" ("FASB No. 162"). In June 2009 FASB issued a Statement, "The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles—a replacement of FASB Statement No. 162". The new standards identify the sources of accounting principles and the framework for selecting the principles used in the preparation of financial statements by establishing two levels of US GAAP: authoritative and nonauthoritative. This would be accomplished by authorizing the "FASB Accounting Standards Codification".  On July 1, 2009, the "FASB Accounting Standards Codification" will become the single source of authoritative nongovernmental US GAAP, superseding existing FASB, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF), and related literature. After that date, only one level of authoritative GAAP will exist. All other literature will be considered non-authoritative.  The Codification does not change US GAAP; instead, it introduces a new structure-one that is organized in an easily accessible, user-friendly online research system. We do not expect that the new FASB Accounting Standards Codification of US GAAP will have an effect on our consolidated statement of financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
 
(h)  
FASB Statement No. 165:   On May 28, 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 165 "Subsequent Events"("SFAS 165"), which provides guidance on management's assessment of subsequent events. SFAS 165:
 
-Clarifies that management must evaluate, as of each reporting period (i.e. interim and annual), events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date "through the date that the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued."
 
-Does not change the recognition and disclosure requirements in AICPA Professional Standards, AU Section 560, "Subsequent Events" ("AU Section 560") for Type I and Type II subsequent events; however, Statement 165 refers to them as recognized (Type I) and nonrecognized subsequent events (Type II).
 
-Requires management to disclose, in addition to the disclosures in AU Section 560, the date through which subsequent events have been evaluated and whether that is the date on which the financial statements were issued or were available to be issued.
 
-Indicates that management should consider supplementing historical financial statements with the pro forma impact of nonrecognized subsequent events if the event is so significant that disclosure of the event could be best made through the use of pro forma financial data.
 
SFAS 165 is effective prospectively for interim or annual financial periods ending after June 15, 2009. Therefore, it will be effective for the Company beginning with the second quarter of 2009. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact, if any, of the adoption of this statement on its financial statements.

 
 
 
F-17

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

 
2.         Significant Accounting Policies - (continued):
 
(bb) Reclassification of Prior Year Balances:
 
(i) Beginning in 2008 the Company presented all gains and losses on a derivative financial instruments as a separate item on the face of the consolidated statement of operations under the heading "Gain / (loss) on financial instruments". In order for the f inancials to be comparative, the Company has retrospectively reclassified all gains and losses on financial instruments from the line "interest and financing costs" to "Gain / (loss) on financial instruments" for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 .  These reclassifications had no impact on the results of operations of the Company.
 
(ii) For the year ended December 31, 2008 the Company separately reported a non-cash provision for doubtful accounts previously reported in change in trade accounts receivable to separately report all major classes of reconciling items when presenting adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities in a consolidated statement of cash flows. In order for financial statements to be comparative, the Company has retroactively reclassified a non-cash provision for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 to conform with the presentation for the year ended December 31, 2008. These reclassifications had no impact on the net cash from (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
 
3.       Going Concern:
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was in breach of the minimum asset cover ratio and other covenants contained in the Company's loan agreements relating to the Company's overall outstanding indebtedness of $342,479. These constitute an event of default and could result in the lenders requiring immediate repayment of the loans. As a result of these covenant breaches and cross-default provisions, the Company has classified all its debt as current as discussed in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements. A cross-default provision means that if the Company is in default with regards to a specific loan then it is automatically in default of all its loans with cross-default provisions. For this reason, the Company is not able to breakdown its debt obligations into current and long term unless it is able to receive waivers for all covenant breaches.The amount of long term debt that has been reclassified and presented together with current liabilities amounts to $289,954. The Company has received waivers for minimum asset cover, as defined by each bank, and other covenants from two of its lenders and is in negotiations with its remaining lenders to obtain waivers and restructure the debt. Management expects that the lenders will not demand payment of the loans before their maturity, provided that the Company pays loan installments and accumulated or accrued interest as they fall due under the existing credit facilities. Management plans to settle the loan interest and scheduled loan repayments with existing cash reserves, cash generated from operations and proceeds of an equity offering or at the market sales which will be initiated during the second half of 2009. Management does not expect that existing cash reserves together with cash generated from the operations of the vessels owned or operated by the Company to be sufficient to repay the total balance of loans in default if such debt is accelerated by the lenders. Management believes that during 2009 the Company may be in breach of covenants relating to minimum liquidity, as defined by each bank. However, it is management's belief that banks will not accelerate their loan repayments as long as loan installments are paid on time. Nevertheless, during 2009, we expect to be in breach of covenants relating to the minimum liquidity and EBITDA as defined by each bank.
 
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. Accordingly, the financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts the amounts and classification of liabilities, or any other adjustments that might result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern, except for the current classification of debt discussed in Note 12.
 
 
 
F-18

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

  4.      Segment Reporting:
 
The following tables present segment results for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008 respectively:
 
Year  ended December 31, 2007
 
Tanker Fleet
   
Drybulk Fleet
   
Unallocated (1)
   
Total
 
REVENUES:
                       
                         
Revenues
    248,944       1,902       1,413       252,259  
                                 
EXPENSES:
                               
                                 
Voyage expenses
    59,253       161       -       59,414  
Charter hire expense
    94,118       -       -       94,118  
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels
    (15,610 )     -       -       (15,610 )
Other vessel operating expenses
    67,225       689       -       67,914  
Dry-docking costs
    25,094       -       -       25,094  
Depreciation
    26,560       848       -       27,408  
Sub-Manager fees
    1,821       7       -       1,828  
Other general and administrative expenses
    22,729       267       -       22,996  
Foreign currency gains (losses), net
    -       -       176       176  
Gain on sale of vessels
    (1,961 )     -       -       (1,961 )
                                 
Operating income (loss)
    (3 0,285 )     (70 )     1,237       (29,118 )
                                 
Interest and finance costs
    (17,464 )     (2,054 )     -       (19,518 )
                                 
Segment income (loss)
    (47,749 )     (2,124 )     1,237       (48,636 )
                                 
Fair value change of financial instruments
                            (3,704 )
Interest income
                            3,248  
Other, net
                            16  
                                 
Net Loss
                            (49,076 )
 
                   
 
(1) Unallocated amounts relate to the drybulk vessels’ amortization of the fair value of below market time charter contracts acquired of $1,413 less the foreign currency losses, net of $176. These amounts are unallocated as they are not included in the financial information used by the chief operating decision maker to allocate the Company’s resources.
 
 
 
 
F-19

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

 
4.       Segment Reporting-(continued):
 
                         
Year  ended December 31, 2008
 
Tanker Fleet
   
Drybulk Fleet
   
Unallocated (1)
   
Total
 
REVENUES:
                       
                         
Revenues
    163,995       71,590       21,795       257,380  
                                 
EXPENSES:
                               
                                 
Voyage expenses
    34,215       4,441       -       38,656  
Charter hire expense
    53,684       -       -       53,684  
Amortization of deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels
    (18,707 )     -       -       (18,707 )
Other vessel operating expenses
    56,272       10,842       -       67,114  
Dry-docking costs
    9,450       586       -       10,036  
Depreciation
    13,867       18,797       -       32,664  
Sub-Manager fees
    1,096       79       (16 )     1,159  
Other general and administrative expenses
    22,458       7,856       -       30,314  
Foreign currency gains (losses), net
    -       -       (85 )     (85 )
Gain on sale of vessels
    (21,347 )     2,169       -       (19,178 )
                                 
Operating income
    13,007       26,820       21,896       61,723  
                                 
Interest and finance costs
    (11,888 )     (13,876 )     -       (25,764 )
                                 
Segment income
    1,119       12,944       21,896       35,959  
                                 
Fair value change of financial instruments
                            (12,024 )
Interest income
                            1,831  
Other, net
                            (127 )
                                 
Net Income
                            25,639  
 
                   
 
(1) Unallocated amounts relate to the drybulk vessels' amortization of the fair value of below market time charter contracts acquired of $21,795, the management fees related to the management of third party vessels of $16 less the foreign currency gains, net of $85. These amounts are unallocated as they are not included in the financial information used by the chief operating decision maker to allocate the Company's resources.
 
During 2008, 17% of the Company's revenues derived from time charter agreements . During 2006 and 2007 two charterers, relating only to the Tanker Fleet, individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company's revenues and during 2008 one charterer, relating only to the Tanker Fleet, individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company's revenues as follows:
 
 
Charterer
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
     
2006
 
2007
 
2008
 
 
A
11%
-
 
 
B
29%
23%
17%
 
C
-
10%
 
 
 
 
 
 
F-20

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

4.       Segment Reporting-(continued):
 
A reconciliation of segment assets, liabilities and cash flows to amounts presented in the consolidated balance sheets and cash flow statements is as follows for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008 respectively:
 
   
Year ended December 31, 2007
 
Tanker Fleet
   
Drybulk Fleet
   
Unallocated (1)
   
Total
 
                             
   
Trade accounts receivable, net
    14,867       317             15,184  
   
Vessel held for sale
    46,268                     46,268  
   
Vessels, net
    355,228       198,663             553,891  
   
Long-term debt (2)
    305,818       133,066             438,884  
   
Total assets at December 31, 2007
    504,147       223,186       49,584       776,917  
   
Cash paid for vessels
    187,360       167,685       -       355,045  
 
                 
 
(1) Unallocated mainly relates to cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) of $41,566 and other fixed assets of $5,711, which are not allocated to individual segments.
 
     
             
 
(2) Current and long-term portion of long term debt are $107,488 and $331,396, respectively.
   
                 
 
   
Year ended December 31, 2008
 
Tanker Fleet
   
Drybulk Fleet
   
Unallocated (1)
   
Total
 
                             
   
Trade accounts receivable, net
    4,418       (210 )     -       4,208  
   
Vessels, net
    79,056       335,459       -       414,515  
   
Current portion of long-term debt
    165,965       176,514       -       342,479  
   
Total assets at December 31, 2008
    275,932       351,331       71,112       698,375  
   
Cash paid for vessels
    -       118,142       -       118,142  
 
                 
 
(1) Unallocated mainly relates to cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) of $61,389 and other fixed assets of $6,545, which are not allocated to individual segments.
 
     
             

 
 
 
F-21

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
 
5.
Transactions with Related Parties:
 
(a)  
Pyramis Technical Co. S.A.: In January 2006 the Company entered into an agreement to lease office space in Athens, Greece, with an unrelated party. The change in office location, due to necessary refurbishments, took place in October 2006. In April and August 2006, the Company entered into an agreement with Pyramis Technical Co. S.A., for the renovation of the new premises. As of December 31, 2007, the total contracted cost amounted to Euro 2,499 or $3,686 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2007), out of which Euro 2,855, inclusive of the applicable VAT, or $3,767 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2007) was paid up to December 31, 2007 and is included in the $3,872 renovation works. As of December 31, 2008, the total contracted cost amounted to Euro 2,959 or $4,112 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2008), out of which Euro 3,402, inclusive of the applicable VAT, or $4,555 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2008) was paid up to December 31, 2008 and is included in the $4,698 renovation works. The renovation works are included in Other fixed assets, net, which are separately presented in the accompanying December 31, 2008 consolidated balance sheet and are depreciated over the lease period, which is 12 years.
 
 
(b) 
Cardiff Marine Inc. ("Cardiff"):   Both Cardiff and Sphinx Investment Corp. are controlled by Mr. George Economou who has been a related party since April 2008, when we privately placed 7.3 million with various investors (Note 16). As of December 31, 2008, Sphinx Investment Corp. holds approximately 13.82% of the Company's outstanding common stock. Cardiff provides the Company with chartering and sale and purchase brokerage services. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, Cardiff charged the Company $4,245 and $570 for commissions for vessels' acquisitions, included in Vessels, net and chartering services and in Voyage expenses, respectively. As of December 31, 2008, the amount due to Cardiff was $197, which is included in Accrued Liabilities.
 
6.       Leases:
 
A.
LEASE ARRANGEMENTS, UNDER WHICH THE COMPANY ACTS AS THE LESSEE
 
 
i)
Sale and Leaseback of Vessels:
 
The Company entered into sales and leaseback transactions in 2005 and 2006 as follows:
 
 
(a)
In 2005, the Company sold the vessels Restless, Sovereign, Relentless, Invincible and Victorious and realized a total gain of $17,159. The Company entered into bareboat charter agreements to leaseback the same five vessels for a period of seven years. The Company and the owner/lessor of vessels Invincible, Victoriou s, Restless and Sovereign mutually agreed to terminate the bareboat charters, following the sale of vessels to third parties. The termination of the bareboat charters became effective upon the vessels' delivery to their new owners, on July 11, 2007, Augus t 27, 2007, September 17, 2007 and August 14, 2008, respectively. Following the bareboat charter termination in August 2008, $1,404, net of $480 of sale expenses is included in Amortization of deferred gain on sale of vessels in the 2008 accompanying conso l idated statement of operations.
 
(b)  
In 2006, the Company sold the vessels Flawless, Timeless, Priceless, Stopless, Doubtless, Vanguard, Faithful, Spotless, Limitless, Endless, Stainless, Faultless and Noiseless to three unrelated parties (buyers/lessors) for $550,000; of which 90% or $495,000 was received upon closing of the sale. Simultaneous with the sale of the vessels, the Company entered into bareboat charter agreements to leaseback the same vessels for a period of five to seven years with no lease renewal option. Another unrelated party assumed in June 2006 the rights and obligations of one of the buyers/lessors through a novation agreement with no other changes to the terms and conditions of the agreements.
 

 
 
 
F-22

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
6.       Leases-(continued):
 
Based on the Memorandum of Agreement dated March 6, 2008, the owner and lessor of M/T Faultless agreed to sell the vessel to a third party. The Company and the lessor mutually agreed to terminate the bareboat charter, on March 31, 2008, upon the vessel's delivery to its new owners. Following the bareboat charter termination, $62, net of $945 of sale expenses is included in Amortization of deferred gain on sale of vessels in the 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
Based on the Memoranda of Agreement dated July 31, 2008, the owners and lessors of M/T Flawless, M/T Timeless, M/T Priceless and M/T Stopless agreed to sell the vessels to a third party. The Company and the lessors mutually agreed to terminate the bareboat charters, on September 18, 2008, upon the vessels' deliveries to their new owners. Following the bareboat charters termination, $14,182, net of $12,858 and $1,491 of sale expenses and gain from the sale of vessels, respectively, is included in Amortization of deferred gain on sale of vessels in the 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
The bareboat charter agreements are accounted for as operating leases and the gain on the sale was deferred and is being amortized to income over the lease period. The deferred gain was calculated by deducting from the sales price the carrying amount of the vessels, the expenses related to the sale and the unpaid sales price (which is treated as a residual value guarantee and will be recognized in income upon collection).
 
The amortization of the deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels of $8,110, $15,610 and $18,707 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively, is separately reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, lease payments relating to the bareboat charters of the vessels were $96,302, $94,118 and $53,684, respectively and are separately reflected as Charter hire expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
 
The sale and leaseback transactions entered into in 2006 contain a requirement to maintain a minimum amount of cash on deposit by the Company during the bareboat charter period. Specifically, the Company maintained consolidated cash balances of $25,000 and $20,000 as at December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008 respectively.  
 
In addition, the C ompany has agreed with the lessors through a separate performance guarantee deed that it irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees the prompt and punctual payment of all sums payable by the Company to the lessors under or pursuant to the sale and leaseba c k agreements. The term of the performance guarantee covers the period of the leases.
 
 
 
 
F-23

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
6.       Leases-(continued):

Following the sale of M/T Faultless, the Company received part of the seller's credit, or $1,960. Following the sale of M/T Flawless, M/T Timeless, M/T Stopless and M/T Priceless, the Company received part of the seller's credit, or $11,260. Following the termination of the bareboat charters for Limitless, Endless, Stainless, Faultless,  Noiseless, Flawless, Timeless, Priceless and Stopless a portion of the sales price (representing 10% of the gross aggregate sales price of the remaining vessels sold and leased back in 2006) in the amount of $10,000, has been withheld by the buyers/lessors and will be paid to the Company not later than three months after the end of bareboat charter period or upon the resale of the vessels, if earlier. Consequently, such unpaid sales price was recorded as a receivable at its discounted value. The discount will be accreted through deferred gain on sale and leaseback of vessels over the period of the bareboat charter agreements or through the date of the resale of the vessels, if earlier. As of December 31, 2008 the present value of the unpaid sales price was $7,681.
 
   ii)   Office lease:
 
In January 2006, the Manager entered into an agreement to lease office space in Athens, Greece, with an unrelated party. The office is located at 1, Vasilisis Sofias & Megalou Alexandrou Street, 151 24 Maroussi, Athens, Greece. The agreement is for duration of twelve years beginning May 2006 with a lessee's option for an extension of ten years. As of December 31, 2007, the monthly rent was Euro 120 or $177 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2007) adjusted annually for inflation increase plus 1%. In November 2007, the agreement was amended and the new monthly rent starting February 2008 became Euro 116 or $161 (based on the Dollar/Euro exchange rate as of December 31, 2008) with all other terms remaining unchanged. Other general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 include $1,272, $2,097 and $2,405, respectively, of office rentals.
 
In February 2007, Top Tankers (U.K) Limited entered into a lease agreement for office space in London. The agreement was for duration of 9 months ending November 2007. The monthly lease was $11 (USD equivalent of GBP 5 as of December 31, 2007) , payable monthly in advance. In May 2007, Top Tankers (U.K) Limited entered into a new lease agreement for office space in London. The previous lease agreement was early terminated and therefore the lease was payable up to August 2007. The new lease agreement is valid from June 2007 and shall continue until either party shall give to the other one calendar month written notice. The new annual lease is $29 (USD equivalent to GBP 20 as of December 31, 2008) , payable quarterly in advan ce. Other general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 include $175, $129 and $38, respectively, of office rentals.
 
  iii)  Future minimum lease payments:
 
The Company's future minimum lease payments required to be made after December 31, 2008, related to the existing at December 31, 2008 bareboat charter agreements and office lease are as follows:
 
 
 
 
F-24

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
6.       Leases-(continued):

Year ending December 31,
 
Bareboat Charter
 
Office Lease
 
Total
2009
 
23,206
 
2,004
 
25,210
2010
 
23,206
 
2,004
 
25,210
2011
 
8,104
 
2,004
 
10,108
2012
 
2,967
 
2,004
 
4,971
2013
 
-
 
2,004
 
2,004
2014 and thereafter
 
-
 
8,680
 
8,680
   
57,483
 
18,700
 
76,183
 
On April 3, 2009, the Company entered into an agreement to terminate the bareboat charter of MT Relentless, which has been in force since September 7, 2005 between Partankers II and Parnon Shipping Company Limited and would have expired in 2012. Under this agreement, during the third quarter of 2009 the Company will redeliver the M/T Relentless to its owners and pay a termination fee of $2,500. In addition to the termination fee the Company has undertaken to perform certain works on the vessel prior to its redelivery which will involve additional costs. From the date of the agreement until the date of redelivery the bareboat hire has been set at $7,000 per day and has been included in the above table.
 
On June 24, 2009, the Company terminated the bareboat charters and redelivered the vessels M/T Faithful, the M/T Doubtless, the M/T Spotless and the M/T Vanguard to their owners after paying $11,750 in termination fees and expenses. In addition to the termination fees and expenses, the Company has forfeited its right to receive the seller's credit of $10,000 from the initial sale of the vessels, which would have been received upon expiration of the bareboat charter, and the Company has undertaken to pay for the dry-dock of the M/T Spotless which is currently in progress. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2011. Also, the Company will remain the manager of these vessels until the expiration of their current time charters, in early 2010, and will be reimbursed by the owners for all expenses incurred. These were the last leased vessels in the Company's fleet.
 

 
 
F-25

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
6.       Leases-(continued):

B.
LEASE ARRANGEMENTS, UNDER WHICH THE COMPANY ACTS AS THE LESSOR
 
i)    Charter agreements:
 
All of the Company's time charters and bareboat charters are classified as operating leases. Revenues under operating leases are recognized when a charter agreement exists, charter rate is fixed and determinable, the vessel is made available to the lessee and collection of related revenue is reasonably assured.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company operated twelve vessels, of which seven were owned and five were leased pursuant to sales and leaseback arrangements discussed above. As of December 31, 2008, eleven of the vessels were operating under long-term time charters and one under bareboat charter.
 
Future minimum time-charter receipts, based on vessels committed to non-cancellable time and bareboat charter contracts, as of December 31, 2008, are as follows:
 
Year ending December 31,
 
Time Charter receipts
 
2009
 
89,658
 
2010
 
53,461
 
2011
 
30,398
 
2012
 
18,630
 
2013 and thereafter
 
4,879
 
   
197,026
 
 
7.       Inventories:
 
The amounts shown in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are analyzed as follows:
 
   
December 31, 2007
 
December 31, 2008
Bunkers
 
5,723
 
-
Lubricants
 
1,839
 
795
Consumable stores
 
396
 
170
   
7,958
 
965
 
8.       Prepayments and Other:
 
The amounts shown in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are analyzed as follows:
 
   
December 31, 2007
 
December 31, 2008
Prepaid expenses
 
3,013
 
1,087
Other receivables
 
2,567
 
3,637
   
5,580
 
4,724
 
 

 
 
F-26

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
9.       Advances for Vessels Acquisitions / under Construction:
 
In October 2006, the Company entered into an agreement for the construction of six Handymax Product / Chemical tankers. The total contract price is $285,380 and is payable in five installments as follows: 15% is payable upon arrangement of the refund guar a ntee, 15% is payable upon commencement of steel cutting, 20% is payable upon keel laying, 20% is payable upon launching and 30% upon delivery of the vessel. The vessels' construction is partially financed from long-term bank financing discussed in Note 12 .  The first installment for the six vessels of $42,807 was paid in December 2006 and January 2007. The second installment for all vessels, the third installment for five vessels and the fourth installment for two vessels in an aggregate amount of $109,229 w as paid during 2008. The vessels are expected to be delivered during 2009.
 
The advances for vessels acquisitions / under construction as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 are analyzed as follows:
 
   
Construction installments
   
Acquisitions
   
Capitalized interest
   
Capitalized costs
   
Total
 
Balance, December 31, 2006
    28,638       -       34       11       28,683  
- Additions
    14,169       20,250       2,661       263       37,343  
Balance, December 31, 2007
    42,807       20,250       2,695       274       66,026  
- Transfer to vessel cost / obligations under capital lease
    -       (20,250 )     -       (65 )     (20,315 )
- Additions
    109,229               3,873       1,158       114,260  
Balance, December 31, 2008
    152,036       -       6,568       1,367       159,971  
 
 

 
 
F-27

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

 
10.     Vessels, net:
 
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are analyzed as follows:
 
   
Vessel
Cost
   
Accumulated
Depreciation
   
Net Book
Value
 
Balance, December 31, 2006
    331,324       (24,906 )     306,418  
Vessel held for sale
    (48,582 )     2,314       (46,268 )
Acquisitions
    371,162       -       371,162  
Disposals
    (55,638 )     5,625       (50,013 )
Depreciation
    -       (27,408 )     (27,408 )
Balance, December 31, 2007
    598,266       (44,375 )     553,891  
Acquisitions
    219,934       -       219,934  
Disposals
    (371,039 )     44,393       (326,646 )
Depreciation
    -       (32,664 )     (32,664 )
Balance, December 31, 2008
    447,161       (32,646 )     414,515  
 
On December 6, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the vessel M/T Noiseless to an unrelated party for a consideration of $48,000. The gain from the sale of $582 was recognized upon the delivery of the vessel to the buyer, on January 30, 2008.
 
 
During July 2007, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire one 2002 built super Handymax, or Supramax, drybulk vessel of 51,200 dwt, built in China  from unrelated third party, with an attached time charter contract. The vessel (M/V Voc Gallant) was delivered to the Company on February 1, 2008 and was chartered back to the sellers for a period of 18 months at a daily net rate of $25,650 on a bareboat basis. The purchase price of the vessel with the attached time charter was $54,500.
 
During August 2007, the Company entered into agreement to acquire one 2001 built Panamax drybulk vessel of 75,928 dwt, built in Japan from unrelated third party. The vessel (M/V Pepito) was delivered to the Company in March 2008 and entered into time charter contract. The purchase price of the vessel was $74,000.
 
On April 1, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the vessel M/V Bertram to an unrelated party for consideration of $46,500. The vessel was delivered to its new owners on April 16, 2008. A los s from the sale of $2,169 was recognized upon vessel's delivery.
 
 
On May 1, 2008, the Company took delivery of the drybulk vessel M/V Astrale.
 
On June 23, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the vessel M/T Stormless to an unrelated party for consideration of $47,000. The vessel was delivered to its new owners on June 26, 2008. A gain from the sale of $1,787 was recognized upon vess e l's delivery.
 
In June 2008, the Company entered into agreements to sell the vessels M/T Edgeless, M/T Ellen P., M/T Limitless and M/T Endless to unrelated parties for a total consideration of $193,000. The M/T Edgeless was delivered to its new owners o n July 10, 2008, while the remaining three vessels were delivered to their new owners early September 2008. A gain from these sales of $19,439 was recognized upon vessels' deliveries.


 
 
F-28

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
11.     Fair Value Of Below Market Time Charter:
 
In November and December 2007 and February 2008, the Company acquired the drybulk vessels M/V Bertram, M/V Amalfi and M/V Voc Gallant, respectively, with attached time charter contracts. As a result, the purchase price of the vessels was allocated between vessel cost and the fair value of the time charter contracts, totaling in aggregate $43,259, which is reflected in Fair Value of Below Market Time Charter on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Following the sale of the M/V Bertram, on April 16, 2008, the then unamortized fair value of below market time charter of $16,140 was written-off to the loss from the sale of vessel. The liability is amortized to revenues over the remaining period of the time charter contracts on a straight-line basis. For the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2008, the amortization of the fair value of the time charter contracts totaled $1,413 and $21,795, respectively and is included in Revenues in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The remaining unamortized fair value of amount $3,911 relates to M/T Voc Gallant and will be amortized during the first and second quarters of 2009.
 
 

 
 
F-29

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt:
 
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are analyzed as follows:
 
 
Borrower(s)
 
December 31, 2007
 
December 31, 2008
(a)
The Company
 
194,367
 
60,599
(b)
Myticas
 
27,863
 
-
(c)
Litochoro
 
27,863
 
-
(d)
Imitos
 
27,863
 
-
(e)
Parnis
 
27,863
 
-
(f)
Noir
 
27,826
 
-
(g)
Amalfi
 
57,490
 
24,570
(h)
Japan III
 
47,749
 
36,816
(i)
Jeke
 
-
 
28,074
(j)
Japan I
 
-
 
46,522
(k)
Japan II
 
-
 
40,532
(l)
Lichtenstein
 
-
 
24,489
(m)
Warhol
     
22,697
(n)
Indiana
     
16,266
(o)
Britto
     
16,266
(p)
Banksy
     
16,169
(q)
Hongbo
     
9,479
 
Total
 
438,884
 
342,479
 
Less- current portion
 
(107,488)
 
(342,479)
 
Long-term portion
 
331,396
 
-
 
(a) The Company:
 
At December 31, 2008, the Company had a revolving credit facility outstanding of $60,926, maturing in August 2013, excluding unamortized financing fees of $327.
 
(i) Revolving Credit Facility:   At December 31, 2007, the Company had a revolving credit facility outstanding of $93,000, excluding unamortized financing fees of $1,553. In March 2008, the Company restructured the revolving credit facility by amending the undrawn revolver limit from $65,000 to $30,000. Accordingly, an amount of $10,000, $10,000, $5, 000 and $5,000 was drawn to partially finance the construction of six vessels (Note 9), in March, May, June and September 2008, respectively. In August 2008 and October 2008, the Company made prepayments amounting to $10,000 and $50,000, respectively, due   to refinancing of the first and second construction installment of the newbuildings. As of December 31, 2008, there was no undrawn amount. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $72 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The revolving credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.25%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 3.70%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) security value maintenance whereby the market value of the vessels and the market value of any additional security are greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding loan and the fair value of outsta n ding swaps, ii) market value adjusted net worth is greater than or equal to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA is greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $10,000 or $0.5 per group vessel and v ) a minimum balance of $5,000 to be maintained in the operating accounts.
 

 
 
F-30

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 


12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the security value maintenance covenant. The Company is currently in discussions with the bank in order to receive waivers until March 31, 2010. The outcome of these discussions remains unknown.
 
(ii) Loan: The outstanding loan of $102,920, as of December 31, 2007 was repaid during the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, due to the sale of vessels Stormless, Edgeless and Ellen P (Note 10).
 
(b), (c), (d), (e) Mytikas – Litochoro – Imitos – Parnis:   The outstanding aggregate amount of loan of $112,625, excluding unamortized financing fees of $1,173, as of December 31, 2007,  was repaid during the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, due to the sale of vessels Limitless, Endless, Noiseless and Stainless (Note 10).
 
(f) Noir:   The outstanding loans of $28,109, excluding unamortized financing fees of $283 as of December 31, 2007, was repaid during the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, due to the sale of the vessel Bertram (Note 10).
 
(g) Amalfi:   At December 31, 2008, Amalfi had a loan outstanding of $24,808, maturing in December 2014, excluding unamortized financing fees of $238.
 
(i) Loan:  A loan of $24,808, (which is part of the $95,000 loan that was concluded to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessels Bertram, Amalfi and Voc Gallant  the "Bulker Financing"), was drawn down o n December 27, 2007 (originally amounted to $30,250) , to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Amalfi. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $10 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.35%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 2.82%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i ) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been set at 130% for the first four years   and 135% from then on until maturity. During 2008 these figures were adjusted to 140% and 145% respectively as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or eq u al to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adjusted to  $30,000 as a result of wa i ver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant.  No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the asset maintenance and the adjusted net worth covenants. The Company has received waivers for both breaches, as well as for EBITDA to fixed charges until March 31, 2010, according to loan agreement amendment dated May 2009. In the case of adjusted net worth, the minimum of $250,000 has been replaced by $125,000. Following discussions with regards to a further decrease of minimum adjusted net worth to $75,000, the bank has not agreed to further reduce the minimum from $125,000 but they have reassured the Company that they will be accommodating in providing waivers for any breaches until March 31, 2010.
 
 
 
 
F-31

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
The loan agreement amendment provides for the following: (1) the Company should maintain a pledged amount of $6,580 which will be applied against future installments of the bulker financing starting from August 2009; 50% pro rata against the 12 installments starting from August 2009, and 50% pro rata against all remaining installments of the facility including the balloon, starting from August 2009 (2) a restructuring fee of $150, (3) increase in margin of bulker financing from 1.35% to 2.50% until March 31, 2010, (4) in the case of sale of vessels financed by the same lender 100% of the sale proceeds following debt repayment to be applied towards full covenant compliance, (5) in the case of sale of vessels not financed by the same lender, following debt repayment the lender to be allocated an amount of the remaining sale proceeds equal to the proportion of total outstanding loans due to the lender over the Company's total indebtedness, (6) In the case of a successful offering, the lender is to be allocated an amount (on the basis of 50% of offering proceeds) equal to the proportion of total outstanding loans due to the lender over the Company's our total indebtedness (7) Company cash deposits, in addition to the pledged amounts, shall be at least equal to $1,500 (i.e. $750 per vessel) (8) Minimum liquidity has been redefined as $25,000 inclusive of all pledged deposits with all banks (9) cross collateralization with facilities (i), (m), (n) and (o).
 
(ii) Loan: In May and September 2008, the Company repaid the then outstanding loan of $31,000 that was used to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessels Cyclades and Amalfi.
 
In April 2008, the Company agreed to extend the maturity of this loan until September, for which the Company paid a fee of $450.
 
(h) Japan III:   At December 31, 2008, Japan III had a loan outstanding of $37,000, maturing in December 2015, excluding unamortized financing fees of $184.
 
Loan:  The loan of $37,000 (originally amounted to $48,000) was drawn down on December 17, 2007 to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Cyclades . The loan was subject to a fee of 0.50% on the loan amount, half of the fee was paid in Novem ber 2007 and the other half was paid in January 2008. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.30%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 2.6%.
 
The facility contains various cov enants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding loan, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 iii) book equity (total assets less consolid a ted debt) to be greater than $100,000, and iv) minimum cash balances of $25,000.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the asset maintenance and the adjusted net worth covenants. The Company has received waivers for both breaches until March 31, 2010, according to a supplemental agreement dated April 2009.
 
 
 
 
F-32

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
Th e supplemental agreement signed provide s  for the following: (1) a cash pledge of $ 4,000 to be maintained with the lender; this amount will be applied towards the financing in case of renegotiation or cancellation of the existing time charter agreement of M/V Cyclades. $2,000 of the pledged cash will be released on December 31, 2009 subject to the above and no other event of default. The remaining $2,000 will be released on March 30, 2010 given that: a) no renegotiation or cancellation of the existing time   charter agreement will be effected until then, b) no event of default has occurred in the respective loan facility. (2) increase in margin from 1.30% to 2.50%, (3) Minimum liquidity is reduced to $15,000 from $25,000 until March 31, 2010, (4) cross collateralization  of the this facility with the facility under (l).
 
(i) Jeke:   At December 31, 2008, Jeke had a loan outstanding of $28,432, maturing in February 2015, excluding unamortized financing fees of $358.

 
Loan:  A loan of $28,432, (which is part of the $95,000 loan that was concluded to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessels Bertram, Amalfi and Voc Gallant) was drawn down in February, 2008 (originally amounted to $35,078) , to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Voc Gallant. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.35%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 4.54%.
 
The facility conta ins various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been se t  at 130% for the first four years and 135% from then on until maturity. During 2008 these figures were adjusted to  140% and 145% respectively as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value ad j usted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adj u sted to  $30,000 as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant v) No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in  compliance with the asset maintenance and the adjusted net worth covenants. The Company has received waivers for both breaches according to loan agreement amendment dated May 2009 discussed under (g) above.
 
(j) Japan I:   At December 31, 2008, Japan I had a loan outstanding of $46,663, maturing in March 2015, excluding unamortized financing fees of $141.
 
Loan:  The loan of $46,663 (originally amounted to $50,000) was drawn down in March, 2008 to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel  Pepito. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $32 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The loan was subject to a fee of $175, paid on drawdown. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.10%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 3.88%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market va lue of the vessel is greater than or equal to 125% of the outstanding loan, ii) leverage ratio (total liabilities divided by total assets adjusted for fair market values of vessels) is less than 75% iii) Interest cover ratio of no less than 2.5 times (def i ned as EBITDA divided by interest expense), iv) minimum cash balances of no less than the aggregate of next 6 months of senior debt principal payments and v) Ensure that throughout the security period, the borrower shall maintain in the earnings account a v erage monthly balances of $1,000.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the asset maintenance and the leverage ratio covenants. The Company is currently in the process of receiving waivers for these breaches until March 31, 2010.
 
 
 
 
 
F-33

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
(k) Japan II:   At December 31, 2008, Japan II had a loan outstanding of $41,000, maturing in April 2013, excluding unamortized financing fees of $468.
 
Loan:  The loan of $41,000 (originally amounte d to $48,000) was drawn down in April, 2008 to partially finance the acquisition cost of the drybulk vessel Astrale. The loan was subject to a fee of $600, paid on drawdown. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.75%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 6.25%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 140% of the outstanding loan for the first two years and 130% thereafter, ii) a Net Asset Value that is greater than $125,000, iii) Stockholder's equity to be greater than $100,000, and iv) minimum cash balances of $25,000.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the asset maintenance and the net asset value covenants. The Company is currently in the process of receiving waivers for asset maintenance clause and minimum net asset value, until March 31, 2010. In the case of the asset maintenance clause, the Company has agreed the following minimum required value to loan ratios:  100% until March 31, 2010, 105% until March 31, 2011, 110% until March 31, 2012 and 120% thereafter.
 
(l) Lichtenstein:   At December 31, 2008, Lichtenstein had a loan outstanding of $24,796, excluding unamortized financing fees of $307.
 
Loan:  The loan of $24,796 (which is part of a $39,000 loan) was drawn down in August ($10,626), September 2008 ($7,085) and November 2008 ( $7,085) to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above and to partially finance the third and fourth construction installments of the newbuilding S-1026, respectively. The loan was subject to a fee of $293, paid on drawdown. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $54 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.65%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 2.51%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 130% of the outstanding lo an, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 iii) book equity (total assets less consolidated debt) to be greater than $100,000, and iv) minimum cash balances of $25,000.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the market value adjusted net worth covenant. The Company has received a waiver for this breach, as well as for the asset maintenance clause until March 31, 2010, according to a supplemental agreement dated April 2009.
 
The supplemental agreement signed provides for the following: (1) increase in margin from 1.65% to 2.25%, (2) Minimum liquidity is reduced to $15,000 from $25,000 until March 31, 2010, (3) cross coll ateralization  of this facility with the facility under (h).
 
 
 
 
F-34

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
(m) Warhol:   At December 31, 2008, Warhol had a loan outstanding of $23,143, excluding unamortized financing fees of $446.
 
Loan:  The loan of $23,143 (which is part of a $121,286 loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031, the Product Tanker Financing), out of which $16,531  was drawn down in October 2008 and $6,612 was d r awn down in November 2008 to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above and to partially finance the third and fourth construction installments of the newbuilding S-1025, respectively. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $51 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The loan was subject to a fee of $404, half of it paid in September 2008 and the remaining paid on drawdown. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.75%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 5.41%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value  of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been set at 120% for the first four years and 125% from then on until maturity. During 200 8 , these initial required percentage was adjusted to 125% as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) E B ITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adjusted to  $30,000 as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant v) No dividend payout in e x cess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the adjusted net worth covenant. The Company has received a waiver for this breach, as well as for EBITDA to fixed charges until March 31, 2010, according to loan agreement amendment dated May 2009. In the case of adjusted net worth, the minimum of $250,000 has been replaced by $125,000. Following discussions with regards to a further decrease of minimum adjusted net worth to $75,000, the bank has not agreed to further reduce the minimum from $125,000 but they have reassured the Company that they will be accommodating in providing waivers for any breaches until March 31, 2010. In the case of asset cover ratio, the required percentage has been increased from 120% to 125% until March 31, 2010.
 
The loan agreement amendment provides for the following: (1) increase in margin of Product Tanker Financing from 1.75% to 2.0% until 31 March 31, 2010, thereafter the margin will be reduced to 1.75% until maturity of the loan while each of the vessels is employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to the lender for periods of at least twelve (12) months and 1.125% per annum at all other times. Amendments discussed under (g) also apply.
 
(n) Indiana:   At December 31, 2008, Indiana had a loan outstanding of $16,706, excluding unamortized financing fees of $440.
 
Loan:  The loan of $16,706 (which is part of a $121,286 loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031), out of which $16,706  was d rawn down in October 2008 to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above and to partially finance the third construction installment of the newbuilding S-1029, respectively. The loan was subject to a fee of $404, half of it paid in  September 2008 and the remaining paid on drawdown. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $51 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.75%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 6.17%.
 
 
 
 
F-35

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):

 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the fair value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage. As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required perc e ntage had been set at 120% for the first four years and 125% from then on until maturity. During 2008, these initial required percentage was adjusted to 125% as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant as of September 30, 2008, ii) m arket value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120% of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid   funds were adjusted to  $30,000 as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant v) No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net income per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the adjusted net worth covenant. The Company has received a waiver for this breach as discussed under (m) above.
 
(o) Britto: At December 31, 2008, Britto had a loan outstanding of $16,706, excluding unamortized financing fees of $440.
 
Loan:  The loan of $16,706 (which is part of a $121,286 loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1025, S-1029 and S-1031), out of which $10,023  was drawn down in October 2008 and $6,682 was drawn down in November 2008 to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above and to partially finance the third construction installment of the newbuilding S-1031, respectively. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $51 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The loan was subject to a fee of $404, half of it paid in September 2008 and the remaining paid on drawdown. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.75%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 4.93%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel and the f air value of swaps are greater than or equal to a required percentage.
As per the initial loan agreement the minimum required percentage had been set at 120% for the first four years and 125% from then on until maturity. During 2008, these initial require d percentage was adjusted to 125% as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant, ii) market value adjusted net worth greater than or equal to $250,000 and greater than or equal to 35% of total assets, and iii) EBITDA greater than 120%   of fixed charges, iv) minimum liquid funds of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel. During 2008 minimum liquid funds were adjusted to  $30,000 as a result of waiver received for a breach of the EBITDA covenant v) No dividend payout in excess of 70% of net inc o me per year and full dividend restriction in case of breach of covenant.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the adjusted net worth covenant. The Company has received a waiver for this breach as discussed under (m) above.
 
 
 
 
F-36

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
(p) Banksy:   At December 31, 2008, Banksy had a loan outstanding of $16,706, excluding unamortized financing fees of $537.
 
Loan:  The loan of $16,706 (which is part of a $80,000 loan that was concluded to partially finance t he construction of newbuildings S-1027 and S-1033) was drawn down in October 2008 to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above and to partially finance the third construction installment of the newbuilding S-1027, respectively. T he loan was subject to a fee of $500, out of which $150 was paid in July 2008 and the remaining paid on drawdown. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $33 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations. The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.55%).  The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 7.33%.
 
The facility contains various covenan ts, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 110% of the outstanding loan for the predelivery period, 115% for the first five years and 125% thereafter, ii) a Net Asset Value that is greater th a n $225,000, iii) Stockholder's equity to be greater than $180,000, iv) minimum cash balances of the higher of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel, and (v) Interest cover ratio of no less than 1.2 times (defined as EBITDA divided by interest expense) pre deli v ery and 1.5 times post delivery.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the net asset value covenant. The Company is currently in the process of receiving a waiver for this breach until March 31, 2010.
 
(q) Hongbo:   At December 31, 2008, Hongbo had a loan outstanding of $10,023, excluding unamortized financing fees of $544.
 
Loan:  The loan of $10,023 (which is part of a $80,000 loan that was concluded to partially finance the construction of newbuildings S-1027 and S- 1033) was drawn down in October 2008 to refinance a portion of the revolving credit facility under (i)  above of the newbuilding S-1033 respectively. The loan was subject to a fee of $500, out of which $150 was paid in July 2008 and the remaining paid on drawdown. Commitment fees paid up to the last drawdown were $33 and are included in Interest and Finance Costs in the December 31, 2008 accompanying consolidated statement of operations.   The credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin (as of December 31, 2008 the margin was 1.55%). The applicable interest rate as of December 31, 2008 is 7.6%.
 
The facility contains various covenants, including i) asset maintenance whereby the fair market value of the vessel is greater than or equal to 110% of the outstanding loan for the predelivery period, 115% for the first five years and 125% thereafter, ii)   a Net Asset Value that is greater than $225,000, iii) Stockholder's equity to be greater than $180,000, iv) minimum cash balances of the higher of $25,000 or $500 per group vessel, and (v) Interest cover ratio of no less than 1.2 times (defined as EBITDA d ivided by interest expense) pre delivery and 1.5 times post delivery.
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with the net asset value covenant. The Company is currently in the process of receiving a waiver for this breach until March 31, 2010.
 
 
 
 
F-37

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
As of December 31, 2008 our total undrawn amount under our newbuildings' financing facilities was $132,208.
 
Loans Securities: The loans are secured as follows:
 
·   Mortgages over the Company's vessels;
·   Assignments of insurance and earnings of the mortgaged vessels;
·   Corporate guarantee of TOP Ships Inc;
·   Pledge over the earnings accounts of the vessels.
 
Debt Covenants:
 
As of December 31, 2008, the Company was not in compliance with certain covenants as discussed above. In accordance with FASB Statement No. 78, "Classification of Obligations that are Callable by the Creditor", the Company has classified all its debt oblig ations as current at December 31, 2008 as a result of cross default provisions included in guarantees provided by the Company to financing institutions in favor of its subsidiaries. A cross default provision means that if the Company defaults on one loan i t immediately defaults on all loans that contain such a provision.
 
During 2009, the Company may also be in breach of liquidity and minimum cash covenants as a result of using its restricted cash.
 
Interest Expense: Interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, amounted to $$20,750, $15,362 and $19,644 respectively and is included in interest and finance costs in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations (Note 20).
 
The weighted average interest rates, as of December 3 1 2008, excluding all swaps, for 2006, 2007 and 2008 were 5.32%, 6.12% and 4.41%, respectively.
 
 
Scheduled Principal Repayments:  The annual principal payments required to be made after December 31, 2008, are as follows:
 
 
Year ending December 31,
 
Amount
 
2009
 
346,907
 
Excluding unamortized financing fees
 
(4,428)
     
342,479
 
 
 
 
F-38

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
 
Interest Rate Swaps:  The fair value of the interest rate swaps in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are analyzed as follows:
 
SWAP
Notional Amount
Period
Effective Date
Interest Rate
Payable
Fair Value - Asset
(Liability)
         
December
31, 2007
December
31, 2008
(i)
$25,357
4 years
June 30, 2005
4.66%
($240)
($270)
 
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
 
($701)  
(ii)
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
($779)  
($701)  
 
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
 
($701)  
(iii)
$10,000
7 years
September 30, 2006
4.23%
($514)
($1,852)
(iv)
$10,000
7 years
September 30, 2006
4.11%
($461)
($1,812)
(v)
$50,000
6 years
September 28, 2007
-
($3,530)
-
(vi)
$10,000
7 years
July 3, 2006
4.76%
($588)
($1,650)
(vii)
$15,072
5 years
March 27, 2008
3.03%
-
($732)
(viii)
$7,443
5 years
March 27, 2008
4.60%
-
($468)
(ix)
$20,000
7 years
May 15, 2008
5.50%
-
($3,944)
(x)
$13,359
7 years
July 15, 2008
5.44%
-
($2,344)
(xi)
$15,108
4 years
June 28, 2010
-
-
($1,263)
         
($6,112)
($16,438)
 
In March 2008, the Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements for an initial aggregate notional amortizing amount of $26,239 (swaps (vii) and (viii)), for a five year period. Based on this agreement, the Company will pay a fixed rate of the three-month U.S. Dollar Libor multiplied with the factor 0.95 per annum if the three month U.S. Dollar Libor is between 1.50% and 4.84%. In case the U.S. Dollar Libor is lower than 1.50% or higher 4.84%, the Company will pay a fixed rate of 4.60% per annum for that period.
 
In April 2008, the Company mutually agreed with the bank for the termination of the swap (v).
 
The then outstanding liability of $7,500 was repaid up to September 30, 2008, in varying  installments plus 10% of interest.
 
In May 2008, the Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement for a notional amount of $20,000 for a seven year period, in order to hedge the exposure of interest rate fluctuations associated with the cash flows on a portion of the Company's variable rate loan, discussed under Note 12(j). Based on this agreement, the Company received an upfront amount of $1,500. During the first year the Company will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and pay a fixed rate of 5.50%. From the second year, the Company will receive a fixed rate of 5.25% and will pay a rate of 5.10%, if two conditions are met: i) the difference between the 10 year Euro swap rate and the 2 year Euro swap rate is greater or equal than -0.15% and ii) the 6 month USD Libor is between 1.00% and 6.00%. Otherwise, the Company will pay the 10.85% less 5.75% multiplied by the number of days that the above two conditions are not met, divided by the total number of days of the period.
 
In July 2008, the Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements (swaps (x) and (xi)), described as follows: i) for an initial notional amortizing amount of $14,654 for a seven year period starting in July 2008, in order to hedge the exposure of interest rate fluctuations associated with the cash flows on a portion of the Company's variable rate loan, discussed under Note 12(i). Based on this agreement, the Company will receive the 3 months LIBOR and pay 5.55% less 2.5% multiplied by the quotient of the number of days the 3 months LIBOR and the 10 year swap rate is set in fixed ranges, ii) for an initial notional amortizing amount of $15,108 for a four year period starting in June 2010, in order to hedge the exposure of interest rate fluctuations associated with the cash flows on a portion of the Company's variable rate loan, discussed under Note 12(g). Based on this agreement, the Company will pay a fixed rate of 4.73% and receive the 3 months LIBOR.
 
 
 
 
F-39

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
12.     Long-term Debt-(continued):
 
With value December 12, 2008, the Company divided up in three equal interest rate swaps (division of notional amounts) (swap (ii)) the interest rate swap agreement with declining notional balances that it had entered into in order to hedge its variable interest rate exposure, with effective date January 30, 2006, for an initial notional amount of $ 45,000 and for a period of five years, with a fixed interest rate of 4.8% plus the applicable bank margin, in connection with the loan discussed under Note 12 (a) (ii).
 
As of December 31, 2007 and 2008, the financial instruments' fair values (including the interest rate derivative product fair value discussed in Note 13) are liabilities of $16,788 and $21,438. As of December 31, 2007 $6,105 and $10,683 represent their current and long-term portion. As of December 31, 2008 the total liability of $21,438 is current.. As of December 31, 2007 and 2008, the financial instruments' fair values of $16,788 and $21,438 included $10,676 and $5,000, respectively, representing the fair value of the derivative instrument discussed in Note 13. The fair value change for the year ended December 31, 2008 on these agreements is separately reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
 
13.
Other current Liabilities:
 
 
Interest Rate Derivative Product:  In November 2007, the Company entered into an interest rate derivative product. Under this agreement, the Company received an upfront payment of $8,500 and would have to pay five annual interest payments on a notional amount of $85,000. Based on the cumulative performance of a portfolio of systematic foreign exchange trading strategies, the interest payments would have a minimum floor at 0.00% and a cap at 7.50%.
 
 
On September 15, 2008, the parent company of the counterparty in this derivative product, announced its intention to file a petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Soon after this announcement, the Company initiated discussions with the counterparty in order to examine the potential effect of this bankruptcy on the Company's liability.
 
On December 30, 2008 the Company signed an agreement with the counterparty terminating the interest rate derivative product against a one-off termination payment of $5,00 0 by the Company. As of December 31, 2008 the Company classified the $5,000 termination payment within its current liabilities representing the fair value of the interest rate derivative product as of that date. This payment was made on January 5,  2009.
 
 
The termination of the interest rate derivative product resulted in a gain of $10,215 recorded under the fair value change of financial instruments (discussed in Note 12), which is separately reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of operat ions.

 
 
F-40

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 

 
14.
Accrued Liabilities:
 
The account consisted of:
 
   
December 31, 2007
   
December 31, 2008
 
Interest on long- term debt
    2,261       2,289  
Vessel operating and voyage expenses
    6,935       3,255  
General and administrative expenses
    2,710       1,891  
Total
    11,906       7,435  
 
15.       Commitments and Contingencies:
 
As at December 31, 2008 the Company had under construction six Handymax product / chemical tankers scheduled for delivery between February and June 2009, at a total cost of $285,380. The remaining expected payments as of December 31, 2008 are $133,330 in 2 009.
 
In March and April 2006, the Company entered into Sale and Leaseback agreements for 13 vessels for a period of five to seven years. According to the terms of the transactions, 10% of the gross aggregate sales price ("seller's credit"), $55,000, has been withheld by the purchaser to serve as security for the due and punctual performance and observance of all the terms and conditions of the Company under the agreements. Following the re-acquisition of the four vessels in May 2007, 10% of the unpaid sales price of $20,640, was used to partially finance the re-acquisition. On March 31, 2008, the owner and lessor of M/T Faultless agreed to sell the vessel to a third party. The Company and the lessor mutually agreed to terminate the bareboat charter. The Co mpany had sold the vessel in 2006 in a sale and lease-back transaction. Following the sale of M/T Faultless, the Company received part of the seller's credit, or $1,960. Following the sale of M/T Flawless, M/T Timeless, M/T Stopless and M/T Priceless, the Company received part of the seller's credit, or $11,260. Consequently the amount that is currently withheld by the purchaser is $10,000. Not later than three months after the end of the bareboat charter period or upon the resale of the vessels by the purchaser, if earlier, $10,000 will become payable to the Company.
 
In December 2006, the Company and certain of its executive officers and directors were named as defendants in various class action securities complaints brought in the United States District Court-for the Southern District of New York, alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, which were subsequently consolidated under the caption "In re: Top Tankers, Inc. Securities Litigation," Case no. 06-cv-13761 (CM), which we refer to as the Putative Class Action. On December 18, 2007, the Court denied the motion to dismiss brought by the Company and other defendants in connection with the Putative Class Action. On or about January 18, 2008, the parties reached a settlement agreement in principle whereby the plaintiff, on behalf of members of the Class who do not opt out, would dismiss all claims against the Company with prejudice in exchange for a settlement payment of $1.2 million. On April 28, 2008, the Court entered an order preliminarily approving the proposed settlement and directing that notice be given to all potential members of the Class of the proposed settlement. The Court ordered a hearing on July 31, 2008 to determine whether the settlement should be approved. The settlement hearing took place as scheduled, and Judge McMahon approved the settlement and award of attorney's fees to class counsel. The clerk of the court terminated the case on July 31, 2008. The settlement was funded by the Company's directors and officers' insurance carriers.
 

 
 
F-41

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
15.       Commitments and Contingencies-(continued):
 
Various claims, suits, and complaints, including those involving government regulations and product liability, arise in the ordinary course of the shipping business. In addition, losses may arise from disputes with charterers, agents, insurance and other claims with suppliers relating to the operations of the Company's vessels. Currently, management is not aware of any such claims or contingent liabilities, which should be disclosed, or for which a provision should be established in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
 
The Company accrues for the cost of environmental liabilities when management becomes aware that a liability is probable and is able to reasonably estimate the probable exposure. Currently, management is not aware of any such claims or contingent liabilities, which should be disclosed, or for which a provision should be established in the accompanying consolidated f inancial statements. A minimum of up to $1 billion of the liabilities associated with the individual vessels actions, mainly for sea pollution, are covered by the Protection and Indemnity (P & I) Club insurance.
 
16.     Common Stock and Additional Paid-In Capital:
 
Reverse Stock Split: On March 20, 2008, the Company effected a 1-for-3 reverse stock split of its common stock. There was no change in the number of authorized common shares of the Company.
 
Private placement: In April 2008, the Company privately placed 7,268,692 common unregistered shares for aggregate net proceeds of $50,601 with various investors. The shares were sold for $7.00 per share, which represents a discount of 15.5 percent based on the closing share price of $8.28 on April 23, 2008. On July 3, 2008 the Company filed a registration statement on form F-3 to register those shares, which was declared effective on July 15, 2008.
 
Share Repurchase Program : During the fourth quarter of 2008, the Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program up to $20 million for a share price of not more than $2.50 per share for the duration of one year.
 
Share repurchases started during the fourth quarter of 2008 and t he transactions were open market based through the NASDAQ under Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act.
 
As at December 31, 2008 the Company, has repurchased and cancelled an amount of 396,949 shares from the open market at an average price of $1.82. As a result, the Company's common stock and additional paid-in capital were reduced by $4 and $727 respectively.
 
The Company continued its repurchase program until February 3, 2009. During the first two months of 2009 the Company repurchased an amount of 358,601 shares from the open market at an average price of $2.02.
 
All the outstanding shares that have been repurchased under this program are held initially as Treasury Stock and are subsequently cancelled. Consequently, the outstanding amount of 358,601 shares was cancelled effective as of February 25, 2009.
 

 
 
F-42

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
17.     Stock Incentive Plan:
 
On July 1, 2005, January 3, 2006 and July 6, 2006 (the "grant dates") the Company granted restricted shares pursuant to the Company's 2005 Stock Incentive Plan ("the Plan"), which was adopted in April 2005 to provide certain key pe rsons (the "Participants"), on whose initiatives and efforts the successful conduct of the Company's business depends, and who are responsible for the management, growth and protection of the Company's business, with incentives to: (a) enter into and remain in the service of the Company, a Company's subsidiary, or Company's joint venture, (b) acquire a proprietary interest in the success of the Company, (c) maximize their performance, and (d) enhance the long-term pe rformance of the Company (whether directly or indirectly) through enhancing the long-term performance of a Company subsidiary or Company joint venture. The granted shares have no exercise price and constitute a bonus in nature.
 
On January 3, 2006, the Company's Board of Directors identified 29 key persons (including the Company's CEO and other 8 officers and independent members of the Board) to whom shares of restricted common stock of the Company were granted. For this purpose 4 1,666 new shares were granted, out of which 26,666 shares were granted to the Company's CEO, 12,666 shares to 8 officers and independent members of the Board   and the remaining 2,334 shares were granted to 20 employees. From the total of 15,000 shares grant ed to officers, independent members of the Board and employees, 366 shares were forfeited prior to the vesting date.
 
On July 6, 2006, the Company's Board of Directors identified 60 key persons (including the Company's CEO and other 8 officers and independ ent members of the Board) to whom shares of restricted common stock of the Company were granted. For this purpose 106,666 new shares were granted, out of which 73,750 shares were granted to the Company's CEO, 22,666 shares to 8 officers and independent me m bers of the Board   and the remaining 10,250 shares were granted to 51 employees. From the total of 32,916 shares granted to officers, independent members of the Board and employees, 916 shares were forfeited prior to the vesting date.
 
The "Restricted Stock  Agreements" were signed between the Company and the Participants on the respective grant dates. Under these agreements, the Participants have the right to receive dividends and the right to vote the Shares, subject to the following restrictions:
 
 
i.
Gran ts to Company's CEO. The Company's CEO shall not sell, assign, exchange, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of or encumber any of the Shares other than to a company, which is wholly owned by the Company's CEO. The restrictions lapse on the earlier of (i) one year from the grant date or (ii) termination of the Company's CEO employment with the Company for any reason.
 
 
ii.
Grants to Other Participants. The Participants ( officers, independent members of the Board and Company's employees) shall not sell, assign, exchange, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of or encumber any of the Shares. The restrictions lapse on one year from the grant date conditioned upon the Participant's continued employment with the Company from the date of the agreement (i.e. July 1, 2005, January 3, 2006, or July 6, 2006) until the date the restrictions lapse (the "restricted period").
 
As the shares granted to the Company's CEO do not contain any future service vesting conditions, all such shares are considered vested shares on the grant date.
 
On the other hand, in the event another Participant's employment with the Company terminates for any reason before the end of the restricted period, that Participant shall forfeit all rights to all Shares that have not yet vested as of such date of termination. Dividends earned during the restricted period will not be returned to the Company, even if the unvested shares are ultimately forfeited. As these Shares granted to other Participants contain a time-based service vesting condition, such shares are considered non-vested shares on the grant date.
 
On July 11, 2007, the Company granted 213,333 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. Of the 213,333 new shares granted, 113,333 shares were granted to 6 Directors and the remaining 100,000 shares were granted to 2 officers and employees. From the total of 213,333 shares granted to officers, independent members of the Board and employees, 13,432 shares were forfeited during the year ended December 31, 2008.

 
 
F-43

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
17.     Stock Incentive Plan-(continued):

 
The shares will vest proportionally over a period of 4 years in equal installments. The following provisions apply for the following categories: i) Executive Directors: In case of change of control or termination of employment contract shares will immediately vest, with the exception of voluntary resignation or termination of employment for cause, in which event the shares will be forfeited; ii) Non-executive Directors: In case of change of control or a director, ceasing to be a director, shares will vest, with the exception of voluntary resignation or dismissal for cause, in which event the shares will be forfeited; iii) Officers and employees: In case of change of control or termination of employment, shares will vest, with the exception of voluntary resignation or termination of employment for cause, in which event the shares will be forfeited.
 
The fair value of each share on the grant date was $23.97. The initial fair value of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $5,114 and will be recognized as compensation expense in the Other general and administrative expenses of the consolidated statements of operations over the four-year vesting period quarterly in sixteen equal installments.
 
On January 22, 2008, the Company granted 197,560 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. These Shares were granted to two officers and employees and proportionally vest over a period of four years in equal annual installments. From the total of 197,560 shares, 25,890 shares were forfeited during the year ended December 31, 2008. In the event of change of control or termination of employment, shares will vest, with the exception of voluntary resignation or termination of employment for cause, in which event the shares will be forfeited. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $6.69. The initial fair value, of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $1,322 and will be recognized as compensation expense in the "Other general and administrative expenses" in the consolidated statements of operations over the four-year vesting period.
 
On July 1, 2008, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the increase of the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan, by 1,000,000 shares.  Of the new 1,000,000 shares made available by the Board of directors, 500,000 restricted shares were granted to the Company's CEO. The restrictions on the shares granted to the CEO schedule 125,000 shares to be vested on the grant date and the remainder of the shares to be vested over a period of three years in equal annual installments beginning one year from the grant date. However, as the shares granted to the Company's CEO do not contain any future service vesting conditions, all such shares are considered vested shares on the grant date. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $6.20 totaling an aggregate of $3,100 and was recognized as compensation expense in "Other general and administrative expenses" in the condensed consolidated statement of operations in the third quarter of 2008. In addition, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the granting of cash compensation of Euro 500 or $794 to be distributed to the Company's Executive Directors, excluding the Company's CEO, which has been included in "Other general and administrative expenses" of the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2008.
 
On July 10, 2008, the Company granted to an officer 2,666 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. The shares will vest over a period of 6 months. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $5.15. The initial fair value, before any forfeiture, of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $14 and was recognized as compensation expense in the "Other general and administrative expenses" in the consolidated statements of operations over the six-month vesting period.
 
On September 2, 2008, the Company granted to an officer 2,666 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. The shares will vest over a period of 6 months. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $5.08. The initial fair value, before any forfeiture, of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $13 and will be recognized as compensation expense in the "Other general and administrative expenses" in the consolidated statements of operations over the six-month vesting period.
 
On September 2, 2008, the Company granted to an employee 10,000 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. The shares will vest over a period of 3 years. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $5.08. The initial fair value of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $51 and will be recognized as compensation expense in the "Other general and administrative expenses" in the consolidated statements of operations over the three-year vesting period.
 
On September 2, 2008, the Company granted to the non-executive directors 375,000 restricted shares pursuant to the Plan. The shares will vest over a period of 5 years. The fair value of each share on the grant date was $5.08.The initial fair value of the non-vested shares granted amounted to $1,905 and will be recognized as compensation expense in the "Other general and administrative expenses" in the consolidated statements of operations over the five-year vesting period.
 
On September 4, 2008, the Company's CEO waived his right to receive pursuant to his employment contract with the Company three years' annual base salary in the event of a change in control of the Company in exchange for receiving 1,472,438 shares, which are restricted shares and which will vest in  the event of such change of control. Consequently, the compensation expense for these shares will not be recognized until the vesting becomes probable. In addition, the dividends that might be declared in the future on those shares will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements as additional compensation expense in the consolidated statement of operations, since the vesting period of those shares is indefinite. The fair value of each Share on the grant date was $5.23.
 
All share amounts have been adjusted for the 1:3 reverse stock split effected on March 20, 2008.
 
A summary of the status of the Company's vested and non-vested shares as of December 31, 2008 and movement during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, is presented below:
 

 
 
F-44

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
17.     Stock Incentive Plan-(continued):
 
 
Number of non-vested
shares
Weighted average grant
date fair value per
non-vested share
As of December 31, 2007
213,333
$23.97
Granted in 2008
2,060,331
$5.34
Vested in 2008
(157,078)
$14.56
Forfeited in 2008
(39,322)
$12.59
As of December 31, 2008
2,077,264
$6.42
 
 
 
Number of vested shares
As of December 31, 2007
229,917
Granted in 2008
500,000
Non-vested shares granted in 2007 and 2008, vested during 2008
157,078
As of December 31, 2008
886,995
 
The compensation expense recognized in the in the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 was $1,315, $935 and $5,116 and is included in the Other general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2008, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested share awards is $5,268, which is expected to be recognized by September 30, 2013.
 
The total fair value of shares vested during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 was $2,764, $978, $3,770 respectively.
 
The dividends declared on shares granted under the Plan are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as a charge to retained earnings.
 
The Company estimates the future forfeitures of non vested shares to be immaterial. The Company will, however, re-evaluate the reasonableness of its assumption at each reporting period.
 
The amount of dividends on the granted shares, recognized as a charge to retained earnings, is presented in the following table:
 
Type of
Shares
granted
Quarterly
Dividend
per share
Special
Dividend
per share
Total Dividends
Paid in year ended
December 31, 2006
Vested
0.63
22.50
2,082
Non-vested
0.63
22.50
807
 
No dividends were paid in the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008.
 

 
 
F-45

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
18.     Earnings (loss) Per Common Share:
 
All shares issued (including non-vested shares issued under the Company's 2005 Stock Incentive Plan) are the Company's common stock and have equal rights to vote and participate in dividends. However, for the purposes of calculating basic earnings per share, such non-vested shares are not considered outstanding until the time-based vesting restrictions have lapsed.
 
For purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share the denominator of the diluted earnings per share calculation includes the incremental shares assumed issued under the treasury stock method weighted for the period the non-vested shares were outstanding, with the exception of the 1,472,438 shares, granted to the Company's CEO, which will vest in  the event of change of control. Consequently, those shares are excluded from the diluted EPS calculation.
 
The components of the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 are as follows:
 
   
Year Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
                   
Net Income (loss) as reported:
  $ (11,005 )   $ (49,076 )   $ 25,639  
                         
Less: Dividends declared during the year for non-vested shares
    (807 )     -       -  
                         
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders
  $ (11,812 )   $ (49,076 )   $ 25,639  
                         
                         
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic
    10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  
                         
Add: Dilutive effect of non-vested shares
    -       -       -  
                         
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted
    10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  
                         
Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted
  $ (1.16 )   $ (4.09 )   $ 1.01  
                         
 
For the years ended December 31 2006, 2007 and 2008, 46,966, 213,333 and 2,077,264, shares respectively, which constitute the number of non-vested shares as at each of the year end as presented in the table under Note 17 above, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because to do so would have been antidilutive for the periods presented.
 

 
 
F-46

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
19.     Voyage and Other Vessel Operating Expenses:
 
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations are as follows:
 
 
Voya ge Expenses
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
Port charges
    11,265       15,473       5,377  
Bunkers
    33,937       36,867       23,877  
Commissions
    10,149       7,074       9,402  
Total
    55,351       59,414       38,656  
 
Other Vessel Operating Expenses
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
Crew wages and related costs
    26,919       27,721       26,673  
Insurance
    7,000       6,191       7,210  
Repairs and maintenance
    16,330       18,758       19,791  
Spares and consumable stores
    15,668       15,177       13,294  
Taxes (Note 21)
    165       67       146  
Total
    66,082       67,914       67,114  
 
20.     Interest and Finance Costs:
 
The amounts in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations are analyzed as follows:
 
   
Year Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
Interest on long- term debt (Note 12)
    21,372       19,223       22,143  
Less: Capitalized interest (Note 9)
    (34 )     (2,661 )     (3,873 )
Interest on capital leases (Note 6)
    -       -       1,219  
Commitment fees
                    392  
Bank charges
    1,158       875       752  
Amortization and write- off of financing fees
    4,534       2,081       5,131  
Total
    27,030       19,518       25,764  
 
 
 
F-47

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
21.       Income Taxes:
 
Marshall Islands , Cyprus  and Liberia  do not impose a tax on international shipping income. Under the laws of Marshall Islands , Cyprus  and Liberia , the countries of the companies' incorporation and vessels' registration, the companies are subject to registration and tonnage taxes, which have been included in vessels' operating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
 
Purs uant to the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), U.S. source income from the international operations of ships is generally exempt from U.S. tax if the company operating the ships meets both of the following requirements, ( a) the Company is organized in a foreign country that grants an equivalent exception to corporations organized in the United States and (b) either (i) more than 50% of the value of the Company's stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by individuals who a r e "residents" of the Company's country of organization or of another foreign country that grants an "equivalent exemption" to corporations organized in the United States (50% Ownership Test) or (ii) the Company's stock is "primarily and regularly traded o n  an established securities market" in its country of organization, in another country that grants an "equivalent exemption" to United States corporations, or in the United States (Publicly-Traded Test).
 
Under the regulations, a Company's stock will be considered to be "regularly traded" on an established securities market if (i) one or more classes of its stock representing more than 50 percent of its outstanding shares, by voting power and value, is listed on the market and is traded on the market, other than in minimal quantities, on at least 60 days during the taxable year; and (ii) the aggregate number of shares of stock traded during the taxable year is at least 10% of the average number of shares of the stock outstanding during the taxable year.
 
The Marshall Islands, Cyprus and Liberia, the jurisdictions where the Company and its ship-owning subsidiaries are incorporated, grant an "equivalent exemption" to United States corporations. Therefore, the Company is exempt from United States federal income taxation with respect to U.S.-source shipping income if either the 50% Ownership Test or the Publicly-Traded Test is met. The Company believes that for periods prior to its initial public offering in July 2004, it satisfied the 50% Ownership Test. The Company also believes that for periods subsequent to its initial public offering, it satisfies the Publicly-Traded Test on the basis that more than 50% of the value of its stock is primarily and regularly traded on the Nasdaq National Market and, therefore, the Company and its subsidiaries are entitled to exemption from U.S. federal income tax, in respect of their U.S. source shipping income.

 
22.       Financial Instruments:
 
The principal financial assets of the Company consist of cash on hand and at banks and accounts receivable due from charterers. The principal financial liabilities of the Company consist of l ong-term bank loans, accounts payable due to suppliers, interest rate swap agreements and an interest rate derivative product.
 
 
(a)
Interest rate risk:  The Company's interest rates and long-term loan repayment terms are described in Note 12.
 
Concentration of Credit risk:  Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash and trade accounts receivable. The Company places its temporary cash investments, consistin g mostly of deposits, with high credit qualified financial institutions. The Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of those financial institutions with which it places its temporary cash investments. The Company limits its c redit risk with accounts receivable by performing ongoing credit evaluations of its customers' financial condition and generally does not require collateral for its accounts receivable.
 
 
F-48

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
22.       Financial Instruments-(continued):

 
 
(c)   
Fair value : The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accou nts receivable and accounts payable are reasonable estimates of their fair value due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The fair value of long-term bank loans discussed in Note 12 bearing interest at variable interest rates approxima t es the recorded value. The carrying value of the interest rate swap agreements and the interest rate derivative product represents their fair value as the fair value estimates the amount the Company would have paid, had the interest rate swap agreements a n d the interest rate derivative product been terminated on the balance sheet date.
 
The estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments, seen below, equal carrying values.
 
SWAP
Notional Amount
Period
Effective Date
Interest Rate
Payable
Fair Value - Asset
(Liability)
         
December
31, 2007
December
31, 2008
(i)
$25,357
4 years
June 30, 2005
4.66%
($240)
($270)
 
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
 
($701)  
(ii)
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
($779)  
($701)  
 
$11,193
2 years
December 12, 2008
4.80%
 
($701)  
(iii)
$10,000
7 years
September 30, 2006
4.23%
($514)
($1,852)
(iv)
$10,000
7 years
September 30, 2006
4.11%
($461)
($1,812)
(v)
$50,000
6 years
September 28, 2007
-
($3,530)
-
(vi)
$10,000
7 years
July 3, 2006
4.76%
($588)
($1,650)
(vii)
$15,072
5 years
March 27, 2008
3.03%
-
($732)
(viii)
$7,443
5 years
March 27, 2008
4.60%
-
($468)
(ix)
$20,000
7 years
May 15, 2008
5.50%
-
($3,944)
(x)
$13,359
7 years
July 15, 2008
5.44%
-
($2,344)
(xi)
$15,108
4 years
June 28, 2010
-
-
($1,263)
         
($6,112)
($16,438)
 

 
 
F-49

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
22.       Financial Instruments-(continued):
 
The fair value of the Company's credit facilities (as further discussed in Note 12) is estimated based on current rates offered to the Company for similar debt of the same remaining maturities. The carrying value approximates the fair market value for the variable rate loans. The fair value of the Company's financial instruments, is the estimated amount the Company would pay to terminate the related agreements at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates and the current credit-worthiness of the Company and its counter-parties.
 
The Company follows SFAS No. 157, which became effective on January 1, 2008, applies to financial assets and liabilities and also non-financial assets and liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis on recurring basis. SFAS No. 157 requires disclosure that establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. This statement enables the reader of the financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those measurements by establishing a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. The statement requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
 
Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
 
Level 2: Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data;
 
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.
 
The Company's interest rate swaps are pay-fixed, receive-variable based on the LIBOR swap rates. LIBOR swap rates are observable at commonly quoted intervals for the full terms of the swaps and therefore are considered level 2 items. For the interest rate derivative product the Company would pay interest based on the cumulative performance of a portfolio of systematic foreign exchange trading strategies, an index which was publicly available. The fair values of those financial instruments determined through Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy as defined in SFAS 157 as such fair values are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data. Inputs include quoted prices for similar assets, liabilities (risk adjusted) and market-corroborated inputs, such as market comparables, interest rates, yield curves and other items that allow value to be determined.
 
As of December 31, 2008, no fair value measurements for assets or liabilities under Level 1 or level 3 were recognized in the Company's consolidated financial statements.
 
23.     Subsequent Events:
 
 
(a)  
Payment of termination fee for interest rate derivative:  On January 5, 2009, t he Company made a payment of $5,000 as a one-off termination fee in relation to an interest rate derivative product (Note 13).
 
 
(b)   
Loan drawdown for newbuildings :  During 2009, an amount of $17,003 and $14,204 were drawn down to finance the delivery installments of Hull S-1025 and Hull S-1026, respectively. Furthermore, an amount of $17,044, $12,549 and $18,494 were drawn down to finance the fourth and the delivery installments of Hull S-1027, Hull S-1029 and Hull S-1031, respect ively. Finally, an amount of $13,364 was drawn down to finance the third and fourth installment of Hull S-1033 (Note 12).
 

 
 
F-50

 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
 
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2008
 
(Expressed in thousands of United States Dollars – except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated)
 
 
23.     Subsequent Events-(continued):
 
 
(c)   
Restricted cash change: On January 9, 2009, t he Company entered into a supplemental agreement relevant to the sale and leaseback transactions' financial covenants. Specifically, it was agreed that a minimum cash of $5,000 shall be maintained on deposit by the Company during the bareboat charter period. As at December 31, 2008, the Company was requi red to maintain consolidated cash balances of $20,000 in connection with these financial covenants (Note 6).
 
 
(d)  
Share buyback: During 2009, the Company repurchased an amount of 358,601 shares from the open market at an average price of $ 2.02. The shares repurchased under the buyback program of 358,601 were cancelled effective on February 25, 2009.
 
 
(e)   
Delivery of newbuildings: During 2009, the Company took delivery of five out of six 50,000dwt product / chemical tankers from SPP Plant &  Shipbuilding Co., Ltd of the Republic of Korea, as follows: On February 19, 2009, the Company took delivery of the M/T "Miss Marilena", which is employed on a bareboat time-charter for a period of 10 years at a daily rate of $14,400. On February 23, 2009 ,  the Company took delivery of the M/T "Lichtenstein", which is employed on a bareboat time-charter for a period of 10 years at a daily rate of $14,550. On March 19, 2009 and March 26, 2009, the Company took delivery of the M/T "Ionian Wave" and the M/T "T y rrhenian Wave", which are employed on a bareboat time-charter for a period of 7 years at a daily rate of $14,300, with three successive one - year options at a higher daily rate. Finally, on May 22, 2009, the Company took delivery of the M/T "Britto", which is employed on a bareboat time-charter for a period of 10 years at a daily rate of $14,550.
 
 
(f)   
Renegotiation with charterer:  On February 25, 2009, the Company agreed with the charterer of M/V Astrale, Armada Singapore, to lower the daily hire from $72 to $40. In exchange, the charterer prepaid the full hire under the new rate though the earliest date of expiry of the time charter, April 18, 2009.
 
 
(g)  
Amendment and Termination of Lease Agreements:   On April 3, 2009, the Company entered into an agreement to terminate the bareboat charter of MT Relentless, which has been in force since 2005 and would have expired in 2012 (Note 6). Under this agreement, during the third quarter of 2009 the Company will redeliver the M/T Relentless to its owners and pay a termination fee of $2,500. In addition to the termination fee the Company has undertaken to perform certain works on the vessel prior to its redelivery which will involve additional costs. From the date of the agreement until the date of redelivery the bareboat hire has been set at $7,000 per day and has been included in the above table. On June 24, 2009, the Company terminated the bareboat charters and redelivered the vessels M/T Faithful, the M/T Doubtless, the M/T Spotless and the M/T Vanguard to their owners after paying $11,750 in termination fees and expenses. In addition to the termination fee and expenses, the Company has forfeited its right to receive the Seller's credit of $10,000 from the initial sale of the vessels, which would have been received upon expiration of the bareboat charter, and the Company has undertaken to pay for the dry-dock of the M/T Spotless which is currently in progress. The bareboat charter would have expired in 2011. Also, the Company will remain the manager of these vessels until the expiration of their current time charters, in early 2010, and will be reimbursed by the owners for all expenses incurred. These were the last leased vessels in the Company's fleet.
 
 
(h)   
New Time Charter:   In June 2009, the Company's vessel M/V Astrale entered into a time charter agreement for two years, starting in July 2009, at a gross daily rate of $18,000.
 
 
 

 
 
F-51

 

 
Schedule I- Condensed Financial Information of Top Ships Inc. (Parent Company Only)
Balance Sheets
December 31, 2007 and 2008
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars – except for share and per share data)

   
December 31,
 
   
2007
   
2008
 
ASSETS
           
CURRENT ASSETS
           
Cash and cash equivalents
    22,548       49,154  
Due from subsidiaries
    394,481       301,543  
Other current assets
    314       686  
Total current assets
    417,343       351,383  
NON CURRENT ASSETS
               
Investments in subsidiaries
    518,646       311,178  
Restricted cash
    15,081       5,081  
Other non-current assets
    8       118  
Total non-current assets
    533,735       316,377  
Total assets
    951,078       667,760  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
               
CURRENT LIABILITIES
               
Current portion of long term debt
    10,440       60,599  
Due to subsidiaries
    524,856       302,862  
Current portion of financial instruments
    6,105       5,584  
Other current liabilities
    3,621       6,623  
Total current liabilities
    545,022       375,668  
                 
NON CURRENT LIABILITIES
               
Long term debt, net of current portion
    183,927       0  
Financial instruments
    10,683       0  
Other non-current liabilities
    38       41  
Total non-current liabilities
    194,648       41  
                 
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
               
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; none issued
    0       0  
Common stock $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized
               
20,508,575 and 29,901,048 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2007 and 2008
    205       283  
Additional paid-in capital
    216,150       271,056  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
    4       24  
Retained earnings / Accumulated deficit
    (4,951     20,688  
Total stockholders' equity
    211,408       292,051  
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
    951,078       667,760  

 
 
F-52

 

 
Schedule I- Condensed Financial Information of Top Ships Inc. (Parent Company Only)
Statements of Operations
For the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars – except for share and per share data)
 
   
December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
EXPENSES
                 
General and administrative expenses
    10,647       9,493       14,365  
Foreign currency (gains) / losses, net
    66       49       (96
Operating loss
    (10,713     (9,542     (14,269 )
OTHER INCOME / (EXPENSES)
                       
Interest and finance costs
    (25,420     (11,264     (6,896
Gain / (loss) on financial instruments
    (2,124     (3,704     (3,701
Interest income
    2,266       2,142       1,252  
Total Other (expenses), net
    (25,278     (12,826     (9,345
Equity in earnings / (loss) of subsidiaries
    24,986       (26,708     49,253  
Net Income (Loss)
    (11,005     (49,076     25,639  
                         
Earnings / (loss) per share, basic and diluted
    (1.16     (4.09     1.01  
Weighted average number of shares, basic and diluted
    10,183,424       11,986,857       25,445,031  

 
F-53


Schedule I- Condensed Financial Information of Top Ships Inc. (Parent Company Only)
Statements of Cash Flows
For the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008
(Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars)
 
   
December 31,
 
   
2006
   
2007
   
2008
 
Net cash (used in) / provided by Operating Activities
    163,241       (45,569     (77,474
                         
Cash flows from Investing Activities
                       
Return of investment from subsidiaries
    398,860       75,954       243,531  
Investment in subsidiaries
    (28,683     (129,272     (64,213
Decrease (Increase) in Restricted cash
    (6,876     0       10,000  
Acquisition of fixed assets
    0       0       (112
Net cash (used in) / provided by Investing Activities
    363,301       (53,318 )     189,206  
Cash flows from Financing Activities
                       
Proceeds from long-term debt
    0       10,000       30,000  
Principal payments of long-term debt
    (297,255 )     (34,080     (164,994
Issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs
    26,916       98,341       50,601  
Repurchase and cancellation of common stock
                    (733
Dividends paid
    (217,466 )     0       0  
Financial instrument upfront receipt
    0       8,500       0  
Payment of financing costs
    (63     0       0  
Net cash (used in ) / provided by Financing Activities
    (487,868     82,761       (85,126
Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents
    38,674       (16,126     26,606  
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
    0       38,674       22,548  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
    38,674       22,548       49,154  

 
 
F-54

 


Schedule I- Condensed Financial Information of Top Ships Inc. (Parent Company Only)
(Figures in thousands of U.S. Dollars)
 
In the condensed financial information of the Parent Company, the Parent Company's investment in subsidiaries is stated at cost plus equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries less equity in undistributed loss of subsidiaries, distributions from subsidiaries as return on investment and return of investment.
 
The Parent Company's subsidiaries made the following distributions to the Parent Company during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008:
 
 
 
2006
2007
2008
Return on Investment
98,606
19,456
96,774
Return of Investment
398,860
75,954
243,531
Total Cash from subsidiaries
497,466
95,410
340,305
 
 
The Parent Company is a borrower under the RBS facility and guarantor under the remaining loans outstanding at December 31, 2008. Refer to Note 12 "Long-term Debt" to the consolidated financial statements information.
 
The principal payments required to be made after December 31, 2008 for these are as follows:
 
Year ending December 31, 2009
346,907
Less financing fees
(4,428)
 
342,479
 
The vessel-owning subsidiary companies with outstanding loans had restricted net assets amounting to $100,175 as of December 31, 2008.
 

 
 
F-55

 

Item 19.
EXHIBITS
(Note:  Current name "TOP SHIPS INC." is used below although documents may refer to prior name "TOP TANKERS INC.")
 
Number
Description of Exhibits
   
1.1
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of TOP SHIPS INC. (1)
 
1.2
Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of TOP SHIPS INC. (2)
 
1.3
Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of TOP SHIPS INC
 
1.4
Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of TOP SHIPS INC
 
1.5
Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company, as adopted on February 28, 2007 (3)
 
2.1
Form of Share Certificate
 
4.1
TOP SHIPS INC. 2005 Stock Option Plan (4)
 
4.2
Loan Agreement between the Company and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc dated August 10, 2004 and supplemented September 30, 2004 (5)
 
4.3
Loan Agreement between the Company and DVB Bank dated March 10, 2005(6).
 
4.4
Credit Facility between the Company and the Royal Bank of Scotland dated November 1, 2005 (7)
 
4.4.1
Supplement to credit facility between the Company and the Royal Bank of Scotland dated December 21, 2006 (8)
 
4.5
Credit Facility between the Company and HSH NORDBANK, AG, dated November 7, 2005(9)
 
4.6
Sales Agreement between the Company and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. dated April 13, 2006(10)
 
4.7
Shareholder Rights Agreement with Computershare Investor Services, LLC, as Rights Agent as of August 19, 2005 (11)
 
4.8
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Kisavos Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 27 Shipping Company dated March 9, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Priceless (12)
 
4.9
Charter party by and between Kisavos Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 27  Shipping Company in relation to the M/T Priceless, dated March 9, 2006 (13)
 
4.10
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Kisavos Shipping Company Limited, Komarf Hope 27 Shipping Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Priceless (14)
 
4.11
Guarantee given by the Company to Komarf Hope 27 Shipping Co. dated March 15, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Priceless (15)
 
 
 

 
4.12
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Taygetus Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 28 Shipping Co. dated March 9, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Timeless (16)
 
4.13
Charter party by and between Taygetus Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 28 Shipping Co. in relation to the Timeless, dated March 9, 2006 (17)
 
4.14
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Taygetus Shipping Company Limited, Komarf Hope 28 Shipping Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Timeless (18)
 
4.15
Guarantee given by the Company to Komarf Hope 28 Shipping Co., dated March 15, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Timeless (19)
 
4.16
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Pylio Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 29. Shipping Co. dated March 9, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Flawless (20)
 
4.17
Charter party by and between Pylio Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 29 Shipping Co. in relation to the M/T Flawless, dated March 9, 2006 (21)
 
4.18
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Pylio Shipping Company Limited, Komarf Hope 29 Shipping Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Flawless  (22)
 
4.19
Guarantee given by the Company to Komarf Hope 29 Shipping Co., dated March 15, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Flawless (23)
 
4.20
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Vitsi Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 30 Shipping Co. dated March 9, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Stopless (24)
 
4.21
Charter party by and between Vitsi Shipping Company Limited and Komarf Hope 30 Shipping Co. in relation to the Stopless, dated March 9, 2006 (25)
 
4.22
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Vitsi Shipping Company Limited, Komarf Hope 30 Shipping Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Stopless (26)
 
4.23
Guarantee given by the Company to Komarf Hope 30 Shipping Co., dated March 15, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Stopless (27)
 
4.24
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Parnasos Shipping Company Limited Partankers III AS, dated April 4, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Faultless (28)
 
4.25
Charter party by and between Parnasos Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS, in relation to the M/T Faultless, dated April 4, 2006 (29)
 
4.26
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Imitos Shipping Company Limited Partankers III AS, dated April 4, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Noiseless (30)
 
4.27
Charter party by and between Imitos Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS, in relation to the M/T Noiseless, dated April 4, 2006 (31)
 
4.28
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Parnis Shipping Company Limited Partankers III AS, dated April 4, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Stainless (32)
 
 
 

 
4.29
Charter party by and between Parnis Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS, in relation to the M/T Stainless, dated April 4, 2006 (33)
 
4.30
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Mytikas Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS dated April 4, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Limitless (34)
 
4.31
Charter party by and between Mytikas Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS  in relation to the M/T Limitless, dated April 4, 2006 (35)
 
4.32
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Litochoro Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS dated April 4, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Endless (36)
 
4.33
Charter party by and between Litochoro Shipping Company Limited and Partankers III AS in relation to the M/T Endless, dated April 4, 2006 (37)
 
4.34
Guarantee given by the Company to Partankers III AS in connection with the charter parties relating to the M/T Faultless, M/T Stainless, M/T Noiseless, M/V Limitless, M/V Endless dated April 4, 2006 (38)
 
4.35
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Idi Shipping Company Limited and Kemp Maritime S.A. dated March 14, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Spotless (39)
 
4.36
Charter party by and between Idi Shipping Company Limited and Kemp Maritime S.A. in relation to the M/T Spotless, dated March 14, 2006 (40)
 
4.37
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Idi Shipping Company Limited, Kemp Maritime S.A. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Spotless (41)
 
4.38
Second Priority Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Idi Shipping Company Limited, Kemp Maritime S.A. and Mass Capital Investments B.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Spotless (42)
 
4.39
Guarantee given by the Company to Kemp Maritime S.A. dated March 14, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Spotless (43)
 
4.40
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Falarko Shipping Company Limited and Tucker Navigation Co. dated March 14, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Doubtless (44)
 
4.41
Charter party by and between Falarko Shipping Company Limited and Tucker Navigation Co. in relation to the M/T Doubtless, dated March 14, 2006 (45)
 
4.42
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Falarko Shipping Company Limited, Tucker Navigation Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Doubtless (46)
 
4.43
Second Priority Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Falarko Shipping Company Limited, Tucker Navigation Co. and Mass Capital Investments B.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Doubtless (47)
 
4.44
Guarantee given by the Company to Tucker Navigation Co. dated March 14, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Doubtless (48)
 
4.45
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Pageon Shipping Company Limited and Comoros Shipping Limited dated March 14, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Vanguard (49)
 
 
 

 
4.46
Charter party by and between Pageon Shipping Company Limited and Comoros Shipping Limited. in relation to the M/T Vanguard, dated March 14, 2006 (50)
 
4.47
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Pageaon Shipping Company Limited, Comoros Shipping Limited and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Vanguard (51)
 
4.48
Second Priority Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Pageon Shipping Company Limited, Comoros Shipping Limited and Mass Capital Investments B.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/V Vanguard (52)
 
4.49
Guarantee given by the Company to Comoros Shipping Limited dated March 14, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/V Vanguard (53)
 
4.50
Memorandum of Agreement by and between Gramos Shipping Company Inc. and Starcraft Marine Co. dated March 14, 2006 relating to the purchase and sale of the M/T Faithful (54)
 
4.51
Charter party by and between Gramos Shipping Company Inc. and Starcraft Marine Co. in relation to the M/T Faithful, dated March 14, 2006 (55)
 
4.52
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Gramos Shipping Company Inc., Starcraft Marine Co. and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Faithful (56)
 
4.53
Second Priority Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Gramos Shipping Company Inc., Starcraft Marine Co. and Mass Capital Investments B.V. dated March 15, 2006 relating to the M/T Faithful (57)
 
4.54
Guarantee given by the Company to Starcraft Marine Co. dated March 14, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Faithful (58)
 
4.55
Supplemental Agreement relating to the Memorandum of Agreement dated March 14, 2006 relating to the M/V Spotless made by and among Idi Shipping Company Limited, Kemp Maritime S.A. and ICON Spotless, LLC dated June 16, 2006 (59)
 
4.56
Addendum No. 1 to charter party by and between Idi Shipping Company Limited and Kemp Maritime S.A. in relation to the M.V. Spotless, dated March 14, 2006 dated June 16, 2006 (60)
 
4.57
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Idi Shipping Company Limited, ICON Spotless, LLC and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated June 16, 2006 relating to the M/T Spotless (61)
 
4.58
Guarantee given by the Company to ICON Spotless, LLC dated June 13, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Spotless (62)
 
4.59
Supplemental Agreement relating to the Memorandum of Agreement dated March 14, 2006 relating to the M/V Doubtless made by and among Falarko Shipping Company Limited, Tucker Navigation Co. and ICON Doubtless, LLC dated June 16, 2006 (63)
 
4.60
Addendum No. 1 to charter party by and between Falarko Shipping Company Limited and Tucker Navigation Co. in relation to the M.V. Doubtless, dated March 14, 2006 dated June 16, 2006 (64)
 
4.61
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Falarko Shipping Company Limited, ICON Doubtless, LLC and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated June 16, 2006 relating to the M/T Doubtless (65)
 
 
 

 
4.62
Guarantee given by the Company to ICON Doubtless, LLC dated June 13, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Doubtless (66)
 
4.63
Supplemental Agreement relating to the Memorandum of Agreement dated March 14, 2006 relating to the M/V Vanguard made by and among Pageon Shipping Company Limited, Comoros Shipping Limited and Isomar Marine Company Limited dated June 16, 2006 (67)
 
4.64
Addendum No. 1 to charter party by and between Pageon Shipping Company Limited and Comoros Shipping Limited in relation to the M.V. Vanguard, dated March 14, 2006 dated June 16, 2006 (68)
 
4.65
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Pageon Shipping Company Limited, Isomar Marine Company Limited and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated June 16, 2006 relating to the M/T Vanguard (69)
 
4.66
Guarantee given by the Company to Isomar Marine Company Limited dated June 13, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Vanguard (70)
 
4.67
Supplemental Agreement relating to the Memorandum of Agreement dated March 14, 2006 relating to the M/V Faithful made by and among Gramos Shipping Company Inc., Starcraft Marine Co. and ICON Faithful LLC dated June 16, 2006 (71)
 
4.68
Addendum No. 1 to charter party by and between Gramos Shipping Company Inc. and Starcraft Marine Co. in relation to the M.V. Faithful, dated March 14, 2006 dated June 16, 2006 (72)
 
4.69
Quadripartite Agreement by and among the Company, Gramos Shipping Company Inc., ICON Faithful, LLC and Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V. dated June 16, 2006 relating to the M/T Faithful (73)
 
4.70
Guarantee given by the Company to ICON Faithful, LLC dated June 13, 2006 in connection with the charter party relating to the M/T Faithful (74)
 
4.71
Sales Agreement with Deutsche Bank Securities relating to issuing and selling an agreed upon number of shares of common stock through Deutsch Bank Securities. (75)
 
4.72
Credit Facility between Jeke Shipping Company Limited, Noir R Shipping S.A., Amalfi Shipping Company Limited and HSH Nordbank AG, dated November 8, 2007
 
4.73
Secured Loan Agreement between Japan III Shipping Company Limited and Alpha Bank A.E, dated December 17, 2007
 
4.74
Supplemental Agreement between Japan III Shipping Company Limited, Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited and Alpha Bank A.E., dated April 3, 2009,to Secured Loan Facility Agreement dated December 17, 2007
 
4.75
Loan Agreement No. 185/2008 between Emporiki Bank of Greece S.A. and Japan I Shipping Company Limited, dated March 5, 2008
 
4.76
Supplemental Agreement, dated March 26, 2008 to Facilities Agreement between Top Ships Inc. and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc, dated November 1, 2005
 
4.77
Loan Agreement between Japan II Shipping Company Limited, Top Ships Inc., DVB Bank AG and DVB Bank America N.V., dated April 24, 2008
 
4.78
Secured Loan Agreement between Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited and Alpha Bank A.E., dated August 18, 2008
 
 
 

 
4.79
First Supplemental Agreement between Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited and Alpha Bank A.E, dated February 23, 2009, to Secured Loan Agreement dated August 18, 2008
 
4.80
Second Supplemental Agreement between Lichtenstein Shipping Company, Japan III Shipping Company Limited and Alpha Bank A.E., dated April 3, 2009, to Secured Loan Agreement dated August 18, 2008
 
4.81
Credit Facility between Warhol Shipping Company Limited, Indiana R Shipping Company Limited, Britto Shipping Company Limited and HSH Nordbank AG, dated October 1, 2008
 
4.82
Loan Agreement between Banksy Shipping Company Limited, Hongbo Shipping Company Limited and DVB Bank America N.V., dated October 6, 2008
 
8.1
List of subsidiaries of the Company
 
12.1
Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of the Company's Principal Executive Officer
 
12.2
Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of the Company's Principal Financial Officer
 
13.1
Certification of the Company's Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
13.2
Certification of the Company's Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
15.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
 
 
_________________________
 
(1)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to the company's Registration Statement on Form F-1, filed on October 18, 2004 (File No. 333-119806).
 
(2)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 1.2 to the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(3)  
Incorporated by reference from our 6-K filed on March 9, 2007
 
(4)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 13, 2006 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(5)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form F-1, filed on November 12, 2004 (File No. 333-119806).
 
(6)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.3 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 13, 2006 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(7)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.4 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 13, 2006 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(8)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.4.1 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
 

 
(9)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.5 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 13, 2006 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(10)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.6 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 13, 2006 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(11)  
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 8A (File No. 000-50859).
 
(12)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.8 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(13)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.9 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(14)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.10 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(15)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.11 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(16)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.12 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(17)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.13 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(18)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.14 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(19)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.15 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(20)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.16 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(21)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.17 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(22)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.18 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(23)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.19 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(24)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.20 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(25)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.21 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
 

 
(26)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.22 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(27)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.23 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(28)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.24 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(29)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.25 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(30)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.26 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(31)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.27 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(32)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.28 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(33)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.29 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(34)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.30 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(35)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.31 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(36)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.32 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(37)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.33 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(38)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.34 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(39)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.35 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(40)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.36 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(41)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.37 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(42)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.38 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
 

 
(43)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.39 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(44)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.40 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(45)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.41 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(46)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.42 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(47)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.43 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(48)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.44 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(49)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.45 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(50)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.46 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(51)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.47 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(52)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.48 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(53)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.49 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(54)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.50 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(55)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.51 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(56)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.52 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(57)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.53 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(58)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.54 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(59)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.55 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
 

 
(60)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.56 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(61)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.57 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(62)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.58 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(63)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.59 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(64)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.60 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(65)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.61 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(66)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.62 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(67)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.63 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(68)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.64 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(69)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.65 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(70)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.66 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(71)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.67 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(72)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.68 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(73)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.69 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(74)  
Incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.70 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on April 20, 2007 (File No. 000-50859)
 
(75)  
Incorporated by reference from our 6-K filed on June 13, 2007
 
 

 
 
SIGNATURES
 
The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.
 
         
   
TOP SHIPS INC.
   
(Registrant)
     
Date: June 29, 2009
 
By:
 
/s/ Evangelos Pistiolis
 
       
Evangelos Pistiolis
       
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director
 
 
SK 23116 0005 1008663 v5

 
 


Exhibit 1.3

 
ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT OF
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF
TOP TANKERS INC.
 
UNDER SECTION 90 OF THE BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT
I, Evangelos J. Pistiolis , President and Director   of TOP TANKERS INC., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, for the purpose of amending the Articles of Incorporation of said Corporation pursuant to Section 90 of the Business Corporations Act, hereby certify:
 
 
1.
The name of the Corporation is: TOP TANKERS INC.
 
 
2.
The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 10th day of January, 2000 under the name of “OCEAN HOLDINGS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 30th day of April, 2004 changing the name of the Corporation to “TRANS OCEAN PETROLEUM TANKERS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 10th day of May, 2004 changing the name of the Corporation to “TOP TANKERS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 27th day of May, 2004, Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 21st day of July, 2004 and Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 22nd day of July, 2005.

 
3.
Section A of the Articles of Incorporation, as heretofore amended and restated, is hereby amended by changing the name of the Corporation from “TOP TANKERS INC.” to “TOP SHIPS INC.”

 
4.
The amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, as heretofore amended and restated, was authorized by vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon at the meeting of shareholders of the Corporation held on December 13, 2007.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have executed these Articles of Amendment on this 14th day of December, 2007.


 
/s/ Evangelos J. Pistiolis
 
Name::   Evangelos J. Pistiolis
 
Title:     President and Director


23116.0001 #838525


 
Exhibit 1.4

ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT OF
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF
TOP SHIPS INC.
UNDER SECTION 90 OF THE BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT

I, Anthony Tu-Sekine, Attorney-in-Fact of TOP SHIPS INC., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, for the purpose of amending the Articles of Incorporation of said Corporation pursuant to Section 90 of the Business Corporations Act, hereby certify:
 
 
1.
The name of the Corporation is: TOP SHIPS INC.

 
2.
The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 10th day of January, 2000 under the name of “OCEAN HOLDINGS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 30th day of April, 2004 changing the name of the Corporation to “TRANS OCEAN PETROLEUM TANKERS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 10th day of May, 2004 changing the name of the Corporation to “TOP TANKERS INC.”, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 27th day of May, 2004, Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 21st day of July, 2004, Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 22nd day of July, 2005 and Articles of Amendment were filed with the Registrar of Corporations on the 17th day of December, 2007 changing the name of the Corporation to “TOP SHIPS INC.”

 
3.
Section D of the Articles of Incorporation, as heretofore amended and restated, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:

“Effective with the commencement of business on March 20, 2008, the Company has effected a 3 to 1 reverse stock split as to its issued and outstanding Common Stock, pursuant to which the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock shall decrease from 62,116,976 to 20,705,658.  The reverse stock split shall not change the number of registered shares of Common Stock the Company is authorized to issue or the par value of the Common Stock.  The stated capital of the Company is hereby reduced from $621,169.76 to $207,056.58 and the amount of $414,113.18 is allocated to surplus.”

 
4.
The amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, as heretofore amended and restated, was authorized by vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon at the meeting of shareholders of the Corporation held on March 13, 2008.
 
 
 
 
[REMAINDER OF PAGE LEFT BLANK]

 
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have executed these Articles of Amendment on this 19th day of March, 2008.


 
/s/ Anthony Tu-Sekine
 
Name:   Anthony Tu-Sekine
 
Title:     Attorney-in-Fact


SK 23116 0001 864942
EXHIBIT 2.1
 
 
 
 
 
CERTIFICATE
 

 
Exhibit 4.72

 
EXECUTION VERSION


 

 
 
 
 
 

CREDIT FACILITY PROVIDING FOR A

SENIOR SECURED TERM LOAN

OF UP TO US$95,000,000

TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO

JEKE SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
NOIR SHIPPING S.A.,
 
AND
 
AMALFI SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
as joint and several Borrowers,

BY

HSH NORDBANK AG,
as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee,

and the Banks and Financial Institutions
identified on Schedule 1, as Lenders
 


 
 
 
 
 



November 8, 2007







 
 

 

CONTENTS

  PAGE
 
DEFINITIONS 
1
 
 
1.1
Specific Definitions 
1
 
 
1.2
Computation of Time Periods; Other Definitional Provisions
16
 
 
1.3
Accounting Terms 
16
 
 
1.4
Certain Matters Regarding Materiality 
17
 
 
1.5
Forms of Documents 
17
 
2.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES 
17
 
 
2.1
Representations and Warranties 
17
 
 
(a)
Due Organization and Power 
17
 
(b)
Authorization and Consents 
17
 
(c)
Binding Obligations 
17
 
(d)
No Violation 
17
 
(e)
Filings; Stamp Taxes 
18
 
(f)
Litigation 
18
 
(g)
No Default 
18
 
(h)
Vessels 
18
 
(i)
Insurance 
18
 
(j)
Financial Information 
18
 
(k)
Tax Returns 
19
 
(l)
Chief Executive Office 
19
 
(m)
Foreign Trade Control Regulations; OFAC 
19
 
(n)
Equity Ownership 
19
 
(o)
Environmental Matters and Claims 
19
 
(p)
Compliance with ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI 
20
 
(q)
No Threatened Withdrawal of DOC, ISSC, SMC or IAPPC 
20
 
(r)
Liens 
20
 
(s)
Financial Indebtedness 
21
 
(t)
No Proceedings to Dissolve 
21
 
(u)
Solvency 
21
 
(v)
Pari Passu Ranking 
21
 
(w)
Taxes on Payments 
21
 
(x)
Jurisdiction/Governing Law 
21
 
(y)
Charters 
21
 
(z)
Compliance with Laws 
21
 
(aa)
Survival 
21

3.
THE ADVANCES 
22
 

 
i

 
 
 
3.1
(a)
Purposes 
22
 
     (b) Making of the Advances 
 22
 
 
3.2
Drawdown Notice 
23
 
 
3.3
Effect of Drawdown Notice 
23
 
 
3.4
Notation of Advances 
23
 
 
4.
CONDITIONS 
24
 
 
 
4.1
Conditions Precedent to the Effectiveness of this Credit Facility Agreement 
24
 
 
(a)
Corporate Authority 
24
 
(b)
The Credit Facility Agreement and the Note 
24
 
(c)
Guarantor Documents 
25
 
(d)
Solvency 
25
 
(e)
Approved Manager Documents 
25
 
(f)
Environmental Claims 
25
 
(g)
Fees 
25
 
(h)
Accounts 
25
 
(i)
Compliance Certificate 
25
 
(j)
Vessel Appraisal and Inspection 
25
 
(k)
Money Laundering Due Diligence 
26
 
(l)
Legal Opinions 
26
 
(m)
Know Your Customer Requirements 
26
 
 
4.2
Conditions Precedent re Delivery Advances 
26
 
 
(a)
The Vessels 
27
 
(b)
Vessel Documents 
27
 
(c)
Additional Documents 
27
 
(d)
Vessel Liens 
28
 
(e)
ISM DOC 
28
 
(f)
Process Agent 
28
 
(g)
Legal Opinions 
28
 
 
 
4.3
Further Conditions Precedent 
28
 
 
(a)
Drawdown Notice 
29
 
(b)
Representations and Warranties 
29
 
(c)
No Event of Default 
29
 
(d)
No Change in Laws 
29
 
(e)
No Material Adverse Effect 
29
 
 
 
4.4
Breakfunding Costs 
29
 
 
4.5
Satisfaction after Drawdown 
29
 
5.
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT 
29
 

 
ii

 

 
5.1
Repayment 
29
 
 
5.2
Voluntary Prepayment; No Re-Borrowing 
30
 
 
5.3
Mandatory Prepayment 
30
 
 
(a)
Sale or Loss of Vessel 
30
 
(b)
Guarantor Share Offering 
31
 
 
5.4
Interest and Costs with Prepayments/Application of Prepayments 
31
 
6.
INTEREST AND RATE 
31
 
 
6.1
Applicable Rate 
31
 
 
6.2
Default Rate 
31
 
 
6.3
Interest Periods 
31
 
 
6.4
Interest Payments 
32
 
7.
PAYMENTS 
32
 
 
7.1
Place of Payments, No Set Off 
32
 
 
7.2
Tax Credits 
32
 
 
7.3
Sharing of Setoffs 
32
 
 
7.4
Computations; Banking Days 
33
 
8.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT 
33
 
 
8.1
Events of Default 
33
 
 
(a)
Non-Payment of Principal 
33
 
(b)
Non-Payment of Interest or Other Amounts 
33
 
(c)
Representations 
33
 
(d)
Impossibility; Illegality 
33
 
(e)
Mortgage 
33
 
(f)
Covenants 
33
 
(g)
Debt 
34
 
(h)
Ownership of Borrowers 
34
 
(i)
Bankruptcy 
34
 
(j)
Termination of Operations; Sale of Assets 
34
 
(k)
Judgments 
34
 
(l)
Inability to Pay Debts 
34
 
(m)
Change in Financial Position 
34
 
(n)
Change in Control 
34
 
(o)
Cross-Default 
35
 
  8.2  Indemnification
 35

 
iii

 

 
       
 
8.3
Application of Moneys 
35
 
9.
COVENANTS 
36
 
 
9.1
Affirmative Covenants 
36
 
 
(a)
Performance of Agreements 
36
 
(b)
Notice of Default, etc 
36
 
(c)
Obtain Consents 
36
 
(d)
Financial Information 
36
 
(e)
Vessel Valuations 
37
 
(f)
Corporate Existence 
38
 
(g)
Books and Records 
38
 
(h)
Taxes and Assessments 
38
 
(i)
Inspection 
38
 
(j)
Inspection and Survey Reports 
38
 
(k)
Compliance with Statutes, Agreements, etc 
38
 
(l)
Environmental Matters 
38
 
(m)
Vessel Management 
39
  (n)  ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI Matters 
 39
 
(o)
Brokerage Commissions, etc 
39
 
(p)
Deposit Accounts; Assignment 
39
 
(q)
Insurance 
39
 
(r)
Interest Rate Agreements 
40
  (s)  Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering and OFAC 
 40
 
 
9.2
Negative Covenants 
41
 
 
(a)
Liens 
41
 
(b)
Debt 
41
  (c) Change of Flag, Class, Management or Ownership
 41
 
(d)
Chartering 
41
 
(e)
Change in Business 
41
 
(f)
Sale or Pledge of Shares 
41
 
(g)
Sale of Assets 
41
 
(h)
Changes in Offices 
42
 
(i)
Consolidation and Merger 
42
 
(j)
Change Fiscal Year 
42
 
(k)
Limitations on Ability to Make Distributions 
42
 
(l)
Use of Corporate Funds 
42
 
(m)
Issuance of Shares 
42
 
(n)
No Money Laundering 
42
 
(o)
Accounts 
42
 
(p)
Dividends and Distributions to the Guarantor 
43
 
(q)
Use of Proceeds 
43
 
(r)
Guarantor’s Chief Executive Officer 
43
 
 
9.3
Financial Covenants 
43
 
 
iv

 
(a)
Adjusted Net Worth 
43
 
(b)
EBITDA to Fixed Charges 
43
 
(c)
Minimum Liquidity 
43
 
 
9.4
Asset Maintenance 
43
 
10.
ASSIGNMENT 
44
 
11.
ILLEGALITY, INCREASED COST, NON-AVAILABILITY, ETC 
44
 
 
11.1
Illegality 
44
 
 
11.2
Increased Costs 
44
 
 
11.3
Nonavailability of Funds 
45
 
 
11.4
Lender's Certificate Conclusive 
46
 
 
11.5
Compensation for Losses 
46
 
12.
CURRENCY INDEMNITY 
46
 
 
12.1
Currency Conversion 
46
 
 
12.2
Change in Exchange Rate 
46
 
 
12.3
Additional Debt Due 
46
 
 
12.4
Rate of Exchange 
46
 
13.
FEES AND EXPENSES 
46
 
 
13.1
Fees 
46
 
 
13.2
Expenses 
47
 
14.
APPLICABLE LAW, JURISDICTION AND WAIVER 
47
 
 
14.1
Applicable Law 
47
 
 
14.2
Jurisdiction 
47
 
 
14.3
Waiver of Jury Trial 
48
 
15.
THE AGENTS 
48
 
 
15.1
Appointment of Agents 
48
 
 
15.2
Security Trustee as Trustee 
48
 
 
15.3
Distribution of Payments 
48
 
 
15.4
Holder of Interest in Note 
49
 
 
15.5
No Duty to Examine, Etc.
49
 
 
15.6
Agents as Lenders
49
 

 
v

 

 
 
15.7
Acts of the Agents
49
 
 
15.8
Certain Amendments
50
 
 
15.9
Assumption re Event of Default
51
 
  15.10 Limitations of Liability 
 51
 
 
15.11 Indemnification of the Agents 
51
 
 
15.12  Consultation with Counsel 
51
 
 
15.13  Resignation 
52
 
 
15.14  Representations of Lenders 
52
 
 
15.15  Notification of Event of Default 
52
 
 
15.16  No Agency or Trusteeship if not Syndicated 
52
 
 
15.17  Nature of Duties 
52
 
 
15.18  Delegation of Power 
53
 
16.
NOTICES AND DEMANDS 
53
 
 
16.1
Notices 
53
 
17.
MISCELLANEOUS 
53
 
 
17.1
Time of Essence 
53
 
 
17.2
Unenforceable, etc., Provisions–Effect 
53
 
 
17.3
References 
53
 
 
17.4
Further Assurances 
54
 
 
17.5
Prior Agreements, Merger 
54
 
 
17.6
Entire Agreement; Amendments 
54
 
 
17.7
Indemnification 
54
 
 
17.8
Headings 
55
 
 
17.9
Waiver of Immunity 
55
       
  17.10  USA Patriot Act Notice; OFAC and Bank Secrecy Act  
 55
 

 
vi

 


 
SCHEDULE

1
The Lenders and the Initial Commitments
2
The Vessels
3
Financial Indebtedness

EXHIBITS
 

 
A
Form of Note
 
B
Form of Guaranty
 
C-1
Form of Retention Account Pledge
 
C-2
Form of Earnings Account Pledge
 
C-3
Form of Debt Service Reserve Account Pledge
 
D
Form of Mortgage
 
E
Form of Earnings Assignment
 
F
Form of Insurances Assignment
 
G
Form of Assignment and Assumption Agreement
 
H
Form of Compliance Certificate
 
I
Form of Drawdown Notice
 
J
Form of Interest Notice
 
K
Form of Approved Manager’s Undertaking

 
vii

 


SENIOR SECURED TERM CREDIT FACILITY
 
THIS SENIOR SECURED TERM CREDIT FACILITY AGREEMENT (this “Credit Facility Agreement”) is made as of the __ day of September, 2007, by and among (1) JEKE SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (“Jeke”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia, NOIR SHIPPING S.A. (“Noir”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and AMALFI SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (“Amalfi”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, as joint and several borrowers (together the “Borrowers” and each a “Borrower”), (2) the banks and financial institutions listed on Schedule 1, as lenders (together with any bank or financial institution which becomes a Lender pursuant to Section 10, the “Lenders”) and (3) HSH NORDBANK AG (“HSH”), as mandated lead arranger (in such capacity, the “Mandated Lead Arranger”), underwriter (in such capacity, the “Underwriter”), administrative agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”) and security trustee for the Lenders (in such capacity, the “Security Trustee”).
 
WITNESSETH THAT :
 
WHEREAS, at the request of the Borrowers, HSH has agreed to serve in its capacities as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee under the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement and the Lenders have agreed to provide to the Borrowers a senior secured credit facility for a term loan to be made available in three tranches, one per Vessel (as defined below), in the aggregate amount of the lesser of US$95,000,000 or 65% of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels, to partly finance the acquisition of the Vessels;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, the covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as set forth below:
 
1.
DEFINITIONS
 
1.1            Specific Definitions .  In this Credit Facility Agreement the words and expressions specified below shall, except where the context otherwise requires, have the meanings attributed to them below:
 
“Acceptable Accounting Firm”
means Deloitte & Touche, or such other recognized international accounting firm as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld;
 
 
“Account Pledge(s)”
means each of the pledge agreements to be executed by the Borrowers in favor of the Finance Parties in respect of the Earnings Accounts, Debt Service Reserve Account and Retention Account, each pursuant to Section 4.1(h), and substantially in the form set out in Exhibits C-1, C-2 and C-3 respectively;
 
 
 
1

 
“Accounting Period”
means each consecutive period of three months falling during the period (ending on the last day in March, June, September and December of each year) for which quarterly accounting information is required to be provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Adjusted Net Worth”
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the amount of Total Assets (as adjusted to include the aggregate Fair Market Value of each of the vessels owned by the Guarantor and each of its Subsidiaries) less Consolidated Debt as stated in then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Administrative Agent”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Advance(s)”
means any amount advanced to the Borrowers with respect to the Facility or (as the context may require) the aggregate amount of all such Advances for the time being outstanding, provided , however , that only one Advance shall be made per Tranche and that no Advance shall be made available after the Final Availability Date;
 
 
“Affiliate”
means with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with such Person.  For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”) as applied to any Person means the possession directly or indirectly of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of that Person whether through ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise;
 
 
“Agents”
means each of the Administrative Agent and the Security Trustee;
 
 
“Amalfi”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Annex VI”
means Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (as modified in 1978 and 1997);
 
 
“Applicable Rate”
means any rate of interest applicable to  the Facility from time to time pursuant to Section 6.1;
 
 
 
 
2

 
 
“Approved Manager”
means a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Guarantor or any other company approved by the Lenders from time to time as the manager of a Vessel, which approval shall not unreasonably be withheld;
 
 
“Approved Manager’s Undertaking(s)”
means each of the undertakings made or to be made by an Approved Manager in favor of the Lenders in respect of a Vessel, substantially in the form set out in Exhibit K;
 
 
“Assigned Moneys”
means sums assigned to or received by the Agents pursuant to any Security Document;
 
 
“Assignment and Assumption Agreement(s)”
means the Assignment and Assumption Agreement(s) executed pursuant to Section 10 substantially in the form set out in Exhibit G;
 
 
“Assignment Notices”
means notices with respect to the Earnings Assignments substantially in the form set out in Exhibit 1 thereto and notices with respect to the Insurances Assignments substantially in the form set out in Exhibit 3 thereto;
 
“Assignments”
means the Earnings Assignments and the Insurances Assignments;
 
 
“Banking Day(s)”
means day(s) on which banks are open for the transaction of business in London, England, New York, New York (United States of America), Piraeus, Greece and Hamburg, Germany;
 
 
“Borrower(s)”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Change of Control”
means (a) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), other than a member of the immediate family of Evangelos Pistiolis, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 35% of the total voting power or ownership interest of the Guarantor or (b)  the Board of Directors of the Guarantor ceases to consist of a majority of the directors existing on the date hereof or directors nominated by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the then existing directors;
 
 
“Charterer(s)”
shall mean any bareboat charterer or time charterer who has entered into a Charter Party Agreement with any of the Borrowers;
 
 
“Charter Party Agreement(s)”
shall mean any bareboat charter agreement or any time
 
 
3

 
 
 
charter agreement with any of the Borrowers, having a duration of longer than eleven (11) months including but not limited to the existing charters with respect to each Vessel; 
 
“Classification Society”
means Lloyd’s Register or any other member of the International Association of Classification Societies, as approved by the Administrative Agent, with whom any of the Vessels are entered and who conducted periodic physical surveys and/or inspections of any of the Vessels;
 
 
“CLO"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 10;
 
 
“Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor statute and regulation promulgated thereunder;
 
 
“Collateral”
 
means all property or other assets, real or personal, tangible or intangible, whether now owned or hereafter acquired in which any Agent or any Lender has been granted a security interest pursuant to a Security Document;
 
 
“Commitment(s)”
means in relation to a Lender, the portion of the Facility set out opposite its name in Schedule 1 or, as the case may be, as reduced by or set out in any relevant Assignment and Assumption Agreement, as such amount shall be reduced from time to time pursuant to Section 5;
 
 
“Commitment Fee”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 13.1;
 
 
“Commitment Termination Date”
shall mean February 28, 2008;
 
 
“Compliance Certificate”
means a certificate certifying the compliance by each of the Borrowers and/or the Guarantor, as the case may be, with all of its respective covenants contained herein and showing the calculations thereof in reasonable detail,  executed and delivered by the chief financial officer of the Guarantor to the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.1(d) in the form set out in Exhibit H, or in such other form as the Administrative Agent may agree;
 
 
“Consent and Agreement”
means the consent and agreement relating to this Credit Facility Agreement to be executed by the Guarantor in the form attached hereto;
 
 
 
 
4

 
“Consolidated Debt”
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period for the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the aggregate amount of Debt due by the Security Parties as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Consolidated Financial Indebtedness”
means, measured at the end of each Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of Financial Indebtedness (including current maturities) of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Credit Facility Agreement”
means this agreement, as the same shall be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time;
 
 
“Current Assets”
means, measured at the end  of each Accounting Period, the aggregate of the cash and marketable securities, trade and other receivables of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis from persons which can be realized within one year, inventories and prepaid expenses which are to be charged to income within one year less any doubtful debts and any discounts or allowances given as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Debt”
means, in relation to the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (the “debtor”):  (a) Financial Indebtedness of the debtor; (b) liability for any credit to the debtor from a supplier of goods or services or under any installment purchase or payment plan or similar arrangement; (c) contingent liabilities of the debtor (including without limitation any taxes or other payments under dispute) which have been or, under GAAP, should be recorded in the notes to the accounting information; (d) deferred tax of the debtor; and (e) liability under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another person who is not a Security Party which would fall within (a) to (d) if the references to the debtor referred to the other Person;
 
 
“Debt Service Deposit”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(h);
 
 
“Debt Service Reserve Account”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(h);
 
 
“Default Rate”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6.2;
 
 
 
 
 
5

 
“Delivery Advance”
means with respect to each Tranche, the Advance to be made to the Borrowers in respect of the delivery of the Vessel to which such Tranche relates;
 
 
“Delivery Date”
means with respect to each Vessel the date on which Vessel is delivered to the respective Borrower;
 
 
“DOC”
means a document of compliance issued to an Operator in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM Code;
 
 
“Dollars” and the sign “$”
means the legal currency, at any relevant time hereunder, of the United States of America and, in relation to all payments hereunder, in same day funds settled through the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or such other Dollar funds as may be determined by the Administrative Agent to be customary for the settlement in New York City of banking transactions of the type herein involved);
 
 
“Drawdown Date(s)”
means the dates, each being a Banking Day, upon which the Borrowers have requested that an Advance be made available to the Borrowers, and such Advance is made, as provided in Section 3; provided , that no Drawdown Date shall occur after the Commitment Termination Date;
 
 
“Drawdown Notice”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.2;
 
 
“EBITDA”
means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of consolidated pre-tax profits of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries before extraordinary or exceptional items, depreciation, interest, rentals under finance leases and similar charges payable but after the deduction of payments made under bareboat charters in each case as stated in the then most recent accounting information;
 
 
“Earnings Account”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(h);
 
 
“Earnings Assignment(s)”
means the assignments in respect of the earnings of each Vessel from any and all sources, to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.2(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit E;
 
 
“Environmental Affiliate(s)”
means any person or entity, the liability of which for Environmental Claims any Security Party or Subsidiary of any Security Party may have assumed by contract or operation of law;
 
 
 
 
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“Environmental Approval(s)”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
 
 
“Environmental Claim(s)”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
 
 
“Environmental Law(s)”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
 
 
“Event(s) of Default”
means any of the events set out in Section 8.1;
 
 
“Exchange Act”
shall mean the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;
 
 
“Facility”
means the term loan facility to be made available by the Lenders to the Borrowers hereunder in three Tranches, each comprised of one (1) Advance to be made available upon or following the delivery of the respective Vessel, pursuant to Section 3; and being, in the aggregate, no more than the lesser of (i) Ninety-Five Million Dollars ($95,000,000) or (ii) sixty-five percent (65%) of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels;
 
 
“Fair Market Value”
 
 
means in relation to a Vessel, her sale value (determined as the average of two valuations prior to the Drawdown Date relating to such Vessel, and thereafter one valuation per year at twelve month intervals on each anniversary of such Drawdown Date, each valuation to be not older than six weeks from any of Simpson, Spence and Young, London, England or Astrup Fearnley A/S, Oslo, Norway or AC Shipping, London, England or R.S. Platou Shipbrokers A/S, Oslo, Norway or Galbraith’s Limited, London, England or H. Clarksons & Co. Ltd., London, England) with or without physical inspection (as the Lender may require) in United States Dollars on the basis of the sale of the Vessel (i) for prompt delivery, (ii) for cash, (iii) without taking into account any charter party relating to the Vessel, and (iv) at arm's length on normal commercial terms between a willing seller and a willing buyer. If the two valuations obtained prior to the Drawdown Date differ by a margin of more than fifteen percent (15%) then a third appraiser from the aforementioned firms selected by the Administrative Agent shall make an independent appraisal at the Borrowers’ expense, and the Fair Market Value of the Vessel shall be considered to be the average of all three valuations obtained;
 
 
“Fee Letter”
means that certain fee letter of even date herewith, entered into by the Guarantor and HSH in respect of the Facility;
 
 
 
 
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“Final Availability Date”
means the earlier of (i) that date which is the Delivery Date of the third Vessel delivered to a Borrower and financed hereunder and (ii) February 28, 2008;
 
 
“Final Tranche A Payment Date”
means, that date which is seven (7) years after the Delivery Date of the VOC GALLANT, but not later than February 28, 2015;
 
 
“Final Tranche B Payment Date”
means, that date which is seven (7) years after the Delivery Date of the SALMAS, but not later than February 28, 2015;
 
 
“Final Tranche C Payment Date”
means, that date which is seven (7) years after the Delivery Date of the OCEAN SPIRIT, but not later than February 28, 2015;
 
 
“Finance Parties”
means (i) HSH as the Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee, (ii) the Lenders and (iii) the Swap Provider;
 
 
“Financial Indebtedness”
means, in relation to the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (the “debtor”), a liability of the debtor:  (a) for principal, interest or any other sum payable in respect of any moneys borrowed or raised by the debtor; (b) under any loan, stock, bond, note or other security issued by the debtor; (c) under any acceptance credit, guarantee or letter of credit facility made available to the debtor; (d) under a financial lease, a deferred purchase consideration arrangement (in each case, other than in respect of assets or services obtained on normal commercial terms in the ordinary course of business) or any other agreement having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money by the debtor; (e) under any foreign exchange transaction, interest or currency swap or any other kind of derivative transaction entered into by the debtor or, if the agreement under which any such transaction is entered into requires netting of mutual liabilities, the liability of the debtor for the net amount; or (f) under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another person which would fall within (a) to (e) if the references to the debtor referred to the other person;
 
 
“Fixed Charges”
means, measured at the end  of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of Interest Expenses and the portion of Consolidated Financial Indebtedness (other than balloon repayments) in respect of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries falling due during that period, as stated in the
 
 
 
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then most recent accounting information provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“GAAP”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 1.3;
 
 
“Guarantor”
means Top Tankers Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
 
 
“Guaranty”
means the unconditional and irrevocable guaranty to be executed by the Guarantor in respect of the obligations of the Borrowers under and in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement and the Note in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.l(c), substantially in the set out in form of Exhibit B;
 
 
“HSH”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Hull Cover Ratio”
shall mean the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels then mortgaged hereunder divided by the outstanding principal amount under Facility;
 
 
“IAPPC”
means a valid international air pollution prevention certificate for a Vessel issued under Annex VI;
 
 
“Indemnitee”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 17.7;
 
 
“Initial Advance”
means the first Advance of a Tranche to be made under the Facility;
 
 
“Insurances Assignment”
means the assignments in respect of the insurances over each of the Vessels to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.2(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit F;
 
 
“Interest Expense”
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the aggregate on a consolidated basis of all interest incurred by the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries and any net amounts payable under interest rate hedge agreements, as stated in the then most recent accounting information provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Interest Notice”
means a notice from the Borrowers to the Administrative Agent specifying the duration of any relevant Interest Period, each substantially in the form set out in Exhibit J;
 
 
 
 
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“Interest Payment Date”
means each date on which accrued interest on the Facility shall be payable pursuant to Section 6.4;
 
 
“Interest Period(s)”
means period(s) of one (1), three (3), six (6) or twelve (12) months as selected by the Borrowers, or as otherwise agreed by the Lenders and the Borrowers, provided, however, that the Borrowers may only select the one (1) month option up to three (3) times per year;
 
 
“Interest Rate Agreement”
means any interest rate protection agreement, interest rate future agreement, interest rate option agreement, interest rate swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar agreement, interest rate hedge agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement entered into between the Borrowers with the Swap Provider, which is designed to protect the Borrowers against fluctuations in interest rates applicable under this Agreement, to or under which the Borrowers, the Guarantor or any of the Guarantor’s Subsidiaries is a party or a beneficiary on the date of this Agreement or becomes a party or a beneficiary hereafter;
 
 
“ISM Code”
means the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operating of Ships and for Pollution Prevention constituted pursuant to Resolution A.741(18) of the International Maritime Organization and incorporated into the Safety of Life at Sea Convention and includes any amendments or extensions thereto and any regulation issued pursuant thereto;
 
 
“ISPS Code”
means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code adopted by the International Maritime Organization (as the same may be amended from time to time);
 
 
“ISSC”
means a valid and current International Ship Security Certificate issued under the ISPS Code;
 
 
“Jeke”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Lender(s)”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“LIBOR”
means the rate for deposits of Dollars for a period equivalent to the relevant Interest Period at or about 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the second London Banking Day before the first day of such period as displayed on Telerate page 3750 (British Bankers’ Association Interest Settlement Rates) (or such other page as may replace such
 
 
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page 3750 on such system or on any other system of the information vendor for the time being designated by the British Bankers’ Association to calculate the BBA Interest Settlement Rate (as defined in the British Bankers’ Association’s Recommended Terms and Conditions (“BBAIRS” terms) dated August 1985)), provided that if on such date no such rate is so displayed for the relevant Interest Period, LIBOR for such period shall be the rate quoted to the Administrative Agent by the Reference Bank at the request of the Administrative Agent as the offered rate for deposits of Dollars in an amount approximately equal to the amount in relation to which LIBOR is to be determined for a period equivalent to the relevant Interest Period to prime banks in the London Interbank Market at or about 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the second Banking Day before the first day of such period;
 
 
“Liquid Funds”
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period:  (a) cash in hand or held with banks or other financial institutions of the Guarantor and/or any other Security Party in Dollars or another currency freely convertible into Dollars, which is free of any security interest (other than a permitted security interest and other than ordinary bankers’ liens which have not been enforced or become capable of being enforced); or (b) any other short-term financial investments which is free of any Security Interest (other than a permitted security interest), as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Loan-to-Value Ratio”
shall mean the ratio of the outstanding amount of the Facility over the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Vessels;
 
 
“Majority Lenders”
means, at any time, Lenders holding an aggregate of more than 60% of the Advances then outstanding;
 
 
“Mandated Lead Arranger”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Mandatory Costs”
means the cost of complying with any applicable regulatory requirements of any relevant regulatory authority;
 
 
“Margin”
shall mean (a) 1.00% per annum while the Vessels are employed under time charter party agreements acceptable to the Agent for periods of at least twelve (12) months and (b) 1.125% per annum at all other times;
 
 
 
 
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“Material Adverse Effect”
shall mean a material adverse effect on (i) the ability of the Borrowers to repay the Advances or perform any of its obligations hereunder or under the Note, (ii) the ability of any Security Party to perform its obligations under any Security Documents or (iii) the business, property, assets, liabilities, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Security Parties taken as a whole;
 
 
“Minimum Liquidity Amount”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.3(c);
 
 
“Mortgage(s)”
means each of the first preferred cross-collateralized ship mortgages on each of the Vessels, to be executed under the laws of a Permitted Jurisdiction by the respective Borrower, as owner, as listed in Schedule 2 in favor of the Security Trustee (as trustee for the Lenders) pursuant to Section 4.2(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit D;
 
 
“MTSA”
means the Maritime and Transportation Security Act, 2002, as amended, inter   alia , by Public Law 107-295;
 
 
“Noir”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Note”
means the promissory note to be executed by the Borrowers to the order of the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 4.1(b), to evidence the Facility, substantially in the form set out in Exhibit A;
 
 
“OCEAN SPIRIT”
means that certain Vessel to be owned by Amalfi and to be renamed AMALFI, the details of which are set forth on Schedule 2 hereto, to be delivered with a time charter contract with China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company with a maturity date of not less than 14 months from its Delivery Date at a net rate of not less than $22,000 per day, such charter party agreement to be subject to the approval of the Mandated Lead Arranger;
 
 
     
“Operator”
means, in respect of any Vessel, the Person who is concerned with the operation of such Vessel and falls within the definition of “Company” set out in rule 1.1.2 of the ISM Code;
 
 
 
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“Payment Dates”
means the Initial Payment Date and the dates falling at three month intervals thereafter, the last of which is the Final Payment Date;
 
 
“Permitted Jurisdiction”
means the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Liberia [, the Republic of Greece] or such other jurisdiction as may be approved in writing by the Majority Lenders;
 
 
“Person”
means any individual, sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership (general or limited), limited liability company, business trust, bank, trust company, joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust or other unincorporated organization, whether or not a legal entity, or any government or agency or political subdivision thereof;
 
 
“Proceeding”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.1(i);
 
 
“Reference Bank”
means HSH;
 
 
“Regulation T”
means Regulation T of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
 
 
“Regulation U”
means Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
 
 
“Regulation X”
means Regulation X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
 
 
“Required Percentage”
means, until the fourth anniversary of this Credit Facility Agreement, one hundred and thirty percent (130%), and thereafter, one hundred and thirty five percent (135%) of the amount of the outstanding Facility and the notional cost or actual cost (if any) as determined by the Lender of terminating any interest rate swap entered into by the Borrowers;
 
 
“Retention Account”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(h);
 
 
“Retention Amount”
shall mean an amount equal to one third (1/3) of the next quarterly principal payment due in accordance with Section 5 hereof and the relevant fraction of interest accruing on the Facility during the next month in
 
 
 
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accordance with Section 6 hereof;
 
 
“Retention Date”
shall mean the date one month after the respective Drawdown Date and at monthly intervals thereafter;
 
 
“SALMAS”
means that certain Vessel to be owned by Noir and to be renamed BERTRAM, the details of which are set forth on Schedule 2 hereto, to be delivered with a time charter contract with Korea Line Corporation with a maturity date of a minimum of 24 months and a maximum of 28 months from its Delivery Date at a net rate of not less than $29,680 per day, such charter party agreement to be subject to the approval of the Mandated Lead Arranger;
 
 
“Security Document(s)”
means the Guaranty, the Mortgages, the Assignments, the Account Pledges and any other documents that may be executed as security for the Facility and the Borrowers’ obligations in connection therewith;
 
 
“Security Party(ies)”
means each of the Borrowers and the Guarantor;
 
 
“Security Trustee”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“SMC”
means the safety management certificate issued in respect of each Vessel in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM code;
 
 
“Subsidiary(ies)”
means, with respect to any Person, any business entity of which more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock or other equity interest is owned directly or indirectly by such Person and/or one or more other Subsidiaries of such Person;
 
 
“Swap Provider”
shall mean HSH or such other Lender as may enter into an Interest Rate Agreement;
 
 
“Tangible Fixed Assets”
means, measured at the end  of an Accounting Period, the value (less depreciation computed in accordance with GAAP) on a consolidated basis of all tangible fixed assets of the Security Parties as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Taxes”
means any present or future income or other taxes, levies, duties, charges, fees, deductions or withholdings of any nature now or hereafter imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed by any taxing authority whatsoever, except for taxes on or measured by the overall net income of each Lender imposed by its jurisdiction of incorporation
 
 
 
14

 
 
or applicable lending office, the United States of America, the State or City of New York or any governmental subdivision or taxing authority of any thereof or by any other taxing authority having jurisdiction over such Lender (unless such jurisdiction is asserted by reason of the activities of any of the Security Parties);
 
 
“Total Assets”
means, measured at the end  of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of Current Assets and Tangible Fixed Assets as stated in the then most recent financial information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
 
 
“Total Loss”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Mortgages;
 
 
“Tranche(s)”
means any, all or any combination, as the context requires, of Tranche A, Tranche B and Tranche C;
 
 
“Tranche A”
means the lesser of Thirty Five Million Seventy Eight Thousand Forty Seven Dollars ($35,078,047) and sixty-five percent (65%) of the Fair Market Value of the VOC GALLANT, to be made available to the Borrowers in one (1) Advance;
 
 
“Tranche B”
means the lesser of Twenty Nine Million Six Hundred Seventy One Thousand Three Hundred Forty Three Dollars ($29,671,343) and sixty-five percent (65%) of the Fair Market Value of the SALMAS, to be made available to the Borrowers in one (1) Advance;
 
 
“Tranche C”
means the lesser of Thirty Million Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Six Hundred Ten Dollars ($30,250,610) and sixty-five percent (65%) of the Fair Market Value of the OCEAN SPIRIT, to be made available to the Borrowers in one (1) Advance;
 
 
“Underwriter”
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
 
 
“Vessel(s)”
each of the VOC GALLANT, SALMAS and OCEAN SPIRIT, registered or to be registered in the name of the relevant Borrower, as owner, as set forth in Schedule 2 hereto, but excluding any Vessel for which a mandatory prepayment is made pursuant to Section 5.3; and
 
 
“VOC GALLANT”
means that certain Vessel to be owned by Jeke, the details of which are set forth on Schedule 2 hereto, to be delivered with a bareboat charter with Harren & Partner Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG, as charterer, with a maturity date
 
 
 
15

 
 
between May 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009 at a net rate of not less than $25,650 per day, such bareboat charter party agreement and charterer to be subject to the approval of the Mandated Lead Arranger.
 
 
1.2            Computation of Time Periods; Other Definitional Provisions .  In this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents, in the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including” and the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; words importing either gender include the other gender; references to “writing” include printing, typing, lithography and other means of reproducing words in a tangible visible form; the words “including,” “includes” and “include” shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”; references to articles, sections (or subdivisions of sections), exhibits, annexes or schedules are to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or such Security Document, as applicable; references to agreements and other contractual instruments (including this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents) shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, amendments and restatements, supplements, extensions, replacements and other modifications to such instruments (without, however, limiting any prohibition on any such amendments, extensions and other modifications by the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document); references to any matter that is “approved” or requires “approval” of a party shall mean approval given in the sole and absolute discretion of such party unless otherwise specified.
 
1.3            Accounting Terms .  Unless otherwise specified herein, all accounting terms used in this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and in the Security Documents shall be interpreted, and all financial statements and certificates and reports as to financial matters required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or to the Lenders under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be prepared, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for the United States (“ GAAP ”) as from time to time in effect.
 
1.4            Certain Matters Regarding Materiality .  To the extent that any representation, warranty, covenant or other undertaking of any of the Borrowers or the Guarantor in this Credit Facility Agreement is qualified by reference to those which are not reasonably expected to result in a “Material Adverse Effect” or language of similar import, no inference shall be drawn therefrom that any Agent or Lender has knowledge or approves of any noncompliance by any of the Borrowers or the Guarantor with any governmental rule.
 
1.5            Forms of Documents .  Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Credit Facility Agreement, references to documents or certificates “substantially in the form” of Exhibits to another document shall mean that such documents or certificates are duly completed in the form of the related Exhibits with substantive changes subject to the provisions of Section 17.6 of this Credit Facility Agreement, as the case may be, or the correlative provisions of the Security Documents.
 
2.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
 
2.1            Representations and Warranties .  In order to induce the Agents and the Lenders to enter into this Credit Facility Agreement and to induce the Lenders to make the Facility available, each of the Borrowers (and the Guarantor by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto)
16

hereby represents and warrants to the Agents and the Lenders (which representations and warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Credit Facility Agreement and the Note and the drawdown of each Advance hereunder) that:
 
(a)            Due Organization and Power .  each Security Party is duly formed and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, has full power to carry on its business as now being conducted and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents to which it is a party, and has complied with all statutory, regulatory and other requirements relative to such business and such agreements;
 
(b)            Authorization and Consents .  all necessary corporate action has been taken to authorize, and all necessary consents and authorities have been obtained and remain in full force and effect to permit, each Security Party to enter into and perform its obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents, to which it is a party, and, in the case of the Borrowers, to borrow, service and repay the Advances and, as of the date of this Credit Facility Agreement, no further consents or authorities are necessary for the service and repayment of the Advances or any part thereof;
 
(c)            Binding Obligations .  this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents constitute or will, when executed and delivered, constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of each Security Party as is a party thereto enforceable against such Security Party in accordance with their respective terms, except to the extent that such enforcement may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting generally the enforcement of creditors' rights;
 
(d)            No Violation .  the execution and delivery of, and the performance of the provisions of, this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and those of the Security Documents to which it is to be a party by each Security Party do not contravene any applicable law or regulation existing at any date this representation is given or any contractual restriction binding on such Security Party or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws (or equivalent instruments) thereof and that the proceeds of the Advances shall be used by the Borrowers exclusively for their own account or for the account of a Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Borrowers;
 
(e)            Filings; Stamp Taxes .  other than the recording of the Mortgages with the appropriate authorities for the flag state of the Vessel to which such Mortgage relates, and the filing of UCC Financing Statements in the District of Columbia in respect of the Assignments, and the payment and filing or recording fees consequent thereto, it is not necessary for the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or the Security Documents that any of them or any document relating thereto be registered, filed, recorded or enrolled with any court or authority in any relevant jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar Taxes be paid on or in relation to this Agreement, the Note or any of the Security Documents;
 
(f)            Litigation .  except as has been publicly disclosed by the Guarantor, no action, suit or proceeding is pending or threatened against the Guarantor or any Subsidiary before any
 
17

court, board of arbitration or administrative agency which is reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
 
(g)            No Default .  neither the Borrowers, the Guarantor nor any of their Subsidiaries is in default under any material agreement by which it is bound, or is in default in respect of any financial commitment or obligation;
 
(h)            Vessels .  upon the date of the making of each Advance, each of the Vessels :
 
 
(i)
will be in the sole and absolute ownership of the respective Borrower as set forth in Schedule 2 and duly registered in such Borrower's name under the flag of a Permitted Jurisdiction, unencumbered, save and except for the Mortgage recorded against it and as permitted thereby;
 
 
(ii)
will be classed in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type with the respective Classification Society as set forth in Schedule 2 without any outstanding recommendations affecting class and without any qualifications;
 
 
(iii)
will be operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for its intended service; and
 
 
(iv)
will be insured in accordance with the provisions of the Mortgage recorded against it and the requirements thereof in respect of such insurances will have been complied with;
 
(i)            Insurance .  each of the Security Parties has insured its properties and assets against such risks and in such amounts as are customary for companies engaged in similar businesses;
 
(j)            Financial Information .  on or prior to the date hereof, all financial statements, information and other data furnished by the Guarantor to the Administrative Agent are complete and correct, such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and accurately and fairly present the financial condition of the parties covered thereby as of the respective dates thereof and the results of the operations thereof for the period or respective periods covered by such financial statements, and, since the date of the Guarantor’s financial statements most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent, there has been no Material Adverse Effect as to any of such parties and none thereof has any contingent obligations, liabilities for taxes or other outstanding financial obligations, except as disclosed in such statements, information and data;
 
(k)            Tax Returns .  the Guarantor and each of its Subsidiaries have filed all tax returns required to be filed by them and have paid all taxes payable by them which have become due, other than those not yet delinquent and except for those taxes being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and for which adequate reserves shall have been set aside on its books;
 
(l)            Chief Executive Office .  the chief executive office of the Security Parties and chief place of business and the office in which the records relating to the earnings and other
 
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receivables of each Subsidiary are kept is located at 1 Vassillissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str. 151 24, Maroussi, Greece;
 
(m)            Foreign Trade Control Regulations .  none of the transactions contemplated herein will violate the provisions of any statute or regulation enacted to prohibit or limit economic transactions with foreign Persons including, without limitation, the Foreign Assets Control Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 500, as amended), any of the provisions of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 515, as amended), any of the provisions of the Iranian Transaction Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 560, as amended) or any of the provisions of the Regulations of the United States of America Governing Transactions in Foreign Shipping of Merchandise (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 505, as amended).  ;
 
(n)            Equity Ownership .  each of the Borrowers is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Guarantor;
 
(o)            Environmental Matters and Claims .  (a) except as heretofore disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders (i) the Guarantor, each of its Subsidiaries and their Affiliates will be in compliance with all applicable United States federal and state, local, foreign and international laws, regulations, conventions and agreements relating to pollution prevention or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, ground water, navigable waters, waters of  the contiguous zone, ocean waters and international waters), including, without limitation, laws, regulations, conventions and agreements relating to (1) emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous materials, oil, hazardous substances, petroleum and petroleum products and by-products (“Materials of Environmental Concern”), or (2) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environmental Concern (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) the Guarantor, each of its Subsidiaries and their Affiliates will have all permits, licenses, approvals, rulings, variances, exemptions, clearances, consents or other authorizations required under applicable Environmental Laws (“Environmental Approvals”) and will, when required, be in compliance with all Environmental Approvals required to operate their business as then being conducted; (iii) none of the Guarantor, any Subsidiary (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Borrowers) nor any Affiliate thereof has received any notice of any claim, action, cause of action, investigation or demand by any person, entity, enterprise or government, or any political subdivision, intergovernmental body or agency, department or instrumentality thereof, alleging potential liability for, or a requirement to incur, material investigator costs, cleanup costs, response and/or remedial costs (whether incurred by a governmental entity or otherwise), natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys' fees and expenses, or fines or penalties, in each case arising out of, based on or resulting from (1) the presence, or release or threat of release into the environment, of any Materials of Environmental Concern at any location, whether or not owned by such person, or (2) circumstances forming the basis of any violation, or alleged violation, of any Environmental Law or Environmental Approval (“Environmental Claim”) (other than Environmental Claims that have been fully and finally adjudicated or otherwise determined and all fines, penalties and other costs, if any, payable by the Security Parties in respect thereof have been paid in full or which are fully covered by insurance (including permitted deductibles)); and
 
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(iv) there are no circumstances that may prevent or interfere with such full compliance in the future; and (b) except as heretofore disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent there is no Environmental Claim pending or threatened against the Guarantor, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate thereof and there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge or disposal of any Materials of Environmental Concern, that could form the basis of any Environmental Claim against such persons the adverse disposition of which may result in a Material Adverse Effect;
 
(p)            Compliance with ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI .  each Vessel complies and each Operator complies with the requirements of the ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates pursuant thereto;
 
(q)            No Threatened Withdrawal of DOC, ISSC, SMC or IAPPC .  there is no actual or, to the best of each Security Parties’ knowledge, threatened withdrawal of any Operator’s DOC or any Vessel’s ISSC or SMC or other certification or documentation related to the ISM Code, Annex VI or otherwise required for the operation of such vessels in respect of any of the Vessels;
 
(r)            Liens .  other than as permitted hereby, there are no liens of any kind on any property owned by the Guarantor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor other than liens occurring in the ordinary course of business and paid in a timely manner;
 
(s)            Financial Indebtedness .  neither the Borrowers nor the Guarantor has, on the date hereof, Financial Indebtedness  other than as set out on Schedule 3 hereto;
 
(t)            No Proceedings to Dissolve .  there are no proceedings or actions pending or contemplated by any Security Party, or, contemplated by any third party, to dissolve or terminate any Security Party;
 
(u)            Solvency .  in the case of each of the Security Parties, (a) the sum of its assets, at a fair valuation, does and will exceed its liabilities, including, to the extent they are reportable as such in accordance with GAAP, contingent liabilities, (b) the present fair market salable value of its assets is not and shall not be less than the amount that will be required to pay its probable liability on its then existing debts, including, to the extent they are reportable as such in accordance with GAAP, contingent liabilities, as they mature, (c) it does not and will not have unreasonably small working capital with which to continue its business and (d) it has not incurred, does not intend to incur and does not believe it will incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature;
 
(v)            Pari Passu Ranking .  each of the Security Parties’ obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents rank at least pari passu with all its other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated payment obligations, except for obligations mandatorily preferred by law applying to companies generally;
 
(w)            Taxes on Payments .  all amounts payable by each of the Security Parties to the Administrative Agent under this Facility Agreement and the Security Documents may be made without any deduction for Taxes;
 
 
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(x)            Jurisdiction/Governing Law .  (a) the irrevocable submission by each of the Borrowers under this Credit Facility Agreement to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, agreement that this Credit Facility is governed by New York law, and agreement not to claim any immunity to which it or its assets may be entitled are legal, valid and binding under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; and (b) any judgment obtained in the courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York will be recognized and enforceable by the courts of its jurisdiction of incorporation, subject to any statutory or other conditions of such jurisdiction;
 
(y)            Charters .  none of the Borrowers has received prepayments of hire for a duration of longer than one month;
 
(z)            Compliance with Laws .  each of the Security Parties is in compliance with all applicable laws except where the failure to comply would not alone or in the aggregate result in a Material Adverse Effect; and
 
(aa)            Survival .  all representations, covenants and warranties made herein and in any certificate or other document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the making of the Advances and the issuance of the Note.
 
3.
THE ADVANCES
 
3.1                           (a)            Purposes .  The Lenders shall make the Advances available to the Borrowers for the purpose of financing the acquisition of the Vessels.
 
(b)            Making of the Advances .  
 
  (i) 
Each of the Lenders, relying upon each of the representations and warranties set out in Section 2, hereby severally and not jointly agrees with the Borrowers that, subject to and upon the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement, it will, not later than 11:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the Drawdown Date of Advance in respect of each Tranche (except as provided in subsection (ii) of this Section), make its portion of the relevant Advance, in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City, to the Administrative Agent at its address and to such account as set forth on Schedule 1 or to such account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders.  Unless the Administrative Agent determines that any applicable condition specified in Section 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4 has not been satisfied, the Administrative Agent will make the funds so received from the Lenders available to the Borrowers at the aforesaid address, subject to the receipt of the funds by the Administrative Agent as provided in the immediately preceding sentence, not later than 10:00A.M. (New York City time) on the date of such Advance, and in any event as soon as practicable after receipt. All Advances, subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, shall
     
 
 
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be in a minimum amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) and in multiples of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000). The Facility and each Tranche hereunder shall be repayable as provided in Section 5.  The Lenders’ obligation to make any Advance in respect of any Tranche hereunder shall terminate if the Vessel to which such Tranche relates is not delivered to the Borrowers by the Commitment Termination Date. 
 
 
(ii)
Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the Drawdown Date of any Advance that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Advance, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available to the Administrative Agent on the date of such Advance in accordance with this Section 3.1 and the Administrative Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrowers on such date a corresponding amount.  If and to the extent that such Lender shall not have so made such share available to the Administrative Agent, such Lender and the Borrowers (but without duplication and not if such Lender is an affiliate of the Administrative Agent) severally agree to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount together with interest thereon, for each day from the date such amount is made available to the Borrowers until the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of the Borrowers, a rate per annum equal to the higher of (y) the LIBOR rate for overnight or weekend deposits plus the Margin and (z) the interest rate applicable thereto pursuant to Section 6.1 and (ii) in the case of such Lender, the LIBOR rate for overnight or weekend deposits.  If such Lender shall repay to the Administrative Agent such corresponding amount, such amount so repaid shall constitute such Lender’s Advance included in such Advance for purposes of this Credit Facility Agreement as of the date such Advance was made.  Nothing in this subsection (b)(ii) shall be deemed to relieve any Lender of its obligation to make Advances to the extent provided in this Credit Facility Agreement.  In the event that the Borrowers are required to repay an Advance to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 3.1(b)(ii), as between the Borrowers and the defaulting Lender, the liability for any breakfunding costs as described in Section 4.4 shall be borne by the defaulting Lender.  If the defaulting Lender has not paid any such breakage costs upon demand by the Administrative Agent therefor, the Borrowers shall pay such breakage costs upon demand by the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers shall be entitled to recover any such payment for breakfunding costs made by the Borrowers from the defaulting Lender.
 
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3.2            Drawdown Notice .  The Borrowers shall, at least three (3) Banking Days before a Drawdown Date, serve a notice (a “Drawdown Notice”), substantially in the form of Exhibit I, on the Administrative Agent, which notice shall (a) be in writing addressed to the Administrative Agent, (b) be effective on receipt by the Administrative Agent, (c) specify the amount of such Advance to be drawn, (d)  specify the Banking Day on which such Advance is to be drawn and, subject to the terms of Section 6.3 hereof, the Interest Period, (e) specify the disbursement instructions and (f) be irrevocable.  The Administrative Agent shall deliver the Drawdown Notice to Lenders as soon as practicable after its receipt thereof.
 
3.3            Effect of Drawdown Notice .  Such Drawdown Notice shall be deemed to constitute a warranty by the Borrowers (a) that the representations and warranties stated in Section 2 (updated mutatis mutandis ) are true and correct on and as of the date of such Drawdown Notice and will be true and correct on and as of the relevant Drawdown Date as if made on such date, and (b) that no Event of Default nor any event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would constitute an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
 
3.4            Notation of Advances .  Each Advance made by the Lenders to the Borrowers may be evidenced by a notation of the same made by the Administrative Agent on the grid attached to the Note, which notation, absent manifest error, shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of the relevant Advance.
 
4.
CONDITIONS
 
4.1            Conditions Precedent to the Effectiveness of this Credit Facility Agreement .  The obligation of the Lenders to make the Initial Advance available to the Borrowers under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly subject to the following conditions precedent:
 
(a)            Corporate Authority .  the Administrative Agent shall have received the following documents in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
 
 
(i)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each of the Borrowers, of the resolutions of their respective board of directors evidencing approval of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and those Security Documents to which it is to be a party and authorizing an appropriate officer or officers or attorney-in-fact or attorneys-in fact to execute the same on its behalf, or other evidence of such approvals and authorizations;
 
 
(ii)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of the Guarantor, of the resolutions of the board of directors evidencing approval of this Credit Facility, the Guaranty and those Security Documents to which it is to be a party and authorizing an appropriate officer or officers or attorney-in-fact or attorneys-in-fact to execute the same on its behalf, or other evidence of such approvals and authorizations;
 
 
(iii)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each Security Party, of all documents evidencing any other necessary action
 
 
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(including actions by such parties thereto other than the Security Parties as may be required by the Administrative Agent), approvals or consents with respect to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents;
 
 
(iv)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each Security Party, of the certificate of incorporation and by-laws, certificate of formation and operating agreement, or equivalent instruments thereof;
 
 
(v)
certificate of an authorized officer of the Guarantor certifying that it legally and beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, or limited liability company membership interests, as the case may be, of each of the Borrowers and that such capital stock or membership interests are free and clear of any liens, claims, pledges or other encumbrances whatsoever and have been paid in full; and
 
 
(vi)
certificates of the jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as the case may be, of each Security Party as to the good standing thereof;
 
(b)            The Credit Facility Agreement and the Note .  each of the Borrowers shall have duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, its respective Account Pledge and the Account Pledge relating to the Debt Service Reserve Account;
 
(c)            Guarantor Documents .  the Guarantor shall have duly executed and delivered the Guaranty, the Consent and Agreement hereto and its respective Account Pledge.
 
(d)            Solvency .  the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of an officer of the Guarantor confirming the representations and warranties with respect to solvency set forth in the Guaranty and containing conclusions as to the solvency of each of the Security Parties;
 
(e)            Approved Manager Documents .  each Approved Manager shall have duly executed and delivered the Approved Manager’s Undertaking relating to the Vessels to the Administrative Agent;
 
(f)            Environmental Claims .  the Administrative Agent shall be satisfied that none of the Security Parties nor any of their Subsidiaries or their Affiliates is subject to any Environmental Claim;
 
(g)            Fees .  the Administrative Agent shall have received payment in full of all fees and expenses then due to the Agents and/or the Lenders under Section 13;
 
(h)            Accounts .  (i) each of the Borrowers shall have established an earnings account into which such Borrower shall have agreed that Assigned Moneys are to be paid (the “Earnings Accounts”) with the Administrative Agent and each of the Borrowers shall have pledged its interest in such account to the Finance Parties pursuant to an Account Pledge, and each of the Borrowers shall have agreed that all Assigned Moneys be paid into the Earnings Account(s), (ii) the
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Borrowers shall have established a debt service reserve account (the “Debt Service Reserve Account”) into which the Borrowers shall make a deposit of $750,000 per Vessel (each a “Debt Service Deposit”), each Debt Service Deposit to be made prior to the Drawdown Date of the Tranche relating to the respective Vessel and to be maintained in the Debt Service Reserve Account until the last payment of the relevant Tranche and (iii) the Borrowers shall have established a retention account with the Administrative Agent which, on each Retention Date, amounts equal to the Retention Amount shall be transferred each month from the Earnings Accounts or other accounts of each of the Borrowers (the “Retention Account) and each of the Borrowers shall have pledged its interest in such Retention Account to the Finance Parties pursuant to an Account Pledge;
 
(i)            Compliance Certificate .  the Administrative Agent having received a Compliance Certificate with respect to the most recently ended fiscal quarter;
 
(j)            Vessel Appraisal and Inspection .  the Administrative Agent having received (i) two (three if the first two received differ by more than fifteen percent) recent (not older than six weeks) independently appraised valuations evidencing the Fair Market Value of the relevant Vessel(s), to be provided at the expense of the Borrowers, and (ii) inspection reports acceptable to the Administrative Agent by a surveyor appointed by the Administrative Agent at the Borrowers’ expense, of the physical inspection of each of the Vessels, provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may waive this requirement and reserve the right to have the relevant Vessel(s) inspected after the relevant Advance, if the Borrowers deliver to the Administrative Agent, prior to the relevant Advance, its in-house survey report of the relevant Vessel(s) in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, however, all surveys must be done without undue interference with the operation of the Vessel(s);
 
(k)            Money Laundering Due Diligence .  the Administrative Agent having received such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent in order for each of the Lenders to carry out and be satisfied with the results of all necessary “know your client” or other checks which is required to carry out in relation to the transactions contemplated by this Credit Facility Agreement, the Notes and the Security Documents;
 
(l)            Legal Opinions .  the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Agents and the Lenders, shall have received legal opinions addressed to the Administrative Agent from (i) G.C. Economou & Associates, counsel for the Security Parties in respect of, inter alia , no material litigation or breach of contract by the Security Parties and no filings are required in Greece and (ii) Seward & Kissel LLP, special United States, New York, Liberian and Marshall Islands counsel to the Agents and Lenders in respect of inter alia , the corporate authority of the Security Parties and the enforceability of this Agreement, the Notes and the relevant Security Documents, in each case in such form as the Administrative Agent may require, as well as such other legal opinions as the Administrative Agent shall have required as to all or any matters under the laws of the United States of America, the State of New York, the Republic of Greece, the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands covering the representations and conditions which are the subjects of Section 2 and this Section 4; and
 
(m)            Know Your Customer Requirements .  the Administrative Agent shall have received documentation to its satisfaction in connection with its know your customer requirements, including but not limited to:
 
 
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(i)
completed bank account opening mandates with telephone and fax indemnities to include the list of the Borrowers’ authorized signatories and specimens of their signatures;
 
 
(ii)
certified list of directors, including titles, business and residential addresses and dates of birth;
 
 
(iii)
certified true copy of photo identification (i.e. passport or driving license) and evidence of residential address (i.e. utility bill or bank statement) for all authorized signatories;
 
 
(iv)
certificate of ultimate beneficial ownership, certified by the respective secretary of such entity, from the Borrowers with respect to each other Security Party; and
 
 
(v)
non-resident declaration forms.
     
4.2            Conditions Precedent re Delivery Advances .  The obligation of the Lenders to make each Advance in respect of a Tranche available to the Borrowers under this Agreement shall be expressly and separately subject to the following further conditions precedent on the relevant Drawdown Date:
 
(a)            The Vessels .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that the relevant Vessel:
 
 
(i)
has been delivered to the relevant Borrower and that the relevant Borrower has paid its equity portion of the purchase price of the Vessel to the sellers of the Vessel;
 
 
(ii)
is in the sole and absolute ownership of the relevant Borrower and duly registered in such Borrower’s name under the flag of a Permitted Jurisdiction, respectively, unencumbered, save and except for the Mortgage, recorded against it and as otherwise permitted thereby;
 
 
(iii)
is classed in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type with the respective Classification Society as set forth in Schedule 2 without any material outstanding recommendations;
 
 
(iv)
is operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for its intended service; and
 
 
(v)
is insured in accordance with the provisions of the Mortgage recorded against it and the requirements thereof in respect of such insurance have been complied with;
 
(b)            Vessel Documents .  Upon the delivery of its respective Vessel, each Borrower shall have duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent:
 
 
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(i)
the Mortgage over its Vessel;
 
 
(ii)
an Insurances Assignment with respect to its Vessel;
 
 
(iii)
an Earnings Assignment with respect to its Vessel;
 
 
(iv)
the Assignment Notices with respect to the above-indicated Insurances Assignments and Earnings Assignments; and
 
 
(v)
Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statements for filing with the District of Columbia and in such other jurisdictions as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require;
 
(c)            Additional Documents .  Upon the delivery of its respective Vessel, each Borrower shall, where applicable, deliver each of the following documents to the Administrative Agent:
 
 
(i)
a management agreement with an Approved Manager;
 
 
(ii)
any Charter Party Agreement entered into in respect of the Vessel;
 
 
(iii)
the memorandum of agreement entered into in respect of the Vessel;
 
 
(iv)
a copy of the bill of sale for the Vessel;
 
 
(v)
a copy of the protocol of delivery for the Vessel; and
 
 
(vi)
a transcript of registry and a certificate of ownership and encumbrance indicating the Vessel’s registration in the name of such Borrower free and clear of all registered encumbrances other than the Mortgage thereon;
 
 
(d)      Vessel Liens .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it and to its legal advisor that, save for the liens created by the Mortgage and the Assignments relating to such Vessel, there are no liens, charges or encumbrances of any kind whatsoever on such Vessel or on its earnings except as permitted hereby or by any of the Security Documents;
 
(e)            ISM DOC .  the Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of the DOC for the Vessel to which such Delivery Advance relates;
 
(f)            Process Agent .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence that each of the Security Parties have appointed CT Corporation System, having an address at 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011, as its true and lawful attorney-in-fact and duly authorized agent for the limited purpose of accepting service of legal process and that each Security Party has agreed that service of process upon such party shall constitute personal service of such process upon such Security Party.  Each of the Security Parties shall have agreed that such appointment shall be maintained for the duration of this Credit Facility Agreement and that if such agent shall cease to
 
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act, the Security Parties shall immediately designate and appoint another such agent satisfactory to the Administrative Agent evidence in writing of such other agent’s acceptance of such appointment;
 
(g)            Legal Opinions .  the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Agents and the Lenders, shall have received legal opinions addressed to the Administrative Agent from (i) G.C. Economou & Associates, counsel for the Security Parties in respect of, inter alia , no material litigation or breach of contract by the Security Parties and no filings are required in Greece, and (ii) Seward & Kissel LLP, special United States, New York, Liberian and Marshall Islands counsel to the Agents and Lenders in respect of, inter alia , the corporate authority of the relevant Borrower and the enforceability of the relevant Security Documents, in each case in such form as the Administrative Agent may require, as well as such other legal opinions as the Administrative Agent shall have required as to all or any matters under the laws of the United States of America, the Republic of Greece, the State of New York, the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands or any other relevant Permitted Jurisdiction covering the representations and conditions which are the subjects of Sections 2 and this Section 4.2.
 
4.3            Further Conditions Precedent .  The obligation of the Lenders to make any Advance available to the Borrower under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly and separately subject to the following further conditions precedent on the relevant Drawdown Date:
 
(a)            Drawdown Notice .  the Administrative Agent having received a Drawdown Notice in accordance with the terms of Section 3.2;
 
(b)            Representations and Warranties .  the representations stated in Section 2  (updated mutatis mutandis to such date) being true and correct as if made on and as of that date;
 
(c)            No Event of Default .  no Event of Default having occurred and being continuing and no event having occurred and being continuing which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default;
 
(d)            No Change in Laws .  the Administrative Agent being satisfied that no change in any applicable laws, regulations, rules or in the interpretation thereof shall have occurred which make it unlawful for any Security Party to make any payment as required under the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, the Security Documents or any of them; and
 
(e)            No Material Adverse Effect .  there having been no Material Adverse Effect since the date hereof.
 
4.4            Breakfunding Costs .  In the event that, on the date specified for the making of an Advance in any Drawdown Notice, the Lenders shall not be obliged under this Credit Facility Agreement to make such Advance available, the Borrowers shall indemnify and hold the Lenders fully harmless against any losses which the Lenders (or any thereof) may sustain as a result of borrowing or agreeing to borrow funds to meet the drawdown requirement of such Drawdown Notice and the certificate of the relevant Lender or Lenders shall, absent manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers as to the extent of any such losses.
 
 
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4.5            Satisfaction after Drawdown .  Without prejudice to any of the other terms and conditions of this Credit Facility Agreement, in the event the Lenders, in their sole discretion, make any Advance prior to the satisfaction of all or any of the conditions referred to in Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3, each of the Borrowers hereby covenants and undertakes to satisfy or procure the satisfaction of such condition or conditions within fourteen (14) days after the relevant Drawdown Date (or such longer period as the Lenders, in their sole discretion, may agree).
 
5.
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
 
5.1            Repayment .  Subject to the provisions of this Section 5 regarding prepayments and the application thereof, the Borrowers shall, on the Payment Dates, repay the principal amount of that portion of the Facility attributable to:
 
(a)           Tranche A in twenty-eight (28) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Date of the VOC GALLANT.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) installments one through four shall each be in the amount of One Million Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,600,000); (ii) installments five through eight shall each be in the amount of Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000); (iii) installments nine through twenty-eight shall each be in the amount of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000); and (iv) a balloon payment of Fifteen Million Two Hundred Seventy Eight Thousand Forty Seven Dollars ($15,278,047), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable together with the twenty-eighth installment.  The amount of each installment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche A is drawn down;
 
(b)           Tranche B in twenty-eight (28) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Date of the SALMAS.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) installments one through eight shall each be in the amount of One Million Five Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($1,575,000); (ii) installments nine through twenty-eight shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000); and (iii) a balloon payment of Two Million Seventy One Thousand Three Hundred Forty Three Dollars ($2,071,343), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable together with the twenty-eighth installment.  The amount of each installment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche B is drawn down; and
 
(c)           Tranche C in twenty-eight (28) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Date of the OCEAN SPIRIT.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) installments one through four shall each be in the amount of Nine Hundred Sixty-Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($962,500); (ii) installments five through twenty-eight shall each be in the amount of Five Hundred Thirty Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($537,500); and (iii) a balloon payment of Thirteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Six Hundred Ten Dollars ($13,500,610), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable together with the twenty-eighth installment.  The amount of each installment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche C is drawn down;.
 
 
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5.2            Voluntary Prepayment; No Re-Borrowing .  The Borrowers may prepay, upon ten (10) Banking Days written notice, any outstanding Advance or any portion thereof, without penalty, provided that if such prepayment is made on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period of such Advance such prepayment shall be made together with the costs and expenses provided for in Section 5.4.  Each prepayment shall be in a minimum amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) plus any One Million Dollar ($1,000,000) multiple thereof or the full amount of the then outstanding Tranches.  Prepayments shall be applied to the remaining payments on a pro-rata basis and will not be available for re-borrowing.
 
5.3            Mandatory Prepayment .  
 
(a)            Sale or Loss of Vessel .  On (i) any sale of a Vessel or (ii) the earlier of (x) one hundred eighty (180) days after the Total Loss of a Vessel or (y) the date on which the insurance proceeds in respect of such loss are received by the Borrowers or the Security Trustee as assignee thereof or (iii) any of the Borrowers is released from its obligations hereunder, the Borrowers shall prepay the Facility and/or any commitment of the Lenders under the Facility will be reduced in an amount equal to the greater of (i) any amounts outstanding under the Facility associated with such Vessel and (ii) the amount required to ensure that the Hull Cover Ratio in relation to the remaining Vessels is not less than the Required Percentage.   Any prepayment under this Section 5.3 shall be applied towards the remaining scheduled installments in inverse order of maturity.
 
(b)            Guarantor Share Offering .  Following one or more controlled share offerings or marketed offerings in which the Guarantor has raised an aggregate minimum of Twenty Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000), the Borrowers shall prepay the Facility once in an amount equal to Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000), such prepayment to be made from the offering proceeds within [thirty (30)] days after the completion of the offering in which (combined with any previous offerings) the aggregate minimum of Twenty Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000) is raised.  Such prepayment is to be applied against the balloon installments of each outstanding Tranche on a pro rata basis.  Within [five (5)] days after the completion of the offering in which the Twenty Five Million Dollar ($25,000,000) threshold is met, the Guarantor shall provide the Administrative Agent with written notice of its intention to make a prepayment under this Section 5.3(b).
 
5.4            Interest and Costs with Prepayments/Application of Prepayments .  Any prepayment of the Advances made hereunder (including, without limitation, those made pursuant to Sections 5 and 9.4) shall be subject to the condition that on the date of prepayment all accrued interest to the date of such prepayment shall be paid in full with respect to the Advances or portions thereof being prepaid, together with any and all costs or expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any breaking of funding (as certified by such Lender, which certification shall, absent any manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers).  
 
6.
INTEREST AND RATE
 
6.1            Applicable Rate .  Each Advance shall bear interest at the Applicable Rate, which shall be defined as the rate per annum which is equal to the aggregate of (a) LIBOR for the relevant Interest Period, plus (b) Mandatory Costs, plus (c) the Margin.  The Applicable Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent two (2) Banking Days prior to the first (1st) day of the relevant Interest  
 
 
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Period and the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrowers in writing of the Applicable Rate as and when determined.  Each such determination, absent manifest error, shall be conclusive and binding upon the Borrowers. 
 
6.2            Default Rate .  Any amounts due under this Credit Facility Agreement, not paid when due, whether by acceleration or otherwise, shall bear interest thereafter from the due date thereof until the date of payment at a rate per annum equal to (i) the Applicable Rate, plus two percent (2%) per annum (the “Default Rate”).  In addition, following the occurrence of any Event of Default  and until such Event of Default is cured to the satisfaction of the Majority Lenders, the Facility shall bear interest at the Default Rate.
 
6.3            Interest Periods .  The Borrowers shall give the Administrative Agent an Interest Notice specifying the Interest Period selected for the next subsequent Interest Period at least three (3) Banking Days prior to the end of any then existing Interest Period, which notice the Administrative Agent agrees to forward on to all Lenders on a same day basis or as soon as practicable.  If at the end of any then existing Interest Period the Borrowers fail to give an Interest Notice, the relevant Interest Period shall be three (3) months.  The Borrowers’ right to select an Interest Period shall be subject to the restriction that no selection of an Interest Period shall be effective unless each Lender is satisfied that the necessary funds will be available to such Lender for such period and that no Event of Default or event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, in which case the Interest Period shall be determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion.  Interest Periods for each Tranche hereunder shall be consolidated as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) days after the delivery of the Vessel to which such Tranche relates.  The Borrowers shall reimburse the Lenders for any and all costs or expenses incurred by the Lenders in connection with any breaking of funding (as certified by each Lender, which certification, absent manifest error, shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers) as a consequence of such consolidation.

6.4            Interest Payments .  Accrued interest on the Facility shall be payable in arrears on the last day of each Interest Period, except that if the Borrowers shall select an Interest Period in excess of three (3) months, accrued interest shall be payable during such Interest Period on each three (3) month anniversary of the commencement of such Interest Period and upon the end of such Interest Period (each an “Interest Payment Date”).
 
7.
PAYMENTS
 
7.1            Place of Payments, No Set Off .  All payments to be made hereunder by the Borrowers shall be made to the Administrative Agent, not later than 10 a.m. New York time (any payment received after 10 a.m. New York time shall be deemed to have been paid on the next Banking Day) on the due date of such payment, at its office located at Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50, 20095 Hamburg, Germany, or to such other office of the Administrative Agent as the Administrative Agent may direct, without set-off or counterclaim and free from, clear of, and without deduction or withholding for, any Taxes, provided, however, that if the Borrowers shall at any time be compelled by law to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any amounts payable to the Lenders hereunder, then the Borrowers shall pay such additional amounts in Dollars as may be necessary in order that the net amounts received after withholding or deduction shall equal the amounts which would have been received if such withholding or deduction were not required and, in the event any withholding or
 
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deduction is made, whether for Taxes or otherwise, the Borrowers shall promptly send to the Administrative Agent such documentary evidence with respect to such withholding or deduction as may be required from time to time by the Lenders, including evidence that the Borrowers have duly paid the withholding or deductions as required.
 
7.2            Tax Credits .  If any Lender obtains the benefit of a credit against the liability thereof for federal income taxes imposed by any taxing authority for all or part of the Taxes as to which the Borrowers have paid additional amounts as aforesaid in Section 7.1, then such Lender shall pay an amount to the Borrowers which that Lender determines will leave it (after such payment) in the same position as it would have been had the Tax payment not been made by the Borrowers.  
 
7.3            Sharing of Setoffs .  Each Lender agrees that if it shall, through the exercise of a right of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or pursuant to a secured claim under Section 506 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code or other security or interest arising from, or in lieu of, such secured claim, exercised or received by such Lender under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or otherwise, or by any other means, obtain payment (voluntary or involuntary) in respect of any Advance or Advances as a result of which its funded Commitment shall be proportionately less than the funded Commitment of any other Lender, it shall be deemed simultaneously to have purchased from such other Lender at face value, and shall promptly pay to such other Lender the purchase price for, a participation in the funded Commitment of such other Lender so that the aggregate funded Commitment of each Lender shall be in the same proportion to the aggregate funded Commitments then outstanding as its funded Commitment prior to such exercise of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or other event was to the principal amount of all funded Commitments outstanding prior to such exercise of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or other event; provided , however , that, if any such purchase or purchases or adjustments shall be made pursuant to this Section 7.3 and the payment giving rise thereto shall thereafter be recovered, such purchase or purchases or adjustments shall be rescinded to the extent of such recovery and the purchase price or prices or adjustment restored without interest.  Any Lender holding a participation in a funded Commitment deemed to have been so purchased may exercise any and all rights of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim with respect to any and all moneys owing to such Lender by reason thereof as fully as if such Lender had made an Advance in the amount of such participation.  Each of the Borrowers expressly consent to the foregoing arrangement.
 
7.4            Computations; Banking Days .  (a) All computations of interest and fees shall be made by the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, as the case may be, on the basis of a 360-day year, in each case for the actual number of days (including the first day but excluding the last day) occurring in the period for which interest or fees are payable.  Each determination by the Administrative Agent or the Lenders of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error;
 
(b)           Whenever any payment hereunder or under the Note shall be stated to be due on a day other than a Banking Day, such payment shall be due and payable on the next succeeding Banking day unless the next succeeding Banking Day falls in the following calendar month, in which case it shall be payable on the immediately preceding Banking Day.
 
 
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8.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
8.1            Events of Default .  The occurrence of any of the following events shall be an Event of Default:
 
(a)            Non-Payment of Principal .  any payment of principal is not paid when due; or
 
(b)            Non-Payment of Interest or Other Amounts .  any interest or any other amount becoming payable to the Administrative Agent or any Lender under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents is not paid within three (3) Banking Days of the due date or date of demand (as the case may be); or
 
(c)            Representations .  any representation, warranty or other statement made by any of the Borrowers in this Credit Facility Agreement or by any Security Party in any of the Security Documents or in any other instrument, document or other agreement delivered in connection herewith or therewith proves to have been untrue or misleading in any material respect as at the date as of which made or confirmed; or
 
(d)            Impossibility; Illegality .  it becomes impossible or unlawful for any of the Borrowers or the Guarantor to fulfill any of its covenants or obligations hereunder, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents or for any of the Lenders to exercise any of the rights vested in any of them hereunder, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents; or
 
(e)            Mortgage .  there is an event of default under any Mortgage; or
 
(f)            Covenants .  any Security Party (i) defaults in the due and punctual observance or performance of Sections 9.1(c), 9.1(h), 9.1(j), 9.1(k), 9.1(m), 9.1(n), 9.2(h) or 9.2(k) and such default continued unremedied for a period of sixty (60) days or (ii) defaults under any other term, covenant or agreement contained in this Credit Facility Agreement, in the Note, in any of the Security Documents or in any other instrument, document or other agreement delivered in connection herewith or therewith, or there occurs any other event which constitutes a default under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents, in each case other than an Event of Default referred to elsewhere in this Section 8.1; or
 
(g)            Debt .  any Security Party shall default in the payment when due of any Debt or of any other debt, in either case, in the outstanding principal amount equal to or exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) or such debt or debt is, or by reason of such default is subject to being, accelerated or any party becomes entitled to enforce the security for any such Debt or debt and such party shall take steps to enforce the same, unless such default or enforcement is being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and the Security Party, Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Guarantor, as the case may be, shall set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto; or
 
(h)            Ownership of Borrowers .  the Guarantor shall cease to own directly or indirectly, one hundred percent (100%) of any of the Borrowers; or
 
(i)            Bankruptcy .  any of the Borrowers, any Security Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor commences any proceeding under any reorganization, arrangement or
 
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readjustment of debt, dissolution, winding up, adjustment, composition, bankruptcy or liquidation law or statute of any jurisdiction, whether now or hereafter in effect (a “Proceeding”), or there is commenced against any thereof any Proceeding and such Proceeding remains undismissed or unstayed for a period of thirty (30) days or any receiver, trustee, liquidator or sequestrator of, or for, any thereof or any substantial portion of the property of any thereof is appointed and is not discharged within a period of thirty (30) days or any thereof by any act indicates consent to or approval of or acquiescence in any Proceeding or the appointment of any receiver, trustee, liquidator or sequestrator of, or for, itself or of, or for, any substantial portion of its property; or
 
(j)            Termination of Operations; Sale of Assets .  except as expressly permitted under this Credit Facility Agreement, any Security Party ceases its operations or sells or otherwise disposes of all or substantially all of its assets or all or substantially all of the assets of any Security Party are seized or otherwise appropriated; or
 
(k)            Judgments .  any judgment or order is made, the effect whereof would be to render ineffective or invalid this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any of the Security Documents or any material provision thereof, or any Security Party asserts that any such agreement or provision thereof is invalid; or
 
(l)            Inability to Pay Debts .  any of the Borrowers, any Security Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor is unable to pay or admits its inability to pay its debts as they fall due or a moratorium shall be declared in respect of any material indebtedness of any Security Party or any Affiliate of the Guarantor; or
 
(m)            Change in Financial Position .  any change in the financial position of any Security Party or any Affiliate of the Guarantor which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, shall have a Material Adverse Effect; or
 
(n)            Change in Control .  a Change of Control shall occur with respect to the Guarantor; or
 
(o)            Cross-Default .  any of the Borrowers, any Security Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor defaults under any material contract or material agreement to which it is a party or by which it is bound.
 
Upon and during the continuance of any Event of Default, the Lenders' obligation to make any Advance available shall cease and the Administrative Agent may, and on the instructions of the Majority Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrowers, declare the entire unpaid balance of the then outstanding Advances, accrued interest and any other sums payable by the Borrowers hereunder or under the Note due and payable, whereupon the same shall forthwith be due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived; provided that upon the happening of an event specified in subsections (i) or (l) of this Section 8.1 with respect to the Borrowers, the Note shall be immediately due and payable without declaration or other notice to the Borrowers.  In such event, the Lenders may proceed to protect and enforce their rights by action at law, suit in equity or in admiralty or other appropriate proceeding, whether for specific performance of any covenant contained in this Credit Facility Agreement, in the Note or in any Security Document, or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein or therein, or the
 
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Lenders may proceed to enforce the payment of the Note or to enforce any other legal or equitable right of the Lenders, or proceed to take any action authorized or permitted under the terms of any Security Document or by applicable law for the collection of all sums due, or so declared due, on the Note.  Without limiting the foregoing, each of the Borrowers agree that during the continuance of any Event of Default each of the Lenders shall have the right to appropriate and hold or apply (directly, by way of set-off or otherwise) to the payment of the obligations of the Borrowers to the Lenders hereunder and/or under the Note (whether or not then due) all moneys and other amounts of the Borrowers then or thereafter in possession of any Lender, the balance of any deposit account (demand or time, mature or unmatured) of the Borrowers then or thereafter with any Lender and every other claim of the Borrowers then or thereafter against any of the Lenders.
 
8.2            Indemnification .  Each of the Borrowers agrees to, and shall, indemnify and hold the Agents and the Lenders harmless against any loss, as well as against any costs or expenses (including legal fees and expenses), which any of the Agents or the Lenders sustains or incurs as a consequence of any default in payment of the principal amount of the Facility, interest accrued thereon or any other amount payable hereunder, under the Note or under any Security Documents, including, but not limited to, all actual losses incurred in liquidating or re-employing fixed deposits made by third parties or funds acquired to effect or maintain the Facility or any portion thereof.  Any Lenders' certification of such costs and expenses shall, absent any manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers.
 
8.3            Application of Moneys .  Except as otherwise provided in any Security Document, all moneys received by the Agents or the Lenders under or pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any of the Security Documents after the happening of any Event of Default (unless cured to the satisfaction of the Majority Lenders) shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following manner:
 
(a)           first, in or towards the payment or reimbursement of any expenses or liabilities incurred by the Agents, or the Lenders in connection with the ascertainment, protection or enforcement of their rights and remedies hereunder, under the Note and under any of the Security Documents,
 
(b)           second, in or towards payment of any interest owing in respect of the Facility,
 
(c)           third, in or towards repayment of principal owing in respect of the Facility,
 
(d)           fourth, in or towards payment of all other sums which may be owing to the Finance Parties under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents,
 
(e)           fifth, in or towards payments of any amounts then owed under any Interest Rate Agreement, including, but not limited to, any costs associated with unwinding any Interest Rate Agreement, on a pari passu basis, and
 
(f)           sixth, the surplus (if any) shall be paid to the Borrowers or to whosoever else may be entitled thereto.
 
 
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9.
COVENANTS
 
9.1            Affirmative Covenants .  Each of the Borrowers (and the Guarantor by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto), hereby covenant and undertake with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal, interest or other moneys are owing in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents, it will:
 
(a)            Performance of Agreements .  duly perform and observe, and procure the observance and performance by all other parties thereto (other than the Agents and the Lenders) of, the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents;
 
(b)            Notice of Default, etc .  promptly upon, and in any event no later than three (3) Banking Days after, obtaining knowledge thereof, inform the Administrative Agent of the occurrence of (a) any Event of Default or of any event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, (b) any litigation or governmental proceeding pending or threatened against it or against any of its Subsidiaries which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, including but not limited to, in respect of any Environmental Claim, (c) the withdrawal of any Vessel's rating by its Classification Society or the issuance by the Classification Society of any material recommendation or notation affecting class and (d) any other event or condition which is reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect;
 
(c)            Obtain Consents .  without prejudice to Section 2.1 and this Section 9.1, obtain and maintain every consent and do all other acts and things which may from time to time be necessary or advisable for the continued due performance of all its and the other Security Parties’ respective obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note and under the Security Documents;
 
(d)            Financial Information .  deliver to each Lender:
 
  (i) 
as soon as available but not later than one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, complete copies of the consolidated financial reports of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (together with a Compliance Certificate and a detailed reconciliation of all of the differences between GAAP as at December 31, 2006 and as at the time of delivery), all in reasonable detail, which shall include at least the consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries as of the end of such year and the related consolidated statements of income and sources and uses of funds for such year, which shall be audited reports prepared by an Acceptable Accounting Firm, and each of the Borrowers shall provide to each Lender as soon as available but not later than one hundred eighty (180) days after the end of each fiscal year of such Borrower and any Charterers, complete copies of the consolidated financial reports of each of the Borrowers and any Charterers; 
 
   
 
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(ii)
as soon as available but not later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, a quarterly interim consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries and the related consolidated profit and loss statements and sources and uses of funds (together with a Compliance Certificate and a detailed reconciliation of all of the differences between GAAP as at December 31, 2006 and as at the time of delivery), all in reasonable detail, unaudited, but certified to be true and complete by the chief financial officer of the Guarantor;
 
 
(iii)
within ten (10) days of the filing thereof at the email addresses set forth in Schedule 1, electronic copies of all registration statements and reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K (or their equivalents) and other material filings which the Guarantor shall have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any similar governmental authority;
 
 
(iv)
promptly upon the mailing thereof to the shareholders of the Guarantor, copies of all financial statements, reports, proxy statements and other communications provided to the Guarantor’s shareholders;
 
 
(v)
within ten (10) days of the Security Parties’ receipt thereof, copies of all audit letters or other correspondence from any external auditors including material financial information in respect of the Security Parties;
 
 
(vi)
such other statements (including, without limitation, monthly consolidated statements of operating revenues and expenses), lists of assets and accounts, budgets, forecasts, reports and other financial information with respect to its business as the Administrative Agent may from time to time request, certified to be true and complete by the chief financial officer of each of the Guarantor;
 
 
(e)       Vessel Valuations .  reimburse the Administrative Agent for the cost of appraisals of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels.  The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to obtain such valuations from two ship brokers approved by the Lenders one time per Vessel in each calendar year, to be delivered on each anniversary of the Drawdown Date relating to such Vessel, and upon the occurrence of an Event of Default;
 
(f)            Corporate Existence .  do or cause to be done, and procure that each Subsidiary of the Guarantor shall do or cause to be done, all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence, or limited liability company existence, as the case may be, and all licenses, franchises, permits and assets necessary to the conduct of its business;
 
(g)            Books and Records .  at all times keep, and cause each Subsidiary of the Guarantor to keep, proper books of record and account into which full and correct entries shall be made in accordance with GAAP;
 
 
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(h)            Taxes and Assessments .  pay and discharge, and cause each Subsidiary of the Guarantor to pay and discharge, all taxes, assessments and governmental charges or levies imposed upon it or upon its income or property prior to the date upon which penalties attach thereto; provided, however, that it shall not be required to pay and discharge, or cause to be paid and discharged, any such tax, assessment, charge or levy so long as the legality thereof shall be contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and it shall set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto;
 
(i)            Inspection .  allow, and cause each Subsidiary to allow, upon ten (10) Banking Days notice from the Administrative Agent, any representative or representatives designated by the Administrative Agent, subject to applicable laws and regulations, to visit and inspect any of its properties, and, on request, to examine its books of account, records, reports, agreements and other papers and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its officers, all at such times and as often as the Administrative Agent requests;
 
(j)            Inspection and Survey Reports .  if the Lenders shall so request, the Borrowers shall permit the Lenders to inspect the Vessels and shall provide the Lenders with copies of all internally generated inspection or survey reports on the Vessels, provided, however, that if the Vessels are found in satisfactory condition, the cost of such inspections shall be borne by the Borrowers not more than once a year;
 
(k)            Compliance with Statutes, Agreements, etc .  do or cause to be done, and cause each Subsidiary to do and cause to be done, all things necessary to comply with all contracts or agreements to which it, or any Subsidiary is a party, and all laws, and the rules and regulations thereunder, applicable to the Borrowers, the Guarantor or such Subsidiary, including, without limitation, those laws, rules and regulations relating to employee benefit plans and environmental matters;
 
(l)            Environmental Matters .  promptly upon the occurrence of any of the following conditions, provide to the Administrative Agent a certificate of an executive officer thereof, specifying in detail the nature of such condition and its proposed response or the response of its Environmental Affiliates:  (a) its receipt or the receipt by any other Security Party or any Environmental Affiliates of the Borrowers or any other Security Party of any written communication whatsoever that alleges that such person is not in compliance with any applicable Environmental Law or Environmental Approval, if such noncompliance could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) knowledge by it, or by any other Security Party or any Environmental Affiliates of the Borrowers or any other Security Party that there exists any Environmental Claim pending or threatened against any such person, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or (c) any release, emission, discharge or disposal of any material that could form the basis of any Environmental Claim against it, any other Security Party or against any Environmental Affiliates of the Borrowers or any other Security Party, if such Environmental Claim could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Upon the written request by the Administrative Agent, it will submit to the Administrative Agent at reasonable intervals, a report providing an update of the status of any issue or claim identified in any notice or certificate required pursuant to this subsection;
 
 
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(m)            Vessel Management .  cause each of the Vessels to be managed commercially by the Top Tanker Management Inc., which may subcontract the technical management of the Vessels to V. Ships or Hanseatic or any other management company acceptable to the Majority Lenders;
 
(n)            ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI Matters .  (i) procure that the Operator will comply with and ensure each of the Vessels will comply with the requirements of the ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI in accordance with the implementation schedule thereof, including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates and when required, security plans, pursuant thereto; and (ii) will procure that the Operator will immediately inform the Administrative Agent if there is any threatened or actual withdrawal of its DOC, SMC, the ISSC or IAPPC in respect of any Vessel; and upon the request of the Administrative Agent (iii) will procure that the Operator will promptly inform the Administrative Agent upon the issuance to the Borrowers or Operator of a DOC and the issuance to any Vessel of an SMC, ISSC or IAPPC;
 
(o)            Brokerage Commissions, etc .  indemnify and hold each of the Agents and the Lenders harmless from any claim for any brokerage commission, fee, or compensation from any broker or third party resulting from the transactions contemplated hereby;
 
(p)            Deposit Accounts; Assignment .  (i) each of the Borrowers shall maintain an Earnings Account, (ii) the Borrowers shall maintain the Debt Service Reserve Account and agree to deposit and maintain funds therein in accordance with Section 4.1(h) hereof and (iii) the Borrowers shall maintain a Retention Account and shall transfer the Retention Amount each month from the Earnings Accounts to the Retention Account;
 
(q)            Insurance .  maintain, and cause each other Security Party to maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurance companies satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, insurance on all their respective properties and against all such risks and in at least such amounts as are usually insured against by companies of established reputation engaged in the same or similar business from time to time, including, but not limited to (i) hull and machinery insurance (fire, marine and other risks, including excess risks and war risks) in an amount of not less than 120% of the Facility of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels, whichever is higher, (ii) protection and indemnity insurance at the highest possible cover available (as of the date of this Credit Facility Agreement, $1,000,000,000) and with a P&I club satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, and (iii) mortgagee’s interest insurance (“MII”) in an amount of not less than 120% and mortgagee’s additional perils pollution insurance (“MAP”) in an  amount of not less than 110% of the Facility; and
 
(r)            Interest Rate Agreements .  HSH shall be entitled to provide the Borrowers with a quote for any interest rate derivatives product to be entered into by the Borrowers in connection with the Facility and the Borrowers agree to grant HSH a right of first refusal in respect thereof.  The Borrowers further undertake with HSH to hedge at least 60% of the amount of the Facility not later than the Commitment Termination Date for the first five (5) years of the Facility (the “Hedging”), and the Borrowers shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an interest rate hedging strategy for the Hedging, with the assistance of the Administrative Agent in the definition of that strategy.
 
 
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9.2            Negative Covenants .  Each of the Borrowers (and the Guarantor by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto) hereby covenants and undertakes with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal, interest or other moneys are owing in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents, it will not, without the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders (or all of the Lenders if required by Section 15.8):
 
(a)            Liens .  create, assume or permit to exist, any mortgage, pledge, lien, charge, encumbrance or any security interest whatsoever upon any Collateral or other property except:
 
 
(i)
the Mortgages, the Assignments and other liens in favor of the Security Trustee; and
 
 
(ii)
liens, charges and encumbrances against their respective Vessels permitted to exist under the terms of the Mortgages;
 
(b)            Debt .  (i) with respect to each of the Borrowers, incur any Debt, excluding Debt to the Agents or any of the Lenders hereunder, other than in the ordinary course of business, and with respect to the Guarantor, incur any Debt that would violate Section 9.3, (ii) permit any Subsidiary of the Guarantor to incur any Debt that would cause the Guarantor to be in default under any provision of Section 9.3 or (iii) permit the Guarantor to make advances or extend credit to, or become obligated, contingently or otherwise, in respect of any Debt of, any Subsidiary;
 
(c)            Change of Flag, Class, Management or Ownership .  change the flag of any Vessel other than to a Permitted Jurisdiction, their Classification Society other than to another member of the International Association of Classification Societies designated by the Borrowers and approved by the Administrative Agent, the technical management of any Vessel other than to one or more technical management companies acceptable to the Majority Lenders or the immediate or ultimate ownership of any Vessel;
 
(d)            Chartering .  enter into any bareboat charter with any party other than a Subsidiary or an Affiliate thereof, with respect to any of the Vessels having a duration of, including any options to extend such charter, more than twelve (12) months without the prior consent of the Administrative Agent (acting on behalf of the Majority Lenders);
 
(e)            Change in Business .  materially change the nature of its business or commence any business materially different from its current business;
 
(f)            Sale or Pledge of Shares .  with respect to the Guarantor, sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise convey or dispose of any of the shares (including by way of spin-off, installment sale or otherwise) of the capital stock, or limited liability company interests, as the case may be of any of the Borrowers;
 
(g)            Sale of Assets .  with respect to each of the Borrowers, sell, or otherwise dispose of, any Vessel (unless otherwise in accordance with this Credit Facility Agreement) or any other asset (including  by way of spin-off, installment sale or otherwise) which is substantial in relation to its assets taken as a whole, other than such sales by the one Borrower to another;
 
 
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(h)            Changes in Offices .  change the location of the chief executive office of any Security Party, the office of the chief place of business of any such parties or the office of the Security Parties in which the records relating to the earnings or insurances of any Vessel are kept unless the Lenders shall have received thirty (30) days prior written notice of such change;
 
(i)            Consolidation and Merger .  consolidate with, or merge into, any corporation or other entity, or merge any corporation or other entity into it;
 
(j)            Change Fiscal Year .  change its fiscal year;
 
(k)            Limitations on Ability to Make Distributions .  create or otherwise cause or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Borrower to (i) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its capital stock or limited liability company interests, as the case may be, to the Guarantor or any Borrower or pay any Debt owed to the Guarantor, (ii) make any loans or advances to the Guarantor, or (iii) transfer any of its property or assets to the Guarantor;
 
(l)            Use of Corporate Funds .  permit any Borrower to pay out any funds to any company or person except (i) in the ordinary course of business in connection with the management of the business of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, including the operation and/or repair of any of the Vessels and other vessels owned or operated by such parties and (ii) the servicing of the Debt permitted hereunder;
 
(m)            Issuance of Shares .  permit any Borrower to issue or dispose of any shares of its own capital stock or limited liability company interests, as the case may be, to any person other than the Guarantor;
 
(n)            No Money Laundering .  in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the Security Documents, contravene or permit any Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor to contravene, any law, official requirement or other regulatory measure or procedure implemented to combat “money laundering” (as defined in Article 1 of the Directive (91/308/EEC) of the Council of the European Communities) and comparable United States Federal and state laws.  In addition, each of the Borrowers confirm that they are the beneficiary (within the meaning of Section 8 of the German Money Laundering Act (Gesetz über das Aufspüren von Gewinnen aus schweren Straftaten (Geldwäschegesetz)) for each Advance made or to be made available to it. The Borrowers will promptly inform the Lenders (by written notice to the Administrative Agent) if any of the Borrowers are not or ceases to be the beneficiary and will provide in writing the name and address of the beneficiary.  Each of the Borrowers agrees that it will submit any documentation on request, if such documentation is required by any of the Lenders to comply with their Anti-Money Laundering/legal identification requirements;
 
(o)            Accounts .  will not establish any operating accounts or earnings accounts in respect of the Assigned Moneys with any Lender or with any other financial institution other than the Administrative Agent;
 
(p)            Dividends and Distributions to the Guarantor .  with respect to the Borrowers, declare or pay dividends or make any distributions to its shareholders in any form whatsoever in
41

 
excess of 70% of its net income per year, as evidenced by such Borrower’s relevant financial statements;
 
(q)            Use of Proceeds .  will not use the proceeds of Advances in violation of Regulation T, U or X; and
 
9.3            Financial Covenants .  The Guarantor, by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto, hereby covenants and undertakes with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal or interest are outstanding or other moneys are owing in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under any of the Security Documents, the Guarantor will:
 
(a)            Adjusted Net Worth .  maintain at all times an Adjusted Net Worth of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Million Dollars ($250,000,000) and such Adjusted Net Worth shall not be less than Thirty Five Percent (35%) of the Total Assets;
 
(b)            EBITDA to Fixed Charges .  ensure that EBITDA shall at all times exceed 120% of the aggregate amount of Fixed Charges; and
 
(c)            Minimum Liquidity .  at all times maintain Liquid Funds in the greater of Twenty Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000), or Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) per vessel directly or indirectly owned or bareboat chartered-in and/or leased-back by the Guarantor (the “Minimum Liquidity”).
 
Each of the financial covenants set forth in this Section 9.3 shall be tested on the basis of the quarterly, semi-annual and annual financial statements of the Guarantor and shall be accompanied by a Compliance Certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit H hereto, detailing all appropriate calculations, prepared and signed by a duly authorized representative of the Guarantor.  In addition, the Guarantor shall provide any information on their financial condition, commitments and operations which any Lender may reasonably require.
 
9.4            Asset Maintenance .  If at any time during the term of the Credit Facility Agreement, the Fair Market Value of Vessels is less than the Required Percentage, the Borrowers shall, within a period of thirty (30) days following receipt by the Borrowers of written notice from the Administrative Agent notifying the Borrowers of such shortfall and specifying the amount thereof (which amount shall, in the absence of manifest error, be deemed to be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers), either (i) deliver to the Security Trustee such additional collateral as may be satisfactory to the Lenders in their sole discretion of sufficient value to make the aggregate Fair Market Value of said Vessel plus the additional collateral, equal to the Required Percentage of the outstanding amount of the Tranche relating to that Vessel or (ii) the Borrowers shall prepay such amount of the Facility (together with interest thereon and any other monies payable in respect of such prepayment pursuant to Section 5.4) as shall result in the Fair Market Value of that Vessels being not less than the Required Percentage.
 
10.
ASSIGNMENT
 
This Credit Facility Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the Borrowers and the Lenders, the Agents and their respective successors and assigns, except that the Borrowers may
 
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not assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder.  Each Lender shall be entitled to assign its rights and obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement or grant participation(s) in the Facility to any subsidiary, holding company or other affiliate of such Lender, to any subsidiary or other affiliate company of any thereof or to any other bank or financial institution or collateralized loan obligation trust or fund (a “CLO”) without the consent of the Borrowers.  Each Lender may transfer all or any part of its rights, benefits and its obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement and any of the other Security Documents to any subsidiary or other affiliate company of any thereof or to any other bank or financial institution or CLO (the “Transferee”) if the Transferee, by delivery of such undertaking, becomes bound by the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement and agrees to perform all or, as the case may be, part of such Lender’s obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement.  Each Lender may disclose to a prospective assignee, transferee or to any other person who may propose entering into contractual relations with such Lender in relation to the Credit Facility Agreement and such information about each if the Borrowers and the Guarantor as such Lender shall consider appropriate.  The Borrowers will take all actions requested by the Agents or any Lender to effect such assignment, including, without limitation, the execution of a written consent to any Assignment and Assumption Agreement.
 
11.
ILLEGALITY, INCREASED COST, NON-AVAILABILITY, ETC.
 
11.1            Illegality .  In the event that by reason of any change in any applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement or in the interpretation thereof, a Lender has a basis to conclude that it has become unlawful for any Lender to maintain or give effect to its obligations as contemplated by this Credit Facility Agreement, such Lender shall inform the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers to that effect, whereafter the liability of such Lender to make its Commitment available shall forthwith cease and the Borrowers shall be required either to repay to such Lender that portion of the Facility advanced by such Lender immediately or, if such Lender so agrees, to repay such portion of the Facility to such Lender on the last day of any then current Interest Period in accordance with and subject to the provisions of Section 11.5.  In any such event, but without prejudice to the aforesaid obligations of the Borrowers to repay such portion of the Facility, the Borrowers and the relevant Lender shall negotiate in good faith with a view to agreeing on terms for making such portion of the Facility available from another jurisdiction or otherwise restructuring such portion of the Facility on a basis which is not unlawful.
 
11.2            Increased Costs .  If as a result of the implementation of the International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards: A Revised Framework (Basel II) or any other change in applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement (including any applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement which relates to capital adequacy or liquidity controls or which affects the manner in which any Lender allocates capital resources under this Credit Facility Agreement), or in the interpretation or application thereof by any governmental or other authority, shall:
 
 
(i)
subject any Lender to any Taxes with respect to its income from the Facility, or any part thereof; or
 
 
(ii)
change the basis of taxation to any Lender of payments of principal or interest or any other payment due or to become due pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement (other than a change in the basis effected by the jurisdiction of organization of such Lender, the jurisdiction of
 
 
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the principal place of business of such Lender, the United States of America, the State or City of New York or any governmental subdivision or other taxing authority having jurisdiction over such Lender  (unless such jurisdiction is asserted by reason of the activities of the Borrowers or any of the other Security Parties) or such other jurisdiction where the Facility may be payable); or
 
 
(iii)
impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve requirements or require the making of any special deposits against or in respect of any assets or liabilities of, deposits with or for the account of, or loans by, a Lender; or
 
 
(iv)
impose on any Lender any other condition affecting the Facility or any part thereof;
 
and the result of the foregoing is either to increase the cost to such Lender of making available or maintaining its Commitment or any part thereof or to reduce the amount of any payment received by such Lender, then and, in any such case, if such increase or reduction, in the opinion of such Lender, materially affects the interests of such Lender under or in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement:
 
 
(i)
the Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers of the happening of such event, and
 

 
(ii)
the Borrowers agree forthwith upon demand to pay to such Lender such amount as such Lender certifies to be necessary to compensate such Lender for such additional cost or such reduction.
 
11.3            Nonavailability of Funds .  If the Administrative Agent shall determine that, by reason of circumstances affecting the London Interbank Market generally, adequate and reasonable means do not or will not exist for ascertaining the Applicable Rate for the Facility for any Interest Period, the Administrative Agent shall give notice of such determination to the Borrowers.  The Majority Lenders shall then determine the interest rate and/or Interest Period to be substituted for those which would otherwise have applied under this Credit Facility Agreement.  If the Majority Lenders are unable to agree upon such a substituted interest rate and/or Interest Period within thirty (30) days of the giving of such determination notice, the Administrative Agent shall set an interest rate and Interest Period to take effect from the expiration of the Interest Period in effect at the date of determination, which rate shall be equal to the Margin plus the cost to the Lenders (as certified by each Lender) of funding the Facility.  In the event the state of affairs referred to in this Section 11.3 shall extend beyond the end of the Interest Period, the foregoing procedure shall continue to apply until circumstances are such that the Applicable Rate may be determined pursuant to Section 6.
 
11.4            Lender's Certificate Conclusive .  A certificate or determination notice of any Lender as to any of the matters referred to in this Section 11 shall, absent manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers.
 
 
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11.5            Compensation for Losses .  Where the Facility or any portion thereof is to be repaid by the Borrowers pursuant to this Section 11, the Borrowers agree simultaneously with such repayment to pay to the relevant Lender all accrued interest to the date of actual payment on the amount repaid and all other sums then payable by the Borrowers to the relevant Lender pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement, together with such amounts as may be certified by the relevant Lender to be necessary to compensate such Lender for any actual loss, premium or penalties incurred or to be incurred thereby on account of funds borrowed to make, fund or maintain its Commitment or such portion thereof for the remainder (if any) of the then current Interest Period or Interest Periods, if any, but otherwise without penalty or premium.
 
12.
CURRENCY INDEMNITY
 
12.1            Currency Conversion .  If, for the purpose of obtaining or enforcing a judgment in any court in any country, it becomes necessary to convert into any other currency (the “judgment currency”) an amount due in Dollars under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any of the Security Documents, then the conversion shall be made, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, at the rate of exchange prevailing either on the date of default or on the day before the day on which the judgment is given or the order for enforcement is made, as the case may be (the “conversion date”), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be entitled to recover under this section any amount in the judgment currency which exceeds at the conversion date the amount in Dollars due under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, the Guaranty and/or any of the Security Documents.
 
12.2            Change in Exchange Rate .  If there is a change in the rate of exchange prevailing between the conversion date and the date of actual payment of the amount due, the Borrowers shall pay such  additional amounts (if any, but, in any event, not a lesser amount) as may be necessary to ensure that the amount paid in the judgment currency, when converted at the rate of exchange prevailing on the date of payment, will produce the amount then due under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and/or any of the Security Documents in Dollars; any excess over the amount due received or collected by the Lenders shall be remitted to the Borrowers.
 
12.3            Additional Debt Due .  Any amount due from the Borrowers under this Section 12 shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sums due under or in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and/or any of the Security Documents.
 
12.4            Rate of Exchange .  The term “rate of exchange” in this Section 12 means the rate at which the Administrative Agent  in accordance with its normal practices is able on the relevant date to purchase Dollars with the judgment currency and includes any premium and costs of exchange payable in connection with such purchase.
 
13.
FEES AND EXPENSES
 
13.1            Fees .  During the period beginning on the date of this Credit Facility Agreement and ending on the Commitment Termination Date, the Borrowers shall pay, quarterly in arrears, with the final payment to be made on the Commitment Termination Date, to the Administrative Agent (for the account of the Lenders), a commitment fee (the “Commitment Fee”) of thirty-five hundredths
 
45

 
of one percent (0.35%) per annum payable on the average undrawn amount of the Facility.  The Borrowers shall also pay the Lenders such fees as the parties have agreed pursuant to the Fee Letter.
 
13.2            Expenses .  The Borrowers agree, whether or not the transactions hereby contemplated are consummated, on demand to pay, or reimburse the Agents for their payment of, the expenses of the Agents and (after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default) the Lenders incident to said transactions (and in connection with any supplements, amendments, waivers or consents relating thereto or incurred in connection with the enforcement or defense of any of the Agents' and the Lenders' rights or remedies with respect thereto or in the preservation of the Agent's and the Lenders' priorities under the documentation executed and delivered in connection therewith), including, without limitation, all costs and expenses of preparation, negotiation, execution and administration of this Credit Facility Agreement and the documents referred to herein (including, but not limited to, Value Added Tax imposed on any Lender related to those expenses), the fees and disbursements of the Agents' and Lenders' counsel in connection therewith, as well as the fees and expenses of any independent appraisers, surveyors, engineers, inspectors and other consultants retained by the Agents in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and under the Security Documents, all costs and expenses, if any, in connection with the enforcement of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents and stamp and other similar taxes, if any, incident to the execution and delivery of the documents (including, without limitation, the Note) herein contemplated and to hold the Agents and the Lenders free and harmless in connection with any liability arising from the nonpayment of any such stamp or other similar taxes.  Such taxes and, if any, interest and penalties related thereto as may become payable after the date hereof shall be paid immediately by the Borrowers to the Agents or the Lenders, as the case may be, when liability therefor is no longer contested by such party or parties or reimbursed immediately by the Borrowers to such party or parties after payment thereof (if the Agents or the Lenders, at their sole discretion, chooses to make such payment).
 
14.
APPLICABLE LAW, JURISDICTION AND WAIVER
 
14.1            Applicable Law .  This Credit Facility Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
 
14.2            Jurisdiction .  Each of the Borrowers hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in any action or proceeding brought against the Borrowers by any of the Lenders or the Agents under this Credit Facility Agreement or under any document delivered hereunder and hereby irrevocably agrees that valid service of summons or other legal process on it may be effected by serving a copy of the summons and other legal process in any such action or proceeding on the Borrowers, or its agent as designated in Section 4.2(f), by mailing or delivering the same by hand to the Borrowers at the address indicated for notices in Section 16.1 or to its agent at the address indicated in Section 4.2(f).  The service, as herein provided, of such summons or other legal process in any such action or proceeding shall be deemed personal service and accepted by the Borrowers as such, and shall be legal and binding upon the Borrowers for all the purposes of any such action or proceeding.  Final judgment (a certified or exemplified copy of which shall be conclusive evidence of the fact and of the amount of any indebtedness of the Borrowers to the Lenders or the Administrative Agent) against the Borrowers in any such legal action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment.  The Borrowers will
46

advise the Administrative Agent promptly of any change of address for the purpose of service of process.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Lenders may bring any legal action or proceeding in any other appropriate jurisdiction.
 
14.3            Waiver of Jury Trial .   IT IS MUTUALLY AGREED BY AND AMONG THE BORROWERS, THE OTHER SECURITY PARTIES, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND THE LENDERS THAT EACH OF THEM HEREBY WAIVES TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY HERETO AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY HERETO ON ANY MATTER WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, THE NOTE OR THE SECURITY DOCUMENTS.
 
15.
THE AGENTS
 
15.1            Appointment of Agents .  Each of the Lenders irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Agents severally each to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents as are delegated to such Agent by the terms hereof and thereof.  No Agent nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it or them under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or the Security Documents or in connection therewith, except for its or their own gross negligence or willful misconduct.  No party to this Credit Facility Agreement (other than the respective Agent) may take any action or institute any proceeding against any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of such Agent in respect of any claim it may have against such Agent or in respect of any act or omission of any kind by that current or former director, officer, employee or agent in relation to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, any Security Document or any other documents in connection therewith, and any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Agents may rely on this Section 15.1.
 
15.2            Security Trustee as Trustee .  Each of the Lenders irrevocably appoints the Security Trustee as trustee on its behalf with regard to (i) the security, powers, rights, titles, benefits and interests (both present and future) constituted by and conferred on the Lenders or any of them or for the benefit thereof under or pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any of the Security Documents (including, without limitation, the benefit of all covenants, undertakings, representations, warranties and obligations given, made or undertaken to any Lender in the Agreement, the Note or any Security Document),  (ii) all moneys, property and other assets paid or transferred to or vested in any Lender or any agent of any Lender or received or recovered by any Lender or any agent of any Lender pursuant to, or in connection with, this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or the Security Documents whether from any Security Party or any other person and (iii) all money, investments, property and other assets at any time representing or deriving from any of the foregoing, including all interest, income and other sums at any time received or receivable by any Lender or any agent of any Lender in respect of the same (or any part thereof).  The Security Trustee hereby accepts such appointment.
 
15.3            Distribution of Payments .  Whenever any payment is received by the Administrative Agent from the Borrowers or any other Security Party for the account of the Lenders, or any of them, whether of principal or interest on the Note, commissions, fees under Section 13 or otherwise, it will thereafter cause to be distributed on the same day if received before 3 p.m. Hamburg time, or
 
47

on the next day if received thereafter, like funds relating to such payment ratably to the Lenders according to their respective Commitments, in each case to be applied according to the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement.  The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any delay (or any related consequences ) in crediting an account with an amount required under the Credit Facility Agreement to be paid by the Administrative Agent if the Administrative Agent has taken all necessary steps to comply with the regulations or operating procedures of any recognized clearing or settlement system used by the Agent for that purpose.
 
15.4            Holder of Interest in Note .  The Agents may treat each Lender as the holder of all of the interest of such Lender in the Note.
 
15.5            No Duty to Examine, Etc .  The Agents shall not be under a duty to examine or pass upon the validity, enforceability, sufficiency, effectiveness or genuineness of any of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, the Security Documents or any instrument, document or communication furnished pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement or in connection therewith or in connection with the Note or any Security Document, and the Agents shall be entitled to assume that the same are valid, effective and genuine, have been signed or sent by the proper parties and are what they purport to be. Nothing contained in this Credit Facility Agreement shall oblige any Agent to carry out any "know your customer" or other checks in relation to any person on behalf of any Lender and each Lender confirms to the Agents that it is solely responsible for such checks and may not rely on any statement in relation thereto made by any Agent.

15.6            Agents as Lenders .  With respect to that portion of the Facility made available by it, each Agent shall have the same rights and powers hereunder as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Agent, and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall include each Agent in its capacity as a Lender.  Each Agent and its affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with, the Borrowers and the other Security Parties, as if it was not an Agent.
 
15.7            Acts of the Agents .  Each Agent shall have duties and reasonable discretion, and shall act as follows:
 
(a)            Obligations of the Agents .  The obligations of each Agent under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note and under the Security Documents are only those expressly set forth herein and therein.
 
(b)            No Duty to Investigate .  No Agent shall at any time be under any duty to investigate whether an Event of Default, or an event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, has occurred or to investigate the performance of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document by any Security Party.
 
(c)            Discretion of the Agents .  Each Agent shall be entitled to use its discretion with respect to exercising or refraining from exercising any rights which may be vested in it by, and with respect to taking or refraining from taking any action or actions which it may be able to take under or in respect of, this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents, unless the Administrative Agent shall have been instructed by the Majority Lenders to exercise such rights or to take or refrain from taking such action; provided , however , that no Agent shall be required to
 
48

take any action which exposes such Agent to personal liability or which is contrary to this Credit Facility Agreement or applicable law. Each Agent may refrain from acting in accordance with the instructions of the Majority Lenders (or, if appropriate, all of the Lenders) until such Agent has received such security as it may require for any costs, loss or liability (together with any associated VAT) which it may incur in complying with said instructions.
 
(d)            Instructions of Majority Lenders .  Each Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note, or under any Security Document in accordance with the instructions of the Majority Lenders, and any action taken, or failure to act pursuant to such instructions, shall be binding on all of the Lenders any instructions given by the Majority Lenders will be binding on all of the Lenders.
 
(e)            Power of Attorney .  Each Agent has the right to delegate by power of attorney or otherwise to any person or persons all or any of the rights, trusts, powers, authorities and discretions vested in it by this Agreement or any other agreement relating hereto on such terms and conditions as such Agent shall think fit and such Agent shall not be bound to supervise the proceedings or be in any way responsible for any loss incurred by reason of any misconduct or default on the part of any such delegate or sub-delegate provided that such Agent shall have acted reasonably in making such delegation to such delegate and such Agent shall promptly give notice to each of the Lenders of the appointment of any delegate or such delegate as aforesaid.
 
15.8            Certain Amendments .  Neither this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note nor any of the Security Documents nor any terms hereof or thereof may be amended unless such amendment is approved by the Borrowers and the Majority Lenders, provided that no such amendment shall, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby, (i)  reduce the interest rate or extend the time of a scheduled payment of principal or interest or fees on the Facility, or reduce the principal amount of the Facility or any fees hereunder, (ii) increase or decrease the Commitment of any Lender or subject any Lender to any additional obligation (it being understood that a waiver of any Event of Default, other than a payment default, or any mandatory repayment of Facility shall not constitute a change in the terms of any Commitment of any Lender), (iii) amend, modify or waive any provision of this Section 15.8, (iv) amend the definition of Majority Lenders or any other definition referred to in this Section 15.8, (v) consent to the assignment or transfer by the Borrowers of any of their rights and obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, (vi) accept payment for the obligations of the Security Parties under this Credit Facility Agreement in any currency other than Dollars, (vii) waive the requirements regarding the delivery of audited financial statements under Section 9.1(d), (viii) release any Security Party from any of its obligations under any Security Document except as expressly provided herein or in such Security Document or (vii) amend any provision relating to the maintenance of collateral under Section 9.4; provided, further, that approval by all Lenders shall be required for any amendment or waivers with respect to Section 5.3 of this Credit Facility Agreement.  All amendments approved by the Majority Lenders under this Section 15.8 must be in writing and signed by the Borrowers, each of the Lenders comprising the Majority Lenders and, if applicable, each Lender affected thereby and any such amendment shall be binding on all the Lenders; provided , however , that any amendments or waivers with respect to Section 5.3 of this Credit Facility Agreement must be in writing and signed by the Borrowers and all of the Lenders.
 
 
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15.9            Assumption re Event of Default .  Except as otherwise provided in Section 15.15, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to assume that no Event of Default, or event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, has occurred and is continuing, unless the Administrative Agent has been notified by any Security Party of such fact, or has been notified by a Lender that such Lender considers that an Event of Default or such an event (specifying in detail the nature thereof) has occurred and is continuing.  In the event that the Administrative Agent shall have been notified, in the manner set forth in the preceding sentence, by any Security Party or any Lender of any Event of Default or of an event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders and shall take action and assert such rights under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note and under Security Documents as the Majority Lenders shall request in writing.
 
15.10          Limitations of Liability .  Neither any Agent nor any of the Lenders shall be under any liability or responsibility whatsoever:
 
(a)           to any Security Party or any other person or entity as a consequence of any failure or delay in performance by, or any breach by, any other Lenders or any other person of any of its or their obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement or under any Security Document;
 
(b)           to any Lender or Lenders as a consequence of any failure or delay in performance by, or any breach by, any Security Party of any of its respective obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under the Security Documents; or
 
(c)           to any Lender or Lenders for any statements, representations or warranties contained in this Credit Facility Agreement, in any Security Document or in any document or instrument delivered in connection with the transaction hereby contemplated; or for the validity, effectiveness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, any Security Document or any document or instrument delivered in connection with the transactions hereby contemplated.
 
15.11          Indemnification of the Agents .  The Lenders agree to indemnify each Agent (to the extent not reimbursed by the Security Parties or any thereof), pro rata according to the respective amounts of their Commitments, from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever (including legal fees and expenses incurred in investigating claims and defending itself against such liabilities) which may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against, such Agent in any way relating to or arising out of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document, any action taken or omitted by such Agent thereunder or the preparation, administration, amendment or enforcement of, or waiver of any provision of, this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document, except that no Lender shall be liable for any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements resulting from such Agent's gross negligence or willful misconduct.
 
15.12          Consultation with Counsel .  Each of the Agents may consult with legal counsel reasonably selected by such Agent and shall not be liable for any action taken, permitted or omitted by it in good faith in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel.
 
 
 
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15.13          Resignation .  Any Agent may resign at any time by giving thirty (30) days' written notice thereof to the other Agents, the Lenders and the Borrowers.  Upon any such resignation, the Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Agent.  If no successor Agent shall have been so appointed by the Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Agent's giving notice of resignation, then the retiring Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Agent which shall be a bank or trust company of recognized standing.  Any resignation by an Agent pursuant to this Section 15.13 shall be effective only upon the appointment of a successor Agent. After any retiring Agent's resignation as Agent hereunder, the provisions of this Section 15 shall continue in effect for its benefit with respect to any actions taken or omitted by it while acting as Agent.  
 
15.14          Representations of Lenders .  Each Lender represents and warrants to each other Lender and each Agent that:
 
(a)           in making its decision to enter into this Credit Facility Agreement and to make its Commitment available hereunder, it has independently taken whatever steps it considers necessary to evaluate the financial condition and affairs of the Security Parties, that it has made an independent credit judgment and that it has not relied upon any statement, representation or warranty by any other Lender or any Agent; and
 
(b)           so long as any portion of its Commitment remains outstanding, it will continue to make its own independent evaluation of the financial condition and affairs of the Security Parties.
 
15.15          Notification of Event of Default .  The Administrative Agent hereby undertakes to promptly notify the Lenders, and the Lenders hereby promptly undertake to notify the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders, of the existence of any Event of Default, which shall have occurred and be continuing, of which the Administrative Agent or Lender has actual knowledge which, for purposes of this Section 15.15, shall mean the actual knowledge of an officer having responsibility for the transactions contemplated by this Credit Facility Agreement.
 
15.16          No Agency or Trusteeship if not Syndicated .  Unless and until the Loan is syndicated or at any other time HSH is the only Lender, all references to the terms “Agent” and “Security Trustee” shall be deemed to be references to HSH as Lender and not as agent or security trustee.
 
15.17          Nature of Duties .  The Agents shall have no duties or responsibilities except those expressly set forth in this Agreement and the Security Documents.  Neither the Agents nor any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees or affiliates shall be liable for any action taken or omitted by it or them hereunder or under any of the Security Documents or in connection herewith or therewith, unless caused by such Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct (any such liability limited to the applicable Agent to whom such Person relates).  The duties of each of the Agents shall be mechanical and administrative in nature; neither of the Agents shall have by reason of this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the Security Documents, any fiduciary relationship in respect of any Lender or the holder or any Note; and nothing in this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the Security Documents, expressed or implied, is intended to or shall be construed as to impose upon either of the Agents any obligations in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the Security Documents except as expressly set forth herein or therein.
 
 
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15.18          Delegation of Power .  The Agents shall be entitled at any time and as often as may be expedient to delegate all or any of the powers and discretions vested in it by this Credit Facility Agreement and each of the Security Documents in such manner and upon such terms and to such persons as the Agents in their absolute discretion may deem advisable.
 
16.
NOTICES AND DEMANDS
 
16.1            Notices .  All notices, requests, demands and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including prepaid overnight courier, facsimile transmission or similar writing) and shall be given to the Borrowers at the address or facsimile number set forth below and to the Lenders and the Agents at their address and facsimile numbers set forth in Schedule 1 or at such other address or facsimile numbers as such party may hereafter specify for the purpose by notice to each other party hereto.  Each such notice, request or other communication shall be effective (i) if given by facsimile, within two (2) hours of the dispatch of notice (provided that if the date of dispatch of notice is not a Banking Day in the country of the party receiving the notice, or the time of dispatch of notice is after the close of business in the country of the party receiving the notice, it shall be effective at the opening of business on the next business day, or (ii) if given by mail, prepaid overnight courier or any other means, when received at the address specified in this Section or when delivery at such address is refused.
 
If to the Borrowers:
 
c/o Top Tanker Management Inc.
1 Vassillissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str.
151 24, Maroussi, Greece
 

17.
MISCELLANEOUS
 
17.1            Time of Essence .  Time is of the essence with respect to this Credit Facility Agreement but no failure or delay on the part of any Lender or any Agent to exercise any power or right under this Credit Facility Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by any Lender or any Agent of any power or right hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other power or right.  The remedies provided herein are cumulative and are not exclusive of any remedies provided by law.
 
17.2            Unenforceable, etc., Provisions–Effect .  In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or in any Security Document would, if given effect, be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law applicable in any relevant jurisdiction, said provision shall not be enforceable against the relevant Security Party, but the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions herein or therein contained shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
 
17.3            References .  References herein to Sections, Exhibits and Schedules are to be construed as references to sections of, exhibits to, and schedules to, this Credit Facility Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires.
 
 
 
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17.4            Further Assurances .  Each of the Borrowers agrees that if this Credit Facility Agreement or any Security Document shall, in the reasonable opinion of the Lenders, at any time be deemed by the Lenders for any reason insufficient in whole or in part to carry out the true intent and spirit hereof or thereof, it will execute or cause to be executed such other and further assurances and documents as in the opinion of the Lenders may be required in order to more effectively accomplish the purposes of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document.
 
17.5            Prior Agreements, Merger .  Any and all prior understandings and agreements heretofore entered into between the Security Parties on the one part, and the Agents or the Lenders, on the other part, whether written or oral, other than the Fee Letter, are superseded by and merged into this Credit Facility Agreement and the other agreements (the forms of which are exhibited hereto) to be executed and delivered in connection herewith to which the Security Parties, the Agents and/or the Lenders are parties, which alone fully and completely express the agreements between the Security Parties, the Agents and the Lenders.
 
17.6            Entire Agreement; Amendments .  This Credit Facility Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto, including all parties added hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption Agreement.   Subject to Section 15.8, any provision of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any Security Document may be amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is signed by the Borrowers, the Agents and the Majority Lenders.  This Credit Facility Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.  
 
17.7            Indemnification .  Each of the Borrowers and, by its execution and delivery of the Consent and Agreement set forth below, the Guarantor, jointly and severally agree to indemnify each Lender and each Agent, their respective successors and assigns, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (each an “Indemnitee”) from, and hold each of them harmless against, any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages, expenses, obligations, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever (including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of counsel for such Indemnitee in connection with any investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding commenced or threatened, whether or not such Indemnitee shall be designated a party thereto) that may at any time (including, without limitation, at any time following the payment of the obligations of the Borrowers hereunder) be imposed on, asserted against or incurred by, any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of or in any way related to or by reason of, (a) any violation by any Security Party (or any charterer or other operator of any Vessel) of any applicable Environmental Law, (b) any Environmental Claim arising out of the management, use, control, ownership or operation of property or assets by any Security Party (or, after foreclosure, by any Lender or any Agent or any of their respective successors or assigns), (c) the breach of any representation, warranty or covenant set forth in Sections 2.1 (p) or 9.1(l), (d) the Facility (including the use of the proceeds of the Facility and any claim made for any brokerage commission, fee or compensation from any Person), or (e) the execution, delivery, performance or non-performance of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note, any Security Document, or any of the documents referred to herein or contemplated hereby (whether or not the Indemnitee is a party thereto).  If and to the extent that the obligations of the Security Parties under this Section are unenforceable for any reason, the Borrowers and, by its execution and delivery of the Consent and Agreement set forth below, the Guarantor, jointly and severally agree to make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of such obligations which is permissible
 
53

 
under applicable law.  The obligations of the Security Parties under this Section 17.7 shall survive the termination of this Credit Facility Agreement and the repayment to the Lenders of all amounts owing thereto under or in connection herewith.
 
17.8            Headings .  In this Credit Facility Agreement, section headings are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be taken into account in the interpretation of this Credit Facility Agreement.
 
17.9            Waiver of Immunity .  TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY SECURITY PARTY HAS OR HEREAFTER MAY ACQUIRE ANY IMMUNITY FROM SUIT, JURISDICTION OF ANY COURT OR ANY LEGAL PROCESS (WHETHER THROUGH ATTACHMENT PRIOR TO JUDGMENT, ATTACHMENT IN AID OF EXECUTION, EXECUTION OF A JUDGMENT, OR FROM ANY OTHER LEGAL PROCESS OR REMEDY) WITH RESPECT TO ITSELF OR ITS PROPERTY, SUCH SECURITY PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES SUCH IMMUNITY IN RESPECT OF ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS CREDIT FACILITY AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER SECURITY DOCUMENTS.
 

 


 

 
54

 

IN WITNESS whereof, the parties hereto have caused this Credit Facility Agreement to be duly executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the day and year first above written.
 
JEKE SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

By: /s/ Gary Wolfe            
Name: Gary Wolfe
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact


NOIR SHIPPING S.A.


By: /s/ Gary Wolfe            
Name: Gary Wolfe
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact


AMALFI SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 

By: /s/ Gary Wolfe            
Name: Gary Wolfe
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact


HSH NORDBANK AG,
as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter,
Administrative Agent and Security Trustee
 
 
By: /s/Amanda K. Brown      
Name:  Amanda K. Brown
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
The Lenders:

 
HSH NORDBANK AG
 

By: /s/Amanda K. Brown      
Name:  Amanda K. Brown
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact


 

 
 

 


CONSENT AND AGREEMENT
 
The undersigned, referred to in the foregoing Credit Facility Agreement as the “Guarantor”, hereby consents and agrees to said Credit Facility Agreement and to the documents contemplated thereby and to the provisions contained therein relating to conditions to be fulfilled and obligations to be performed by the undersigned pursuant to or in connection with said Credit Facility Agreement and agrees particularly to be bound by the representations, warranties and covenants relating to the undersigned contained in Sections 2 and 9 of said Credit Facility Agreement to the same extent as if the undersigned were a party to said Credit Facility Agreement, and expressly agrees to the grant of a security interest in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 9.1(q) of said Credit Facility Agreement.
 
 

 
  TOP TANKERS INC.
 
 
 
 
By: /s/ Gary Wolfe            
 
Name:  Gary Wolfe
 
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact


 


 

 
 

 

Schedule 1
 
                                                                                                         
 
Lenders 
 
 
Commitment
 
HSH Nordbank AG
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50
20095 Hamburg, Germany
Attn: Shipping, Greek Clients
Fax:  + 49 40 3333 34118
 
 
 
 
$95,000,000
     
     
 
 
Agents
 
HSH Nordbank AG
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50
20095 Hamburg, Germany
Attn: Shipping, Greek Clients
Fax:  + 49 40 3333 34118
 
   

 
 

 

Schedule 2

THE VESSELS
 

Name of Vessel
 
 
Owner
Official Number
 
IMO Number
 
Flag
 
 
DWT
 
Year Built
 
VOC GALLANT
Jeke Shipping Company Limited
      9257072  
Liberia
    51,201  
2002
 
SALMAS (tbr BERTRAM)
Noir Shipping S.A.
      9087269  
Marshall Islands
    73,506  
1995
 
OCEAN SPIRIT (tbr AMALFI)
Amalfi Shipping Company Limited
      9218337  
Marshall Islands
    45,526  
2000





 
 

 

Schedule 3

Indebtedness of each Security Party as of September __, 2007



Exhibit 4.73
 
 
DATED 17 December 2007
 
 
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as Borrower)


- and -

ALPHA BANK A.E.
(as Lender)
 
     
     
 
 
US$48,000,000 SECURED
LOAN AGREEMENT
 
 
     

 
STEPHENSON HARWOOD
One St. Paul's Churchyard
London EC4M 8SH
Tel: 020 7329 4422
Fax: 020 7329 7100
Ref: 28.037

 
 

 

CONTENTS
Page
1
Definitions and Interpretation
1
2
The Loan and its Purpose
10
3
Conditions of Utilisation
11
4
Advance
11
5
Repayment
12
6
Prepayment
12
7
Interest
14
8
Indemnities
16
9
Fees
20
10
Security and Application of Moneys
23
11.
Representations
23
12
Undertakings and Covenants
26
13
Events of Default
34
14
Assignment and Sub-Participation
38
15
Set-Off
38
16
Payments
39
17
Notices
40
18
Partial Invalidity
41
19
Remedies and Waivers
42
20
Miscellaneous
42
21
Law and jurisdiction.
43

 
 

 


SCHEDULE 1: Conditions Precedent and Subsequent
45
Part I: Conditions precedent
45
Part II Conditions subsequent
50
 
SCHEDULE 3: Form of Drawdown Notice
51
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED SCHEDULE 4: Form of Compliance Certificate
51
   
SCHEDULE 4: Form of Compliance Certificate
52


 
 

 

LOAN AGREEMENT
 
Dated: 17 December 2007
 
BETWEEN:
 
(1)
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80 Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Borrower"); and
 
(2)
ALPHA BANK A.E., acting through its office at 89 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 38 Piraeus, Greece (the "Lender").
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)
The Borrower has agreed to purchase the Vessel from the Seller on the terms of the MOA and intends to register the Vessel under the flag of the Republic of Liberia.
 
(B)
The Lender has agreed to advance to the Borrower an amount not exceeding forty eight million Dollars ($48,000,000) representing sixty five per centum (65%) of the Purchase Price to assist the Borrower to finance part of the Purchase Price.
 
IT IS AGREED as follows:
 
1             Definitions and Interpretation
 
 
1.1
In this Agreement:
 
"Accounting Information" means the financial statements and information to be provided by the Borrower and the Guarantor to the Lender in accordance with Clause 12.1.1.
 
"Administration" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 1.1.3 of the ISM Code.
 
"Annex VI " means Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (as modified in 1978 and 1997).
 
"Assignment " means the deed or deeds of assignment referred to in Clause 10.1.2 (Security Documents).

 
 

 

"Availability Termination Date" means 31 December 2007 or such later date as the Lender may in its discretion agree.
 
"Business Day" means a day (other than a Saturday or Sunday) on which banks are open for general business in New York, London and Piraeus.
 
"Charter" means any time charterparty made between the Borrower (as owner) and a Charterer (as charterer) in respect of the Vessel with a duration exceeding twelve (1 2) months.
 
"Charterer" means the company that has entered into a Charter with the Borrower.
 
"Break Costs" means all sums payable by the Borrower from time to time under Clause 8.3 (Break Costs).
 
"Compliance Certificate" means a certificate substantially in the form set out in Schedule 4 (Form of Compliance Certificate).
 
"Consolidated Indebtedness" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, the aggregate amount of Financial Indebtedness (including current maturities) due by the members of the Group (other than any such Financial Indebtedness owing by any member of the Group to another member of the Group) as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
"Currency of Account" means, in relation to any payment to be made to the Lender under a Finance Document, the currency in which that payment is required to be made by the terms of that Finance Document.
 
"Default" means an Event of Default or any event or circumstance specified in Clause 13.1 (Events of Default) which would (with the expiry of a grace period, the giving of notice, the making of any determination under the Finance Documents or any combination of any of the foregoing) be an Event of Default.
 
" DOC" means, in relation to the ISM Company, a valid Document of Compliance for the ISM Company by the Administration under paragraph 13.2 of the ISM Code.

 
2

 

"Dollars" and " $ " each means available and freely transferable and convertible funds in lawful currency of the United States of America.
 
"Drawdown Date" means the date on which the Loan is advanced under Clause 4 (Advance).
 
"Drawdown Notice" means a notice substantially in the form set out in Schedule 3 (Form of Drawdown Notice).
 
"Earnings" means all hires, freights, pool income and other sums payable to or for the account of the Borrower in respect of the Vessel including (without limitation) all remuneration for salvage and towage services, demurrage and detention moneys, contributions in general average, compensation in respect of any requisition for hire, and damages and other payments (whether awarded by any court or arbitral tribunal or by agreement or otherwise) for breach, termination or variation of any contract for the operation, employment or use of the Vessel.
 
"Earnings Account" means a bank account to be opened in the name of the Borrower with the Lender and designated "Japan III Shipping Company Limited -Earnings Account".
 
"Encumbrance" means a mortgage, charge, assignment, pledge, lien, or other security interest securing any obligation of any person or any other agreement or arrangement having a similar effect.
 
"Event of Default" means any of the events or circumstances set out in Clause 13.1 (Events of Default).
 
"Facility Period" means the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the date when the whole of the Indebtedness has been paid in full and the Security Parties have ceased to be under any further actual or contingent liability to the Lender under or in connection with the Finance Documents.
 
"Fee Letter" means any letter or letters dated on or about the date of this Agreement between the Lender and the Borrower setting out any of the fees referred to in Clause 9 (Fees).
 
" Final Maturity Date " means 18 March 2016.

 
3

 

"Finance Documents" means this Agreement, the Security Documents, any Fee Letter and any other document designated as such by the Lender and the Borrower and "Finance Document" means any one of them.
 
"Financial Indebtedness" means any obligation for the payment or repayment of money, whether present or future, actual or contingent, in respect of:
 
 
(a)
moneys borrowed;
 
 
(b)
any acceptance credit;
 
 
(c)
any bond, note, debenture, loan stock or similar instrument;
 
 
(d)
any finance or capital lease;
 
 
(e)
receivables sold or discounted (other than on a non-recourse basis);
 
 
(f)
deferred payments for assets or services;
 
 
(g)
any derivative transaction protecting against or benefiting from fluctuations in any rate or price (and, when calculating the value of any derivative transaction, only the marked to market value shall be taken into account);
 
 
(h)
any amount raised under any other transaction (including any forward sale or purchase agreement) having the commercial effect of a borrowing;
 
 
(i)
any counter-indemnity obligation in respect of a guarantee, indemnity, bond, standby or documentary letter of credit or any other instrument issued by a bank or financial institution; and
 
 
(j)
the amount of any liability in respect of any guarantee or indemnity for any of the items referred to in paragraphs (a) to (i) above.
 
" GAAP " means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
 
"Guarantee" means the guarantee and indemnity referred to in Clause 10.13 (Security Documents).
 
 
" Guarantor " means Top Tankers Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Marshall Islands, having its registered office at the Trust Company Complex,

 
4

 
 
 
Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Islands, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960 and/or (where the context permits) any other person who shall at any time during the Facility Period give to the Lender a guarantee and/or indemnity for the repayment of all or part of the Indebtedness.
" Group " means the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (whether direct or indirect and including, but not limited to, the Borrower) from time to time during the Facility Period and "member of the Group" shall be construed accordingly.
 
" IAPPC " means a valid international air pollution prevention certificate for the Vessel issued under Annex VI.
 
"Indebtedness" means the aggregate from time to time of: the amount of the Loan outstanding; all accrued and unpaid interest on the Loan; and all other sums of any nature (together with all accrued and unpaid interest on any of those sums) payable to the Lender under all or any of the Finance Documents.
 
"Insurances" means all policies and contracts of insurance (including all entries in protection and indemnity or war risks associations) which are from time to time taken out or entered into in respect of or in connection with the Vessel or her increased value or the Earnings and (where the context permits) all benefits under such contracts and policies, including all claims of any nature and returns of premium.
 
"Interest Payment Date" means each date for the payment of interest in accordance with Clause 7.7 (Accrual and payment of interest).
 
"Interest Period" means each period for the determination and payment of interest selected by the Borrower or agreed or selected by the Lender pursuant to Clause 7 (Interest).
 
"ISM Code" means the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention.
 
"ISM Company" means, at any given time, the company responsible for the Vessel's compliance with the ISM Code under paragraph 1.1.2 of the ISM Code.
 
"ISPS" Code" means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

 
5

 

"ISPS Company" means, at any given time, the company responsible for the Vessel's compliance with the ISPS Code.
 
" ISSC " means a valid international ship security certificate for the Vessel issued under the ISPS Code.
 
" LIBOR " means:
 
 
(a)
the applicable Screen Rate; or
 
 
(b)
(if no Screen Rate is available for any Interest Period) the arithmetic mean of the rates (rounded upwards to the nearest whole multiple of one-sixteenth of one per centum) quoted to the Lender in the London interbank market,
 
at 11.00 a.m. two (2) Business Days before the first day of the relevant Interest Period for the offering of deposits in Dollars in an amount comparable to the Loan (or any relevant part of the Loan) and for a period comparable to the relevant Interest Period.
 
" Loan " means the aggregate amount advanced or to be advanced by the Lender to the Borrower under Clause 4 (Advance) or, where the context permits, the amount advanced and for the time being outstanding.
 
"Management Agreement" means the agreement(s) for the commercial and/or technical management of the Vessel between the Borrower and the Managers.
 
"Managers" means Top Tanker Management Inc., a company organised and existing under the laws of the Republic of Marshall Islands, having its registered office at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands with an office in Maroussi (1 Vas. Sofias and Meg. Alexandrou Street) Attiki, Greece or such other commercial and/or technical managers of the Vessel nominated by the Borrower as the Lender may approve.
 
" Margin " means one point thirty per cent (1.30%) per annum.
 
"Market Value" means the market value of the Vessel to be conclusively determined on the basis of a valuation provided by an international, reputable, independent and first class firm of shipbrokers appointed by the Lender at the expense of the Borrower (in respect of one such valuation per calendar year that is obtained to determine the market value of the Vessel, unless there is an Event of Default,

 
6

 
 
which is continuing in which case all costs shall be borne by the Borrower) and addressed to the Lender on the basis of a charter-free sale for prompt delivery for cash at arm's length on normal commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer.
 
"Maximum Loan Amount" means an amount not exceeding forty eight million Dollars ($48,000,000).
 
"Minimum Equity" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, "total assets", as shown in the relevant Accounting Information, less the Consolidated Indebtedness.
 
"Minimum Liquidity" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, "cash" and "cash equivalents", which are free from any Encumbrances, as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
"Minimum Adjusted Net Worth" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, the Group's "total assets" as shown in the relevant Accounting Information adjusted to "fair market value" (on a consolidated basis) of the Group, as shown in the relevant Accounting Information, excluding "current and long term debt obligations" as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
" MOA " means the memorandum of agreement dated 7 August 2007 on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Seller will sell the Vessel to the Borrower for the Purchase Price.
 
"Mortgage" means the first preferred mortgage referred to in Clause 10.1.1 (Security Documents).
 
"Original Financial Statements" means the audited financial statements of the Borrower and the Guarantor for the financial year ended 31 December 2007.
 
"Purchase Price" in respect of the Vessel means seventy four million Dollars ($74,000,000).
 
"Relevant Documents" means the Finance Documents, the MOA, the Charter, the Management Agreement, and the Managers' confirmation specified in Part I of Schedule 1 (Conditions precedent).

 
7

 

"Repayment Date" means the date for payment of any Repayment Instalment in accordance with Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan).
 
"Repayment Instalment" means any instalment of the Loan to be repaid by the Borrower under Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan).
 
"Requisition Compensation" means all compensation or other money which may from time to time be payable to the Borrower as a result of the Vessel being requisitioned for title or in any other way compulsorily acquired (other than by way of requisition for hire).
 
"Screen Rate" means in relation to LIBOR, the British Bankers' Association Interest Settlement Rate for the relevant currency (rounded upwards to the nearest whole multiple of one-sixteenth of one per centum) and period displayed on the appropriate page of the Reuters screen. If the agreed page is replaced or the service ceases to be available, the Lender may specify another page or service displaying the appropriate rate after consultation with the Borrower.
 
"Security Documents" means the Mortgage, the Assignment, the Guarantee, or (where the context permits) any one or more of them and any other agreement or document which may at any time be executed by any person as security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness and "Security Document" means any one of them.
 
"Security Parties" means the Borrower, the Guarantor, and any other person who may at any time during the Facility Period be liable for, or provide security for, all or any part of the Indebtedness, and "Security Party" means any one of them.
 
"Seller" means Ratu Shipping Co., of the Republic of Panama.
 
" SMC " means a valid safety management certificate issued for the Vessel by or on behalf of the Administration under paragraph 13.7 of the ISM Code.
 
" SMS " means a safety management system for the Vessel developed and implemented in accordance with the ISM Code.
 
" Subsidiaries " means any company or entity directly or indirectly controlled by such person, and for this purpose "control" means either the ownership of more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting share capital (or equivalent rights of ownership)
 
 
8

 
 
of such company or entity or the power to direct its policies and management, whether by contract or otherwise and "Subsidiary" means any one of them.
 
" Tax " means any tax, levy, impost, duty or other charge or withholding of a similar nature (including any penalty or interest payable in connection with any failure to pay or any delay in paying any of the same).
 
"Total Loss" means:
 
 
(a)
an actual, constructive, arranged, agreed or compromised total loss of the Vessel; or
 
 
(b)
the requisition for title or compulsory acquisition of the Vessel by any government or other competent authority (other than by way of requisition for hire); or
 
 
(c)
the capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation of the Vessel by any government or by persons acting or purporting to act on behalf of any government, unless the Vessel is released and returned to the possession of the Borrower within forty five (45) days after the capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation in question.
 
" Vessel " means the 2000-built panamax bulk carrier vessel "SEATTLE TRADER" of approximately 75,681 dwt currently registered under the flag of the Republic of Panama in the ownership of the Seller and intended to be sold by the Seller to the Borrower on the terms of the MOA, and registered under the flag of the Republic of Liberia in the ownership of the Borrower with the name ''CYCLADES", and everything now or in the future belonging to her on board and ashore.
 
 
1.2
In this Agreement:
 
 
1.2.1
words denoting the plural number include the singular and vice versa;
 
 
1.2.2
words denoting persons include corporations, partnerships, associations of persons (whether incorporated or not) or governmental or quasi-governmental bodies or authorities and vice versa;
 
 
1.2.3
references to Recitals, Clauses and Schedules are references to recitals, clauses and schedules to or of this Agreement;
 

 
9

 

 
1.2.4
references to this Agreement include the Recitals and the Schedules;
 
 
1.2.5
the headings and contents page(s) are for the purpose of reference only, have no legal or other significance, and shall be ignored in the interpretation of this Agreement;
 
 
1.2.6
references to any document (including, without limitation, to all or any of the Relevant Documents) are, unless the context otherwise requires, references to that document as amended, supplemented, novated or replaced from time to time;
 
 
1.2.7
references to statutes or provisions of statutes are references to those statutes, or those provisions, as from time to time amended, replaced or re-enacted;
 
 
1.2.8
references to the Lender include its successors, transferees and assignees; and
 
 
1.2.9
a time of day (unless otherwise specified) is a reference to London time.
 
 
1.3
Offer letter
 
This Agreement supersedes the terms and conditions contained in any correspondence relating to the subject matter of this Agreement exchanged between the Lender and the Borrower or their representatives prior to the date of this Agreement.
 
2           The Loan and its Purpose
 
 
2. 1
Amount Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Lender agrees to make available to the Borrower a term loan in an aggregate amount not exceeding the Maximum Loan Amount.
 
 
2.7
Purpose The Borrower shall apply the Loan for the purposes referred to in Recital (B).
 
 
2. 3
Monitoring The Lender shall not be bound to monitor or verify the application of any amount borrowed under this Agreement.
 

 
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3           Conditions of Utilisation
 
 
3.1
Conditions precedent The Borrower is not entitled to have the Loan advanced unless the Lender has received all of the documents and other evidence listed in Part I of Schedule 1 (Conditions precedent).
 
 
3.2
Further conditions precedent The Lender will only be obliged to advance the Loan if on the date of the Drawdown Notice and on the proposed Drawdown Date:
 
 
3.2.1
no Default is continuing or would result from the advance of the Loan: and;
 
 
3.2.2
the representations made by the Borrower under Clause I1 (Representations) are true in all material respects.
 
 
3.3
Conditions subsequent The Borrower undertakes to deliver or to cause to be delivered to the Lender on, or as soon as practicable after, the Drawdown Date the additional documents and other evidence listed in Part II of Schedule I (Conditions subsequent).
 
 
3.4
No Waiver If the Lender in its sole discretion agrees to advance all or any part of the Loan to the Borrower before all of the documents and evidence required by Clause 3.1 (Conditions precedent) have been delivered to or to the order of the Lender, the Borrower undertakes to deliver all outstanding documents and evidence to or to the order of the Lender no later than thirty (30) days after the Drawdown Date or such other date specified by the Lender.
 
The advance of all or any part of the Loan under this Clause 3.4 shall not be taken as a waiver of the Lender's right to require production of all the documents and evidence required by Clause 3.1 (Conditions precedent).
 
 
3.5
Form and content All documents and evidence delivered to the Lender under this Clause 3 shall:
 
 
3.5.1
be in form and substance acceptable to the Lender; and
 
 
3.5.2
if required by the Lender, be certified, notarised, legalised or attested in a manner acceptable to the Lender.
 
 
4.      Advance
 
 
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The Borrower may request the Loan to be advanced in one amount on any Business Day prior to the Availability Termination Date by delivering to the Lender a duly completed Drawdown Notice not more than ten (10) and not fewer than two (2) Business Days before the proposed Drawdown Date.
 
5             Repayment
 
 
5.1
Repayment of Loan The Borrower agrees to repay the Loan to the Lender by thirty two (32) consecutive quarterly instalments, the first four such instalments (1st-4th) each in the sum of two million seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($2,750,000), the following four such instalments (5th-8th) each in the sum of two million two hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($2,250,000), the following four such instalments (9th-12th) each in the sum of one million two hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($1,250,000) and the following nineteen such instalments (13th-31st) each in the amount of seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($750,000) and the thirty second (32nd) and final instalment in the amount of eight million seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($8,750,000) (consisting of an instalment of seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars ($750,000) and a balloon payment of eight million Dollars ($8,000,000) (the "Balloon Payment") the first instalment falling due on the date which is three calendar months after the Drawdown Date and subsequent instalments falling due at consecutive intervals of three calendar months thereafter with the last instalment falling due on the Final Maturity Date.
 
 
5.2
Reduction of Repayment Instalments If the aggregate amount advanced to the Borrower is less than the Maximum Loan Amount, the amount of each Repayment Instalment shall be reduced pro rata to the amount actually advanced.
 
 
5.3
Reborrowing The Borrower may not reborrow any part of the Loan which is repaid or prepaid.
 
6           Prepayment
 
 
6.1
Illegality If it becomes unlawful in any jurisdiction for the Lender to perform any of its obligations as contemplated by this Agreement or to fund or maintain the Loan:
 
 
6.1.1
the Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower of that event; and
 

 
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6.1.2
the Borrower shall repay the Loan (to the extent already advanced) on the last day of the current Interest Period or, if earlier, the date. specified by the Lender in the notice delivered to the Borrower (being no earlier than the last day of any applicable grace period permitted by law).
 
 
6.2
Voluntary prepayment of Loan The Borrower may prepay the. whole or any part of the Loan (but, if in part, being an amount that reduces the Loan by a minimum amount of five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) or integral multiples thereof) subject as follows:
 
 
6.2.1
it gives the Lender not less than fifteen (15) Business Days' (or such shorter period as the Lender may agree) prior notice;
 
 
6.2.2
no prepayment may be made until after the Availability Termination Date; and
 
 
6.2.3
any prepayment under this Clause 6.2 shall satisfy the obligations under Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan) as follows:
 
 
(a)
if prepayment is made within two years after the Drawdown Date, fifty per cent (50%) of such prepayment shall be applied in reducing pro rata any unpaid part of the first eight (1st-8th) Repayment Instalments and the other fifty per cent (50%) of such prepayment shall he applied in reducing pro rata the following twenty four (9th-32nd) Repayment Instalments;
 
 
(b)
if prepayment is made following the repayment of the eighth (8th) Repayment Instalment, such prepayment shall be applied in reducing pro rata the outstanding Repayment Instalments including the Balloon Payment.
 
 
6.3
Mandatory prepayment on sale or Total Loss I f the Vessel is sold by the Borrower or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, prepay the whole of the Loan.
 
 
6.4
Restrictions Any notice of prepayment given under this Clause 6 shall be irrevocable and, unless a contrary indication appears in this Agreement, shall

 
13

 
 
specify the date or dates upon which the relevant prepayment is to be made and the amount of that prepayment.
 
Any prepayment under this Agreement shall be made together with accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, subject to any Break Costs, without premium or penalty.
 
7           Interest
 
 
7.1
Interest Periods The period during which the Loan shall be outstanding under this Agreement shall be divided into consecutive Interest Periods of one, three or six months' duration or longer duration subject to the Lender's consent and market availability, as selected by the Borrower by written notice to the Lender not later than 11.00 a.m. on the third Business Day before the beginning of the Interest Period in question, or such other duration as may be agreed by the Lender.
 
 
7.2
Beginning and end of Interest Periods Each Interest Period shall start on the Drawdown Date or (if the Loan is already made) on the last day of the preceding Interest Period and end on the date which numerically corresponds to the Drawdown Date or the last day of the preceding Interest Period in the relevant calendar month except that, if there is no numerically corresponding date in that calendar month, the Interest Period shall end on the last Business Day in that month.
 
 
7.3
Interest Periods to meet Repayment Dates If an Interest Period would otherwise expire after the next Repayment Date, there shall be a separate Interest Period for a part of the Loan equal to the relevant Repayment Instalment which shall expire on the next Repayment Date and the interest Period determined shall apply only to the balance of the Loan.
 
 
7.4
Non-Business Days If an Interest Period would otherwise end on a day which is not a Business Day, that Interest Period will instead end on the next Business Day in that calendar month (if there is one) or the preceding Business Day (if there is not).
 
 
7.5
Interest rate During each Interest Period interest shall accrue on the Loan at the rate determined by the Lender to be the aggregate of (a) the Margin, and (b) LIBOR.
 
 
7.6
Failure to select Interest Period If the Borrower at any time fails to select or agree an Interest Period in accordance with Clause 7.1 (Interest Periods) , the interest rate


 
14

 
 
applicable shall be the rate determined by the Lender in accordance with Clause 7.5 (Interest rate) for an Interest Period of such duration (not exceeding three months) as the Lender may select.
 
 
7.7
Accrual and payment of interest Interest shall accrue from day to day, shall be calculated on the basis of a 360 day year and the actual number of days elapsed (or, in any circumstance where market practice differs, in accordance with the prevailing market practice) and shall be paid by the Borrower to the Lender on the last day of each Interest Period and, if the Interest Period is longer than three months, on the dates falling at three monthly intervals after the first day of that Interest Period.
 
 
7.8
Default interest If the Borrower fails to pay any amount payable by it under a Finance Document on its due date, interest shall accrue on the overdue amount from the due date up to the date of actual payment (both before and after judgment) at a rate which is two per cent (2%) higher than the rate which would have been payable if the overdue amount had, during the period of non-payment, constituted the Loan in the currency of the overdue amount for successive Interest Periods, each selected by the Lender (acting reasonably). Any interest accruing under this Clause 7.8 shall be immediately payable by the Borrower on demand by the Lender. If unpaid, any such interest will be compounded with the overdue amount at the end of each Interest Period applicable to that overdue amount but will remain immediately due and payable.
 
 
7.9
Changes in market circumstances If at any time the Lender determines (which determination shall be final and conclusive and binding on the Borrower) that, by reason of changes affecting the London interbank market, adequate and fair means do not exist for determining the rate of interest on the Loan for any Interest Period:
 
 
7.9.1
the Lender shall give notice to the Borrower of the occurrence of such event; and
 
 
7.9.2
the rate of interest on the Loan for that Interest Period shall be the rate per annum which is the sum of:
 
 
(a)
the Margin; and
 

 
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(b)
the rate which expresses as a percentage rate per annum the cost to the Lender of funding the Loan from whatever source it may reasonably select,
 
PROVIDED THAT if the resulting rate of interest is not acceptable to the Borrower:
 
 
7.9.3
the Lender will negotiate with the Borrower in good faith with a view to modifying this Agreement to provide a substitute basis for determining the rate of interest which is financially a substantial equivalent to the basis provided for in this Agreement;
 
 
7.9.4
any substitute basis agreed pursuant to Clause 7.9.3 shall be binding on the parties to this Agreement; and
 
 
7.9.5
if, within thirty (30) days of the giving of the notice referred to in Clause 7.9.1, the Borrower and the Lender fail to agree in writing on a substitute basis for determining the rate of interest, the Borrower will immediately prepay the Loan, together with any Break Costs.
 
 
7.10
Determinations conclusive The Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower of the determination of a rate of interest under this Clause 7 and each such determination shall (save in the case of manifest error) be final and conclusive.
 
8           Indemnities
 
 
8.1
Transaction expenses The Borrower will, within fourteen (14) days of the Lender's written demand, pay the Lender the amount of all costs and expenses (including legal fees and Value Added Tax or any similar or replacement tax if applicable) incurred by the Lender in connection with:
 
 
8.1.1
the negotiation, preparation, printing, execution and registration of the Finance Documents (whether or not any Finance Document is actually executed or registered and whether or not all or any part of the Loan is advanced);
 
 
8.1.2
any amendment, addendum or supplement to any Finance Document (whether or not completed); and:
 

 
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8.1.3
any other document which may at any time be required by the Lender to give effect to any Finance Document or which the Lender is entitled to call for or obtain under any Finance Document.
 
 
8.2
Funding costs The Borrower shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all losses and costs incurred or sustained by the Lender if, for any reason, the Loan is not advanced to the Borrower after the relevant Drawdown Notice has been given to the Lender, or is advanced on a date other than that requested in the Drawdown Notice (unless, in either case, as a result of any default by the Lender).
 
 
8.3
Break Costs The Borrower shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all costs, losses, premiums or penalties incurred by the Lender as a result of its receiving any prepayment of all or any part of the Loan (whether pursuant to Clause 6 (Prepayment) or otherwise) on a day other than the last day of an Interest Period for the Loan or relevant part of the Loan, or any other payment under or in relation to the Finance Documents on a day other than the due date for payment of the sum in question, including (without limitation) any losses or costs incurred in liquidating or re-employing deposits from third parties acquired to effect or maintain all or any part of the Loan, and any liabilities, expenses or losses incurred by the Lender in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any interest rate andlor currency swap, transaction or arrangement entered into by the Lender to hedge any exposure arising under this Agreement, or in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any open position arising under this Agreement.
 
 
8.4
Currency indemnity In the event of the Lender receiving or recovering any amount payable under a Finance Document in a currency other than the Currency of Account, and if the amount received or recovered is insufficient when converted into the Currency of Account at the date of receipt to satisfy in full the amount due, the Borrower shall, on the Lender's written demand, pay to the Lender such further amount in the Currency of Accountt as is sufficient to satisfy in full the amount due and that further amount shall be due to the Lender as a separate debt under this Agreement.
 
 
8.5
Increased costs (subject to Clause 8.6 ( Exceptions to increased costs)) If, by reason of the introduction of any law, or any change in any law, or any change in the interpretation or administration of any law, or compliance with any request or

 
17

 
 
requirement from any central bank or any fiscal, monetary or other authority occuring after the date of this Agreement:
 
 
8.5.1
the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) shall be subject to any Tax with respect to payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness (other than Tax on overall net income); or
 
 
8.5.2
the basis of Taxation of payments to the Lender in respect of all or any part of the Indebtedness shall be changed; or
 
 
8.5.3
any reserve requirements shall be imposed, modified or deemed applicable against assets held by or deposits in or for the account of or loans by any branch of the Lender; or
 
 
8.5.4
the manner in which the Lender allocates capital resources to its obligations under this Agreement or any ratio (whether cash, capital adequacy, liquidity or otherwise) which the Lender is required or requested to maintain shall be affected; or
 
 
8.5.5
there is imposed on the Lender (or on the holding company of the Lender) any other condition in relation to the Indebtedness or the Finance Documents;
 
and the result of any of the above shall be to increase the cost to the Lender (or to the holding company of the Lender) of the Lender making or maintaining the Loan, or to cause the Lender to suffer (in its opinion) a material reduction in the rate of return on its overall capital below the level which it reasonably anticipated at the date of this Agreement and which it would have been able to achieve but for its entering into this Agreement and/or performing its obligations under this Agreement, then, subject to Clause 8.6 (Exceptions to increased costs), the Lender shall notify the Borrower and the Borrower shall from time to time pay to the Lender on demand the amount which shall compensate the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) for such additional cost or reduced return. A certificate signed by an authorised signatory of the Lender setting out the amount of that payment and the basis of its calculation shall be submitted to the Borrower and shall be conclusive evidence of such amount save for manifest error or on any question of law.
 
 
8.6
Exceptions to increased costs   Clause 8.5 (Increased costs) does not apply to the extent any additional costs or reduced return referred to in that Clause is:
 


 
18

 

 
8.6.1
compensated for by a payment made under Clause 8.10 (Taxes); or
 
 
8.6.2
compensated for by a payment made under Clause 16.3 (Grossing-up); or
 
 
8.6.3
attributable to the wilful breach by the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) of any law or regulation.
 
 
8.7
Events of Default The Borrower shall indemnify the. Lender from time to time on the Lender's written demand against all losses, costs and liabilities incurred or sustained by the Lender as a consequence of any Event of Default.
 
 
8.8
Enforcement costs The Borrower shall pay to the Lender on the Lender's written demand the amount of all costs and expenses (including legal fees) incurred by the Lender in connection with the enforcement of, or the preservation of any rights under, any Finance Document including (without limitation) any losses, costs and expenses which the Lender may from time to time sustain, incur or become liable for by reason of the Lender being mortgagee of the Vessel and/or a lender to the Borrower, or by reason of the Lender being deemed by any court or authority to be an operator or controller, or in any way concerned in the operation or control, of the Vessel.
 
 
8.9
Other costs The Borrower shall pay to the Lender on the Lenders written demand the amount of all sums which the Lender may pay or become actually or contingently liable for on account of the Borrower in connection with the Vessel (whether alone or jointly or jointly and severally with any other person) including (without limitation) all sums which the Lender may pay or guarantees which it may give in respect of the Insurances, any expenses incurred by the Lender in connection with the maintenance or repair of the Vessel or in discharging any lien, bond or other claim relating in any way to the Vessel, and any sums which the Lender may pay or guarantees which it may give to procure the release of the Vessel from arrest or detention.
 
 
8.10
Taxes The Borrower shall pay all Taxes to which all or any part of the indebtedness or any Finance Document may be at any time subject (other than Tax on the Lender's overall net income) and shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all liabilities, costs, claims and expenses resulting from any omission to pay or delay in paying any such Taxes.
 


 
19

 

9           Fees
 
 
9.1
Commitment fee The Borrower shall pay to the Lender a fee computed at the rate of zero point twenty five per cent (0.25%) per annum on the undrawn amount of the. Loan from time to time from 22nd October 2007 until the earlier to occur of the Drawdown Date and the Availability Termination Date (both dates inclusive). The accrued commitment fee is payable on the last day of each successive period of three months from the date of this Agreement and on the Availability Termination Date.
 
 
9.2
Arrangement fee The Borrower shall pay to the Lender an arrangement fee in the amount of zero point fifty per cent (0.50%) of the Maximum Loan Amount of which half was due and payable on the date of acceptance of the offer letter and the other half is due and payable within 30 days from the Drawdown Date.
 
10           Security and Application of Moneys
 
 
10.1
Security Documents As security for the payment of the Indebtedness, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to the Lender or cause to be executed and delivered to the Lender the following documents in such forms and containing such terms and conditions as the Lender shall require:
 
 
10.1.1
a first preferred mortgage over the Vessel;
 
 
10.1.2
a first priority deed or deeds of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings, any Charter and Requisition Compensation; and
 
 
10.1.3
a guarantee and indemnity from the Guarantor.
 
 
10.2
Earnings Account The Borrower shall maintain the Earnings Account with the Lender for the. duration of the Facility Period free of Encumbrances and rights of set off other than those created by or under the Finance Documents. Interest shall accrue on a daily basis on any balance from time to time on the Earnings Account at a rate of interest determined by the Lender in its discretion as the rate of interest payable to its customers on deposits in thc same currency and of similar amount and maturity, and shall be credited to the Earnings Account.
 
  10.3  
Earnings The Borrower shall procure that all Earnings and any Requisition Compensation are credited to the Earnings Account.  
 


 
20

 

 
10.4
Application of Earnings Account The Borrower shall procure that there is transferred from the Earnings Account to the Lender:
 
 
10.4.1
on each Repayment Date, the amount of the Repayment Instalment then due; and
 
 
10.4.2
on each Interest Payment Date, the amount of interest then due, and the Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to make those transfers.
 
 
10.5
Borrower's obligations not affected If for any reason the amount standing to the credit of the Earnings Account is insufficient to pay any Repayment Instalment or to make any payment of interest when due, the Borrower's obligation to pay that Repayment Instalment or to make that payment of interest shall not be affected.
 
 
10.6
Release of surplus Any amount remaining to the credit of the Earnings Account following the making of any transfer required by Clause 10.4 {Application of Earnings Account) shall (unless a Default shall have occurred and be continuing) be released to or to the order of the Borrower.
 
 
10.7
Restriction on withdrawal During the Facility Period no sum may be withdrawn from the Earnings Account (except in accordance with this Clause 10) without the prior written consent of the Lender.
 
 
10.8
Relocation of Earnings Account At any time following the occurrence and during the continuation of a Default, the Lender may without the consent of the Borrower relocate the Earnings Account to any other branch of the Lender, without prejudice to the continued application of this Clause 10 and the rights of the Lender under the Finance Documents.
 
 
10.9
Application after acceleration From and after the giving of notice to the Borrower by the Lender under Clause 13.2 ( Acceleration ), the Borrower shall procure that all sums from time to time standing to the credit of the Earnings Account are immediately transferred to the Lender for application in accordance with Clause 10.10 (General application of moneys) and the Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to make those transfers.
 

 
21

 

10.10
General application of moneys The. Borrower, subject to Clause 10.11 (Application of moneys on sale or Total Loss), irrevocably authorises the Lender to apply all sums which the Lender may receive:
 
 
10.10.1
pursuant to a sale or other disposition of the Vessel or any right, title or interest in the Vessel; or
 
 
10.10.2
by way of payment of any sum in respect of the Insurances, Earnings, Charter or Requisition Compensation; or
 
 
10.10.3
by way of transfer of any sum from the Earnings Account; or
 
 
10.10.4
otherwise arising under or in connection with any Security Document,
 
in or towards satisfaction, or by way of retention on account, of the Indebtedness, in such manner as the Lender may determine.
 
10.11
Application of moneys on sale or Total Loss The Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to apply all sums which the Lender may receive pursuant to a sale by the Borrower of the Vessel or a Total Loss in or towards satisfaction of the prepayment due and payable by virtue of that sale or Total Loss under Clause 6.3 (Mandatory prepayment on sale or Total Loss), but the Borrower's obligation to make that prepayment shall not be affected if those sums are insufficient to satisfy that obligation.
 
10.12
Additional security If at any time the aggregate of the market value of the Vessel (such market value to be conclusively determined at least once during each calendar year by a reputable, independent and first class firm of shipbrokers appointed by the Lender on the basis of a charter-free sale for prompt delivery for cash at arm's length on normal commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer) and the value of any additional security (such value to be the face amount of the deposit (in the case of cash), determined conclusively by appropriate advisers appointed by the Lender (in the case of other charged assets), and determined by the Lender in its discretion (in all other cases)) for the time being provided to the. Lender under this Clause 10.12 is less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan the Borrower shall. within thirty (30) days of the Lender's request, at the Borrower's option:
 

 
22

 

 
10.12.1
pay to the Lender or to its nominee a cash deposit in the amount of the shortfall to be secured in favour of the Lender as additional security for the payment of the Indebtedness; or
 
 
10.12.2
give to the Lender other additional security in amount and form acceptable to the Lender in its discretion; or
 
 
10.12.3
prepay the amount of the Indebtedness which will ensure that the aggregate of the market value of the Vessel (determined as stated above) and the value of any such additional security is not less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan.
 
Clauses 5.3 (Reborrowing), 6.2.3 (Voluntary prepayment of Loan) and 6.4 (Restrictions) shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to any prepayment made under this Clause 10.12 and the value of any additional security provided shall be determined as stated above.
 
11            Representations
 
 
11.1
Representations The Borrower makes the representations and warranties set out in this Clause 11.1 to the Lender on the date of this Agreement except as otherwise disclosed by the Borrower to the Lender in writing before the date of this Agreement with specific reference to this Agreement.
 
 
11.1.1
Status Each Security Party (which is not an individual) is a corporation, duly incorporated and validly existing under the law of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has the power to own its assets and carry on its business as it is being conducted.
 
 
11.1.2
Binding obligations The obligations expressed to be assumed by each Security Party in each Finance Document to which it is a party are, subject to any general principles of law limiting its obligations which are specifically referred to in any legal opinion delivered pursuant to Clause 3 (Conditions of Utilisation), legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligations.
 

 
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11.1.3
Non-conflict with other obligations The entry into and performance by each Security Party of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Finance Documents do not conflict with:
 
 
(a)
any law or regulation applicable to that Security Party;
 
 
(b)
the constitutional documents of that Security Party; or
 
 
(c)
any document binding on that Security Party or any of its assets, and in borrowing the Loan, the Borrower is acting for its own account.
 
 
11.1.4
Power and authority Each Security Party has the power to enter into, perform and deliver, and has taken all necessary action to authorise its entry into, performance and delivery of, the Finance Documents to which it is a party and the transactions contemplated by those Finance Documents.
 
 
11.1.5
Validity and admissibility in evidence All consents, licences, approvals, authorisations, filings and registrations required or desirable:
 
 
(a)
to enable each Security Party lawfully to enter into, exercise its rights and comply with its obligations in the Finance Documents to which it is a party or to enable the Lender to enforce and exercise all its rights under the Finance Documents; and
 
 
(b)
to make the Finance Documents to which any Security Party is a party admissible in evidence in its jurisdiction of incorporation,
 
have been obtained or effected and are in full force and effect, with the exception only of the registrations referred to in Part II of Schedule 1 (Conditions subsequent).
 
 
11.1.6
Governing law and enforcement The choice of English law as the governing law of any Finance Document expressed to be governed by English law will be recognised and enforced in the jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party, and any judgment obtained in England in relation to any such Finance Document will be recognised and enforced in the jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party.
 


 
24

 

 
11.1.7
Deduction of Tax No Security Party is required under the law of its jurisdiction of incorporation to make any deduction f or or on account of Tax from any payment it may make under any Finance Document.
 
 
11.1.8
No filing or stamp taxes Under the law of jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party it is not necessary that the Finance Documents (other than the Security Documents) be filed, recorded or enrolled with any court or other authority in that jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar tax be paid on or in relation to the Finance Documents or the transactions contemplated by the Finance Documents.
 
 
11.1.9
No default No Event of Default is continuing or might reasonably be expected to result from the advance of the Loan.
 
 
11.1.10
No misleading information Any factual information provided by any Security Party to the Lender was true and accurate in all material respects as at the date it was provided.
 
 
11.1.11
Pari passu ranking The payment obligations of each Security Party under the Finance Documents to which it is a party rank at least pari passu with the claims of all its other unsecured and unsubordinated creditors, except for obligations mandatorily preferred by law applying to companies generally.
 
 
11.1.12
No proceedings pending or threatened No litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings of or before any court, arbitral body or agency have been started or (to the best of the Borrower's knowledge threatened) which, if adversely determined, might reasonably be expected to have a materially adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of any Security Party.
 
 
11.1.13
Disclosure of material facts The Borrower is not aware of any material facts or circumstances which have not been disclosed to the Lender and which might, if disclosed, have adversely affected the decision of a person considering whether or not to make loan facilities of the nature contemplated by this Agreement available to the Borrower.


 
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11.1.14
No established place of business in the UK or US No Security Party has an established place of business in the United Kingdom or the United States of America.
 
 
11.1.15
Completeness of Relevant Documents The copies of any Relevant Documents provided or to be provided by the Borrower to the Lender in accordance with Clause 3 (Conditions of Utilisation) are, or will be, true and accurate copies of the originals and represent, or will represent, the full agreement between the parties to those Relevant Documents in relation to the subject matter of those Relevant Documents and there are no commissions, rebates, premiums or other payments due or to become due in connection with the subject matter of those Relevant Documents other than in the ordinary course of business or as disclosed to, and approved in writing by, the Lender.
 
 
11.2
Repetition Each representation and warranty in Clause 11.1 (Representations) is deemed to be repeated by the Borrower by reference to the facts and circumstances then existing on the date of the Drawdown Notice and the first day of each Interest Period.
 
12           Undertakings and Covenants
 
The undertakings and covenants in this Clause 12 remain in force for the duration of the Facility Period.
 
 
12.1
Information Undertakings
 
 
12.1.1
Financial statements The Borrower shall supply and procure that the Guarantor supplies, to the Lender as soon as the same become available, but in any event within 180 days after the end of each of its financial years, its audited financial statements for that financial year, together with a Compliance Certificate, signed by one director of the Guarantor, setting out (in reasonable detail) computations as to compliance with Clause 12.2 (Financial covenants) as at the date as at which those financial statements were drawn up.
 
 
12.1.2
Requirements as to financial statements Each set of financial statements delivered by the Borrower or the Guarantor, under Clause 12.1.1 (Financial statements):
 

 
26

 

 
(a)
shall be certified by a director of the Borrower or the Guarantor (as the context may require), as fairly representing its financial condition as at the date as at which those financial statements were drawn up; and
 
 
(b)
shall be prepared using GAAP, accounting practices and financial reference periods consistent with those applied in the preparation of the Original Financial Statements unless, in Marion. to any set of financial statements, the Borrower notifies the Lender that there has been a change in GAAP, the accounting practices or reference periods and the Borrower's auditors deliver to the Lender:
 
 
(i)
a description of any change necessary for those financial statements to reflect the GAAP, accounting practices and reference periods upon which the Original Financial Statements were prepared; and
 
 
(ii)
sufficient information, in form and substance as may be reasonably required by the Lender, to enable the Lender to make an accurate comparison between the financial position indicated in those financial statements and that indicated in the Original Financial Statements.
 
 
12.1.3
Information: miscellaneous The Borrower shall supply to the Lender:
 
 
(a)
all documents dispatched by the Borrower to its shareholders (or any class of them) or its creditors generally at the same time as they are dispatched;
 
 
(b)
promptly upon becoming aware of them, details of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings which are current, threatened or pending against any Security Party, and which might, if adversely determined, have a materially adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of that Security Party; and
 
 
(c)
promptly. such further information regarding the financial condition, business and operations of any Security Party as the

 
27

 
 
Lender may reasonably request including, without limitation, cash flow analyses and details of the operating costs of the Vessel.
 
 
12.1.4
Notification of default
 
 
(a)
The Borrower shall notify the Lender of any Default (and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy it) promptly upon becoming aware of its occurrence.
 
 
(b)
Promptly upon a request by the Lender, the Borrower shall supply to the Lender a certificate signed by two of its directors or senior officers on its behalf certifying that no Default is continuing (or if a Default is continuing, specifying the Default and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy it).
 
 
12.1.5
"Know your customer" checks If:
 
 
(a)
the introduction of or any change in (or in the interpretation, administration or application of) any law or regulation made after the date of this Agreement;
 
 
(b)
any change in the status of the Borrower after the date of this Agreement; or
 
 
(c)
a proposed assignment or transfer by the Lender of any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement,
 
obliges the Lender (or, in the case of (c) above, any prospective new Lender) to comply with "know your customer" or similar identification procedures in circumstances where the necessary information is not already available to it, the Borrower shall promptly upon the request of the Lender supply, or procure the supply of, such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Lender (for itself or, in the case of (c) above, on behalf of any prospective new Lender) in order for the Lender (or, in the case of (c) above, any prospective new Lender) to carry out and be satisfied it has complied with all necessary "know your customer" or other similar checks under all applicable laws and regulations pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Finance Documents.


 
28

 

 
12.2
Financial covenants
 
The Borrower shall procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis (assessed semi-annually and certified in accordance with Clause 12.1.2 (a) commencing from the date of this Agreement):-
 
 
12.2.1
maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000); and
 
 
12.2.2
maintain a Minimum Adjusted Net Worth of not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) : and
 
 
12.2.3
maintain Minimum Equity of not less than one hundred million Dollars ($100,000,000).
 
 
12.3
General undertakings
 
 
12.3.1
Authorisations The Borrower shall promptly:
 
 
(a)
obtain, comply with and do all that is necessary to maintain in full force and effect; and
 
 
(b)
supply certified copies to the Lender of,
 
any consent, licence, approval or authorisation required under any law or regulation to enable each Security Party to perform its obligations under the Finance Documents to which it is a party and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence in the jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party of any Finance Document.
 
 
12.3.2
Compliance with laws The Borrower shall comply in all respects with all laws to which it may be subject, if failure so to comply would materially impair its ability to perform its obligations under the Finance Documents.
 
 
12.3.3
Conduct of business The Borrower shall carry on and conduct its business in a proper and efficient manner, file all requisite tax returns and pay all tax which becomes due and payable (except where contested in good faith).
 

 
29

 

 
12.3.4
Evidence of good standing The Borrower will from time to time if requested by the Lender provide the Lender with evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Lender that the Security Parties and all corporate shareholders of any Security Party remain in good standing.
 
 
12.3.5
Negative pledge and no disposals The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender create nor permit to subsist any Encumbrance or other third party rights over any of its present or future assets or undertaking nor dispose of any those assets or of all or part of that undertaking.
 
 
12.3.6
Merger The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender enter into any amalgamation, demerger, merger or corporate reconstruction.
 
 
12.3.7
Change of business The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender make any substantial change to the general nature of its business from that carried on at the date of this Agreement.
 
 
12.3.8
No other business The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender engage in any business other than the ownership, operation, chartering and management of the Vessel.
 
 
12.3.9
No place of business in UK or US The Borrower shall not have an established place of business in the United Kingdom or the United States of America at any time during the Facility Period.
 
 
12.3.10
No borrowings The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender borrow any money (except for the Loan and unsecured Financial Indebtedness subordinated to the Loan and arising in the Borrowers normal course of operating the Vessel) nor incur any obligations under leases.
 
 
12.3.11
No substantial liabilities Except in the ordinary course of business, the Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender incur any liability to any third party which is in the Lender's opinion of a substantial nature.
 

 
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12.3.12
No loans or other financial commitments The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender make any loan nor enter into any guarantee or indemnity or otherwise voluntarily assume any actual or contingent liability in respect of any obligation of any other person except for loans made in the ordinary course of business in connection with the chartering, operation or repair of the. Vessel.
 
 
12.3.13
No dividends The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender pay any dividends or make any other distributions to shareholders or issue any new shares following the occurrence of a Default.
 
 
12.3.14
Inspection of records The Borrower will permit the inspection of its financial records and accounts from time to time by the Lender or its nominee.
 
 
12.3.15
No change in Relevant Documents The Borrower shall procure that, without the prior written consent of the Lender, there shall be no termination of, alteration to, or waiver of any term of, any of the Relevant Documents which are not Finance Documents.
 
 
12.3.16
No change in ownership or control The Borrower shall not permit any change in its beneficial ownership and control from that advised to the Lender at the date of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Lender.
 
 
12.4
Vessel undertakings
 
 
12.4.1
No sale of Vessel The Borrower shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Vessel or any shares in the Vessel nor agree to do so without the prior written consent of the Lender.
 
 
12.4.2
No chartering after Event of Default Following the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default the Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender let the Vessel on charter or renew or extend any charter or other contract of employment of the Vessel (nor agree to do so).
 

 
31

 

 
12.4.3
No change in management The Borrower shall procure that, without the prior written consent of the Lender, there shall be no termination of, alteration to, or waiver of any term of, the Management Agreement and the Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender permit the Managers to sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Vessel to any third party.
 
 
12.4.4
Registration of Vessel The Borrower undertakes to maintain the registration of the Vessel under the flag stated in Recital (A) for the duration of the Facility Period unless the Lender agrees otherwise in writing.
 
 
12.4.5
Evidence of current COFR The Borrower will, if and for so long as the Vessel trades in the United States of America and Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990), obtain, retain and provide the Lender with a copy of, a valid Certificate of Financial Responsibility for the Vessel under that Act and will comply strictly with the requirements of that Act.
 
 
12.4.6
ISM Code compliance The Borrower will:
 
 
(a)
procure that the Vessel remains for the duration of the Facility Period subject to a SMS;
 
 
(b)
maintain a valid and current SMC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender;
 
 
(c)
procure that the ISM Company maintains a valid and current DOC throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and
 
 
(d)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the SMC of the Vessel or of the DOC of the ISM. Company.
 
 
12.4.7
ISPS Code Compliance The Borrower will:
 
 
(a)
for the duration of the Facility Period comply with the ISPS Code in relation to the Vessel and procure that the Vessel and the ISPS Company comply with the ISPS Code;

 
32

 

 
(b)
maintain a valid and current ISSC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and
 
 
(c)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the ISSC.
 
 
12.4.8
Annex VI compliance The Borrower will:
 
 
(a)
for the duration of the Facility Period comply with Annex VI in relation to the Vessel and procure that the Vessel's master and crew are familiar with, and that the Vessel complies with, Annex VI;
 
 
(b)
maintain a valid and current IAPPC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and
 
 
(c)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the IAPPC.
 
 
12.4.9
Chartering agreement The Borrower (as owner) shall, by not later than six (6) months after the Drawdown Date, enter into a Charter whereby the Vessel is employed for a period of at least twelve (12) months' duration, such Charter to be in form and substance, and on terms and conditions, satisfactory to the Lender in all respects.
 
13           Events of Default
 
 
13.1
Events of Default Each of the events or circumstances set out in this Clause 13.1 is an Event of Default.
 
 
13.1.1
Non-payment The Borrower does not pay on the due date any amount payable by it under a Finance Document at the place at and in the currency in which it is expressed to he payable.
 
 
13.1.2
Other obligations A Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) does not comply with any provision of any of the Relevant Documents to which that Security Party or person is a party (other than as referred to in Clause 13.1.1 (Non-payment))
 

 
33

 

No Event of Default under this Clause 13.1.2 will occur if the failure to comply is capable of remedy and is remedied within ten (10) Business Days of the Lender giving notice to the Borrower or the Borrower becoming aware of the failure to comply.
 
 
13.1.3
Misrepresentation Any representation, warranty or statement made or deemed to be repeated by a Security Party in any Finance Document or any other document delivered by or on behalf of a Security Party under or in connection with any Finance Document is or proves to have been incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made or deemed to be repeated.
 
 
13.1.4
Cross default Any Financial Indebtedness of a Security Party:
 
 
(a)
is not paid when due or within any originally applicable grace period; or
 
 
(b)
is declared to be, or otherwise becomes, due and payable before its specified maturity as a result of an event of default (however described); or
 
 
(c)
is capable of being declared by a creditor to be due and payable before its specified maturity as a result of such an event.
 
 
13.1.5
Insolvency
 
 
(a)
A Security Party is unable or admits inability to pay its debts as they fall due, suspends making payments on any of its debts or, by reason of actual or anticipated financial difficulties, commences negotiations with one or more of its creditors with a view to rescheduling any of its Financial Indebtedness.
 
 
(b)
The value of the assets of a Security Party is less than its liabilities (taking into account contingent and prospective liabilities).
 
 
(c)
A moratorium is declared in respect of any Financial Indebtedness of a Security Party.
 
 
13.1.6
Insolvency proceedings Any corporate action, legal proceedings or other procedure or step is taken for:
 

 
34

 

 
(a)
the suspension of payments, a moratorium of any Financial Indebtedness, winding-up, dissolution, administration, bankruptcy or reorganisation (by way of voluntary arrangement, scheme of arrangement or otherwise) of a Security Party;
 
 
(b)
a composition, compromise, assignment or arrangement with any creditor of a Security Party;
 
 
(c)
the appointment of a liquidator, receiver, administrative receiver, administrator, compulsory manager, or trustee or other similar officer in respect of any Security Party or any of its assets; or
 
 
(d)
enforcement of any Encumbrance over any assets of a Security Party,
 
 
or any analogous procedure or step is taken in any jurisdiction.
 
 
13.1.7
Creditors' process Any expropriation, attachment, sequestration, distress or execution affects any asset or assets of a Security Party.
 
 
13.1.8
Change in ownership or control of the Borrower There is any change in the beneficial ownership or control of the Borrower from that advised to the Lender by the Borrower at the date of this Agreement.
 
 
13.1.9
Repudiation A Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) repudiates any of the Relevant Documents to which that Security Party or person is a party or evidences an intention to do so.
 
 
13.1.10
Impossibility or illegality Any event occurs which would, or would with the passage of time, render performance of any of the Relevant Documents by a Security Party or any other party to any such document impossible, unlawful or unenforceable by the Lender or a Security Party.
 
 
13.1.11
Conditions subsequent Any of the conditions referred to in Clause 3.3 (Conditions subsequent) is not satisfied within the time reasonably required by the Lender.
 
 
13.1.12
Revocation or modification of authorisation   Any consent, licence, approval, authorisation, filing, registration or other requirement of any

 
35

 
 
governmental, judicial or other public body or authority which is now, or which at any time during the Facility Period becomes, necessary to enable a Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) to comply with any of its obligations under any of the Relevant Documents is not obtained, is revoked, suspended, withdrawn or withheld, or is modified in a manner which the Lender considers is, or may be, prejudicial to the. interests of the Lender, or ceases to remain in full force and effect.
 
 
13.1.13
Curtailment of business A Security Party ceases, or threatens to cease, to carry on all or a substantial part of its business or, as a result of intervention. by or under the authority of any government, the business of a Security Party is wholly or partially curtailed or suspended, or ail or a substantial part of the assets or undertaking of a Security Party is seized, nationalised, expropriated or compulsorily acquired.
 
 
13.1.14
Reduction of capital A   Security Party reduces its authorised or issued or subscribed capital.
 
 
13.1.15
Loss of Vessel The Vessel suffers a Total Loss or is otherwise destroyed, abandoned, confiscated, forfeited or condemned as prize, or a similar event occurs in relation to any other vessel which may from time to time be mortgaged to the Lender as security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness, except that a Total Loss, or event similar to a Total Loss in relation to any other vessel, shall not be an Event of Default if:
 
 
(a)
the Vessel or other vessel is insured in accordance with the Security Documents; and
 
 
(b)
no insurer has refused to meet or has disputed the claim for Total Loss and it is not apparent to the Lender in its discretion that any such refusal or dispute is likely to occur; and
 
 
(c)
payment of all insurance proceeds in respect of the Total Loss is made in full to the Lender within one hundred and eighty (180) days of the occurrence of the casualty giving rise to the Total Loss in Question or such longer period as the Lender may in its discretion agree.
 

 
36

 

 
13.1.16
Challenge to registration The registration of the Vessel or the Mortgage is contested or becomes void or voidable or liable to cancellation or termination, or the validity or priority of the Mortgage is contested.
 
 
13.1.17
War The country of registration of the. Vessel becomes involved in war (whether or not declared) or civil war or is occupied by any other power and the Lender in its discretion considers that, as a result, the security conferred by the Security Documents is materially prejudiced.
 
 
13.1.18
Notice of termination The Guarantor gives notice to the Lender to terminate its obligations under the Guarantee.
 
 
13.1.19
Material adverse change Any event or series of events occurs which, in the opinion of the Lender, is likely to have a materially adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of a Security Party.
 
 
13.2
Acceleration If an Event of Default is continuing the Lender may by notice to the Borrower:
 
 
13.2.1
declare that the Loan, together with accrued interest, and all other amounts accrued or outstanding under the Finance Documents are immediately due and payable, whereupon they become immediately due and payable; and/or
 
 
13.2.2
declare that the Loan is payable on demand, whereupon it shall immediately become payable on demand by the Lender.
 
14           Assignment and Sub-Participation
 
 
14.1
Lender's rights The Lender may assign any of its rights under this Agreement or transfer by novation any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any other branch of the Lender or to any other bank or financial institution, and may grant sub-participations in all or any part of the Loan.
 
 
14.2
Borrower's co-operation The Borrower will co-operate fully with the Lender in connection with any assignment, transfer or sub-participation; will execute and procure the execution of such documents as the Lender may require in that connection; and irrevocably authorises the Lender to disclose to any proposed assignee, transferee or sub-participant (whether before or after any assignment,

 
37

 
transfer or sub-participation and whether or not any assignment, transfer or sub-participation shall take place) all information relating to the Security Parties, the Loan, the Relevant Documents and the Vessel which the Lender may in its discretion consider necessary or desirable.
 
 
14.3
Rights of assignee or transferee Any assignee or transferee of the Lender shall (unless limited by the express terms of the assignment or novation) take the full benefit of every provision of the Finance Documents benefitting the Lender.
 
 
14.4
No assignment or transfer by the Borrower The Borrower may not assign any of its rights or transfer any of its rights or obligations under the Finance Documents.
 
15           Set-Off
 
 
15.1
Set-off The Lender may set off any matured obligation due from the Borrower under any Finance Document against any matured obligation owed by the Lender to the Borrower, regardless of the place of payment, booking branch or currency of either obligation. If the obligations are in different currencies, the Lender may convert either obligation at a market rate of exchange in its usual course of business for the purpose of the set-off.
 
16           Payments
 
 
16.1
Payments Each amount payable by the Borrower under a Finance Document shall be paid to such account at such bank as the Lender may from time to time direct to the Borrower in the Currency of Account and in such funds as are customary at the time for settlement of transactions in the relevant currency in the place of payment. Payment shall be deemed to have been received by the Lender on the date on which the Lender receives authenticated advice of receipt, unless that advice is received by the Lender on a day other than a Business Day or at a time of day (whether on a Business Day or not) when the Lender in its discretion considers that it is impossible or impracticable for the Lender to utilise the amount received for value that same day, in which event the payment in question shall be deemed to have been received by the Lender on the Business Day next following the date of receipt of advice by the Lender.
 
 
16.2
No deductions or withholdings   Each payment (whether of principal or interest or otherwise) to be made by the Borrower under a Finance Document shall, subject only

 
38

 
 
to Clause 16.3 (Grossing-up) , be made free and clear of and without deduction for or on account of any Taxes or other deductions, withholdings, restrictions, conditions or counterclaims of any nature.
 
 
16.3
Grossing-up If at any time any law requires (or is interpreted to require) the Borrower to make any deduction or withholding from any payment, or to change the rate or manner in which any required deduction or withholding is made, the Borrower will promptly notify the Lender and, simultaneously with making that payment, will pay to the Lender whatever additional amount (after taking into account any additional Taxes on, or deductions or withholdings from, or restrictions or conditions on, that additional amount) is necessary to ensure that, after making the deduction or withholding, the Lender receives a net sum equal to the sum which the Lender would have received had no deduction or withholding been made.
 
 
16.4
Evidence of deductions If at any time the Borrower is required by law to make any deduction or withholding from any payment to be made by it under a Finance Document, the Borrower will pay the amount required to be deducted or withheld to the relevant authority within the time allowed under the applicable law and will, no later than thirty (30) days after making that payment, deliver to the Lender an original receipt issued by the relevant authority, or other evidence acceptable to the Lender, evidencing the payment to that authority of all amounts required to be deducted or withheld.
 
 
16.5
Adjustment of due dates If any payment or transfer of funds to be made under a Finance Document, other than a payment of interest on the Loan, shall be due on a day which is not a Business Day, that payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day (unless the next succeeding Business Day falls in the next calendar month in which event the payment shah be made on the next preceding Business Day). Any such variation of time shall be taken into account in computing any interest in respect of that payment.
 
 
16.6
Control Account The Lender shall open and maintain on its books a control account in the name of the Borrower showing the advance of the Loan and the computation and payment of interest and all other sums due under this Agreement.  The Borrower's obligations to repay the Loan and to pay interest and all other sums due under this Agreement shall be evidenced by the entries from time to time made

 
39

 
 
in the control account opened and maintained under this Clause 16.6 and those entries will, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding.
 
17           Notices
 
 
17.1
Communications in writing Any communication to be made under or in connection with this Agreement shall be made in writing and, unless otherwise stated, may be made by fax or letter.
 
 
17.2
Addresses The address and fax number (and the department or officer, if any, for whose attention the communication is to be made) of each party to this Agreement for any communication or document to be made or delivered under or in connection with this Agreement are:
 
 
17.2.1
in the case of the Borrower, c/o Top Tanker Management Inc., 1 Vassilissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str. 151 24 Marousi, Greece (fax no: +30 210 614 1204) marked for the attention of Mr Stamatios Tsantanis; and
 
 
17.2.2
in the case of the Lender, to the Lender at its address at the head of this Agreement (fax no: 210 429 0348 telex no: 212435) marked for the attention of Shipping Division branch 960);
 
or any substitute address. fax number, department or officer as either party may notify to the other by not less than five (5) Business Days' notice.
 
 
17.3
Delivery Any communication or document made or delivered by one party to this Agreement to the other under or in connection this Agreement will only be effective:
 
 
17.3.1
if by way of fax, when received in legible form; or
 
 
17.3.2
if by way of letter, when it has been left at the relevant address or five (5) Business Days after being deposited in the post postage prepaid in an envelope addressed to it at that address;
 
and, if a particular department or officer is specified as part of its address details provided under Clause 17.2 (Addresses), if addressed to that department or officer.

 
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Any communication or document to be made or delivered to the Lender will be effective only when actually received by the Lender.
 
 
17.4
English language Any notice given under or in connection with this Agreement must be in English. All other documents provided under or in connection with this Agreement must be:
 
 
17.4.1
in English; or
 
 
17.4.2
if not in English, and if so required by the Lender, accompanied by a certified English translation and, in this case, the English translation will prevail unless the document is a constitutional, statutory or other official document.
 
18           Partial Invalidity
 
If, at any time, any provision of a Finance Document is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any respect under any law of any jurisdiction, neither the legality, validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions nor the legality, validity or enforceability of such provision under the law of any other jurisdiction will in any way be affected or impaired.
 
19           Remedies and Waivers
 
No failure to exercise, nor any delay in exercising, on the part of the Lender, any right or remedy under a Finance Document shall operate as a waiver, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right or remedy prevent any further or other exercise or the. exercise of any other right or remedy. The rights and remedies provided in this Agreement are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by law.
 
20           Miscellaneous
 
 
20.1
No oral variations No variation or amendment of a Finance Document shall be valid unless in writing and signed on behalf of the Lender.
 
 
20.2
Further Assurance If any provision of a Finance Document shall be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part by reason of any present or future law or any decision of any court, or if the documents at any time held by or on behalf of the Lender are considered by the Lender for any reason insufficient to carry out the terms

 
41

 
 
of this Agreement, then from time to time the Borrower will promptly, on demand by the Lender, execute or procure the execution of such further documents as in the opinion of the Lender are necessary to provide adequate security for the repayment of the Indebtedness.
 
 
20.3
Rescission of payments etc. Any discharge, release or reassignment by the Lender of any of the security constituted by, or any of the obligations of a Security Party contained in, a Finance Document shall be (and be deemed always to have been) void if any act (including, without limitation, any payment) as a result of which such discharge, release or reassignment was given or made is subsequently wholly or partially rescinded or avoided by operation of any law.
 
 
20.4
Certificates Any certificate or statement signed by an authorised signatory of the Lender purporting to show the amount of the Indebtedness (or any part of the Indebtedness) or any other amount referred to in any Finance Document shall, save for manifest error or on any question of law, be conclusive evidence as against the Borrower of that amount.
 
 
20.5
Counterparts This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts each of which shall be original but which shall together constitute the same instrument.
 
 
20.6
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 A person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce or to enjoy the benefit of any term of this Agreement.
 
21           Law and Jurisdiction
 
 
21.1
Governing law This Agreement shall in all respects be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English law.
 
 
21.2
Jurisdiction For the exclusive benefit of the Lender, the parties to this Agreement irrevocably agree that the courts of England are to have jurisdiction to settle any disputes which may arise out of or in connection with this Agreement and that any proceedings may be brought in those courts.
 
 
21.3
Alternative jurisdictions Nothing contained in this Clause 21 shall limit the right of the Lender to commence any proceedings against the Borrower in any other court of competent jurisdiction nor shall the commencement of any proceedings against the

 
42

 
 
Borrower in one or more jurisdictions preclude the commencement of any proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not.
 
 
21.4
Waiver of objections The Borrower irrevocably waives any objection which it may now or in the future have to the laying of the venue of any proceedings in any court referred to in this Clause 21, and any claim that those proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient or inappropriate forum, and irrevocably agrees that a judgment in any proceedings commenced in any such court shall be conclusive and binding on it and may be enforced in the courts of any other jurisdiction.
 
 
21.5
Service of process Without prejudice to any other mode of service allowed under any relevant law, the Borrower:
 
 
21.5.1
irrevocably appoints Top Tankers (UK) Limited of 8 Duke Street , W1U 3EW London, UK as its agent for service of process in relation to any proceedings before the English courts in connection with this Agreement; and
 
 
21.5.2
agrees that failure by a process agent to notify the Borrower of the process will not invalidate the proceedings concerned.
 

 
43

 

SCHEDULE 1: Conditions Precedent and Subsequent
 
Part 1: Conditions precedent
1           Security Parties
 
 
(a)
Constitutional Documents Copies of the constitutional documents of each Security Party together with such other evidence as the Lender may reasonably require that each Security Party is duly incorporated in its country of incorporation and remains in existence with power to enter into, and perform its obligations under, the Relevant Documents to which it is or is to become a party.
 
 
(b)
Certificates of good standing A certificate of good standing in respect of each Security Party (if such a certificate can be obtained).
 
 
(c)
Board resolutions A copy of a resolution of the board of directors of each Security Party:
 
 
(i)
approving the terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Relevant Documents to which it is a party and resolving that it execute those Relevant Documents: and
 
 
(ii)
authorising a specified person or persons to execute those Relevant Documents (and all documents and notices to be signed and/or despatched under those documents) on its behalf.
 
 
(d)
Shareholder resolutions A copy of a resolution signed by all the holders of the issued shares in each Security Party, approving the terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Relevant Documents to which that Security Party is a party.
 
 
(e)
Officer's certificates A certificate of a duly authorised officer of each Security Party certifying that each copy document relating to it specified in this Part I of Schedule I is correct, complete and in full force and effect as at a date no earlier than the date of this Agreement and setting out tiro names of the directors, officers and shareholders of that Security Party and the proportion of shares held by each shareholder.
 
 
(f)
Evidence of registration Where such registration is required or permitted under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction, evidence that the names of the directors, officers and shareholders of each Security Party are duly registered in the companies registry or other registry in the country of incorporation of that Security Party.

 
44

 

officers and shareholders of each Security Party are duly registered in the companies registry or other registry in the country of incorporation of that Security Party.
 
 
(g)
Powers of attorney The notarially attested and legalised power of attorney of each Security Party under which any documents are to be executed or transactions undertaken by that Security Party.
 
2           Security and related documents
 
 
(a)
Vessel documents Photocopies, certified as true, accurate and complete. by a director or the secretary or the legal advisers of the Borrower, of:
 
 
(i)
the MOA;
 
 
(ii)
such documents as the Lender may reasonably require to evidence the nomination of the Borrower as purchaser of the Vessel pursuant to the MOA;
 
 
(iii)
the bill of sale transferring title in the Vessel to the Borrower free of all encumbrances, maritime liens or other debts;
 
 
(iv)
the protocol of delivery and acceptance evidencing the unconditional physical delivery of the Vessel by the Seller to the Borrower pursuant to the MOA;
 
 
(v)
any charterparty or other contract of employment of the Vessel which will be in force on the Drawdown Date including, without limitation, the Charter;
 
 
(vi)
the Management Agreement;
 
 
(vii)
the Vessel's current Safety Construction, Safety Equipment, Safety Radio and Load Line Certificates;
 
 
(viii)
the Vessel's current Certificate of Financial Responsibility issued pursuant to the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990;
 
 
(ix)
the Vessel's current SMC;
 
 
(x)
the ISM Company's current DOC;
 
 
(xi)
the Vessel's current ISSC;
 

 
45

 

 
(xii)
the Vessel's current IAPPC;
 
 
(xiii)
the Vessel's current Tonnage Certificate;
 
 
(xiv)
the Borrower's current Carrier Initiative Agreement with the United States' Customs Service;
 
in each case together with all addenda, amendments or supplements.
 
 
(b)
Evidence of Seller's title Certificate of ownership and encumbrance (or equivalent) issued by the Registrar of Ships (or equivalent official) of the Vessel's current flag confirming that the Vessel is owned by the Seller and free of registered Encumbrances and an undertaking by the Seller to delete the Vessel from its current flag.
 
 
(c)
Evidence of Borrower's title Evidence that on the Drawdown Date (i) the Vessel will be at least provisionally registered under the flag stated in Recital (A) in the ownership of the Borrower and (ii) the Mortgage will be capable of being registered against the Vessel with first priority.
 
 
(d)
Evidence of insurance Evidence that the Vessel is insured in the manner required by the Security .Documents and that letters of undertaking wilt be issued in the manner required by the Security Documents, together with (if required by the Lender) the written approval of the Insurances by an insurance adviser appointed by the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower.
 
 
(e)
Confirmation of class A Certificate of Confirmation of Class for hull and machinery confirming that the Vessel is classed with the highest class applicable to vessels of her type with Lloyds Register or such other classification society as may be acceptable to the Lender free of recommendations affecting class.
 
 
(f)
Instruction to classification society A letter of instruction from the Borrower to the Vessel's classification society.
 
 
(g)
Survey report A report by a surveyor instructed by the Lender to inspect the Vessel confirming that the condition of the Vessel is in all respects acceptable to the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower.
 

 
46

 

 
(h)
Valuation A valuation of the Vessel addressed to the Lender from an independent broker acceptable to the Lender certifying a value for the Vessel, assessed in such manner as the Lender may require in its discretion, acceptable to the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower,
 
 
(i)
Security Documents The Security Documents, together with all other documents required by any of them, including, without limitation, all notices of assignment and/or charge and evidence that those notices will be duly acknowledged by the recipients.
 
 
(i)
Mandates Such duly signed forms of mandate, and/or other evidence of the opening of the Earnings Account, as the Lender may require.
 
 
(k)
Managers' confirmation The written confirmation of the Managers that, throughout the Facility Period unless otherwise agreed by the Lender, they will remain the commercial and technical managers of the Vessel and that they will not, without the prior written consent of the Lender, sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Vessel to any third party and confirming in terms acceptable to the Lender that, following the occurrence of an Event of Default, all claims of the Managers against the Borrower shall be subordinated to the claims of the Lender under the Finance Documents.
 
 
(1)
No disputes The written confirmation of the Borrower that there is no dispute under any of the Relevant Documents as between the parties to any such document.
 
 
(m)
Other Relevant Documents Copies of each of the Relevant Documents not otherwise comprised in the documents listed in this Part I of Schedule I.
 
3           Legal opinions
 
 
(a)
If a Security Party is incorporated in a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or if any Finance Document is governed by the laws of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales, a legal opinion of the legal advisers to the Lender in each relevant jurisdiction, substantially in the form or forms provided to the Lender prior to signing this Agreement or confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that such an opinion will be given.


 
47

 

4           Other documents and evidence
 
 
(a)
Drawdown Notice A duly completed Drawdown Notice.
 
 
(b)
Process agent Evidence that any process agent referred to in Clause 21.5 (Service of process) and any process agent appointed under any other Finance Document has accepted its appointment.
 
 
(c)
Other authorisations A copy of any other consent, licence, approval, authorisation or other document, opinion or assurance which the Lender considers to be necessary or desirable (if it has notified the Borrower accordingly) in connection with the entry into and performance of the transactions contemplated by any of the Relevant Documents or for the validity and enforceability of any of the Relevant Documents.
 
 
(d)
Financial statements Copies of the Original Financial Statements.
 
 
(e)
Fees Evidence that the fees, costs and expenses then due from the Borrower under Clause 8 (Indemnities) and Clause 9 (Fees) have been paid or will be paid by the Drawdown Date.
 
 
(f)
"Know your customer" documents Such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the. Lender in order for the Lender to comply with all necessary "know your customer" or similar identification procedures in relation to the transactions contemplated in the Finance Documents.

 
48

 

Part II: Conditions subsequent
 
 
1
Evidence of Borrower's title Certificate of ownership and encumbrance (or equivalent) issued by the Registrar of Ships (or equivalent official) of the flag stated in Recital (A) confirming that (a) the Vessel is permanently registered under that flag in the ownership of the Borrower, (b) the Mortgage has been registered with first priority against the Vessel and (c) there are no further Encumbrances registered against the Vessel.
 
2
Deletion by Seller Evidence that the Vessel has been deleted from its current flag.
 
3
Letters of undertaking Letters of undertaking in respect of the Insurances as required by the Security Documents together with copies of the relevant policies or cover notes or entry certificates duly endorsed with the interest of the Lender.
 
4
Acknowledgements of notices Acknowledgements of all notices of assignment and/or charge given pursuant to the Security Documents.
 
5
Legal opinions Such of the legal opinions specified in Part I of this Schedule 1 as have not already been provided to the Lender.
 
6
Companies Act registrations Evidence that the prescribed particulars of the Security Documents have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies within the statutory time limit.
 
7
Master's receipt The master's receipt for the Mortgage.
 
8
Chartering agreement A copy of the Charter in accordance with the requirements of Clause 12.4.9.

 
49

 

SCHEDULE 3: Form of Drawdown Notice
 
To :             Alpha Bank A.E.
 
From: JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
2007
 
Dear Sirs
 
Drawdown Notice
 
We   refer to the Loan Agreement dated               2007 made between ourselves and yourselves (the "Agreement").
 
Words and phrases defined in the Agreement have the same meaning when used in this Drawdown Notice.
 
Pursuant to Clause 4 of the Agreement, we irrevocably request that you advance the sum of forty eight million Dollars ($48,000,000) to us on                           2007, which is a Business Day, by paying the amount of the advance in accordance with the MOA.
 
We warrant that the representations and warranties contained in Clause 11.1 of the Agreement are true and correct at the date of this Drawdown Notice and will be true and correct on                        2007, that no Default has occurred and is continuing, and that no Default will result from the advance of the sum requested in this Drawdown Notice.
 
We select the period of [     ] months as the first Interest Period.
 
 
Yours faithfully

------------------------------
For and on behalf of
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

 
50

 

SCHEDULE 4: Form of Compliance Certificate
 
To:              Alpha Bank A.E.
 
From: JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
Dated:
 
Dear Sirs
 
Japan III Shipping Company Limited - [              ] Loan Agreement dated [                     ] 2007 (the "Agreement")
 
We refer to the Agreement. This is a Compliance Certificate. Terms defined in the Agreement have the same meaning when used in this Compliance Certificate unless given a different meaning in this Compliance Certificate.
 
We confirm that: [Insert details of covenants to be certified]
 
[We confirm that no Default is continuing.]*
 
 
       
Signed:
     
 
Director
 
Director
 
of
 
of
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
       




 
*
If this statement cannot be made, the certificate should identify any Default that is continuing and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy it.

 
51

 

IN WITNESS of which the parties to this Agreement have executed this Agreement the day and year first before written.
 
SIGNED by Theodora Hitropetrou
)
 
duly authorised for and on behalf
)
/s/ Theodora Hitropetrou
of JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY
)
 
LIMITED
)
 
     
     
     
SIGNED Constantine Flokos, Grigorios Kondilis
)
 
duly authorised for and on behalf
)
/s/ Constantine Flokos
of ALPHA BANK A.E.
)
/s/ Grigorios Kondilis
     

 
SK 23116 0005 1007425

 
52

 

Exhibit 4.74

 
F28.055
 
DATED 3 APRIL 2009


JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as borrower)
 
-and-
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as collateral guarantor)
 
-and-
 
ALPHA BANK A.E.
(as lender)



___________________________________________________________

SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO SECURED
LOAN FACILITY AGREEMENT DATED 17 DECEMBER 2007
___________________________________________________________




STEPHENSON HARWOOD
One, St. Paul's Churchyard
London EC4M 8SH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7329 4422
Fax: +44 (0)20 7329 7100
Ref: F28.055
 

 
 

 

CONTENTS
Page
1
Interpretation
 
3
2
Conditions
 
3
3
Representations and Warranties
 
8
4
Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
8
5
Confirmation and Undertaking
 
12
6
Communications, Law and Jurisdiction
 
 13

 
 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT
 
Dated:  3 April 2009
 
BETWEEN:
 
(1)
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia (the "Borrower"); and
 
(2)
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Collateral Guarantor"); and
 
(3)
ALPHA BANK A.E., acting through its office at 89 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 38 Piraeus, Greece (the "Lender").
 
SUPPLEMENTAL TO a secured loan agreement dated 17 December 2007 (the "Loan Agreement") made between the Borrower, as borrower and the Lender, as lender on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Lender has agreed to advance to the Borrower an aggregate amount not exceeding forty eight million Dollars ($48,000,000) (the "Loan" ) .
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)
The Collateral Guarantor and the Lender have entered into a secured loan agreement dated 18 August 2008 as amended and supplemented by a first supplemental agreement dated 23 February 2009 and a supplemental agreement dated April 2009 (together the "Lichtenstein Loan Agreement") each made between, among others, the Collateral Guarantor, as borrower and the Lender, as lender on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Lender has agreed to advance to the Collateral Guarantor an aggregate amount not exceeding thirty nine million Dollars ($39,000,000) (the "Lichtenstein Loan").   As security for the obligations of the Collateral Guarantor under the Lichtenstein Loan Agreement, the Collateral Guarantor executed, delivered and registered (where applicable), in favour of the Lender, as first mortgagee and assignee, a first preferred Panamanian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel together with a first priority assignment of the Collateral Vessel's Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation and a first priority deed of assignment and subordination in respect of the bareboat charter of the Collateral Vessel.

 
 

 

 
(B)
As security for the obligations of the Borrower under the Loan Agreement the Lender has requested and the Collateral Guarantor agreed to execute, deliver and register (where applicable), in favour of the Lender a guarantee and indemnity, a second preferred Panamanian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel, a second priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Collateral Vessel and a second priority deed of assignment and subordination in respect of the bareboat charter of the Collateral Vessel.
 
(C)
The aggregate of the Market Value of the Vessel pursuant to clause 10.12 of the Loan Agreement is less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan.
 
(D)
Pursuant to the provisions of clauses 10.12.1 to 10.12.3 of the Loan Agreement, the Borrower has an obligation to take certain action following the occurrence of the event set out in Recital (C) above.
 
(E)
The Borrower has requested that the Lender agrees to waive the provisions of clauses 10.12.1 to 10.12.3 and 12.2.2 of the Loan Agreement with effect from the Effective Date until and including 31 March 2010.
 
(F)
Pursuant to the provisions of clause 12.2.1 of the Loan Agreement, the Borrower would procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis commencing from the date of the Loan Agreement maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000).
 
(G)
The Borrower has requested that the Lender agrees to reduce the amount of the Minimum Liquidity referred to in clause 12.2.1 of the Loan Agreement to an amount not less than fifteen million Dollars (S15,000,000) with effect from the Effective Date up to and including 31 March 2010, whereupon and for the remaining of the Facility Period the amount of the Minimum Liquidity will be increased again to an amount of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000).
 
(H)
The Lender is willing to agree to all the foregoing requests and amend the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Supplemental Agreement.
 
 
2

 
(I)
At the date of this Supplemental Agreement the outstanding amount of the Loan is thirty four million seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars (S34,750,000).
 
 
IT IS AGREED THAT:
 
1.          Interpretation
 
 
1.1
In this Supplemental Agreement:
 
" Account Pledge " means a first priority Greek account charge and pledge (enechyron) over the Cash Deposit Account to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.

" Cash Deposit " means an amount of four million Dollars (S4,000,000) to be credited by the Borrower in the Cash Deposit Account and pledged in favour of the Lender.
 
" Cash Deposit Account " means a bank account opened or to be opened in the name of the Borrower with the Lender and designated "Japan III Shipping Company Limited — Cash Deposit Account".
 
" Collateral Assignment " means a second priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Collateral Vessel to be granted by the Collateral Guarantor, as owner of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
" Collateral Guarantee " means a guarantee and indemnity to be executed by the Collateral Guarantor in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
" Collateral Managers' Confirmation " means a managers' confirmation to be executed by each of Top Tanker Management Inc., of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and DL Shipping Co., Ltd., of South Korea as managers of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
" Collateral Mortgage " means a second preferred Panamanian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel to be granted by the Collateral Guarantor, as owner of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
 
3

 
 
" Collateral Tripartite Assignment " means a notarially attested and legalised (in respect of the Lichtenstein Bareboat Charterer) second priority deed of assignment and subordination in respect of the Collateral Vessel to be executed by the Collateral Guarantor, as owner of the Collateral Vessel, the Lender, as lender and the Lichtenstein Bareboat Charterer, as bareboat charterer in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
" Collateral Vessel " means the motor vessel "LICHTENSTEIN" registered in the ownership of the Owner under the flag of the Republic of Panama with Provisional Patente de Navigacion number 3845-PEXT, together with all her engines, machinery, boats, tackle, outfit, fuels, spares, consumable and other stores, belongings and appurtenances, whether on board or ashore, including any which may in the future be put on board or may in the future be intended to be used for the Collateral Vessel if on shore.
 
" Deed of Confirmation " means a deed of confirmation to be executed by Top Ships Inc., of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
" Effective Date " means the date of this Supplemental Agreement.
 
" Existing Time Charter " means the time charter in respect of the Vessel dated 13 March 2008 made between the Borrower, as owner of the Vessel and the Existing Time Charterer, as charterer on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Borrower would time charter the Vessel to the Existing Time Charterer for a duration of 35 up to 37 months at a minimum net daily rate of hire of fifty four thousand two hundred and fifty Dollars ($54,250).
 
" Existing Time Charterer " means Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd., of South Korea.
 
" Lichtenstein Bareboat Charterer " means Daelim Corporation, of IOF KCCI Bldg, 45 4ga Namdaemunre, Jung gu Seoul, Republic of South Korea.
 
" New Security Documents " means this Supplemental Agreement, the Collateral Guarantee, the Collateral Mortgage, the Collateral Assignment, the Collateral Manager's Confirmation, the Deed of Confirmation, the Account Pledge, the Collateral Tripartite Agreement and any other agreement or document which may at any time be executed by any person as additional security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness.
 
4

 
"Security Parties" means all parties to this Supplemental Agreement other than the Lender.
 
 
1.2
Unless otherwise defined, all words and expressions defined in the Loan Agreement shall have the same meaning when used in this Supplemental Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, and clause   I .2 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to the interpretation of this Supplemental Agreement as if it was set out in full.
 
2.            Conditions
 
 
2.1
As conditions for the agreement of the Lender to the requests specified in Recitals (E) and (G) above, the Borrower shall deliver or cause to be delivered to or to the order of the Lender the following documents and evidence:
 
 
2.1.1
a certificate from a duly authorised officer of each of the Borrower and the Guarantor confirming that none of the documents delivered to the Lender pursuant to clause 3.1 of the Loan Agreement have been amended or modified in any way since the date of their delivery to the Lender, or copies, certified by a duly authorised officer of each of the Borrower and the Guarantor as true, complete, accurate and neither amended nor revoked, of any documents which have been amended or modified;
 
 
2.1.2
copies of the constitutional documents of the Collateral Guarantor together with such other evidence as the Lender may reasonably require that the Collateral Guarantor is duly incorporated in its country of incorporation and remains in existence with power to enter into, and perform its obligations under, the New Security Documents to which it is or is to become a party;
 
 
2.1.3
the original resolution of the directors and the shareholders of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor (together, where appropriate, with signed waivers of notice of any directors' or shareholders' meetings) approving, and authorising or ratifying the execution of, the New Security Documents and any document to be executed by each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor pursuant to the New Security Documents;
 
 
5

 

 
2.1.4
a notarially attested and legalised power of attorney of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor under which the New Security Documents and any documents required pursuant to them are to be executed by each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor;
 
 
2.1.5
a certificate of good standing in respect of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor;
 
 
2.1.6
the New Security Documents, together with all other documents required by any of them, including, without limitation, all other notices of assignment and/or charge duly executed, and registered (where applicable) and evidence that those notices will be duly acknowledged by the recipients and in the case of the Collateral Mortgage registered with second priority at the Ship's Registry (or equivalent office) of the Collateral Vessel's current flag;
 
 
2.1.7
a certificate of ownership and encumbrance (or equivalent) issued by the Registrar of Ships (or equivalent official) of the Collateral Vessel's current flag confirming that the Collateral Vessel is permanently registered under the flag of the Republic of Panama in the ownership of the Collateral Guarantor and that the Collateral Mortgage in respect of the Collateral Vessel has been registered with second priority and that there are no further encumbrances registered apart from a first preferred Panamanian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel dated 23 February 2009 executed by the Collateral Guarantor in favour of the Lender;
 
 
2.1.8
evidence that the Collateral Vessel is insured in the manner required by the New Security Documents and that letters of undertaking will be issued in the manner required by the New Security Documents together with copies of the relevant policies or cover notes or entry certificates duly endorsed with the interest of the Lender as second mortgagee and assignee, together with (if required by the Lender) the written approval of the Insurances by an insurance adviser appointed by the Lender;
 
6

 
 
2.1.9
if required by the Lender, the written confirmation of the Managers that, throughout the Facility Period unless otherwise agreed by the Lender, they will remain the commercial and technical managers of the Collateral Vessel and that they will not, without the prior written consent of the Lender sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Collateral Vessel to any third party and confirming in terms acceptable to the Lender that, following the occurrence of an Event of Default, all claims against the Borrower shall be subordinated to the claims of the Lender under the Finance Documents;
 
 
2.1.10
confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that all legal opinions required by the Lender will be given substantially in the form required by the Lender;
 
 
2.1.11
evidence that any process agent referred to in clause 21.5 of the Loan Agreement and any process agent appointed under any New Security Document has accepted its appointment;
 
 
2.1.12
such duly signed forms of mandate, and/or other evidence of the opening of the Cash Deposit Account, as the Lender may require in respect of the Borrower;
 
 
2.1.13
evidence satisfactory to the Lender that the Cash Deposit has been credited to the Cash Deposit Account; and
 
 
2.1.14
a copy of any other consent, licence, approval, authorisation or other document, opinion or assurance which the Lender considers to be necessary or desirable (if it has notified the Borrower and/or the Collateral Guarantor accordingly) in connection with the entry into and performance of the transactions contemplated by this Supplemental Agreement and the other New Security Documents or for the validity and enforceability of this Supplemental Agreement and the other New Security Documents.
 
7

 
 
2.2
If the Lender agrees, in its sole discretion, to waive any conditions under Clause 2.1 prior to the Effective Date, the Borrower undertakes to deliver all outstanding documents and evidence to or to the order of the Lender no later than the date specified by the Lender, which however, shall not be taken as a waiver of the Lender's right to require production of all the documents and evidence required by Clause 2.1.
 
 
2.3
All documents and evidence delivered to the Lender pursuant to this Clause shall:
 
 
2.3.1
be in form and substance acceptable to the Lender;
 
 
2.3.2
be accompanied, if required by the Lender, by translations into the English language, certified in a manner acceptable to the Lender; and
 
 
2.3.3
if required by the Lender, be certified, notarised, legalised or attested in a manner acceptable to the Lender.
 
3.          Representations and Warranties
 
Each of the representations and warranties contained in   clause I 1 of the Loan Agreement shall be deemed repeated by the Borrower at the Effective Date, by reference to the facts and circumstances then pertaining, as if references to the Security Documents included this Supplemental Agreement.
 
4.          Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
  With effect from the Effective Date:
 
 
4.1
the definitions contained in Clause 1.1 (other than the definition of " Effective Date") of this Supplemental Agreement shall be added to clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement;
 
 
4.2
the definition of "Collateral Guarantor" contained in Recital 2 was added in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement;
 
8

 
 
4.3
the definition of the term " Margin ", as is set out in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement shall be substituted as follows:-
 
 
"Margin" means two point five per cent (2.5%) per annum.";
 
 
4.4
where the context so admits, all references to the term " Earnings Account" (however defined) in the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents, shall be read and construed as including the Cash Deposit Account;
 
 
4.5
where the context so admits, all references to the term " Mortgage " (however defined) in the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents, shall be read and construed as including the plural of such term or as referring to each "Mortgage", as if they were references to the Mortgage in respect of the Vessel and to the Collateral Mortgage in respect of the Collateral Vessel;
 
 
4.6
the definition of " Security Documents" set forth in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was construed to include the New Security Documents;
 
 
4.7
the definition of " Security Parties" set forth in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was construed to include the Collateral Guarantor;
 
 
4.8
where the context so admits, all references to the term "Vessel" (however defined) in the Loan Agreement, including but not limited to references in clauses 1.1, 10, 12 and 13 of the Loan Agreement, and the Security Documents, shall be read and construed as including the plural of such term or as referring to each "Vessel" respectively, as if they were references to the Vessel in relation to the Borrower and to the Collateral Vessel in relation to the Collateral Guarantor;
 
 
4.9
clause 6.2.3 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 6.2.3:
 
 
"6.2.3.  any prepayment under this Clause 6.2 shall satisfy the obligations under Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan) as follows:
 
 
(a)
if prepayment is made by 31 March 2010, fifty per cent (50%) of such prepayment shall be applied in reducing pro rata any unpaid part of the first thirteen (1st-13th) Repayment Instalments and the other fifty per cent (50%) of such prepayment shall be applied in reducing pro rata the following nineteen (14th-32nd) Repayment Instalments;
 
9

 
 
(b)
if prepayment is made following the repayment of the fourteenth (14th) Repayment Instalment, such prepayment shall be applied in reducing pro rata the outstanding Repayment Instalments including the Balloon Payment";
 
 
4.10
clause 6.3 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 6.3:
 
"6.3   Mandatory Prepayment on sale or Total Loss If the Vessel is sold by the Borrower or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, prepay the whole of the Loan. If the Collateral Vessel is sold by the Collateral Guarantor or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, within thirty (30) days of the Lender's request, at the Borrower's option:
                  
  6.3.1 
pay to the Lender or to its nominee a cash deposit to be secured in favour of the Lender as additional security for the payment of the Indebtedness; or 
 
 
6.3.2
give to the Lender other additional security in amount and form acceptable to the Lender in its discretion; or
 
 
6.3.3
prepay an amount of the Indebtedness,
 
which, in each case, will ensure that the aggregate of the market value of the Vessel (as determined pursuant to Clause 10.12) and the value of any such additional security is not less than the ratio of the market value of the Vessel and the Collateral Vessel as was immediately prior to the sale or Total Loss of the Collateral Vessel.";
 
 
4.11
the following clause was added as clause 10.13 of the Loan Agreement:
 
"10.13 Cash Deposit Account The Borrower shall maintain the Cash Deposit Account with the Lender for the duration of the Facility Period free of Encumbrances and rights of set off other than those created by or under the Finance Documents.";
 
10

 
 
4.12
the following clause was added as clause 10.14 of the Loan Agreement;
 
"10.14 Cash Deposit The Borrower shall procure that the Cash Deposit is credited and remains credited for the duration of the Facility Period to the Cash Deposit Account. The Cash Deposit held in the Cash Deposit Account pledged in favour of the Lender will be applied toward the prepayment of the Loan pursuant to Clause 6 in case the Existing Time Charter is amended and/or supplemented and/or novated and/or renegotiated and/or cancelled and/or repudiated and/or terminated, and it will be released to the Borrower as follows:

  (a) 
an amount of two million Dollars ($2,000,000) will be released to the Borrower or to its order on 31 December 2009; and
 
 
(b)
an amount of two million Dollars ($2,000,000) will be released to the Borrower or to its order on 31 March 2010,
 
subject to (i) no Event of Default having occurred, and (ii) the Existing Time Charter has not in any respect been amended and/or supplemented and/or novated and/or renegotiated and/or cancelled and/or repudiated and/or terminated up to and including that date.";
 
 
4.13
the Lender agrees to waive the breach of the covenant contained in clause 10.12 of the Loan Agreement only until 31 March 2010;
 
 
4.14
clause 12.2 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 12.2:-
 
 
"12.2 Financial covenants
 
The Borrower shall procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis (assessed semi-annually and certified in accordance with Clause 12.1.2 (a)) commencing from the date of this Agreement:-
 
 
12.2.1
maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000), but of not less than fifteen million Dollars ($15,000,000) from the Effective Date until 31 March 2010 whereupon and for the remaining of the Facility Period the amount of the Minimum Liquidity will be increased again to an amount of not less than twenty five million Dollars (525,000,000); and
 
 
11

 
 
12,2,2
maintain a Minimum Adjusted Net Worth of not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) with the exception of the period between the Effective Date and 31 March 2010; and
 
 
12.2.3
maintain Minimum Equity of not less than one hundred million Dollars ($100,000,000).";
 
 
4.15
clause 13.1.18 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 13.1.18:-
 
 
"13.1.18
Notice of termination The Guarantor or the Collateral Guarantor gives notice to the Lender to determine its obligations under the Guarantee or the Collateral Guarantee."; and
 
 
4.16
clause 10.1 of the Loan Agreement shall be read and construed as including the New Security Documents.
 
For the avoidance of doubt, the Lender hereby consents to and permits the creation of additional Encumbrance over the Collateral Vessel by virtue of the New Security Documents. All other terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement shall remain unaltered and in full force and effect.
 
5.        Confirmation and Undertaking
 
 
5.1
The Borrower confirms that all of its respective obligations under or pursuant to each of the Security Documents to which it is a party remain in full force and effect, despite the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Supplemental Agreement, as if all references in any of the Security Documents to the Loan Agreement (however described) were references to the Loan Agreement as amended and supplemented by this Supplemental Agreement.
 
 
5.2
The definition of any term defined in any of the Security Documents shall, to the extent necessary, be modified to reflect the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Supplemental Agreement.
 
12

 
6.          Notices, Law and Jurisdiction
 
The provisions of clauses 17 and 21 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to this Supplemental Agreement as if they were set out in full and as if references to the Loan Agreement were references to this Supplemental Agreement and references to the Borrower were references to the Security Parties.
 
IN WITNESS of which the parties to this Supplemental Agreement have executed this Supplemental Agreement as a deed the day and year first before written.
 
 
SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
 
acting by Andreas Louka
)
 /s/ Andreas Louka
its duly authorized  attorney-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 

SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
 
acting by Andreas Louka
)
 /s/ Andreas Louka 
its duly authorized  attorney-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 

SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
 
ALPHA BANK A.E.
)
 
acting by Constantinos Flokos
)
 /s/ Constantinos Flokos
and by Gregorios Kondilis
)
 /s/ Gregorios Kondilis
its duly authorized  attorneys-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
 

SK 23116 0005 1007401

 
13

 

Exhibit 4.75
 

 
 
Dated: 5 th March, 2008
 

EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A.
- and -
JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
 
 
LOAN AGREEMENT NO. 185/2008
for a secured floating interest rate
loan facility
of up to US$50,000,000
 
 

 

 
 

 


 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 

 
CLAUSE
HEADINGS
PAGE
     
1.
PURPOSE, DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
1
2.
THE LOAN
11
3.
INTEREST
14
4.
REPAYMENT - PREPAYMENT
17
5.
PAYMENTS, TAXES, LOAN ACCOUNT AND COMPUTATION
21
6.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
22
7.
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
28
8.
COVENANTS
31
9.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
40
10.
INDEMNITIES - EXPENSES - FEES
45
11.
SECURITY, APPLICATION, AND SET-OFF
49
12.
UNLAWFULNESS, INCREASED COSTS
53
13.
ASSIGNMENT, PARTICIPATION, LENDING BRANCH
54
14.
MISCELLANEOUS
55
15.
NOTICES AND OTHER MATTERS
57
16.
APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION
59
 
SCHEDULES
 
1.
FORM OF DRAWDOWN NOTICE
54
2.
INSURANCES
56
3.
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
 


 



 
 

 


 
THIS AGREEMENT is dated the 5th day of March, 2008 made BETWEEN:
 
(1)
EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A., a Greek banking societe anonyme duly incorporated under the laws of Greece, having its registered office at 11, Sofokleous Street, Athens, Greece, acting for the purposes of this Agreement through its office at 114 Kolokotroni Street, Piraeus, Greece and includes its successors in title, as lender (the "Bank"); and
 
(2)
JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated in the Republic of Liberia and having its registered office at 80, Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia and includes its successors in title, as borrower (hereinafter called the "Borrower");
 
AND IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:
 
1.
PURPOSE, DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
 
1.1
Amount and Purpose
 
This Agreement sets out the terms and conditions upon and subject to which the Bank agrees to make available to the Borrower a term loan facility of up to the lesser of (a) Dollars fifty million ($50,000,000) and (b) 68% of the Market Value of the Vessel, to be used for the purpose of financing up to 68% of the Market Value of the Vessel.
 
1.2
Definitions
 
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires each term or expression defined in the recital of the parties and in this Clause shall have the meaning given to it in the recital of the parties, in this Clause:
 
"Accounting Period" means each consecutive period of twelve (12) months falling during the Security Period (ending on the last day in December of each year) for which the annual financial statements are required to be delivered pursuant to sub-clause 8.1(a);
 
"Accounts Pledge Agreement" means an agreement to be entered into between the Borrower and the Bank for the creation of a pledge over the Earnings Account and the Retention Account in favour of the Bank, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank as the same may from time to time be amended and/or supplemented;
 
"Advance" means each borrowing of a portion of the Commitment by the Borrower or (as the context may require) the principal amount of such borrowing;
 
"Agreed Rate" means a rate agreed between the Bank and the Borrower on the basis of which (instead of LIBO) the interest rate is determined pursuant to Clause 3.6;
 
"Approved Manager" means for the time being Top Tanker Management Inc., a company duly incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and having an office established in Greece (at 1, Vassilis Sofias Avenue & Megalou Alexandrou street, Maroussi, 151 24, Greece) pursuant to the Greek laws 378/68, 27/75 and 814/79 (as amended) or any other person appointed by the Borrower, with the prior written consent of the Bank (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) as the manager of the Vessel and includes its successors in title;
 
" Availability Period" means the period starting on the date hereof and ending on the 31 st March, 2008 or until such later date as the Bank may agree in writing or on such earlier date (if any): (i) on which the whole Commitment has been advanced by the Bank to the Borrower, or (ii) on which the Commitment is reduced to zero pursuant to Clauses 3.6, 9.9, 12.1 or 12.2 or any other Clause of this Agreement;
 
 
1

 
"Balloon Instalment" means the principal part of the Loan amounting to $12,900,000 (Dollars twelve million nine hundred thousand) which becomes due for repayment by the Borrower to the Bank on the Final Maturity Date pursuant to Clause 4.1;
 
"Bank" means the Bank as specified in the beginning of this Agreement and includes its successors in title and transferees;
 
"Banking Day" means any day on which banks and foreign exchange markets in New York, London, Pireaus and Athens and in each country or place in or at which an act is required to be done under this Agreement in accordance with the usual practice of the Bank, are open for the transaction of business of the nature contemplated in this Agreement;
 
"Borrowed Money" means Indebtedness incurred in respect of (i) money borrowed or raised, (ii) any bond, note, loan stock, debenture or similar instrument, (iii) acceptance of documentary credit facilities, (iv) deferred payments for assets or services acquired, (v) rental payments under leases (whether in respect of land, machinery, equipment or otherwise) entered into primarily as a method of raising finance or of financing the acquisition of the asset leased, (vi) guarantees, bonds, stand-by letters of credit or other instruments issued in connection with the performance of contracts and (vii) guarantees or other assurances against financial loss in respect of Indebtedness of any person falling within any of sub-paragraphs (i) to (vi) above;
 
"Borrower" means the Borrower as specified in the beginning of this Agreement;
 
"Break Costs" means all costs, losses, premiums or penalties incurred by the Bank in the circumstances contemplated by Clause 10.1, or as a result of it receiving any prepayment of all or any part of the Loan (whether pursuant to Clause 4 or otherwise), or any other payment under or in relation to the Security Documents on a day other than the due date for payment of the sum in question, and includes (without limitation) any losses or costs incurred in liquidating or re-employing deposits from third parties acquired to effect or maintain the Loan, and any liabilities, expenses or losses incurred by the Bank in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any interest rate and/or currency swap, transaction or arrangement entered into by the Bank to hedge any exposure arising under this Agreement, or in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any open position arising under this Agreement or the Master Agreement;
 
"Charterparty" means a time or bareboat charterparty or contract of affreightment, agreement or related document in respect of the employment of the Vessel for a period for more than 12 months and at a daily rate and on conditions acceptable to the Bank to be made between the Borrower, as owner and any charterer on terms and conditions acceptable to the Bank (and shall include any addenda thereto);
 
"Charterparty Assignment" means the assignment of the Charterparty to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Bank and the acknowledgement of notice of the assignment in respect of the Charterparty to be given by a charterer, both in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank as the same may from time to time be amended and/or supplemented;
 
"Commitment" means the amount which the Bank has agreed to lend to the Borrower under Clause 2.1 as reduced pursuant to any relevant term of this Agreement;
 
 
2

 
"Commitment Letter" means the Commitment Letter dated 2 nd October, 2007 addressed by the Bank to the Corporate Guarantor and accepted by it on the 5th October, 2007 and shall include any amendments or addenda thereto;
 
"Confirmation" means a Confirmation exchanged, or deemed exchanged, between the Bank and the Borrower as contemplated by the Master Agreement;
 
"Corporate Guarantee" means an irrevocable and unconditional guarantee given or, as the context may require, to be given by the Corporate Guarantor in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank as a security for the Outstanding Indebtedness and any and all other obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement;
 
"Corporate Guarantor" means Top Ships Inc., a company duly incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and listed and trading in the Nasdaq Global Select Market and/or any other person nominated by the Borrower and acceptable to the Bank which may give a Corporate Guarantee;
 
"Credit Support Document" means any document described as such in the Master Agreement and, where the context permits, any other document referred to in any Credit Support Document which has the effect of creating an Encumbrance in favour of the Bank;
 
"Credit Support Provider" means any person (other than the Borrower) described as such in the Master Agreement;
 
"Default" means any Event of Default or any event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time or the satisfaction of any other condition (or any combination thereof) would constitute an Event of Default;
 
"Default Rate" means that rate of interest per annum which is determined in accordance with the provisions of Clause 3.4;
 
" DOC " means a document of compliance issued to an Operator in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM Code;
 
"Dollars" and "$" mean the lawful currency of the United States of America and in respect of all payments to be made under any of the Security Documents means funds which are for same day settlement in the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or such other U.S. dollar funds as may at the relevant time be customary for the settlement of international banking transactions denominated in Dollars);
 
"Drawdown Date" means the day, being a Banking Day, on which the Commitment is or, as the context may require, shall be advanced to the Borrower;
 
"Drawdown Notice" means a notice substantially in the terms of Schedule 1;
 
"Early Termination Date" has the meaning given to that expression in section 14 of the Master Agreement;
 
"Earnings" in relation to the Vessel, means all earnings of the Vessel, both present or future, including all freight, hire and passage moneys, compensation payable to the Owner in the event of requisition of the Vessel for hire, remuneration for salvage and towage services, demurrage and detention moneys, contributions of any nature whatsoever in respect of general average, damages for breach (or payments for variation or termination) of any charterparty or other contract for the employment of the Vessel and any other earnings whatsoever due or to become due to the Owner in respect of the Vessel and all sums recoverable under the Insurances in respect of loss of Earnings and includes, if and whenever the Vessel is employed on terms whereby any and all such moneys as aforesaid are pooled or shared with any other person, that proportion of the net receipts of the relevant pooling or sharing agreement which is attributable to the Vessel;
 
 
3

 
"Earnings Account" means the account to be opened and maintained with the Lending Branch or with any other Branch of the Bank or with any other bank the Bank may designate to the Borrower at the discretion of the Bank, to which (inter alia) all Earnings of the Vessel are to be paid in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement;
 
"Encumbrance" means any mortgage, charge (whether fixed or floating), pledge, lien, hypothecation, assignment, security interest, title retention, arrest, seizure, garnishee order (whether nisi or absolute) or any other order or judgement having similar effect or other encumbrance of any kind securing or any right conferring a priority of payment in respect of any obligation of any person;
 
"Environmental Affiliate" means any agent or employee of the Borrower or any other Relevant Party or any person having a contractual relationship with the Borrower or any other Relevant Party in connection with any Relevant Ship or her operation or the carriage of cargo thereon;
 
"Environmental Approval" means any consent, authorisation, licence or approval of any governmental or public body or authorities or courts applicable to any Relevant Ship or her operation or the carriage of cargo thereon and/or passengers therein and/or provisions of goods and/or services on or from the Relevant Ship required under any Environmental Law;
 
"Environmental Claim" means any and all enforcement, clean up, removal or other governmental or regulatory actions or orders instituted or completed pursuant to any Environmental Law or any Environmental Approval together with claims made by any third party relating to damage, contribution, loss or injury, resulting from any actual or threatened emission, spill, release or discharge of a Material of Environmental Concern from any Relevant Ship;
 
"Environmental Laws" means all national, international and state laws, rules, regulations, treaties and conventions applicable to any Relevant Ship pertaining to the pollution or protection of human health or the environment including, without limitation, the carriage or Materials of Environmental Concern and actual or threatened emissions, spills, releases or discharges of Materials of Environmental Concern and actual or threatened emissions, spills, releases or discharges of Materials of Environmental Concern from any Relevant Ship;
 
"Event of Default" means any event or circumstance set out in Clause 9 or described as such in any other of the Security Documents;
 
"Expenses" means the aggregate at any relevant time (to the extent that the same have not been received or recovered by the Bank) of:
 
 
(a)
all losses, liabilities, costs, charges, expenses, damages and outgoings of whatever nature, (including, without limitation, Taxes, repair costs, registration fees and insurance premiums, crew wages, repatriation expenses and seamen's pension fund dues) suffered, incurred, charged to or paid or committed to be paid by the Bank in connection with the exercise of the powers referred to in or granted by any of the Security Documents or otherwise payable by the Borrower in accordance with the terms of any of the Security Documents;
 
 
4

 
 
(b)
the expenses referred to in Clause 10.2 (a) and (b); and
 
 
(c)
interest on all such losses, liabilities, costs, charges, expenses, damages and outgoings from, in the case of Expenses referred to in sub-paragraph (b) above, the date on which such Expenses were demanded by the Bank from the Borrower and in all other cases, the date on which the same were suffered, incurred or paid by the Bank until the date of receipt or recovery thereof (whether before or after judgement) at the Default Rate (as conclusively certified by the Bank);
 
"Final Maturity Date" means the date falling seven (7) years after the Drawdown Date;
 
"Flag State" means the Republic of Liberia or such other state or territory proposed in writing by the Borrower to the Bank and approved (at its sole discretion) by the Bank (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld), as being the Flag State of the Vessel for the purposes of the Security Documents;
 
"General Assignment" means the assignment of the Earnings, Insurances and Requisition compensation collateral to the Mortgage executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Bank in form satisfactory to the Bank;
 
"Governmental Withholdings" means withholdings and any restrictions or conditions resulting in any charge whatsoever imposed, either now or hereafter, by any sovereign state or by any political sub-division or taxing authority of any sovereign state;
 
"Group" means together the Borrower, any Security Party and their Related Companies and "member of the Group" shall be construed accordingly;
 
"Indebtedness" means any obligation for the payment or repayment of money, whether as principal or as surety, whether present or future, actual or contingent;
 
"Insurances" includes all policies and contracts of insurance (which expression includes all entries of the Vessel in a protection and indemnity or war risks association) which are from time to time taken out or entered into in respect of the Vessel and her Earnings or otherwise howsoever in connection with the Vessel;
 
"Interest Payment Date" means in respect of the Loan or any part thereof in respect of which a separate Interest Period is fixed the last day of the relevant Interest Period and in case of any Interest Period longer than three (3) months the date(s) falling at successive three (3) monthly intervals during such longer Interest Period and the last day of such Interest Period;
 
"Interest Period" means in relation to the Loan or any part thereof, each period for the calculation of interest in respect of the Loan or such part ascertained in accordance with Clauses 3.2 and 3.3;
 
"ISM Code" means in relation to its application to the Borrower, the Vessel and her operation:
 
 
(a)
"The International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention", currently known or referred to as the "ISM Code", adopted by the Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation by Resolution A. 741(18) on 4 th November, 1993 and incorporated on 19 th May, 1994 into chapter IX of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 (SOLAS 1974); and
 
 
5

 
 
(b)
all further resolutions, circulars, codes, guidelines, regulations and recommendations which are now or in the future issued by or on behalf of the International Maritime Organisation or any other entity with responsibility for implementing the ISM Code, including without limitation, the "Guidelines on implementation or administering of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code by Administrations" produced by the International Maritime Organisation pursuant to Resolution A. 788(19) adopted on 25 th November, 1995;
 
as the same may be amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time;
 
"ISM Code Documentation" includes:
 
 
(a)
the DOC and SMC issued by a classification society in all respects acceptable to the Bank in its absolute discretion pursuant to the ISM Code in relation to the Vessel within the period specified by the ISM Code;
 
 
 
(b)
all other documents and data which are relevant to the ISM SMS and its implementation and verification which the Bank may require by request; and
 
 
 
(c)
any other documents which are prepared or which are otherwise relevant to establish and maintain the Vessel's or the Borrower's compliance with the ISM Code which the Bank may require by request;
 
"ISM SMS" means the safety management system which is required to be developed, implemented and maintained under the ISM Code;
 
"ISPS Code" means the International Ship and Port Security Code of the International Maritime Organization and includes any amendments or extensions thereto and any regulation issued pursuant thereto;
 
" ISSC " means an International Ship Security Certificate issued in respect of the Vessel pursuant to the ISPS Code;
 
Branch by notice to the Borrowers;
 
"LIBOR" means in relation to a particular period the rate for deposits in Dollars equivalent to or comparable to the amount of the Loan (or the relevant part thereof) for a period equivalent to such period at or about 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the second Banking Day before the first day of such period as displayed on Telerate page 3750 (British Bankers' Association Interest Settlement Rates) (or such other page as may replace such page 3750 on such system or on any other system of the information vendor for the time being designated by the British Bankers' Association to calculate BBA Interest Settlement Rate (as defined in the British Bankers' Recommended Terms and Conditions ("BBAIRS" terms) dated August, 1985)); and if on such date no such rate is so displayed, Libor for a period equivalent to such period shall be the rate per annum (rounded upward if necessary to five decimal place) at which the Bank is able in accordance with its usual practices to obtain deposits in Dollars for an amount approximately equivalent to or comparable with the amount to which Libor is to be determined at 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the second Banking Day prior to the beginning of such period in the London Interbank Market for delivery on the first day of that period and for the number of days comprised therein;
 
6

 
" Loan " means the aggregate principal amount borrowed by the Borrower in respect of the Commitment or (as the context may require) the principal amount thereof owing to the Bank under this Agreement at any relevant time;
 
"Lending Branch" means the office of the Bank appearing at the beginning of this Agreement or any other office of the Bank designated by the Bank as the Lending Branch by notice to the Borrower;
 
"Major Casualty Amount" means any casualty to the Vessel in respect whereof the claim or the aggregate of the claims against all insurers, before adjustment for any relevant franchise or deductible, exceeds five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) or the equivalent in any other currency;
 
"Management Agreement" means the agreement made between the Borrower and the Approved Manager providing (inter alia) for the Approved Manager to manage the Vessel;
 
"Manager's Undertaking" means a letter of undertaking and subordination to be executed by the Approved Manager, as manager, whereby the Approved Manager shall subordinate any and all claims it may have against the Borrower and/or the Vessel to the claims of the Bank hereunder and under the Security Documents ;
 
"Margin" means one point ten percent (1.10%) per annum;
 
"Market Value" means the market value of the Vessel as determined in accordance with Clause 8.6(b);
 
"Master Agreement" means the Master Agreement (on the 1992 ISDA (Multicurrency - Crossborder) form as modified (or any other form of master agreement relating to interest or currency exchange transactions)) made or to be made between the Bank and the Borrower, and includes the Schedule thereto and all transactions from time to time entered into and Confirmations from time to time exchanged under the Master Agreement and any amending, supplementing or replacement agreements made from time to time;
 
"Master Agreement Liabilities" means, at any relevant time, all liabilities actual or contingent, present or future, of the Borrower to the Bank under the Master Agreement;
 
"Material of Environmental Concern" means and includes pollutants, contaminants, toxic substances, oil as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and all hazardous substances as defined in the United States Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act 1988;
 
" MOA " means in relation to the Vessel, the Memorandum of Agreement dated 7th August, 2007 entered into between the Seller, as seller, and the Borrower, as buyer of the Vessel, in respect of the sale by such seller and the purchase by the Borrower of the Vessel and any and all addenda thereto;
 
"Month" means a period beginning in one calendar month and ending in the next calendar month on the day numerically corresponding to the day of the calendar month on which it started provided that (i) if there is no such numerically corresponding day, it shall end on the last Banking Day in such next calendar month and (ii) if such numerically corresponding day is not a Banking Day, the period shall end on the next following Banking Day in the same calendar month but if there is no such Banking Day it shall end on the preceding Banking Day and "months" and " monthly" shall be construed accordingly;
 
7

 
"Mortgage" means the first preferred ship mortgage on the Vessel to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Bank in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank;
 
"Mortgaged Vessel(s)" means the Vessel and any vessel which is or remain mortgaged in favour of the Bank pursuant to this Agreement at any relevant time hereunder;
 
"Operator" means any person who is from time to time during the Security Period concerned in the operation of the Vessel and falls within the definition of "Company" set out in rule 1.1.2. of the ISM Code;
 
"Outstanding Indebtedness" means the aggregate of (a) the Loan and interest accrued and accruing thereon, (b) the Expenses, (c) the Master Agreement Liabilities and all other sums of any nature (together with all interest on any of those sums) which from time to time may be payable by the Borrower to the Bank pursuant to the Security Documents, whether actually or contingently (d) any damages payable as a result of any breach by the Borrower of any of the Security Documents and (e) any damages or other sums payable as a result of any of the obligations of the Borrower under or pursuant to any of the Security Documents being disclaimed by a liquidator or any other person, or, where the context permits, the amount thereof for the time being outstanding;
 
"Owner" means the Borrower;
 
"Permitted Encumbrance" means any Encumbrance in favour of the Bank created pursuant to the Security Documents and Permitted Liens;
 
"Permitted Lien" means any lien on the Vessel for master's, officers' or crew's wages outstanding in the ordinary course of trading, any lien for salvage and any ship repairer's or outfitter's possessory lien for a sum not (except with the prior written consent of the Bank) exceeding the Major Casualty Amount;
 
"Pledgors" means persons acceptable to the Bank who have executed or (as the context may require) shall execute the Shares Pledge Agreement;
 
"Registry" means the offices of such registrar, commissioner or representative of the Flag State who is duly authorised to register the Vessel, the Borrower's title to the Vessel and the Mortgage over the Vessel under the laws and flag of the Flag State;
 
"Related Company" means any company which is under the ultimate control, direct or indirect, of any individual who has ultimate control, whether alone or with others, of the Borrower or other entity of which such company is a Subsidiary and any Subsidiary of any such company or entity;
 
"Relevant Jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction in which or where any Security Party is incorporated, resident, domiciled, has a permanent establishment, carries on, or has a place of business or is otherwise effectively connected;
 
"Relevant Party" means the Borrower, the Borrower's Related Companies and any other Security Party and any Security Party's Related Companies;
 
"Relevant Ship" means the Vessel and any other vessel from time to time (whether before or after the date of this Agreement) owned, managed or crewed by, or chartered to, any Relevant Party;
 
 
8

 
"Repayment Date" means each of the dates specified in Clause 4.1 on which the Repayment Instalments shall be payable by the Borrower to the Bank;
 
" Repayment Instalment " means each instalment of the Loan which becomes due for repayment by the Borrower to the Bank on a Repayment Date pursuant to Clause 4.1;
 
"Requisition Compensation" means all sums of money or other compensation from time to time payable by reason of requisition of the Vessel otherwise than by requisition for hire;
 
"Retention Account" means an account of the Borrower with the Lending Branch or any other branch of the Bank or any other bank as the Bank may at its discretion require;
 
"Security Documents" means this Agreement, the Master Agreement, the documents listed in Clause 11.1 and any and every other document as may have been or shall from time to time after the date of this Agreement be executed to guarantee and/or to secure the whole or any part of the Outstanding Indebtedness and/or any and all other obligations of the Borrower to the Bank pursuant to this Agreement (whether or not any such document also secures moneys from time to time owing pursuant to any other document or agreement);
 
"Security Party" means the Borrower, the Corporate Guarantor and any other person (other than the Bank) which is or may become a party to any of the Security Documents;
 
"Security Period" means the period commencing on the date hereof and terminating on the date upon which the Loan together with all interest thereon and all other moneys payable to the Bank under this Agreement and the other Security Documents has been repaid in full to the Bank;
 
"Security Requirement" means the amount in Dollars (as certified by the Bank, whose certificate shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower) which is at any relevant time one hundred and twenty five per cent (125%) of the aggregate of (i) the Loan and (ii) the Swap Exposure;
 
"Security Value" means the amount in Dollars (as certified by the Bank whose certificate shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower) which, at any relevant time is the aggregate of (a) the Market Value of the Mortgaged Vessel(s) as most recently determined in accordance with Clause 8.6 and (b) the market value of any additional security provided under Clause 8.6 (c) (if any);
 
" Seller " means Golden Steamship Co. S.A., of Panama;
 
"Shares Pledge Agreement" means the pledge agreement to be executed by the Pledgors in favour of the Bank whereby the Pledgors shall pledge all the issued share capital of the Borrower, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank as the same may from time to time be amended and/or supplemented;
 
"Swap Exposure" means, as at any relevant date, the amount certified by the Bank to the Borrower to be the aggregate net amount in Dollars which would be payable by the Borrower to the Bank under (and calculated in accordance with) Section 6(e) (Payments on Early Termination) of the Master Agreement if an Early Termination Date had occurred on the relevant date in relation to all continuing Transactions entered into between the Borrower and the Bank;
 
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" SMC " means a safety management certificate issued in respect of the Vessel in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM Code;
 
"Subsidiary" of a person means any company or entity directly or indirectly controlled by such person, and for this purpose "control" means either ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting share capital (or equivalent rights of ownership) of such company or entity or the power to direct its policies and management, whether by contract or otherwise;
 
"Taxes" includes all present and future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, fees or charges of whatever nature together with interest thereon and penalties in respect thereof (except taxes concerning the Bank and imposed on the net income of the Bank) and "Taxation" shall be construed accordingly;
 
"Total Loss" in relation to the Vessel, means (a) actual, constructive, compromised or arranged total loss of the Vessel; or (b) requisition for title or other compulsory acquisition of the Vessel otherwise than by requisition for hire; or (c) hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, detention, arrest or confiscation of the Vessel by any government or by any person acting or purporting to act on behalf of any government, unless the Vessel is released and restored to the Borrower within thirty (30) days after the occurrence thereof;
 
"Transaction" means a Transaction entered into between the Bank and the Borrower pursuant to the Master Agreement for the express purpose of hedging all or part of the Borrower's interest rate risk pursuant to this Agreement;
 
"Vessel" means the Panamax m/v "EPSON TRADER" presently registered under the Panama flag and under dual registration under the Philippines flag purchased by the Borrower from the Seller pursuant to the MOA which upon delivery to the Borrower shall be registered in the ownership of the Borrower at the Registry under the laws and flag of the Flag State under the name "PEPITO".
 
1.3         Interpretation
 
In this Agreement:
 
 
(a)
clause headings and the table of contents are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the interpretation of this Agreement;
 
 
(b)
subject to any specific provision of this Agreement or of any assignment and/or participation or syndication agreement of any nature whatsoever, reference to each of the parties hereto and to the other Security Documents shall be deemed to be reference to and/or to include, as appropriate, their respective successors and permitted assigns;
 
 
(c)
reference to a person shall be construed as including reference to an individual, firm, company, corporation, unincorporated body of persons or any State or any agency thereof;
 
 
(d)
where the context so admits, words in the singular include the plural and vice versa;
 
 
(e)
the words "including" and "in particular" shall not be construed as limiting the generality of any foregoing words;
 
 
(f)
references to (or to any specified provisions of) this Agreement and all documents referred to in this Agreement shall be construed as references to this Agreement, that provision or that document as are in force for the time being and as are amended and/or supplemented from time to time;
 
 
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(g)
reference to this Agreement includes all the terms of this Agreement and any Schedules, Annexes or Appendices to this Agreement, which form an integral part of same;
 
 
(h)
reference to Clauses, sub-Clauses and Schedules are to Clauses, sub-Clauses and Schedules in this Agreement;
 
 
(i)
reference to the opinion of the Bank or a determination or acceptance by the Bank or to documents, acts, or persons acceptable or satisfactory to the Bank or the like shall be construed as reference to opinion, determination, acceptance or satisfaction of the Bank at the sole discretion of the Bank and such opinion, determination, acceptance or satisfaction of the Bank shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrower;
 
 
(j)
references to a "regulation" include any present or future regulation, rule, directive, requirement, request or guideline (whether or not having the force of law) of any agency, authority, central bank or government department or any self regulatory or other national or supra-national authority;
 
 
(k)
references to any person include such person's assignees and successors in title;
 
 
(1)
references to a "guarantee" include references to an indemnity or other assurance against financial loss including, without limitation, an obligation to purchase assets or services as a consequence of a default by any other person to pay any Indebtedness and "guaranteed" shall be construed accordingly; and
 
 
(m)
references to any enactment shall be deemed to include references to such enactment as re-enacted, amended or extended.
 
2.
THE LOAN
 
 
2.1
Commitment to Lend
 
The Bank, relying upon (inter alia) each of the representations and warranties set forth in Clause 6 and in each of the other Security Documents, agrees to lend to the Borrower in one (1) advance and upon and subject to the terms of this Agreement, the amount specified in Clause 1.1 hereof.
 
2.2
Drawdown Notice and Commitment to Borrow
 
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Commitment shall be advanced to the Borrower following receipt by the Bank from the Borrower of a Drawdown Notice not later than 10 a.m. (London time) on the second Banking Day before the date on which the drawdown is intended to be made. A Drawdown Notice shall be effective on actual receipt thereof by the Bank and, once given, shall, subject as provided in Clause 3.6, be irrevocable.
 
2.3
Number of Advances Agreed
 
The Commitment shall be advanced to the Borrower in one advance.
 
 
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2.4
Disbursement
 
Upon receipt of the Drawdown Notice complying with the terms of this Agreement the Bank shall, subject to the provisions of Clause 7, on the date specified in the Drawdown Notice, make the Commitment available to the Borrower.
 
2.5
Application of Proceeds
 
Without prejudice to the Borrower's obligations under Clause 8.9, the Bank shall have no responsibility for the application of the proceeds of the Loan (or any part thereof) by the Borrower.
 
2.6
Termination Date of the Commitment
 
Any part of the Commitment undrawn and uncancelled at the end of the Availability Period shall thereupon be automatically cancelled and the Bank shall have no further obligation to the Borrower in respect of such undrawn part.
 
2.7
Evidence
 
It is hereby expressly agreed and admitted by the Borrower that abstracts or photocopies of the books of the Bank as well as statements of accounts or a certificate signed by an authorised officer of the Bank shall be conclusive binding and full evidence on the Borrower as to the existence and/or the amount of the at any time Outstanding Indebtedness, of any amount due under this Agreement, of the applicable interest rate or Default Rate or any other rate provided for or referred to in this Agreement, the Interest Period, the value of additional securities under Clause 8.6(c), the payment or non payment of any amount and/or the occurrence of any other Event of Default. Nevertheless, enforcement procedures or any other court or out-of-court procedure can be commenced by the Bank on the basis of the above mentioned means of evidence including written statements or certificates of the Bank.
 
2.8
Cancellation
 
The Borrower may, cancel any undrawn part of the Commitment under this Agreement upon giving the Bank not less than five (5) Banking Days' notice in writing to that effect, provided that no Drawdown Notice has been given to the Bank under Clause 2.2 for the full amount of the Commitment or in respect of the portion thereof in respect of which cancellation is required by the Borrower. Any such notice of cancellation, once given, shall be irrevocable. Any amount cancelled may not be drawn. Notwithstanding any such cancellation pursuant to this Clause 2.8 the Borrower shall continue to be liable for any and all amounts due to the Bank under this Agreement including without limitation any amounts due to the Bank under Clause 10.
 
2.9
Disbursement of the Loan to Seller's Bank
 
 
(a)
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Clause 2, in the event that the Commitment or any relevant part thereof (as the case may be) is required to be drawn down prior to the satisfaction of the requirements of Clause 7 and remitted to the Seller's Bank in accordance with Clause 3 of the MOA (the "Seller's Bank"), the Bank may in its absolute discretion agree to remit such amount to the Seller's Bank prior to the satisfaction of the requirements of Clause 7 expressly subject to the following conditions:
 
 
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(i)
such amount is remitted to the Seller's Bank to be held by it in an account in the Bank's name (the "deposit account") and to the order of the Bank;
 
 
(ii)
the principal amount (the "deposited amount") of such funds will only be released to the Seller upon the Seller's presentation to the Seller's Bank of a copy of the protocol of delivery and acceptance for the Vessel in the form agreed between the Seller and the Borrower and duly signed on behalf of the Seller and the Borrower and countersigned by the Bank's representative;
 
 
(iii)
the deposited amount so released may be used only for payment to the account of the Seller with the Seller's Bank in satisfaction of the balance of the purchase price of the Vessel; and
 
 
(iv)
in the event that none of the said amount so remitted is released in accordance with the Bank's instructions or any part thereof given in compliance with the conditions of sub-clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above is not so released, the said amount so remitted and any interest earned, the Bank may, after expiry of five (5) days from the expected Delivery Date, instruct the Seller's Bank to pay the amount of the Loan and any earned interest to another account of the Bank and the Borrower shall be obliged to indemnify the Bank in accordance with Clause 10.1. Thereafter and subject to the receipt by the Bank of the amount of the Loan and any interest earned and prompt indemnification of the Bank by the Borrower in accordance with Clause 10.1, as and when any further Drawdown Notice is given by the Borrower) the provisions of this Clause shall apply again (mutatis mutandis).
 
 
(b)
When either:
 
 
(i)
the Commitment or any relevant part thereof (as the case may be) is disbursed (whether on the expected Delivery Date or thereafter) in accordance with Clause 2.9(a)(i) and (ii) or
 
 
(ii)
the Bank withdraws the deposited amount under Clause 2.9(d),
 
the Borrower shall forthwith upon demand by the Bank pay to the Bank such amounts that may be certified by the Bank as being the amount required to indemnify the Bank in respect of the cost to the Bank of funding the deposited amount from the date of payment thereof to the Seller's Bank to the date of disbursement of the deposited amount to the Seller or the refund of the deposited amount to the Bank less the amount (if any) of the earned interest received by the Bank from the Seller's Bank. For this purpose, the cost of the Bank funding the deposited amount shall be deemed to be interest at a rate equal to the aggregate of (i) the applicable Margin and (ii) LIBOR for comparable deposits on a call (day to day) basis.
 
 
(c)
The Bank shall have no liability to the Borrower if the Seller's Bank fails to carry out any instructions given to it by the Bank to disburse or refund the deposited amount.
 
 
(d)
If, upon being instructed to do so by the Bank, the Seller's Bank fails either to apply the deposited amount in full in accordance with Clause 2.9 (a)(ii) or to refund the deposited amount in full in accordance with Clause 2.9(a)(iv):
 
 
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(i)
the Bank shall cease to be obliged to make the Commitment or relevant part thereof (as the case may be) available unless and until the Seller's Bank carries out such instructions;
 
 
(ii)
the continued failure of the Seller's Bank to do so for five Banking Days after the giving of such instruction shall be deemed to be an Event of Default for the purposes of this Agreement;
 
 
(iii)
the Borrower shall indemnify the Bank on demand in respect to all loses certified by the Bank as suffered or incurred by the Bank as a consequence of the Seller's Bank failure to carry the Bank's instructions; and
 
 
(iv)
without prejudice to the obligations of the Borrower so to indemnify the Bank on demand, the Bank shall in good faith take reasonable and proper steps diligently to seek recovery of the deposited amount from the Seller's Bank (provided that prior to taking such action the Borrower shall have agreed to indemnify the Bank for all costs and expenses which may be incurred in seeking recovery of such amount, including, without limitation, all legal fees and disbursements reasonably and properly incurred) and if the Bank shall recover any part of the deposited amount (and provided that it has previously recovered full indemnification under Clause 2.9(d)(ii)) the Bank shall, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, pay to the Borrower the amount so recovered after subtracting any tax suffered or incurred thereon by the Bank.
 
 
(e)
If, at the time prior to the deposit of funds by the Bank with the Seller's Bank, the Bank considers in its absolute discretion that the Seller's Bank may be or will be unable or unwilling for any reason (including, without limitation, by reason of the Seller's Bank's financial position or regulatory requirements applicable to the Seller's Bank) to take and fully apply such deposit in accordance with the requirements of this Clause 2.9, the Bank may in its absolute discretion decide not to make such deposit and this Agreement shall thereupon take effect as if this Clause 2.9 does not apply and the Commitment or relevant part thereof (as the case may be) shall, without prejudice to Clause 7, be made and disbursed in the manner set out in this Agreement.
 
2.9
No security or lien from other person
 
The Borrower has not taken or received, and the Borrower undertakes that until all moneys, obligations and liabilities due, owing or incurred by the Borrower under this Agreement and the Security Documents have been paid in full, it will not take or receive, any security or lien from any other person liable or for any liability whatsoever.
 
3.
INTEREST
 
3.1         Normal Interest Rate
 
The Borrower shall pay interest on the Loan (or as the case may be, each portion thereof to which a different Interest Period relates) in respect of each Interest Period related thereto on each Interest Payment Date and in case of any Interest Period longer than three (3) months interest shall be payable quarterly in arrears and on the last day of such Interest Period. The interest rate for the calculation of interest shall be the rate per annum determined by the Bank to be the aggregate of (i) the Margin and (ii) LIBOR.
 
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3.2         Selection of Interest Period
 
The Borrower may by notice received by the Bank not later than 10 a.m. (London time) on the second Banking Day before the beginning of each Interest Period specify (subject to Clause 3.3 below) whether such Interest Period shall have a duration of three (3) or six (6) or up to twenty four (24) months (or such other period as may be requested by the Borrower subject to Bank's approval and market availability).
 
3.3         Duration of Interest Period
 
Every Interest Period shall, subject to market availability to be conclusively determined by the Bank, be of the duration specified by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 3.2 but so that:
 
 
(a)
the initial Interest Period in respect of the Loan will commence on the Drawdown Date and each subsequent Interest Period will commence forthwith upon the expiry of the previous Interest Period;
 
 
(b)
if any Interest Period would otherwise overrun one or more Repayment Dates, then, in the case of the last Repayment Date, such Interest Period shall end on such Repayment Date, and in the case of any other Repayment Date or Dates the Loan shall be divided into parts so that there is one part equal to the amount of the Repayment Instalment due on each Repayment Date falling during that Interest Period and having an Interest Period ending on the relevant Repayment Date and another part equal to the amount of the balance of the Loan having an Interest Period determined in accordance with Clause 3.2 and the other provisions of this Clause 3.3 and the expression "Interest Period in respect of the Loan" when used in this Agreement refers to the Interest Period in respect of the balance of the Loan;
 
 
(c)
if the Borrower fails to specify the duration of an Interest Period in accordance with the provisions of Clause 3.2 and this Clause 3.3, such Interest Period shall have a duration of three (3) months unless another period shall be agreed between the Bank and the Borrower provided always that such period shall comply with this Clause 3.3; and
 
 
(d)
if the Bank determines that funds for the duration of an Interest Period specified by the Borrower in accordance with Clause 3.2 are not readily available, then that Interest Period shall have such duration as the Bank, in consultation with the Borrower, may determine.
 
3.4         Default Interest
 
If the Borrower fails to pay any sum (including, without limitation, any sum payable pursuant to this Clause 3.4) on its due date for payment under any of the Security Documents, the Borrower shall pay interest on such sum from the due date up to the date of actual payment (as well after as before judgement) at the rate determined by the Bank pursuant to this Clause 3.4. The period beginning on such due date and ending on such date of payment shall be divided into successive periods of not more than six (6) months as selected by the Bank each of which (other than the first, which shall commence on such due date) shall commence on the last day of the preceding such period. The rate of interest applicable to each such period shall be the aggregate (as determined by the Bank) of (i) two and a half per cent (2.5%), per annum, (ii) the Margin and (iii) the LIBOR. Such interest shall be due and payable on the last day of each such period as determined by the Bank and
 
 
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each such day shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be treated as an Interest Payment Date. In case that a payment is made in default for any amount, the Interest Periods will be determined by the Bank at its discretion including the amounts for which there is no default, even if the Bank has not (yet) exercised its rights pursuant to Clause 9.9(b) of this Agreement. If for the reasons specified in Clause 3.6, the Bank is unable to determine a rate in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Clause 3.4, interest on any sum not paid on its due date for payment shall be calculated at a rate determined by the Bank to be two and a half per cent (2.5%) per annum above the aggregate of the Margin and costs of funds to the Bank as conclusively determined by the Bank save for manifest error. Interest payable by the Borrower as aforesaid shall be compounded semi-annually (or if the period fixed by the Bank is longer, at the end of such longer period) and shall be payable on demand.
 
3.5         Notification of Interest and Interest Rate
 
The Bank shall notify the Borrower promptly of the duration of each Interest Period and of each rate of interest determined by it under this Clause 3 without prejudice to the right of the Bank to make determinations at its sole discretion. However, omission of the Bank to make such notification (without the application of the Borrower) will not constitute and will not be interpreted as if to constitute a breach of obligation of the Bank except in case of wilful misconduct.
 
3.6         Market disruption – Non Availability
 
 
(a)
If and whenever, at any time prior to the commencement of any Interest Period, the Bank shall have determined (which determination shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive): (i) that adequate and fair means do not exist for ascertaining LIBOR, during said Interest Period, or (ii) that deposits in Dollars are not available to the Bank in the London Interbank Market in the ordinary course of business in sufficient amounts for any Interest Period or (iii) that by reason of circumstances affecting the London Interbank Market generally, it is impracticable for the Bank to advance the Commitment or fund or continue to fund the Loan during any Interest Period or (iv) that LIBOR for that Interest Period will not adequately reflect the cost of funding of the Loan for that Interest Period, the Bank shall forthwith give notice (a "Determination Notice") thereof to the Borrower. A Determination Notice shall contain particulars of the relevant circumstances giving rise to its issue. After the giving of any Determination Notice the undrawn amount of the Commitment shall not be borrowed until notice to the contrary is given to the Borrower by the Bank.
 
 
(b)
During the period of ten (10) days after any Determination Notice has been given by the Bank under sub-Clause 3.6(a) the Bank and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith (but without incurring any legal obligations) with a view to arriving at an acceptable alternative basis (the "Substitute Basis"), for maintaining the Loan, failing which the Borrower shall promptly, on first demand or within the time limit which may be determined by the Bank, prepay the Loan together with accrued interest thereon to the date of prepayment (calculated at the rate or rates most lately applicable to the Loan) and all other sums payable by the Borrower under the Security Documents and the Commitment shall be reduced to zero. In such case the Borrower shall also reimburse to the Bank such amount as may be determined by the Bank to be necessary to compensate it for the increased cost (if any) of maintaining the Loan during the period of negotiation referred to in this Clause 3.6 until such prepayment. In case the Bank agrees
 
 
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to a Substitute Basis for funding the Loan the Bank shall certify such Substitute Basis to the Borrower. The Substitute Basis may (without limitation) include alternative interest period(s), alternative currencies or alternative rates of interest but shall include the Margin above the cost of funds to the Bank. Each Substitute Basis so certified shall be binding upon the Borrower and shall take effect in accordance with its terms from the date specified in the Determination Notice until such time as the Bank notifies the Borrower that none of the circumstances specified in sub-Clause 3.6(a) continues to exist whereupon the normal interest rate fixing provisions of this Agreement shall apply.  
 
 
3.7         Swap Transactions
 
 
(a)
If, at any time during the Security Period, the Borrower wishes to enter into swap Transactions so as to (inter alia) hedge all or any part of its exposure under this Agreement to interest rate fluctuations, it shall advise the Bank in writing.
 
 
(b)
Any such swap transaction shall be concluded with the Bank under the Master Agreement provided however that no such swap transaction shall be concluded unless the Bank first agrees to it in writing at its sole and absolute discretion. If and when any such swap transaction has been concluded, it shall constitute a Transaction, and the Borrower shall sign a Confirmation with the Bank.
 
4.            REPAYMENT - PREPAYMENT
 
 
4.1         Repayment
 
 
The Borrower shall and it is expressly undertaken by the Borrower to repay the Loan by (a) fourteen (14) consecutive semi annual Repayment Instalments to be repaid on each of the Repayment Dates so that the first be repaid on the date falling six (6) months after the Drawdown Date and each of the subsequent ones consecutively falling due for payment on each of the dates falling six (6) months after the immediately preceding Repayment Date with the last of such Repayment Instalments falling due for payment on the Final Maturity Date and (ii) the Balloon Instalment payable together with the last Repayment Instalment on the Final Maturity Date; subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Repayment Instalments shall be in the following amounts:
 
 
(i)
1st to 4 th (both inclusive) of such Repayment Instalments shall be in the amount of $3,337,500 (US Dollars three million three hundred thirty seven thousand five hundred) each and;
 
 
(ii)
5 th to 14 th (both inclusive) of such Repayment Instalments shall be in the amount of $2,375,000 (Dollars two million three hundred seventy five thousand) each;
 
Provided further that (a) in the event that the Commitment is not drawn down in full, the amount of the Balloon Instalment shall be reduced by the amount of the part of the Commitment not drawn and (b) on the Final Maturity Date the Borrower shall also pay to the Bank any and all other monies then due and payable under this Agreement and the other Security Documents, and (c) if any of the Repayment Instalments shall become due on a day which is not a Banking Day, the due date therefor shall be extended to the next succeeding Banking Day unless such Banking Day falls in the next calendar month, in which event such due date shall be the immediately preceding Banking Day.
 
4.2         Voluntary Prepayment
 
 
The Borrower shall have the right, upon giving the Bank not less than five (5) Banking Days' notice in writing, to prepay part or all of the Loan in each case together with all unpaid interest accrued thereon and all other sums of money whatsoever due and owing from the Borrower to the Bank hereunder or pursuant to the other Security Documents and all interest accrued thereon, provided that:
 
 
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(a)
the giving of such notice by the Borrower will irrevocably commit the Borrower to prepay such amount as stated in such notice;
 
 
(b)
such prepayment may take place only on the last day of an Interest Period in respect of the Loan provided however, that if the Borrower shall request consent to make such prepayment on another day and the Bank shall accede to such request (it being in the reasonable discretion of the Bank to decide whether or not to do so) the Borrower will pay in addition to the amount to be prepaid, any such sum as may be payable to the Bank pursuant to Clause 10.1;
 
 
(c)
each partial prepayment shall be equal to Dollars one million ($1,000,000) or a whole multiple thereof or the balance of the Loan;
 
 
(d)
any prepayment of less than the whole of the Loan will be applied towards pro rata satisfaction of the Balloon Instalment and the outstanding Repayment Instalments;
 
 
(e)
every notice of prepayment shall be effective only on actual receipt (including by fax) by the Bank, shall be irrevocable and shall oblige the Borrower to make such prepayment on the date specified;
 
 
(f)
no amount prepaid may be re-borrowed; and
 
 
(g)
the Borrower may not prepay the Loan or any part thereof save as expressly provided in this Agreement.
 
4.3         Compulsory Prepayment in case of Total Loss or sale of the Vessel
 
 
(a)
On the Vessel becoming a Total Loss or suffering damage or being involved in an incident which in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may result in the Vessel being subsequently determined to be a Total Loss:
 
 
(iii)
prior to the advancing of the Commitment, the obligation of the Bank to advance the Commitment shall immediately cease and the Commitment shall be reduced to zero; or
 
 
(ii)
in case the Commitment has been already advanced, the Borrower shall prepay the Outstanding Indebtedness the latest on the date falling one hundred and eighty (180) days after that on which the incident which in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may result in the Vessel being subsequently determined to be a Total Loss occurred or, if earlier, on the date upon which the insurance proceeds in respect of such Total Loss are or Requisition Compensation is received by the Borrower (or the Bank pursuant to the Security Documents).
 
For the purpose of this Agreement:
 
 
(i)
an actual total loss of the Vessel shall be deemed to have occurred at the actual date and time the Vessel was lost but in the event of the date of the loss being unknown then the actual total loss shall be deemed to have occurred on the date on which the Vessel was last reported;
 
 
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(ii)
a constructive total loss shall be deemed to have occurred at the date and time notice of abandonment of the Vessel is given to the insurers of the Vessel for the time being (provided a claim for total loss is admitted by such insurers) or, if such insurers do not admit such a claim, at the date and time at which a total loss is subsequently adjudged by a competent court of law to have occurred;
 
 
(iii)
a compromised or arranged total loss shall be deemed to have occurred on the date on which a binding agreement as to such compromised or arranged total loss has been entered into by the insurers of the Vessel;
 
 
(iv)
requisition for title or other compulsory acquisition of the Vessel shall be deemed to have occurred on the date upon which the relevant requisition for title or other compulsory acquisition occurs; and
 
 
(v)
hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, detention, arrest, or confiscation of the Vessel by any government or by any person acting or purporting to act on behalf of any government, which deprives the Borrower of the use of the Vessel for more than thirty (30) days shall be deemed to occur upon the expiry of the period of thirty (30) days after the date upon which the relevant hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, detention, arrest or confiscation occurred.
 
 
(b)
In case of sale or other disposal of the Vessel, immediately upon completion of such sale or other disposal, the Borrower shall prepay the Loan.
 
4.4
Amounts payable on prepayment
 
Any prepayment of all or part of the Loan under this Agreement shall be made together with (a) accrued interest on the amount to be prepaid to the date of such prepayment (calculated, in the case of a prepayment pursuant to Clause 3.6 (b) at a rate equal to the aggregate of the Margin and the cost to the Bank of funding the Loan), (b) any additional amount payable under Clause 5 and (c) all other sums payable by the Borrower to the Bank under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents including, without limitation, any amounts payable under Clause 10 and (d) in relation to any prepayment made on a date other than an Interest Payment Date in respect of the whole of the Loan, it shall, in addition to the amount prepaid and accrued interest, pay to the Bank any amount which the Bank may certify is necessary to compensate the Bank for any Break Costs incurred by the Bank as a result of the making of the prepayment in question
 
4.5         Master Agreement, Repayments and Prepayments
 
 
(a)
Pursuant to the Master Agreement, the Bank and the Borrower may during the Security Period enter, into one or more Transactions (pursuant to Clause 3.7), the terms and conditions of each of which shall be specified in a Confirmation sent by the Bank to the Borrower.
 
 
(b)
Notwithstanding any provision of the Master Agreement to the contrary, in the case of a prepayment of all or part of the Loan (including, without limitation, upon a Total Loss or sale in accordance with clause 4.3), then subject to Clause 4.5(c) the Bank shall be entitled but not obliged (and, where relevant, may do so without the consent of the Borrower, where it would otherwise be required whether under the Master Agreement or otherwise) to amend, supplement, cancel, net out, terminate, liquidate, transfer or assign all or any part of the rights, benefits and
 
 
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obligations created by any Transaction and/or the Master Agreement and/or to obtain or re establish any hedge or related trading position in any manner and with any person the Bank in its absolute discretion may determine and both the Bank's and the Borrower's continuing obligations under any Transaction and/or the Master Agreement shall, unless agreed otherwise by the Bank, be calculated so far as the Bank considers it practicable by reference to the amended repayment schedule for the Loan taking into account the fact that less than the full amount of the Loan remains outstanding.
 
 
(c)
If less than the full amount of the Loan remains outstanding following a prepayment under this Agreement and the Bank in its absolute discretion agrees, following a written request of the Borrower, that the Borrower may be permitted to maintain all or part of a Transaction in an amount not wholly matched with or linked to all or part of the Loan, the Borrower shall within ten (10) days of being notified by the Bank of such requirement, provide the Bank with, or procure the provision to the Bank of, such additional security as shall in the opinion of the Bank be adequate to secure the performance of such Transaction, which additional security shall take such form, be constituted by such documentation and be entered into between such parties, as the Bank in its absolute discretion may approve or require, and each document comprising such additional security shall constitute a Credit Support Document.
 
 
(d)
The Borrower shall on the first written demand of the Bank indemnify the Bank in respect of all losses, costs and expenses (including, but not limited to, legal costs and expenses) incurred or sustained by the Bank as a consequence of or in relation to the effecting of any matter or transactions referred to in this Clause 4.5.
 
 
(e)
Notwithstanding any provision of the Master Agreement to the contrary, if for any reason, a Transaction has been entered into but no Advance is drawn down under this Agreement then, subject to clause 4.5(f) the Bank shall be entitled but not obliged (and, where relevant, may do so without the consent of the Borrower where it would otherwise be required whether under the Master Agreement or otherwise) to amend, supplement, cancel, net out, terminate, liquidate, transfer or assign all or any part of the rights, benefits and obligations created by such Transaction and/or the Master Agreement and/or to obtain or re-establish any hedge or related trading position in any manner and with any person the Bank in its absolute discretion may determine.
 
 
(f)
If a Transaction has been entered into but no Advance is drawn down under this Agreement and the Bank in its absolute discretion agrees, following a written request of the Borrower, that the Borrower may be permitted to maintain all or part of a Transaction, the Borrower shall within ten (10) days of being notified by the Bank of such requirement, provide the Bank with, or procure the provision to the Bank of, such additional security as shall in the opinion of the Bank be adequate to secure the performance of such Transaction, which additional security shall take such form, be constituted by such documentation and be entered into between such parties, as the Bank in its absolute discretion may approve or require, and each document comprising such additional security shall constitute a Credit Support Document for the purposes of the Master Agreement and/or otherwise.
 
 
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(g)
Without prejudice to or limitation of the obligations of the Borrower under clause 4.5(c), in the event that the Bank exercises any of its rights under clauses 4.5 (b), 4.5(c), 4.5(e) or 4.5(f) and such exercise results in all or part of a Transaction being terminated such termination shall be treated under the Master Agreement in the same manner as if it were a Terminated Transaction (as defined in section 14 of the Master Agreement) effected by the Bank after an Event of Default (as so defined in that section 14) by the Borrower and, accordingly, the Bank shall be permitted to recover from the Borrower a payment for early termination calculated in accordance with the provisions of section 6(e)(i) of the Master Agreement.
 
 
(h)
No Transaction will be entered into without the specific consent of the Borrower.
 
5.            PAYMENTS, TAXES, LOAN ACCOUNT AND COMPUTATION
 
5.1         Payments – No set-off or Counterclaims
 
 
(a)
The Borrower acknowledges that in performing its obligations under this Agreement, the Bank will be incurring liabilities to third parties in relation to the funding of amounts to the Borrower, such liabilities matching the liabilities of the Borrower to the Bank and that it is reasonable for the Bank to be entitled to receive payments from the Borrower gross on the due date in order that the Bank is put in a position to perform its matching obligations to the relevant third parties. Accordingly, all payments to be made by the Borrower under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents shall be made in full, without any set-off or counterclaim whatsoever and, subject as provided in Clause 5.3, free and clear of any deductions or withholdings or Governmental Withholdings whatsoever, in Dollars on the due date to the account of the Bank at such bank and in such place as the Bank may from time to time specify for that purpose, reference: "JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED - LOAN AGREEMENT", Provided however, that the Bank shall have the right to change the place of account for payment, upon eight (8) Banking Days' prior written notice to the Borrower.
 
 
(b)
If at any time it shall become unlawful or impracticable for the Borrower to make payment under this Agreement to the relevant account or bank referred to in Clause 5.1(a), the Borrower may request and the Bank may agree to alternative arrangements for the payment of the amounts due by the Borrower to the Bank under this Agreement or the other Security Documents.
 
5.2         Payments on Banking Days
 
All payments due shall be made on a Banking Day. If the due date for payment falls on a day which is not a Banking Day, the payment or payments due shall be made on the next following Banking Day unless such Banking Day falls in the next calendar month in which case payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Banking Day.
 
5.3         Gross Up
 
 
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If at any time any law, regulation, regulatory requirement or requirement of any governmental authority, monetary agency, central bank or the like compels the Borrower to make payment subject to Governmental Withholdings, or any other deduction or withholding, the Borrower shall pay to the Bank such additional amounts as may be necessary to ensure that there will be received by the Bank a net amount equal to the full amount which would have been received had payment not been made subject to such Governmental Withholdings or other deduction or withholding. The Borrower shall indemnify the Bank against any losses or costs incurred by the Bank by reason of any failure of the Borrower to make any such deduction or withholding or by reason of any increased payment not being made on the due date for such payment. The Borrower shall, not later than thirty (30) days after each deduction, withholding or payment of any Governmental Withholdings, forward to the Bank official receipts and any other documentary receipts and any other documentary evidence reasonably required by the Bank in respect of the payment made or to be made of any deduction or withholding or Governmental Withholding. The obligations of the Borrower under this provision shall, subject to applicable law, remain in force notwithstanding the repayment of the Loan and the payment of all interest due thereon pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
 
5.4         Certificates Conclusive
 
Any certificate or determination of the Bank as to any rate of interest, rate of exchange or any other amount pursuant to and for the purposes of any of the Security Documents shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower.
 
5.5         Computation
 
All interest and other payments payable by reference to a rate per annum under this Agreement shall accrue from day to day and be calculated on the basis of actual days elapsed and a 360 day year.
 
6.           REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
 
6.1
The Borrower hereby represents and warrants to the Bank that:
 
Continuing representations and warranties
 
 
(a)
Due Incorporation/Valid Existence
 
the Borrower and each of the other corporate Security Parties is duly incorporated and validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective countries of incorporation as limited liability companies, and have power to own their respective property and assets, to carry on their respective business as the same are now being lawfully conducted and to purchase, own, finance and operate vessels, or, as the case may be, manage vessels, as well as to undertake the obligations which they have undertaken or shall undertake pursuant to the Security Documents;
 
 
(b)
Due Corporate Authority
 
each of the Borrower and the other Security Parties has power to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Security Documents to which it is a party and to borrow the Commitment and each of the other Security Parties has power to execute and deliver and perform its obligations under the Security Documents to which it is or is to be a party; all necessary corporate, shareholder and other action has been taken to authorise the execution, delivery and performance of the same and no limitation on the powers of the Borrower to borrow will be exceeded as a result of borrowing the Loan;
 
 
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(c)
Litigation
 
no litigation, arbitration, tax claim or administrative proceeding involving a potential liability of the Borrower or any other Security Party is current or pending or (to its or its officers' knowledge) threatened against the Borrower or any other Security Party, which, if adversely determined, would have a materially adverse effect on the business assets or the financial condition of any of them;
 
 
(d)
No conflict with other obligations
 
the execution and delivery of, the performance of its obligations under, and compliance with the provisions of, the Security Documents by the relevant Security Parties will not (i) contravene any existing applicable law, statute, rule or regulation or any judgment, decree or permit to which the Borrower or any other Security Party is subject, (ii) conflict with, or result in any breach of any of the terms of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or other instrument to which the Borrower or any other Security Party is a party or is subject to or by which it or any of its property is bound, (iii) contravene or conflict with any provision of the memorandum and articles of association/articles of incorporation/by-laws/statutes or other constitutional documents of the Borrower or any other Security Party or (iv) result in the creation or imposition of or oblige the Borrower or any other Security Party to create any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance) on any of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of the Borrower or any other Security Party;
 
 
(e)
Financial Condition
 
the financial condition of the Borrower and of the other Security Parties has not suffered any material deterioration since that condition was last disclosed to the Bank;
 
 
(f)
No Immunity
 
neither the Borrower nor any other Security Party nor any of their respective assets are entitled to immunity on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise from any legal action or proceeding (which shall include, without limitation, suit, attachment prior to judgement, execution or other enforcement);
 
 
(g)
Shipping Company
 
each of the Borrower and the Approved Manager is a shipping company involved in the owning or, as the case may be, managing of ships engaged in international voyages and earning profits in free foreign currency;
 
 
(h)
Licences/Authorisation
 
every consent, authorisation, license or approval of, or registration with or declaration to, governmental or public bodies or authorities or courts required by any Security Party to authorise, or required by any Security Party in connection with, the execution, delivery, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of each of the Security
 
 
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Documents or the performance by each Security Party of its obligations under the Security Documents has been obtained or made and is in full force and effect and there has been no default in the observance of any of the conditions or restrictions (if any) imposed in, or in connection with, any of the same so far as the Borrower is aware;
 
 
(i)
Perfected Securities
 
when duly executed, the Security Documents will create a perfected security interest in favour of the Bank, with the intended priority, over the assets and revenues intended to be covered, valid and enforceable against the Borrower and the other Security Parties;
 
 
(j)
No Notarisation/Filing/Recording
 
save for the registration of any mortgage in the Registry, it is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents that it or they or any other instrument be notarised, filed, recorded, registered or enrolled in any court, public office or elsewhere or that any stamp, registration or similar tax or charge be paid on or in relation to this Agreement or the other Security Documents;
 
 
(k)
Validity and Binding effect
 
the Security Documents constitute (or upon their execution - and in the case of any mortgage upon its registration at the Registry - will constitute) valid and legally binding obligations of the relevant Security Parties enforceable against the Borrower and the other Security Parties in accordance with their respective terms and that there are no other agreements or arrangements which may adversely affect or conflict with the Security Documents or the security thereby created; and
 
 
(l)
Valid Choice of Law
 
the choice of law agreed to govern this Agreement and/or any other Security Document and the submission to the jurisdiction of the courts agreed in each of the Security Documents are or will be, on execution of the respective Security Documents, valid and binding on the Borrower and any other Security Party which is or is to be a party thereto.
 
 
(m)
Shareholdings
 
the Borrower's shares are legally and beneficially owned by the persons described to the Bank in the negotiation of this Agreement; and
 
 
(n)
Money laundering - acting for own account
 
The Borrower confirms that, by entering into this Agreement and the other Security Documents, it is acting on its own behalf and for their own account and it is obtaining the Loan for their own account and the borrowing of the Commitment and the performance and discharge of the Borrower's obligations and liabilities under this Agreement and the other Security Documents to which each is or is to be a party and other arrangements effected or
 
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contemplated by this Agreement will not involve or lead to contravention of any law, official, requirement or other regulatory measure or procedure mplemented to combat "money laundering" as defined in Article 1 of the Directive (91/308/EEC) of the Council of the European Community or any Relevant Jurisdiction.
 
6.2
The Borrower hereby further represents and warrants to the Bank that:
 
Initial representations and warranties
 
(a)        Direct obligations - Pari Passu
 
 
the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement are direct, general and unconditional obligations of the Borrower and rank at least pari passu with all other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated Indebtedness of the Borrower with the exception of any obligations which are mandatorily preferred by law;
 
(b)        Information
 
all information, accounts, statements of financial position, exhibits and reports furnished by or on behalf of any Security Party to the Bank in connection with the negotiation and preparation of this Agreement and each of the other Security Documents are true and accurate in all material respects and not misleading, do not omit material facts and all reasonable enquiries have been made to verify the facts and statements contained therein; to the knowledge of the Directors/Officers of the Borrower, there are no other facts the omission of which would make any fact or statement therein misleading and, in the case of accounts and statements of financial position, they have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles which have been consistently applied;
 
(c)        No Default
 
no Default has occurred and is continuing;
 
(d)        No Taxes
 
no Taxes are imposed by deduction, withholding or otherwise on any payment to be made by any Security Party under this Agreement and/or any other of the Security Documents or are imposed on or by virtue of the execution or delivery of this Agreement and/or any other of the Security Documents or any document or instrument to be executed or delivered hereunder or thereunder. In case that any Tax exists now or will be imposed in the future, it will be borne by the Borrower;
 
(e)        No Default under other Indebtedness
 
neither the Borrower nor any other Security Party is in Default under any agreement relating to Indebtedness to which it is a party or by which it may be bound;
 
(f)         Ownership/Flag/Seaworthiness/Class/Insurance of the Vessel
 
the Vessel on the Drawdown Date will be:
 
 
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(i)
in the absolute and free from Encumbrances (other than in favour of the Bank) ownership of the Borrower who will on and after the Drawdown Date be the sole legal and beneficial owner of the Vessel;
 
 
(ii)
registered in the name of the Borrower through the Registry under the laws and flag of the Flag State;
 
 
(iii)
operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for service;
 
 
(iv)
classed with a classification society which is a member of IACS and which has been approved by the Bank in writing and such class will be free of all requirements and recommendations of such classification society;
 
 
(v)
insured in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement;
 
 
(vi)
managed by the Approved Manager; and
 
 
(vii)
in full compliance with the ISM Code and the ISPS Code;
 
(g)        No Charter
 
unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Bank the Vessel will not on or before the Drawdown Date be subject to any charter or contract nor to any agreement to enter into any charter or contract which, if entered into after the Drawdown Date would have required the consent of the Bank under any of the Security Documents and there will not on or before the Drawdown Date be any agreement or arrangement whereby the Earnings of the Vessel may be shared with any other person;
 
(h)        MOA Valid
 
the copy of the MOA to be delivered to the Bank shall be a true and complete copy of such document constituting valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto enforceable in accordance with its terms and no amendments thereto or variations thereof shall have been (or will be) agreed nor shall any action been taken by the parties thereto which would in any way render such document inoperative or unenforceable;
 
(i)         No Rebates
 
there will be no commissions, rebates premiums or other payments by or to or on account of the Borrower, any other Security Party or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, any other person in connection with the MOA other than as shall be disclosed to the Bank by the Borrowers in writing;
 
(h)        No Encumbrances
 
neither the Vessel, nor its Earnings, Requisition Compensation or Insurances nor any other properties or rights which are, or are to be, the subject of any of the Security Documents nor any part thereof will, on the Drawdown Date, be subject to any Encumbrances other than Permitted Encumbrances;
 
(i)          Compliance with Environmental Laws and Approvals
 
except as may already have been disclosed by the Borrower in writing to, and acknowledged in writing by, the Bank:
 
 
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(i)
the Borrower and its Related Companies have complied with the provisions of all Environmental Laws;
 
 
(ii)
the Borrower and its Related Companies have obtained all Environmental Approvals and are in compliance with all such Environmental Approvals; and
 
 
(iii)
neither the Borrower nor any of its Related Companies have received notice of any Environmental Claim that the Borrower or any of its Related Companies are not in compliance with any Environmental Law or any Environmental Approval;
 
(j)         No Environmental Claims
 
 
 
(i)
except as may already have been disclosed by the Borrower in writing to, and acknowledged in writing by, the Bank:
 
 
(aa)
there is no Environmental Claim pending or, to the best of the Borrower's knowledge and belief, threatened against the Borrower or the Vessel or the Borrower's Related Companies or any other Relevant Ship; and
 
 
(bb)
there has been no emission, spill, release or discharge of a Material of Environmental Concern from the Vessel or any other Related Ship or any vessel owned by, managed or crewed by or chartered to the Borrower which could give rise to an Environmental Claim;
 
(k)        Copies true and complete
 
the copies of the Bill of Sale, the MOA and the Management Agreement delivered or to be delivered to the Bank pursuant to clause 7 are, or will when delivered be, true and complete copies of such documents; such documents will when delivered constitute valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto enforceable in accordance with their respective terms and there will have been no amendments or variations thereof or defaults thereunder;
 
(1)        Application made for DOC and SMC
 
the Operator has applied for a DOC for itself and an SMC in respect of the Vessel and that neither the Borrower nor any Operator is aware of any reason why such application may be refused;
 
(m)       Compliance with ISPS code
 
the Vessel and any Operator complies or will on the drawdown of the Commitment comply with the requirements of the ISPS Code.
 
(n)        Acting for its own account
 
the Borrower by entering into this Agreement and the other Security Documents is acting on its own behalf and for its own account.
 
6.3         Representations Correct
 
 
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At the time of entering into this Agreement all above representations and warranties or any other information given by the Borrower and/or the Corporate Guarantor to the Bank are true and accurate.
 
6.4         Repetition of Representations and Warranties
 
The representations and warranties in this Clause 6 (except in relation to the representations and warranties in Clause 6.2) shall be deemed to be repeated by the Borrower on the Drawdown Date and on each Interest Payment Date throughout the Security Period.
 
7.            CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
 
7.1         Conditions precedent to the execution of this Agreement
 
The Borrower shall provide the Bank prior to the execution of this Agreement the following documents and evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank:
 
 
(a)
a duly certified true copy of the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws or the Memorandum and Articles of Association, or of any other constitutional documents, as the case may be, of each corporate Security Party;
 
 
(b)
a recent certificate of incumbency of each corporate Security Party issued by the appropriate authority or, as appropriate, signed by the secretary or a director thereof, stating the officers and the directors of each of them and containing specimens of their respective signatures;
 
 
(c)
minutes of separate meetings of the directors and shareholders of each corporate Security Party at which there was approved (inter alia) the entry into, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the other Security Documents and any other documents executed or to be executed pursuant hereto or thereto to which the relevant corporate Security Party is or is to be a party;
 
 
(d)
the original of any power(s) of attorney and any further evidence of the due authority of any person signing this Agreement, the other Security Documents, and any other documents executed or to be executed pursuant hereto or thereto on behalf of any corporate person;
 
 
(e)
evidence that all necessary licences, consents, permits and authorisations (including exchange control ones) have been obtained by any Security Party for the execution, delivery, validity, enforceability, admissibility in evidence and the due performance of the respective obligations under or pursuant to this Agreement and the other Security Documents; and
 
 
(f)
evidence that the drawdown fee and the commitment commission due under Clause 10.8 has been paid in full; and
 
 
(g)
any other documents or recent certificates or other evidence which would be required by the Bank in relation to any corporate Security Party evidencing that the relevant Security Party has been properly established, continues to exist validly and to be in good standing; and
 
 
(h)
a declaration of beneficial shareholding by the ultimate shareholders(s) of the Borrower and a declaration showing that up to 5% of the shareholding of the Corporate Guarantor is held by Mr.Evangelos Pistiolis and members of his family.
 
 
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7.2         Conditions concerning the Vessel
 
The obligation of the Bank to advance the Commitment is subject to the further condition that the Bank shall have received prior to the drawdown or, where this is not possible, simultaneously with the drawdown of the Commitment:
 
 
(a)
evidence that the Vessel will be duly registered in the ownership of the Borrower through the Registry at the port of the Vessel's port of registry under the laws and flag of the Flag State free from any Encumbrances save for those in favour of the Bank and otherwise as contemplated herein and free of any charter;
 
 
(b)
evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank that the Vessel has been or will - on drawdown - be insured in accordance with the insurance requirements provided for in Schedule 2 this Agreement and the other Security Documents (including (a) a Mortgagee's Interest Insurance for an amount equal to 120% of the amount of the Loan (herein " MII ") and (b) (in case that the Bank reasonably determines or in case that the Vessel is scheduled to operate worldwide which could include USA jurisdiction or the USA Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 or any other applicable legislation or in waters with similar to the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 legislation), a Mortgagee's Interest Additional Perils (Pollution) insurance policy (herein " MAPI "), for an amount equal to 120% of the amount of the Loan, each of which the Bank may at any time effect on such terms and with such insurers as shall from time to time be determined by the Bank) to be followed by full copies of cover notes, policies, certificates of entry or other contracts of insurance and irrevocable authority is hereby given to the Bank at any time at its discretion to obtain copies of the policies, certificates of entry or other contracts of insurance from the insurers and/or obtain any information in relation to the Insurances relating to the Vessel;
 
 
(c)
certified true copy of the Management Agreement evidencing that the Vessel is managed by the Approved Manager on terms acceptable to the Bank;
 
 
(d)
evidence that the trading certificates of the Vessel are valid and in force;
 
 
(e)
all necessary confirmations from the insurers of the Vessel that they will issue letters of undertaking and endorse notice of assignment and loss payable clauses on the Insurances, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank in its sole discretion and ( - in the event of fleet cover - accompanied by waivers for liens for unpaid premium of other vessels managed by the Approved Manager and which are not subject to any mortgage in favour of the Bank);
 
 
(f)
each of the Security Documents (as set out in Clause 11.1) duly executed and where appropriate duly registered with the appropriate Registry;
 
 
(g)
evidence that the Vessel is classed as specified in Clause 6.2(f)(iv) with Lloyds Register of Shipping, or to a similar standard with another classification society of like standing to be specifically approved by the Bank, and remains free from any and all recommendations, overdue notations or average damage affecting class;
 
 
(h)
the Drawdown Notice in respect of the Commitment duly executed and issued;
 
 
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(i)
copies of the DOC and SMC referred to in paragraph (a) in the definition of the ISM Code Documentation certified as true and in effect by the Borrower and the Approved Manager; and
 
 
(j)
copies of such ISM Code Documentation as the Bank may by written notice to the Borrower have requested not later than two (2) days before the Drawdown Date certified as true and complete in all material respects by the Borrower and the Approved Manager;
 
 
(k)
if the Bank so requires, a satisfactory to the Bank physical condition survey report on the Vessel together with a comprehensive record inspection from a surveyor appointed by the Bank, at the Borrower's expense; and
 
 
(1)
valuation of the Vessel, at the Borrower's expense, as at a date determined by the Bank but in any event before the relevant drawdown, prepared on the basis specified in Clause 8.6(b) by major shipbrokers appointed and/or approved by the Bank in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank in its sole discretion;
 
7.3         Conditions concerning the purchase of the Vessel
 
The obligation of the Bank to advance the Commitment any part thereof is subject to the further condition that the Bank shall have received prior to or simultaneously with the drawdown of the Commitment or the relevant part thereof:
 
 
(b)
a copy of the MOA certified as true and complete by the legal counsel of the Borrower;
 
 
(c)
evidence to the full satisfaction of the Bank, proving the Seller's title to the Vessel free of any Encumbrances, debts or claims of any nature whatsoever;
 
 
(d)
duly certified copies of corporate documentation of the Seller - comparable at the discretion of the Bank to that provided in Clause 7.1 - proving the due incorporation and existence of the Seller and the due authorisation of the sale of the Vessel and the execution of all documents required in connection therewith;
 
 
(e)
duly certified copy of the Bill of Sale, the protocol of delivery and acceptance of the Vessel as well as of all other Seller's documents; and
 
 
(e)
evidence that the ten per cent (10%) deposit in respect of the Vessel and all other sums of money (other than the relevant Advance) required to be paid by the Borrower to the Seller pursuant to the MOA have been duly paid.
 
7.4         No change of circumstances
 
The obligation of the Bank to advance the Commitment or any part thereof is subject to the further condition that at the time of the giving of the Drawdown Notice and on the Drawdown Date:
 
 
(a)
the representations and warranties set out in Clause 6 and in each of the Security Documents are true and correct on and as of each such time as if each was made with respect to the facts and circumstances existing at such time;
 
 
(b)
no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from the drawdown; and
 
 
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(c)
the Bank shall be satisfied that there has been no change in the ownership, management, operations and/or adverse change in the financial condition of any Security Party and the Group which (change) might, in the sole opinion of the Bank, be detrimental to the interests of the Bank.
 
7.5         General Conditions
 
The obligation of the Bank to advance the Commitment or any part thereof is subject to the further condition that the Bank, prior to or simultaneously with the drawdown, shall have received:
 
 
(a)
opinions from lawyers appointed by the Bank as to all the matters referred to in Clauses 6.1(a) and (b) and all such aspects of law as the Bank shall deem relevant to this Agreement and the other Security Documents and any other documents executed pursuant hereto or thereto and any further legal or other expert opinion as the Bank at its sole discretion may require;
 
 
(b)
confirmation from any agents nominated in this Agreement and elsewhere in the other Security Documents for the acceptance of any notice or service of process, that they consent to such nomination; and
 
 
(c)
a receipt in writing in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank including an acknowledgement and admission of the Borrower and/or any other Security Party to the effect that the Commitment or relevant part thereof (as the case may be) was drawn by the Borrower and a declaration by the Borrower that all conditions precedent have been fulfilled, that there is no Event of Default and that all the representations and warranties are true and correct.
 
7.7         Waiver of conditions precedent
 
The conditions specified in this Clause 7 are inserted solely for the benefit of the Bank and may be waived by the Bank in whole or in part and with or without conditions. Without prejudice to any of the other provisions of this Agreement, in the event that the Bank, in its sole and absolute discretion, makes the Commitment available to the Borrower prior to the satisfaction of all or any of the conditions referred to in Clause 7.1 and 7.2, the Borrower hereby covenants and undertakes to satisfy or procure the satisfaction of such condition or conditions within such period as the Bank may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree or specify in writing.
 
7.8         Further conditions precedent
 
The Bank may request and the Borrower shall within such period from the date of such request as shall be reasonably determined by the Bank, deliver to the Bank on such request further favourable certificates and/or opinions as to any or all of the matters which are the subject of Clauses 6, 7, 8 and 9.
 
8.           COVENANTS
 
The Borrower hereby undertakes with the Bank that, from the date of this Agreement and as long as any moneys are due and/or owing and/or outstanding under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents, the Borrower will:
 
8.1         Information Covenants
 
 
(a)
Annual financial Statements
 
 
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furnish the Bank, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank, with (a) combined annual audited financial statements of the Group at latest within 180 days after the end of the financial year concerned, this obligation to commence with the financial year ending 31 St December, 2008, prepared in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (herein "GAAP") which have been consistently applied and (b) company prepared semi-annual consolidated financial statements of the Group signed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporate Guarantor within 60 days from the end of the respective financial semester and, this obligation to commence with the financial year ending 31 5t December, 2007;
 
 
(b)
Financial Information
 
provide the Bank annually and from time to time as the Bank may reasonably request and in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank with information on the consolidated financial condition, cash flow position, commitments and operations of the Guarantor including cash flow analysis and voyage accounts of any vessels owned by any such party with a breakdown of income and running expenses showing net trading profit, trade payables and trade receivables, such financial details to be certified by one of the directors of the relevant company as to their correctness; and
 
 
(c)
Information on adverse change or Default
 
promptly inform the Bank of any occurrence which came to the knowledge of the Borrower which might adversely affect the ability of the Borrower or any other Security Party to perform its respective obligations under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents and of any Default forthwith upon becoming aware thereof and will from time to time, if so requested by the Bank, confirm to the Bank in writing that, save as otherwise stated in such confirmation, no Default has occurred and is continuing;
 
 
(d)
Information on the employment of the Vessel
 
provide the Bank from time to time as the Bank may request with information on the employment of the Vessel and any Relevant Ship as well as on the terms and conditions of any charterparty, contract of affreightment, agreement or related document in respect of the employment of the Vessel and any Relevant Ship, such information to be certified by one of the directors of the Borrower as to their correctness;
 
8.2         Banking operations - Liquidity
 
 
(a)
ensure that, all banking operations in connection with the Vessel are carried out through the Lending Branch;
 
 
(b)
ensure that throughout the Security Period, the Borrower shall maintain in the Earnings Account average monthly balances of Dollars one million ($1,000,000);
 
8.3         Additional Financial Covenants
 
The Borrower shall ensure that, throughout the Security Period the financial condition of the Corporate Guarantor on a consolidated basis and as evidenced by the most recent financial statements produced in accordance with sub-clause 8.1(a), shall be such that:
 
 
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(a)
ensure that, for the duration of the Security Period, the Leverage Ratio of the Corporate Guarantor will not at any time exceed 75%;
 
 
(b)
ensure that, for the duration of the Security Period, the ratio of EBITDA over Net Interest Expenses is not lower than 2.5:1.0;
 
 
(c)
ensure that, for the duration of the Security Period, the Corporate Liquidity of the Corporate Guarantor maintained with the Bank or financial institutions at any relevant time is of an amount not less than the aggregate of its next six (6) months overall senior debt servicing obligations;
 
 
(d)
ensure that a compliance certificate for each financial year of the Corporate Guarantor, signed by its chief financial officer, is delivered to the Bank by the Corporate Guarantor within 60 days after the end of the respective financial semester, substantially in the form set out in Schedule 3, duly completed and supported by calculations setting out in reasonable detail the materials underling the statements made in such compliance certificate;
 
The expressions used in this Clause 8.2 shall be construed in accordance with law and accounting principles internationally accepted as used in the most recent financial statements produced in accordance with sub-clause 8.1(a), and for the purposes of this Agreement
 
"Leverage Ratio" means, in respect of each Accounting Period and on a consolidated basis of the Group, Total Liabilities divided by the Total Assets (adjusted to fair market values of the Vessels) during such period.
 
"Corporate Liquidity" in relation to the Corporate Guarantor means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of cash deposits held in accounts of the Corporate Guarantor free from any encumbrances;
 
"EBITDA" means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of consolidated pre-tax profits of the Group before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and regular drydock expenses;
 
"Interest Expenses" means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of all interest incurred by any member of the Group (excluding any amounts owing by one member of the Group to another member of the Group) and any net amounts payable under interest rate hedge agreements;
 
"Total Assets" means, in respect of an Accounting Period, total assets of the Group as stated in the most recent financial statements produced in accordance with sub-clause 8.1(a); and
 
"Total Liabilities" means at any relevant time the total liabilities of the Group as stated in the most recent financial statements produced in accordance with sub-clause 8.1. (a).
 
8.4         No Further Financial Exposure
 
without the prior written consent of the Bank such consent not to be unreasonably withheld:
 
(a)        No further Indebtedness
 
 
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incur no further Indebtedness nor authorise or accept any capital commitments (other than that normally associated with the day to day operations of the Vessel) nor enter into any agreement for payment on deferred terms or hire agreement;
 
(b)        No Loans
 
not make any loans or advances to, or any investments or pay any interest thereon, in any person, firm, corporation, joint venture or other entity including (without limitation) any loan or advance to any officer, director, stockholder or employee directly;
 
(c)        No Disposal of Assets/Dividends
 
not dispose of any assets and not declare or pay any dividends or other distribution upon any of the issued shares or otherwise dispose of any assets to any of the shareholders of the Borrower; and
 
(d)        No Payments
 
except pursuant to this Agreement and the other Security Documents (or as expressly permitted by the same) not pay out any funds to any company or person except in connection with the administration of the Borrower, the operation, maintenance and/or repair of the Vessel;
 
(e)        Control of the Corporate Guarantor
 
ensure that the Corporate Guarantor will not appoint without the Bank's written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) a CEO other than Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis who together with members of his family shall be among the largest shareholders thereof controlling no less than five per centum (5%) of the share capital of the Corporate Guarantor;
 
(f)         Maintenance of the Business and Legal Structure of the Corporate Guarantor
 
ensure that the Corporate Guarantor shall continue to be a holding company of ocean-going vessels, listed and trading in the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange;
 
(g)        Know your customer and money laundering compliance
 
provide the Bank with such documents and evidence as the Bank shall from time to time require, based on law and regulations applicable from time to time and the Bank's own internal guidelines applicable from time to time to identify the Borrowers and the other Security Parties, including the ultimate legal and beneficial owner or owners of such entities, and any other persons involved or affected by the transaction(s) contemplated by this Agreement; and
 
8.5         Maintenance of Business and legal Structure
 
(a)        Maintenance of Business Structure
 
 
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not change the nature, organisation and conduct of its business as, owner of the Vessel or carry on any business other than the business carried on at the date hereof;
 
(b)        Maintenance of Legal Structure
 
ensure that none of the documents defining the constitution of the Borrower and/or any corporate shareholder shall be altered in any manner whatsoever;
 
(c)        Control
 
ensure that no change shall be made directly or indirectly in the ownership, beneficial ownership, control or management of the Borrower or any share therein or, of the Vessel;
 
(d)        No merger
 
not merge or consolidate with any other company or person;
 
(e)        Subsidiaries
 
not form or acquire any Subsidiaries; and
 
(f)         Share capital and distribution
 
not purchase or otherwise acquire for value any shares of its capital or distribute any of its present or future assets, undertakings, rights or revenues to any of its shareholders;
 
8.6         Pari passu/Value of Security
 
(a)        Pari passu
 
ensure that its obligations under this Agreement shall, without prejudice to the provisions of this Clause 8.6 at all times rank at least pari passu with all its other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated Indebtedness with the exception of any obligations which are mandatorily preferred by law and not by contract;
 
(b)        Valuation of the Vessel
 
at any time (and at least once per year) that the Bank might consider to be (at the reasonable discretion of the Bank) necessary or useful and at the expense of the Borrower, have the Vessel valued in Dollars, without, unless required by the Bank, physical inspection and on the basis of sale for prompt delivery and free of Encumbrances for cash at arm's length on normal commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer without taking into account the benefit of any charterparty or other engagement concerning the Vessel ("the basis of valuation"), by a shipbroker appointed by the Bank for this purpose at the Bank's sole discretion;
 
(c)        Vessel's Value to Debt Ratio-Additional Security
 
ensure and procure that the Security Value shall be in excess of the Security Requirement and if at any relevant time the Security Value is less than the Security Requirement, the Borrower shall within thirty (30) days of being advised by the Bank of such shortfall, either prepay or provide additional security in form and substance in all respects acceptable to the Bank in an amount at least equal to the amount of such shortfall. Such additional security shall be constituted by:
 
 
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(i)
additional pledged cash deposits in favour of the Bank in an amount equal to such shortfall with a bank and in an account and manner to be determined by the Bank; and/or
 
 
(ii)
any other security acceptable to the Bank to be provided in a manner determined by the Bank.
 
(d)        The value of the Vessel shall be determined for the purpose of Clause 8.6(b) as provided in Clause 8.6(b) and shall be notified by the Bank to the Borrower and the valuation of such shipbroker shall constitute the value of the Vessel for the purposes of this Agreement and shall be binding upon the parties hereto. All costs in connection with such valuation and any valuation of any additional security provided pursuant to Clause 8.6(c) shall be borne by the Borrower. Any valuation referred to in Clause 8.6 to be addressed to the Bank.
 
Provided however that in the event that the Market Value of the Vessel (determined in accordance with Clause 8.6(b)) shall be less than the Security Requirement then the value of the Vessel shall be determined by three (3) shipbrokers appointed by the Bank for this purpose (one of which shall be the initial valuator) and in that case the mean of such three (3) valuations of such shipbrokers shall constitute the value of the Vessel for the purposes of this Agreement and shall be binding upon the parties hereto.
 
(e)        Valuation of additional security
 
For the purpose of this Clause 8.6, the market value of any additional security provided or to be provided to the Bank shall be determined by the Bank in its absolute discretion without any necessity for the Bank assigning any reason thereto provided always that if the additional security is in the form of a collateral vessel such collateral vessel shall be valued in accordance with the provisions of Clause 8.6(b) or if the additional security is in form of a cash deposit full credit shall be given for such cash deposit on a Dollar for Dollar basis.
 
(f)         Documents and evidence
 
In connection with any additional security provided in accordance with this Clause 8.6, the Bank shall be entitled to receive such evidence and documents as may in the Bank's reasonable opinion be appropriate and such favourable legal opinions as the Bank shall in its absolute discretion require.
 
8.7         Maintenance of Assets
 
(a)        No Transfer of Assets
 
not convey, assign, transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of or deal with any of their real or personal property, assets or rights, whether present or future, without the prior written consent of the Bank; and
 
(b)        No Encumbrance of Assets
 
 
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not allow any part of its undertaking, property, assets or rights, whether present or future, to be mortgaged, charged, pledged, used as a lien or otherwise encumbered without the prior written consent of the Bank; and
 
8.8
Covenants Concerning the Vessel
 
(a)        Ownership/Management/Control
 
ensure that the Vessel will be registered on the Drawdown Date under the laws of the Flag State and thereafter maintain her present ownership, management, control and beneficial ownership;
 
(b)        Class
 
ensure that the Vessel will remain in class free of any and all recommendations, overdue notations or average damage affecting class and provide the Bank on demand with copies of all class and trading certificates of the Vessel;
 
(c)        Insurances
 
ensure that all Insurances of the Vessel are maintained and comply with all insurance requirements specified in this Agreement and in case of failure to maintain the Vessel so insured authorise the Bank (and such authorisation is hereby expressly given to the Bank) to have the right but not the obligation to effect such Insurances on behalf of the Borrower (and in case that the Vessel remains in port for an extended period to effect port risks insurances at the cost of the Borrower which, if paid by the Bank, shall be Expenses);
 
(d)        Transfer/Encumbrances
 
not without the prior written consent of the Bank sell or otherwise dispose of the Vessel or any share therein or create or agree to create or permit to subsist any Encumbrance over the Vessel (or any share or interest therein) other than Permitted Encumbrances;
 
(e)        Not imperil Flag, Ownership, Insurances
 
ensure that the Vessel is maintained and trades in conformity with the laws of the Flag State, of its owning company or of the nationality of the officers of the Vessel, the requirements of the Insurances and nothing is done or permitted to be done which could endanger the flag of the Vessel or its unencumbered (other than Permitted Encumbrances) ownership or its Insurances;
 
(f)         Mortgage Covenants
 
always comply with all the covenants provided for in the Mortgage and in any accompanying Deed of Covenant;
 
(g)        Charter
 
not enter into a charterparty, contract of affreightment, agreement or related document in respect of the employment of the Vessel (i) on demise charterparty or (ii) without the prior written consent of the Bank, for a period for more than twelve (12) months or below the market rate prevailing at the time when the Vessel is fixed in or on terms which are not in accordance with the commercial practice prevailing at the relevant time;
 
 
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(h)        Assignment of Earnings
 
not assign or agree to assign otherwise than to the Bank the Earnings or any part thereof; and
 
(i)         Compliance with Environmental Laws
 
comply with, and procure that all Environmental Affiliates of any Relevant Party comply with, all Environmental Laws including without limitation, requirements relating to manning and establishment of financial responsibility and to obtain and comply with, and procure that all Environmental Affiliates of such Relevant Party obtain and comply with, all Environmental Approvals and to notify the Bank forthwith:
 
 
(i)
of any Environmental Claim for an amount or amounts in aggregate exceeding $300,000 made against the Vessel, any Relevant Ship and/or her respective owner; and
 
 
(ii)
upon becoming aware of any incident which may give rise to an Environmental Claim and to keep the Bank advised in writing of the Borrower's response to such Environmental Claim on such regular basis and in such detail as the Bank shall require;
 
8.9         Observance of Covenants
 
(a)        Use of the Loan
 
use the Loan exclusively for the purpose specified in this Agreement;
 
(b)        Compliance with Covenants
 
duly and punctually perform each of the obligations expressed to be assumed by it under this Agreement and the other Security Documents;
 
(c)        Payment on Demand
 
pay to the Bank on demand any sum of money which is payable by the Borrower to the Bank under this Agreement but in respect of which it is not specified in any other Clause when it is due and payable; and
 
(d)        Evidence of Compliance
 
upon request by the Bank from time to time provide such information and evidence to the Bank as the Bank would reasonably require to demonstrate compliance with the covenants and undertakings set forth in this Agreement and the other Security Documents;
 
8.10       Validity of Securities — Taxes etc.
 
(a)        Validity
 
ensure and procure that all governmental or other consents required by law and/or any other steps required for the validity, enforceability and legality of this Agreement and the other Security Documents are maintained in full force and effect and/or appropriately taken;
 
 
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(b)        Earnings
 
ensure and procure that, unless and until directed by the Bank otherwise (i) all the Earnings of the Vessel shall be paid to the Earnings Account and (ii) the persons from whom the Earnings are from time to time due are irrevocably instructed to pay them to such account in the name of the Borrower as shall be from time to time agreed by the Bank in accordance with the provisions hereof and of the relevant Security Documents;
 
(c)        Taxes
 
pay all Taxes, assessments and other governmental charges when the same fall due, except to the extent that the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and adequate reserves have been set aside for their payment if such proceedings fail; and
 
(d)        Additional Documents
 
from time to time and within ten (10) days after the Bank's request execute and deliver to the Bank or procure the execution and delivery to the Bank of all such documents as shall be deemed desirable at the reasonable discretion of the Bank for giving full effect to this Agreement, and for perfecting, protecting the value of or enforcing any rights or securities granted to the Bank under any one or more of this Agreement, the other Security Documents and any other documents executed pursuant hereto or thereto and in case that any conditions precedent (with the Bank's consent) have not been fulfilled prior to the Drawdown, such conditions shall be complied with within fourteen (14) days of Drawdown (unless the Bank agrees otherwise in writing) and failure to comply with this covenant shall be an Event of Default.
 
8.11       Covenants for the Security Parties
 
Ensure and procure that all other Security Parties and each of them duly and punctually comply, with the covenants in Clauses 8.1 to 8.10 which are applicable to them mutatis mutandis.
 
8.12       Compliance with the ISM Code
 
Procure that the Approved Manager and any Operator:
 
 
(a)
will comply with and ensure that the Vessel and any Operator by no later than the Drawdown Date complies with the requirements of the ISM Code, including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates pursuant thereto throughout the Security Period;
 
 
(b)
immediately inform the Bank if there is any threatened or actual withdrawal of the Borrower's, the Approved Manager's or an Operator's DOC or the SMC in respect of the Vessel; and
 
 
(c)
promptly inform the Bank upon the issue to the Borrower, the Approved Manager or any Operator of a DOC and to the Vessel of an SMC or the receipt by the Borrower, the Approved Manager or any Operator of notification that its application for the same has been realised.
 
 
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8.13       ISPS Code Compliance
 
 Procure that the Approved Manager or any Operator will:
 
 
(a)
maintain at all times a valid and current ISSC respect of the Vessel;
 
 
(b)
immediately notify the Bank in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the ISSC in respect of the Vessel; and
 
9.           EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
There shall be an Event of Default whenever an event described in Clauses 9.1 to 9.7 Occurs:
 
9.1         Non Performance of Obltgations
 
 
(a)
the Borrower or any other Security Party fails to pay any sum due from the Borrower or, as the case may be such Security Party, under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents at the time, in the currency and in the manner stipulated herein and/or any of the other Security Documents, or, in the case of any sum payable on demand, within three (3) Banking Days of such demand; or
 
 
(b)
the Borrower or any other Security Party fails to observe and perform any one or more of the covenants, terms or obligations contained in this Agreement and/or any other Security Document relating to the Insurances; or
 
 
(c)
the Borrower or any other Security Party commits any breach of or omits to observe any of the covenants, terms, obligations or undertakings under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents (other than failure to pay any sum when due or to comply with any obligation concerning the Insurances) and, in respect of any such breach or omission which in the opinion of the Bank is capable of remedy, such action as the Bank may require shall not have been taken within seven (7) days of the Bank notifying the Borrower and/or the relevant Security Party of such required action to remedy the breach or omission; or
 
9.2         Events affecting the Security Parties
 
 
(a)
any Security Party is adjudicated or found bankrupt or insolvent or any judgement or order is made by any competent court or resolution passed or petition (which is not in the reasonable opinion of the Bank frivolous and is not being contested in good faith by such Security Party) presented for the winding-up or dissolution of any Security Party or for the appointment of a liquidator, trustee, receiver, administrator or conservator of the whole or any part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of any Security Party; or
 
 
(b)
any Security Party becomes or is deemed to be insolvent or suspends payment of its debts or is (or is deemed to be) unable to or admits inability to pay its debts as they fall due or proposes or enters into any composition, compromise or other arrangement for the benefit of its creditors generally or good faith proceedings are commenced in relation to any Security Party under any law, regulation or procedure relating to reconstruction or readjustment of debts; or
 
 
(c)
an encumbrancer takes possession or a receiver or similar officer is appointed of the whole or any part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of any Security Party or a distress, execution, sequestration or other process is levied or enforced upon or sued out against any of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of any Security Party and is not discharged within fifteen (15) days; or
 
 
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(d)
all or a material part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of any Security Party are seized, nationalised, expropriated or compulsorily acquired by or under the authority of any government; or
 
 
(e)
any event occurs or proceeding is taken with respect to any Security Party in any jurisdiction to which it is subject which has an effect equivalent or similar to any of the events mentioned in sub-Clauses 9.2(a) to 9.2(d); or
 
 
(f)
any Security Party suspends or ceases or threatens to suspend or cease to carry on its business; or
 
 
(g)
there occurs, in the reasonable opinion of the Bank, a material adverse change in the financial condition of any Security Party; or
 
 
(h)
any other event occurs or circumstances arise which, in the reasonable opinion of the Bank, materially and adversely affects either (i) the ability of any Security Party to perform all or any of its obligations under or otherwise to comply with the terms of this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents, or (ii) the security created by this Agreement and/or any of the Security Documents; or
 
 
(i)
there is any material change in the beneficial ownership of the shares in the Borrower and/or in any other corporate Security Party; or
 
 
(j)
a meeting is convened by any Security Party for the purpose of passing any resolution to purchase, reduce or redeem any of its share capital; or
 
 
(k)
there is any material change in the beneficial ownership of the shares in any of the Borrower and/or in any other corporate Security Party, as a result of which Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis' and/or members of his family's controlling interest in the Corporate Guarantor shall be reduced to less than five per centum (5%) of the share capital of the Corporate Guarantor; or
 
9.3         Representations Incorrect
 
any representation or warranty made or deemed to be made or repeated by or in respect of any Security Party in or pursuant to this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents or in any notice, certificate or statement referred to in or delivered under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents is or proves to have been incorrect in any material respect; or
 
9.4         Cross-default of the Borrower and the Group
 
any Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other member of the Group is not paid when due or becomes due and payable, or any creditor of the Borrower or such member of the Group becomes entitled to declare any such Indebtedness due and payable prior to the date when it would otherwise have become due, or any guarantee or indemnity given or any obligation or covenant undertaken or agreement made by the Borrower any other member of the Group in respect of Indebtedness is not honoured when due; or
 
9.5         Events affecting the Security Documents
 
 
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(a)
this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents shall at any time and for any reason become invalid or unenforceable or otherwise cease to remain in full force and effect, or if the validity or enforceability of any of the Security Documents shall at any time and for any reason be contested by any party thereto (other than the Bank), or if any such party shall deny that it has any, or any further, liability thereunder or it becomes impossible or unlawful for the Borrower to fulfil any of its covenants and obligations contained in this Agreement or any of the Security Documents or for the Bank to exercise the rights vested in it thereunder or otherwise; or
 
 
(b)
any consent, authorisation, licence or approval of, or registration with or declaration to, governmental or public bodies or authorities or courts required by the Borrower to authorise or otherwise in connection with, the execution, delivery, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents or the performance by the Borrower of its obligations under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents is modified in a manner unacceptable to the Bank or is not granted or is revoked or terminated or expires and is not renewed or otherwise ceases to be in full force and effect; or
 
 
(c)
any Encumbrance (other than Permitted Liens) in respect of any of the property (or part thereof) which is the subject of the Security Documents (or any of them) becomes enforceable; or
 
9.6         Events concerning the Security Parties
 
 
(a)
any Security Party (other than the Borrower) fails to pay any sum due from it under this Agreement and/or any of the Security Documents when due, or, in the case of any sum payable on demand, within three (3) Banking Days of demand; or
 
 
(b)
any Security Party (other than the Borrower) fails to observe and perform any one or more of the covenants, terms or obligations contained in this Agreement (including Schedule 2) and/or the other Security Documents relating to the Insurances; or
 
 
(c)
any Security Party (other than the Borrower) commits any breach of or omits to observe any of the covenants, terms, obligations or undertakings expressed to be assumed by it under this Agreement and/or any of the Security Documents (other than failure to pay any sum when due or to observe or perform obligations relating to the Insurances) and, in respect of any such breach or omission which in the opinion of the Bank is capable of remedy, such action as the Bank may require shall not have been taken within seven (7) days of the Bank notifying the relevant Security Party, of such required action to remedy the breach or omission; or
 
 
(d)
any representation or warranty made or deemed to be made or repeated by or in respect of any Security Party (other than the Borrower) in or pursuant to this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents or in any notice, certificate or statement referred to in or delivered under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents is or proves to have been incorrect in any material respect; or
 
 
(e)
any of the events referred to in Clauses 9.2 to 9.5 occurs (amended as appropriate) in relation to any Security Party (other than the Borrower); or
 
 
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9.7         Events concerning the Vessel
 
 
(a)
the Vessel becomes a Total Loss or suffers damage or is involved in an incident which in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may result in the Vessel being subsequently determined to be a Total Loss and the insurance indemnity is not paid by the insurers to the Bank under the General Assignment within a period of one hundred fifty (150) days from the earlier of: (i) the date such Total Loss occurred and (ii) the date on which the incident which in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may result in the Vessel being subsequently determined to be a Total Toss has occurred; or
 
 
(b)
the Vessel ceases to be managed by the Approved Manager (for any reason other than the reason of a Total Loss or sale of the Vessel) with the approval of the Bank, and the Borrower fails to appoint an Approved Manager within seven (7) days after the termination of the Management Agreement with the previous Approved Manager; or
 
 
(c)
the Vessel is arrested, confiscated, seized, taken in execution, impounded, forfeited, detained in exercise or purported exercise of any possessory lien or other claim and the Owner shall fail to procure the release of the Vessel within a period of seven (7) days thereafter; or
 
 
(d)
the registration of the Vessel under the laws and flag of the Flag State is cancelled or terminated without the prior written consent of the Bank or, if the Vessel is only provisionally registered on the Drawdown Date and is not permanently registered under the laws and flag of the Flag State at least thirty (30) days prior to the deadline for completing such permanent registration;
 
 
(e)
the Flag State of the Vessel becomes involved in hostilities or civil war or there is a seizure of power in such Flag State by unconstitutional means if, in any such case, such event could in the reasonable opinion of the Bank reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the security constituted by any of the Security Documents and alternative arrangements satisfactory to the Bank have not been made promptly upon the Bank's request; or
 
 
(f)
the Borrower or any other person fails or omits to comply with any requirements of the protection and indemnity association or other insurer with which the Vessel is entered for insurance or insured against protection and indemnity risks (including oil pollution risks) to the effect that any cover (including, without limitation, any cover in respect of liability for Environmental Claims arising in jurisdiction where the Vessel operates or trades) is or may be liable to cancellation, qualification or exclusion at any time; or
 
 
(g)
(without prejudice to the generality of sub-Clauses 9.1(b) and (c)) for any reason whatsoever the provisions of Clause 8.12 are not complied with and/or the Vessel ceases to comply with the ISM Code; or
 
 
(h)
(without prejudice to the generality of sub-Clauses 9.1(b) and (c)) for any reason whatsoever the provisions of Clause 8.13 are not complied with and/or the Vessel ceases to comply with the ISPS Code; or
 
9.8         Environmental Events
 
 
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(a)
any Relevant Party and/or the Approved Manager and/or any of their respective Environmental Affiliates fails to comply with any Environmental Law or any Environmental Approval or the Vessel or any Relevant Ship is involved in any incident which gives rise or which may give rise to any Environmental Claim, if in any such case, such non compliance or incident or the consequences thereof could (in the reasonable opinion of the Bank) be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business assets, operations, property or financial condition of the Borrower or any other Security Party or on the security created by any of the Security Documents; or
 
 
(b)
any Security Party or any other person fails or omits to comply with any requirements of the protection and indemnity association or other insurer with which the Vessel is entered for insurance or insured against protection and indemnity risks (including oil pollution risks) to the effect that any cover in relation to the Vessel (including without limitation, liability for Environmental Claims arising in jurisdictions where the Vessel operates or trades) is or may be liable to cancellation, qualification or exclusion at any time; or
 
9.9         Consequences of Default
 
The Bank may without prejudice to any other rights of the Bank (which will continue to be in force concurrently with the following), at any time after the happening of an Event of Default:
 
 
(a)
by notice to the Borrower declare that the obligation of the Bank to make the Commitment available shall be terminated, whereupon the Commitment shall be reduced to zero forthwith; and/or
 
 
(b)
by notice to the Borrower declare that the Loan and all interest and commitment commission accrued and all other sums payable under this Agreement and the other Security Documents have become due and payable, whereupon the same shall, immediately or in accordance with the terms of such notice, become due and payable without any further diligence, presentment, demand of payment, protest or notice or any other procedure from the Bank which are expressly waived by the Borrower; and/or
 
 
(c)
put into force and exercise all or any of the rights, powers and remedies possessed by it under this Agreement and/or under any other Security Document and/or as mortgagee of the Vessel, mortgagee, chargee or assignee or as the beneficiary of any other property right or any other security (as the case may be) over the assets charged or assigned to it under the Security Documents or otherwise (whether at law, by virtue of any of the Security Documents or otherwise).
 
9.10       Insolvency Events of Default
 
If an event occurs in respect of the Borrower or the other Security Parties of the type described in sub-Clauses 9.2(a) to (e) (except (i) in the case when a petition was presented or proceedings were commenced or a suit or writ were issued by a third party and the Borrower or the relevant Security Party is defending itself in bona fide and (ii) in the case that such events mentioned in Clause 9.2 relate to only a part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues which in the opinion of the Bank does not affect the ability of the Borrower or the relevant Security Party to perform its respective obligations under this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents) the obligation of the Bank to make the Commitment available shall
 
 
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terminate immediately upon receipt by the Bank of the relevant information (as such receipt shall be conclusively certified by a certificate of the Bank) and all amounts payable under sub-Clause 9.9(b) above shall become immediately due and payable without any notice or other formality which is hereby expressly waived by the Borrower.
 
9.11       Proof of Default
 
It is agreed that (i) the non-payment of any sum of money in time will be proved conclusively by mere passage of time and (ii) the occurrence of this (non payment) shall be proved conclusively by a mere written statement of the Bank (save for manifest error).
 
9.12       Exclusion of Bank's liability
 
Neither the Bank nor any receiver or manager appointed by the Bank, shall have any liability to the Borrower or any other Security Party:
 
 
(a)
for any loss caused by an exercise of rights under, or enforcement of an Encumbrance created by, a Security Document or by any failure or delay to exercise such a right or to enforce such an Encumbrance; or
 
 
(b)
as mortgagee in possession or otherwise, for any income or principal amount which might have been produced by or realised from any asset comprised in such an Encumbrance or for any reduction (however caused) in the value of such an asset,
 
except that this does not exempt the Bank or a receiver or manager from liability for losses shown to have been caused by the wilful misconduct of the Bank's own officers and employees or (as the case may be) such receiver's or manager's own partners or employees.
 
10.         INDEMNITIES - EXPENSES - FEES
 
10.1       Indemnity
 
The Borrower shall on demand (and it is hereby expressly undertaken by the Borrower to) indemnify the Bank, without prejudice to any of the other rights of the Bank under any of the Security Documents, against any loss or expense which the Bank shall certify as sustained or incurred as a consequence of:
 
 
(a)
any default in payment by any of the Security Parties of any sum under any of the Security Documents when due;
 
 
(b)
the occurrence of any Event of Default;
 
 
(c)
any prepayment of the Loan or part thereof being made under Clauses 4.2(b) and 4.3, 8.6(c) or 12 or any other repayment of the Loan or part thereof being made otherwise than on an Interest Payment Date relating to the part of the Loan prepaid or repaid; or
 
 
(d)
the Commitment not being advanced for any reason (excluding any default by the Bank) after the Drawdown Notice has been given,
 
including, in any such case, but not limited to, any loss or expense sustained or incurred in maintaining or funding the Loan or any part thereof or in liquidating or re-employing deposits from third parties acquired to effect or maintain the Loan or any part thereof.
 
 
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10.2       Expenses
 
 
 The Borrower shall (and it is hereby expressly undertaken by the Borrower to) pay to the Bank on demand:
 
 
(a)
Initial and Amendment expenses
 
all expenses (including legal, printing and out-of-pocket expenses) reasonably incurred by the Bank in connection with the negotiation, preparation and execution of this Agreement and the other Security Documents and of any amendment or extension of or the granting of any waiver or consent under this Agreement and/or any of the Security Documents and/or in connection with any proposal by the Borrower to constitute additional security pursuant to sub-Clause 8.6(c), whether any such security shall in fact be constituted or not;
 
 
(b)
Enforcement expenses
 
all expenses (including legal and out-of-pocket expenses) incurred by the Bank in contemplation of, or otherwise in connection with, the enforcement of, or preservation of any rights under, this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents, or otherwise in respect of the moneys owing under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents or the contemplation or preparation of the above, whether they have been effected or not;
 
 
(c)
MII-MAPI costs
 
reimburse the Bank on demand for any and all costs incurred by the Bank (as conclusively certified by the Bank) in effecting and keeping effected (a) a Mortgagee's Interest Insurance for an amount equal to 120% of the amount of the Loan (herein "MII") and (b) (in case that the Bank reasonably determines or in case that the Vessel is scheduled to operate worldwide which could include USA jurisdiction or the USA Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 or any other applicable legislation or in waters with similar to the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 legislation), a Mortgagee's Interest Additional Perils (Pollution) insurance policy (herein "MAPI"), each of which the Bank may at any time effect on such terms and with such insurers as shall from time to time be determined by the Bank,; and
 
 
(d)
Other expenses
 
any and all other Expenses.
 
 All expenses payable pursuant to this Clause 10.2 shall be paid together with value added tax (if any) thereon.
 
10.3       Stamp duty
 
The Borrower shall pay any and all stamp, registration and similar taxes or charges (including those payable by the Bank) imposed by governmental authorities in relation to this Agreement and any of the other Security Documents, and shall indemnify the Bank against any and all liabilities with respect to, or resulting from delay or omission on the part of the Borrower to pay such stamp taxes or charges.
 
10.4       Environmental Indemnity
 
The Borrower shall indemnify the Bank on demand and hold the Bank harmless from and against all costs, expenses, payments, charges, losses, demands, liabilities, actions, proceedings (whether civil or criminal) penalties, fines, damages, judgements, orders, sanctions or other outgoings of whatever nature which may be suffered, incurred or paid by, or made
 
 
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or asserted against the Bank at any time, whether before or after the repayment in full of principal and interest under this Agreement, relating to, or arising directly or indirectly in any manner or for any cause or reason out of an Environmental Claim made or asserted against the Bank.
 
10.5       Currencies
 
If any sum due from the Borrower under any of the Security Documents or any order or judgement given or made in relation hereto has to be converted from the currency (the "first currency") in which the same is payable under the relevant Security Document or under such order or judgement into another currency (the "second currency") for the purpose of (i) making or filing a claim or proof against the Borrower or any other Security Party, as the case may be or (ii) obtaining an order or judgement in any court or other tribunal or (iii) enforcing any order or judgement given or made in relation to any of the Security Documents, the Borrower shall (and it is hereby expressly undertaken by the Borrower to) indemnify and hold harmless the Bank from and against any loss suffered as a result of any difference between (a) the rate of exchange used for such purpose to convert the sum in question from the first currency into the second currency and (b) the rate or rates of exchange at which the Bank may in the ordinary course of business purchase the first currency with the second currency upon receipt of a sum paid to it in satisfaction, in whole or in part, of any such order, judgement, claim or proof. The term "rate of exchange" includes any premium and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of the first currency with the second currency.
 
10.6       Maintenance of the Indemnities
 
The indemnities contained in this Clause 10 shall apply irrespective of any indulgence granted to the Borrower or any other party from time to time and shall continue to be in full force and effect notwithstanding any payment in favour of the Bank and any sum due from the Borrower under this Clause 10 will be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgement being obtained for any other sums due under any one or more of this Agreement, the other Security Documents and any other documents executed pursuant hereto or thereto.
 
10.7       Communications Indemnity
 
It is hereby agreed in connection with communications that:
 
 
(a)
Express authority is hereby given by the Borrower to the Bank to accept (at the sole discretion of the Bank) all tested or untested communications given by facsimile, telex, cable or otherwise, regarding any or all of the notices, requests, instructions or other communications under this Agreement, subject to any restrictions imposed by the Bank relating to such communications including, without limitation (if so required by the Bank), the obligation to confirm such communications by letter.
 
 
(b)
The Borrower shall recognise any and all of the said notices, requests, instructions or other communications as legal, valid and binding, when these notices, requests, instructions or communications come from the telex and fax numbers mentioned in Clause 15.1 or any other telex or fax usually used by it or its managing company.
 
 
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(c)
The Borrower hereby assumes full responsibility for the execution of the said notices, requests, instructions or communications by the Bank and promises and recognises that the Bank shall not be held responsible for any loss, liability or expense that may result from such notices, requests, instructions or other communications. It is hereby undertaken by the Borrower to indemnify in full the Bank from and against all actions, proceedings, damages, costs, claims, demands, expenses and any and all direct and/or indirect losses which the Bank may suffer, incur or sustain by reason of the Bank following such notices, requests, instructions or communications.
 
 
(d)
With regard to notices, requests, instructions or communications issued by electronic and/or mechanical processes (e.g. by facsimile, telex), the risk of equipment malfunction, including, without limitation, paper shortage, transmission errors, omissions and distortions is assumed fully and accepted by the Borrower, save in case of Bank's gross misconduct.
 
 
(e)
The risks of misunderstandings and errors resulting from notices, requests, instructions or communications being given as mentioned above, are for the Borrower and the Bank will be indemnified in full pursuant to this Clause save in case of Bank's gross misconduct.
 
 
(f)
The Bank shall have the right to ask the Borrower to furnish any information the Bank may require to establish the authority of any person purporting to act on behalf of the Borrower for these notices, requests, instructions or communications but it is expressly agreed that there is no obligation for the Bank to do so. The Bank shall be fully protected in, and the Bank shall incur no liability to the Borrower for acting upon the said notices, requests, instructions or communications which were believed by the Bank in good faith to have been given by the Borrower or by any of its authorised representative(s).
 
 
(g)
It is undertaken by the Borrower to safeguard the function and the security of the electronic and mechanical appliance(s) such as telex(es), fax(es) etc., as well as the code word list, if any, and to take adequate precautions to protect such code word list from loss and to prevent its terms becoming known to any persons not directly concerned with its use. The Borrower shall hold the Bank harmless and indemnified from all claims, losses, damages and expenses which the Bank may incur by reason of the failure of the Borrower to comply with the obligations under this Clause.
 
10.8       Arrangement Fee -Commitment Commission
 
 
(a)
As an inducement for the Bank to enter into this Agreement the Borrower shall pay on the Drawdown Date an arrangement fee in the amount of Dollars one hundred seventy five thousand ($175,000); and
 
 
(b)
The Borrower shall pay to the Bank in arrears on each of the dates falling at three monthly intervals after the date of acceptance of the Commitment Letter until the earlier of (a) the last day of the Availability Period (b) the Drawdown Date and (c) the date of cancellation of the Commitment in full by the Borrower (the "Commitment Commission Period") commitment commission at the rate of 0.35% per annum on the daily undrawn and uncancelled amount of the Commitment, computed from the date of acceptance of the Commitment Letter (in the case of the first payment of commission) and from the date of the preceding payment of commission (in the case of each subsequent payment) until the last day of the Commitment Commission Period.
 
 
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The arrangement fee and commitment commission referred to in this Clause 10.8 are not refundable and shall be payable by the Borrower to the Bank whether or not any part of the Commitment is ever advanced.
 
10.9       Central Bank or European Central Bank reserve requirements indemnity
 
The Borrower shall on demand promptly indemnify the Bank against any cost incurred or loss suffered by the Bank as a result of its complying with the minimum reserve requirements of the European Central Bank and/or with respect to maintaining required reserves with the relevant national Central Bank to the extent that such compliance relates to the Commitment or deposits obtained by it to fund the whole or part of the Loan and to the extent such cost or loss is not recoverable by the Bank under clause 12.2
 
11.         SECURITY, APPLICATION, AND SET-OFF
 
11.1       Securities
 
 
As security for the due and punctual repayment of the Loan and payment of interest thereon as provided in this Agreement and of all other Outstanding Indebtedness, the Borrower shall ensure and procure that the following Security Documents are duly executed and, where required, registered in favour of the Bank in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank at the time specified herein or otherwise as required by the Bank and ensure that such security consists, on the Drawdown Date in respect of the Loan, of:
 
 
(a)
the Mortgage duly registered over the Vessel through the Registry;
 
 
(b)
the General Assignment;
 
 
(c)
the Corporate Guarantee;
 
 
(d)
the Accounts Pledge Agreement;
 
 
(e)
the Shares Pledge Agreement;
 
 
(f)
the Manager's Undertaking; and
 
 
(g)
any Charterparty Assignment;
 
11.2       Maintenance of Securities
 
It is hereby undertaken by the Borrower that the Security Documents shall both at the date of execution and delivery thereof and so long as any moneys are owing and/or due under this Agreement or under the other Security Documents be valid and binding obligations of the respective Security Parties thereto and rights of the Bank enforceable in accordance with their respective terms and that they will, at the expense of the Borrower, execute, sign, perfect and do any and every such further assurance, document, act, omission or thing as in the opinion of the Bank may be necessary or desirable for perfecting the security contemplated or constituted by the Security Documents.
 
11.3       Application of funds
 
 
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All moneys received by the Bank under or pursuant to any of the Security Documents and expressed to be applicable in accordance with this Clause 11.3 shall be applied by the Bank in the following manner:
 
 
(a)
Firstly in or towards payment of Expenses and all sums other than principal or interest which may be due to the Bank under this Agreement and the other Security Documents or any of them at the time of application;
 
 
(b)
Secondly in or towards payment of any default interest;
 
 
(c)
Thirdly in or towards payment of any arrears of interest (other than default interest) due in respect of the Loan or any part thereof;
 
 
(d)
Fourthly in or towards repayment of the Loan whether the same is due and payable or not;
 
 
(e)
Fifthly in or towards payment to the Bank for any loss suffered by reason of any such payment in respect of principal not being effected on an Interest Payment Date relating to the part of the Loan repaid;
 
 
(f)
Sixthly in or towards payment of the Master Agreement Liabilities; and
 
 
(g)
Seventhly the surplus (if any) shall be paid to the Borrower, or to whomsoever else shall be entitled to receive such surplus.
 
11.4       Set off
 
Express authority is hereby given by the Borrower to the Bank without prejudice to any of the rights of the Bank at law, contractually or otherwise, at any time after a Default has occurred and without notice to the Borrower:
 
 
(a)
to apply any credit balance standing upon any account of the Borrower with any branch of the Bank and in whatever currency in or towards satisfaction of any sum due to the Bank from the Borrower under this Agreement, the Master Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents;
 
 
(b)
in the name of the Borrower and/or the Bank to do all such acts and execute all such documents as may be necessary or expedient to effect such application; and
 
 
(c)
to combine and/or consolidate all or any accounts in the name of the Borrower with the Bank.
 
 
(d)
For all or any of the above purposes authority is hereby given to the Bank to purchase with the moneys standing to the credit of any such account or accounts such other currencies as may be necessary to effect such application. The Bank shall not be obliged to exercise any right given by this Clause.
 
 
(e)
The rights conferred on the Bank by this Clause 11.4 shall be in addition to, and without prejudice to or limitation of, the rights of netting and set off conferred on the Bank by the Master Agreement. The Borrower acknowledges that the Bank shall be under no obligation to make any payment to the Borrower under or pursuant to the Master Agreement if, at the time that payment becomes due, there shall have occurred an Event of Default or Termination Event (as those terms are respectively defined in the Master Agreement).
 
 
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11.5       Earnings Account - Retention Account
 
 
(a)
The Borrower shall procure that all moneys payable in respect of the Earnings of the Vessel shall be paid to the Earnings Account free from Encumbrances. Unless and until an Event of Default shall occur (whereupon the provisions of Clause 11.3 shall be applicable) no monies shall be withdrawn from the Earnings Account save as hereinafter provided:
 
 
(i)
first : in payment of any and all sums whatsoever due and payable to the Bank hereunder (such sums to be paid in such order as the Bank may in its sole discretion elect);
 
 
(ii)
second: during each month of the Security Period (but by no later than, in the case of the first such month, the date falling thirty (30) days after the Drawdown Date and, in the case of each subsequent month, the same date of that month), the Borrower shall cause to be transferred from the Earnings Account to the Retention Account of the aggregate amount of the Earnings of the Vessel received in the Earnings Account during the preceding month:
 
 
aa)
one sixth (1/6 th ) of the amount of the Repayment Instalment specified in Clause 4.1 falling due for payment on the next following Repayment Date; and
 
 
bb)
the relevant fraction of the amount of interest on the Loan falling due on the next due date for payment of interest under this Agreement.
 
 
 
The expression "relevant fraction" in relation to an amount of interest on the Loan falling due for payment means a fraction (which shall be notified by the Bank to the Borrower at the beginning of each Interest Period) where the numerator is always one and where the denominator shall always be three except in the case of an Interest Period of less than three months, in which case the denominator shall be the number of months comprised in such Interest Period; and
 
 
(iii)
thirdly: any balance shall be released to the Borrower.
 
 
(b)
If the aggregate amount of the Earnings of the Vessel received in the Earnings Account is insufficient in any month for the required transfer to be made from the Earnings Account to the Retention Account in accordance with Clause 11.5(a), the Borrower shall make up the amount of such insufficiency on demand from the Bank, but, without prejudice to its right to make such demand, the Bank may elect to make up the whole or any part of such insufficiency by increasing the amount of any transfer to be made in accordance with Clause 11.5(a)(ii) from the aggregate amount of such Earnings received in the next or subsequent months.
 
 
(c)
Until the occurrence of an Event of Default (or an event which, with the giving of notice and/or lapse of time or other applicable condition, might constitute an Event of Default), the Bank shall on each Repayment Date and on each due date for the payment of interest under this Agreement apply in accordance with the provisions of Clause 11.5 (a) the relevant part of the balance then standing to the credit of the Retention Account as shall be required to make payment of the Repayment Instalment specified in Clause 4.1 then due under the terms of this Agreement or payment of interest then due under the terms of this Agreement and such transfer shall constitute a pro tanto satisfaction of the Borrower's obligations to pay such repayment instalment or interest (as the case may be) then due under this Agreement.
 
 
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(d)
Any amounts for the time being standing to the credit of the Retention Account shall bear interest at the rate from time to time offered by the Bank to its customers for Dollar deposits of similar amounts and for periods similar to those for which such amounts are likely to remain standing to the credit of the Retention Account. Such interest shall, provided that the foregoing provisions of this Clause 11.5 shall have been complied with and provided that no Event of Default (or event which, with the giving of notice and/or lapse of time or other applicable condition, might constitute an Event of Default) shall have occurred, be released to the Borrower.
 
 
(e)
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the absolute obligation of the Borrowers to pay interest on and to repay the Loan as provided in Clauses 3 and 4 or shall constitute a manner or postponement thereof.
 
 
(f)
The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorises the Bank to make from the Earnings Account any and all above payments and repayments as and when the same fall due or at any time thereafter.
 
 
(g)
The Borrower will comply with any written requirement of the Bank from time to time as to the location or re-location of the Earnings Account and the Retention Account (or either of them) and will from time to time enter into such documentation as the Bank may require in order to create or maintain in favour of the Bank an Encumbrance in the Earnings Account and the Retention Account, all at cost and expense of the Borrowers.
 
 
(h)
The Borrower hereby covenants with the Bank that the Earnings Account, the Retention Account and any moneys therein shall not be charged, assigned, transferred or pledged nor shall there be granted by the Borrower or suffered to arise any third party rights over or against the whole or any part of the Earnings Account other than in favour of the Bank.
 
 
(i)
The Earnings Account shall be operated in accordance with the Bank's usual terms and conditions (full knowledge of which the Borrower hereby acknowledges) and subject to the Bank's usual charges levied on such accounts and/or transactions conducted on such accounts (as from time to time notified by the Bank to the Borrower).
 
 
(j)
The Borrower hereby warrants that sufficient monies to meet the next Repayment Instalment plus interest thereon will be accumulated each and every month in the Retention Account.
 
 
(k)
After the occurrence of an Event of Default the balance (if any) including any accrued interest standing to the credit of the Earnings Account and the Retention Account shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of Clause 11.3.
 
 
(1)
Upon payment in full of all principal, interest and all other amounts due to the Bank under the terms of this Agreement and the other Security Documents, any balance then standing to the credit of the Retention Account and/or the Earnings Account shall be released and paid to the Borrower or to whomsoever else may be entitled to receive such balance.
 
 
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12.         UNLAWFULNESS, INCREASED COSTS
 
12.1       Unlawfulness
 
If any change in, or introduction of, any law, regulation or regulatory requirement or any request of any central bank, monetary, regulatory or other authority or any order of any court renders it unlawful or contrary to any such regulation, requirement, request or order for the Bank to advance the Commitment or to maintain or fund the Loan, notice shall be given promptly by the Bank to the Borrower whereupon the Commitment shall be reduced to zero and the Borrower shall be obliged to prepay the Loan in accordance with such notice, together with accrued interest thereon to the date of prepayment and all other sums payable by the Borrower under this Agreement.
 
In any such event the Borrower and the Bank shall (as per the provisions of sub-Clause 3.6) negotiate in good faith (but without incurring any legal obligations) with a view to agreeing the terms for making the Loan available from another jurisdiction or providing the Loan from alternative sources.
 
12.2       Change of circumstances
 
If any change in or in the interpretation of any applicable law or regulation, by any government or governmental authority or agency, makes it unlawful for the Bank to maintain or give effect to its obligations or to claim or receive any amount payable to the Bank under this Agreement, then the Bank may serve written notice on the Borrower declaring its obligations under this Agreement terminated in whole or in part, whereupon the same shall terminate forthwith and the Borrower will immediately repay the Loan and accrued interest to the date of prepayment together with all other Outstanding Indebtedness to the Bank pursuant to the terms of the notice.
 
12.3       Increased Cost
 
If, as a result of (a) any change in or in the interpretation of any law, regulation or official directive (whether or not having the force of law but, if not having the force of law, with which the Bank habitually complies) - including (without limitation) those relating to Taxation, capital adequacy, liquidity, reserve assets, cash ratio deposits and special deposits or those resulting from the implementation of any amendment of the "1988 Basle convergence agreement" or any amendatory or substitute agreement thereof- by any governmental authority in any country the laws or regulations of which are applicable on the Bank, or (b) compliance by the Bank with any request from any applicable fiscal or monetary authority (whether or not having the force of law but, if not having the force of law, with which the Bank habitually complies) or (c) any other set of circumstances affecting the Bank:
 
 
(a)
the cost to the Bank of making the Commitment or any part thereof or maintaining or funding the Loan is increased or an additional cost on the Bank is imposed; and/or
 
 
(b)
subject the Bank to Taxes or the basis of Taxation (other than Taxes or Taxation on the overall net income of the Bank) in respect of any payments to the Bank under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents is changed; and/or
 
 
(c)
the amount payable or the effective return to the Bank under any of the Security Documents is reduced; and/or
 
 
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(d)
the Bank's rate of return on its overall capital by reason of a change in the manner in which it is required to allocate capital resources to the Bank's obligations under any of the Security Document is reduced; and/or
 
 
(e)
require the Bank to make a payment or forgo a return on or calculated by references to any amount received or receivable by it under any of the Security Documents is required; and/or
 
 
(f)
require the Bank to incur or sustain a loss (including a loss of future potential profits) by reason of being obliged to deduct all or part of the Commitment or the Loan from its capital for regulatory purposes,
 
then and in each case (subject to Clause 12.6) the Borrower shall pay to the Bank, from time to time, upon demand, such additional moneys as shall indemnify the Bank for any increased or additional cost, reduction, payment, foregone return or loss whatsoever
 
12.4       Claim for increased cost
 
The Bank will promptly notify the Borrower of any intention to claim indemnification pursuant to Clause 12.3 and such notification will be a conclusive and full evidence binding on the Borrower as to the amount of any increased cost or reduction and the method of calculating the same and the Borrower shall be allowed to rebut such evidence by any means of evidence save for witness. A claim under Clause 12.3 may be made at any time and must be discharged by the Borrowers within fifteen (15) days of demand. It shall not be a defence to a claim by the Bank under this Clause 12.3 that any increased cost or reduction could have been avoided by the Bank. Any amount due from the Borrower under Clause 12.3 shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgement being obtained for any other sums due under or in respect of this Agreement.
 
12.5       Option to prepay
 
If any additional amounts are required to be paid by the Borrower to the Bank by virtue of Clause 12.3, the Borrower shall be entitled, on giving the Bank not less than fourteen (14) days prior notice in writing, to prepay the Loan and accrued interest thereon, together with all other Outstanding Indebtedness, on the next Repayment Date. Any such notice, once given, shall be irrevocable.
 
12.6       Exception
 
Nothing in Clause 12.3 shall entitle the Bank to receive any amount in respect of compensation for any such liability to Taxes, increased or additional cost, reduction, payment, foregone return or loss to the extent that the same is subject of an additional payment under Clause 5.3.
 
13.         ASSIGNMENT, PARTICIPATION, LENDING BRANCH
 
13.1       Binding Effect
 
This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Bank and the Borrower and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
 
13.2       No Assignment by the Borrower
 
The Borrower and any other parties to the Security Documents other than the Bank may not assign or transfer any of its rights and/or obligations under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents or any documents executed pursuant to this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents.
 
 
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13.3       Assignment by the Bank
 
The Bank may at any time (following consultation with the Borrower and on prior thirty days notice being given to the Borrower and the other Security Parties but without the consent of the Borrower), assign, transfer, or offer participation to any other bank or financial institution, in whole or in part, or in any manner dispose of all or any of its rights and/or obligations arising or accruing under this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents or any documents executed pursuant to this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents. The expenses of any such assignment by the Bank shall be borne by the Bank.
 
13.4       Documentation
 
If the Bank assigns, transfers or in any other manner grants participation in respect of all or any part of its rights or benefits or transfers all or any of its obligations as provided in this Clause 13 the Borrower undertakes, immediately on being requested to do so by the Bank, to enter into and procure that each Security Party enters into such documents as may be necessary or desirable to transfer to the assignee, transferee or participant all or the relevant part of the interest of the Bank in the Security Documents and all relevant references in this Agreement to the Bank shall thereafter be construed as a reference to the Bank and/or assignee, transferee or participant of the Bank to the extent of their respective interests and, in the case of a transfer of all or part of the obligations of the Bank, the Borrower shall thereafter look only to the assignee, transferee or participant in respect of that proportion of the obligations of the Bank under this Agreement assumed by such assignee, transferee or participant. The Borrower hereby expressly consents to any subsequent transfer of the rights and obligations of the Bank and undertakes that it shall join in and execute such supplemental or substitute agreements as may be necessary to enable the Bank to assign and/or transfer and/or grant participation in respect of its rights and obligations to another branch or to one or more banks or financial institutions in a syndicate or otherwise.
 
13.5       Disclosure of information
 
The Bank may with the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) and the request for which shall be promptly responded to, disclose (on a confidential basis) to a prospective assignee, substitute or transferee or to any other person who may propose entering into contractual relations with the Bank in relation to this Agreement such information about the Borrower and the other Security Parties as the Bank shall consider appropriate.
 
13.6       Change of Lending Branch
 
The Bank shall be at liberty to transfer the Loan to any branch or branches, and upon notification of any such transfer, the word "Bank" in this Agreement and in the other Security Documents shall mean the Bank, acting through such branch or branches and the terms and provisions of this Agreement and of the other Security Documents shall be construed accordingly.
 
14.         MISCELLANEOUS
 
14.1       Cumulative Remedies
 
 
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The rights and remedies of the Bank contained in this Agreement and the other Security Documents are cumulative and not exclusive of each other nor of any other rights or remedies conferred by law.
 
14.2       Waivers
 
No failure, delay or omission by the Bank to exercise any right, remedy or power vested in the Bank under this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents or by law shall impair such right or power, or be construed as a waiver of, or as an acquiescence in any default by the Borrower, nor shall any single or partial exercise by the Bank of any power, right or remedy preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other power, right or remedy. In the event of the Bank on any occasion agreeing to waive any such right, remedy or power, or consenting to any departure from the strict application of the provisions of this Agreement or of any other Security Document, such waiver shall not in any way prejudice or affect the powers conferred upon the Bank under this Agreement and the other Security Documents or the right of the Bank thereafter to act strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the other Security Documents. No modification or waiver by the Bank of any provision of this Agreement or of any of the other Security Documents nor any consent by the Bank to any departure therefrom by any Security Party shall be effective unless the same shall be in writing and then shall only be effective in the specific case and for the specific purpose for which given. No notice to or demand on any such party in any such case shall entitle such party to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.
 
14.3       Integration of Terms
 
This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and its provisions supersede the provisions of the Commitment Letter (save for the provisions thereof which relate to fees) any and all other prior correspondence and oral negotiation by the parties in respect of the matters regulated by this Agreement.
 
14.4       Amendments
 
This Agreement and any other Security Documents shall not be amended or varied in their respective terms by any oral agreement or representation or in any other manner other than by an instrument in writing of even date herewith or subsequent hereto executed by or on behalf of the parties hereto or thereto.
 
14.5       Invalidity of Terms
 
In the event of any provision contained in one or more of this Agreement, the other Security Documents and any other documents executed pursuant hereto or thereto being invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any applicable law in any jurisdiction whatsoever, such provision shall be ineffective as to that jurisdiction only without affecting the remaining provisions hereof or thereof. If, however, this event becomes known to the Bank prior to the drawdown of the Commitment or of any part thereof the Bank shall be entitled to refuse drawdown until this discrepancy is remedied. In case that the invalidity of a part results in the invalidity of the whole Agreement, it is hereby agreed that there will exist a separate obligation of the Borrower for the prompt payment to the Bank of all the Outstanding Indebtedness. Where, however, the provisions of any such applicable law may be waived, they are hereby waived by the parties hereto to the full extent permitted by the law to the intent that this Agreement, the other Security Documents and any other documents executed pursuant hereto or thereto shall be deemed to be valid binding and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms.
 
 
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14.6       Inconsistency of Terms
 
In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement and the provisions of any other Security Document the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.
 
14.7       Language and genuineness of documents
 
 
(a)
Language
 
All certificates, instruments and other documents to be delivered under or supplied in connection with this Agreement or any of the other Security Documents shall be in the Greek or the English language or shall be accompanied by a certified Greek translation upon which the Bank shall be entitled to rely.
 
 
(b)
Certification of documents
 
Any copies of documents delivered to the Bank shall be duly certified as true, complete and accurate copies by appropriate authorities or legal counsel practising in Greece or otherwise as will be acceptable to the Bank at the sole discretion of the Bank.
 
 
(c)
Certification of signature
 
Signatures on Board or shareholder resolutions, Secretary's certificates and any other documents are, at the discretion of the Bank, to be verified for their genuineness by appropriate Consul or other competent authority.
 
14.8       Further assurances
 
The Borrower undertakes that the Security Documents shall both at the date of execution and delivery thereof and so long as any moneys are owing under any of the Security Documents be valid and binding obligations of the respective parties thereto and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms and that it will, at its expense, execute, sign, perfect and do, and will procure the execution, signing, perfecting and doing by each of the other Security Parties of, any and every such further assurance, document, act or thing as in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may be necessary or desirable for perfecting the security contemplated or constituted by the Security Documents.
 
14.9       Conflicts
 
In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and any of the other Security Documents, and the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.
 
15.         NOTICES AND OTHER MATTERS
 
15.1       Notices
 
Every notice, request, demand or other communication under the Agreement or, unless otherwise provided therein, under any of the other Security Documents shall:
 
 
(a)
be in writing delivered personally or be first-class prepaid letter (airmail if available), or shall be served through a process server or subject to Clause 10.7 by fax;
 
 
57

 
 
(b)
be deemed to have been received, subject as otherwise provided in this Agreement or the relevant Security Document, in the case of fax, at the time of dispatch as per transmission report (provided that if the date of despatch is not a business day in the country of the addressee it shall be deemed to have been received at the opening of business on the next such business day), and in the case of a letter when delivered or served personally or five (5) days after it has been put into the post; and
 
 
(c)
be sent:
 
(i)         if to be sent to the Borrower and any other Security Party, to:
 
 c/o the Corporate Guarantor,
 1, Vassilisis Sofias & Megalou Alexandrou street,
 151 24 Marousi, Greece,
 Fax No.:+30 210 614 1273
 Attention: the Chief Financial Officer
 
(ii)         in the case of the Bank at:
 
 EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A.
 Shipping Division,
 114 Kolokotroni Street,
 GR 185 35 Piraeus, Greece,
 Fax No.: +30 210 4226779
 Attention : The Manager
 
or to such other person, address or fax number as is notified by the relevant Security Party or the Bank (as the case may be) to the other parties to this Agreement and, in the case of any such change of address or fax number notified to the Bank, the same shall not become effective until notice of such change is actually received by the Bank and a copy of the notice of such change is signed by the Bank.
 
15.2       Confidentiality
 
 
(a)
Each of the parties hereto agrees and undertakes to keep confidential any documentation and any confidential information concerning the business, affairs, directors or employees of the other which comes into its possession in connection with this Agreement and not to use any such documentation, information for any purpose other than for which it was provided.
 
 
(b)
The Borrower acknowledges and accepts that the Bank may be required by law, regulation or regulatory requirement or any request of any central bank or any court order to disclose information and deliver documentation relating to the Borrower and the transactions and matters in relation to this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents to governmental or regulatory agencies and authorities.
 
 
(c)
The Borrower acknowledges and accepts that in case of occurrence of any of the Events of Default the Bank may disclose information and deliver documentation relating to the Borrower and the transactions and matters in relation to this Agreement and/or the other Security Documents to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the enforcement or the contemplation of enforcement of the Bank's rights or for any other purpose for which in the opinion of the Bank, such disclosure would be useful or appropriate for the interests of the Bank or otherwise and the Borrower expressly authorises any such disclosure and delivery.
 
 
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(d)
The Borrower acknowledges and accepts that the Bank may be prohibited from disclosing information to the Borrower by reason of law or duties of confidentiality owed or to be owed to other persons.
 
 
(e)
The Borrower shall be entitled to disclose information and deliver documentation relating to this Loan Agreement and the Security Documents to third parties including the Borrower's consultants and lawyers to the extent that it is necessary for the enforcement of the Borrower's rights or protection of Borrower's interests under the Loan Agreement.
 
15.13     Process of personal data
 
The Borrower hereby expressly gives its consent to the communication for process in the meaning of law 2472/97 by the Bank of its personal data contained in this Agreement, the Security Documents, in the Earnings Account and the Retention Account for onwards communication thereof to an inter-banking database record called "Teiresias" kept and solely used by banks and financial institutions. Each of the Borrowers is entitled at any relevant time throughout the Security Period to revoke its consent given hereunder by written notice addressed to the Bank and the Registrar of "Teiresias A.E." at 2, Alamanas street, 15125 Maroussi, Athens, Greece.
 
16.         APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION
 
16.1       Law
 
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Hellenic Law and in particular with the provisions of (i) Act of the Monetary Committee under Serial No. 187/1978 (as amended), (ii) the provisions of L.D. dated 17.7/13.8.1923 on "Special Provisions on Societes Anonymes" and (iii) the special terms set out in the resolutions of the Bank of Greece or any other competent Authority. Moreover, the Borrower hereby acknowledges and declares that it is fully familiar with the General Transaction Terms of the Bank and it is hereby agreed that the said General Transaction Terms shall be deemed an integral part of this Agreement.
 
16.2       Submission to Jurisdiction
 
 
(a)
For the exclusive benefit of the Bank, the Borrower hereby (i) irrevocably submits to the non exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Piraeus in Greece and (ii) agrees that any summons, writ, judicial or extra-judicial notice, protest, payment order, order for payment, order for enforcement, announcement of claim or other legal process issued against it in Greece shall be served upon the Process Agent, who is hereby authorised to accept such service, which shall be deemed to be good service on the Borrower.
 
 
(b)
The submission to the jurisdiction of the Courts of Piraeus shall not (and shall not be construed so as to) limit the right of the Bank to take proceedings against the Borrower in the courts of any other jurisdiction nor shall the taking of proceedings in any one or more jurisdictions preclude the taking of proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not.
 
 
(c)
The parties further agree that subject to sub-Clause 16.2(b) the Courts of Piraeus shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any claim which the Borrower may have against the Bank arising out of or in connection with this Agreement and the Borrower hereby waives any objections to proceedings with respect to this Agreement in such courts on the grounds of venue or inconvenient forum.
 
 
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16.3       Process Agent
 
Mr. George Economou an attorney-at-law whose present address is at 11 Kanari Street, Athens, Greece, is hereby appointed by the Borrower as agent to accept service (hereinafter "Process Agent") upon whom any judicial process in respect of proceedings in Greece may be served and any process notice, judicial or extra-judicial request, demand for payment, payment order, foreclosure proceedings, notarial announcement of claim, notice, request, demand or other communication under this Agreement or any of the Security Documents. In the event that the Process Agent (or any substitute process agent notified to the Bank in accordance with the foregoing) cannot be found at the address specified above (or, as the case may be, notified to the Bank), which will be conclusively proved by a deed of a process server to the effect that the Process Agent was not found at such address, any process notice, judicial or extra-judicial request, demand for payment, payment order, foreclosure proceedings, notarial announcement of claim or other communication to be sent to any Security Party may be validly notified in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Hellenic Code on Civil Procedure.
 
16.4
In this Clause 16 "proceedings" means proceedings of any kind, including an application for a provisional or protective measure.
 

 
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SCHEDULE 1
 
FORM OF DRAWDOWN NOTICE
 
(referred to in Clause 2.2)
 
To:         EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A.
144 Kolokotroni street.
GR 185.35 Piraeus
Greece
(the "Bank")
[ • ] March, 2008

Re: US$ 50,000,000 - Loan Agreement No.      /2008 dated         March, 2008 made between (A) JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (the "Borrower") and (B) the Bank (the "Loan Agreement")

We refer to the Loan Agreement and hereby give you notice that we wish to draw the Commitment in the amount of US$50,000,000 (Dollars fifty million) on [•] March 2008. We select a first Interest Period in respect of the Loan of [ • ] months. The funds should be credited to ([ • ] [ • ] [name and number of account] [ • ]) with [ • ]

We confirm that:

(a)
no event or circumstance has occurred and is continuing which constitutes a Default;
 
(b)
the representations and warranties contained in Clause 6 of the Loan Agreement and the representations and warranties contained in each of the other Security Documents are true and correct at the date hereof as if made with respect to the facts and circumstances existing at such date;
 
(c)
the borrowing to be effected by the drawing down of the Commitment will be within our corporate powers, has been validly authorised by appropriate corporate action and will not cause any limit on our borrowings (whether imposed by statute, regulation, agreement or otherwise) to be exceeded; and
 
(d)
to the best of our knowledge and belief there has been no material adverse change in our financial position or in the consolidated financial position of ourselves and the other Security Parties from that described by us to the Bank in the negotiation of the Loan Agreement.
 
Words and expressions defined in the Loan Agreement shall have the same meanings when used herein.

SIGNED by
)
Mr.
)
for and on behalf of
)
JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
of Liberia
)
in the presence of:
)


 
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SCHEDULE 2

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
 
This Schedule is an integral part of the Agreement to which it is attached.
 
1.           DEFINITIONS

1.1
Words and expressions used in this Schedule shall have the meanings given thereto in the agreement to which this Schedule is attached and the following expressions shall have the meanings listed below:
 
"Approved Brokers" means such firm of insurance brokers, appointed by the Owner, as may from time to time be approved by the Bank in writing for the purposes of this Schedule;
 
"Excess risks" means the proportion (if any) of claims for general average, salvage and salvage charges and under the ordinary collision clause not recoverable in consequence of the value at which a vessel is assessed for the purpose of such claims exceeding its insured value;
 
"Insurance Requirements" means all the terms and conditions in this Schedule or any other provision concerning Insurances in any other Clause of the agreement to which this Schedule is attached and all such terms and conditions are an integral part of the agreement to which they are attached;
 
"Insurances" in respect of a vessel means all policies and contracts of insurance (including, without limitation, all entries of such vessel in a protection and indemnity, war risks or other mutual insurance association) which are from time to time in place or taken out or entered into by or for the benefit of the Owner owning such vessel (whether in the sole name of its Owner or in the joint names of its Owner and the Bank) in respect of such vessel and its earnings or otherwise howsoever in connection with such vessel and all benefits of such policies and/or contracts (including all claims of whatsoever nature and return of premiums);
 
"Loss Payable Clauses" means the provisions regulating the manner of payment of sums receivable under the Insurances which are to be incorporated in the relevant insurance document, such Loss Payable Clauses to be in the forms set out in paragraph 4 of this Schedule, or such other form as the Bank may from time to time agree in writing;
 
"Owner" means the owner of a vessel which should be insured and be maintained insured pursuant to these Insurance Requirements in accordance with any agreement to which these Insurance Requirements are attached;
 
"Protection and Indemnity Risks" means the usual risks covered by an English protection and indemnity association including the proportion (if any) not recoverable in the case of collision under the ordinary collision clause; and
 
"War risks" includes the risk of mines and all risks excluded from the standard form of English marine policy by the free of capture and seizure clause.
 
2.           INSURANCES TO BE EFFECTED AND MAINTAINED

2.1
The insurance which must be effected and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the agreement to which these Insurance Requirements are attached should be in the name of the Owner and as follows:
 
 
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(a)
Hull and Machinery
     
    insurance against fire and usual marine risks on an agreed value basis, on a full cover/all risks basis according to English or American Hull Clauses with a reasonable deductible and upon such terms as shall from time to time be approved in writing by the Bank; and
 
 
(b)
War Risks Insurance
     
    insurance against War risks according to the London Institute War Clauses, on an agreed value basis attaching also the so called war protection clauses. In this case crew war liabilities insurance shall also have to be effected separately; and
 
 
(c)
Increased Value
     
    increased Value insurance (Total Loss only, including Excess Liabilities) as per the applicable English or American Institute Clauses (Disbursement/Increased Value/ Excess Liabilities) up to an amount not exceeding the Insurance Amount specified in Clause 3.3 below; and
 
 
(d)
Protection and Indemnity
     
    insurance against protection and indemnity risks for the full value and tonnage of the vessel insured (as approved in writing by the Bank) according to the relevant rules and deductibles provided thereof for all risks including Pollution (and if the vessel is passenger ship including liability towards third parties which is not covered by the War Risk Insurance) insured by P+I Clubs, members of the International Group of Protection and Indemnity Associations. If any risks are excluded or the deductibles as provided by the rules have been altered, the written consent of the Bank shall have to be previously required. In case that crew liabilities (including without limitation loss of life, injury or illness) have been entirely excluded from the association cover or insured on a deductible excess basis, (always subject to the prior written consent of the Bank) such liabilities shall have to be further insured separately with other underwriters acceptable to the Bank and upon such terms as shall from time to time be approved in writing by the Bank; and
 
 
(e)
FD & D Insurance
     
    (If so required by the Bank, at its absolute discretion, at any time throughout the Security Period) Freight, Demurrage and Defence insurance as per the terms and conditions of a mutual club or association acceptable to the Bank; and
 
 
(f)
Pollution Liability Insurance
     
    an extra insurance in respect of excess Oil Pollution Liability (including -if the vessel insured is a tanker- the Civil Liability Convention certificate) including full cover of pollution risks for the amount up to the maximum commercially available limit and upon such terms as shall be commercially available and accepted by the Bank; and 
 
 
(g)
USA Pollution Risk Insurance
     
    (in case that the vessel is scheduled to operate within or nearby USA jurisdiction) to cover and keep such vessel covered with an extra insurance in respect of oil pollution liability for an amount and upon such terms as required by international and national law regulations and shall from time to time be required by the Bank; and 
 
 
 
 
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(h)
Mortgagee's Interest Insurance
     
    Mortgagee's Interest Insurance which shall be effected by the Bank in its name but at the expense of the Borrower and in an amount equal to 115% of the amount of the Loan including Mortgagee's asset protection (pollution) cover or other similar insurance in respect of any pollution claims against the Vessel under the so called "German wording" for 360 days or upon such terms as shall from time to time be determined by the Bank; and 
 
 
(i)
Other Insurance
     
    insurance in respect of such other matters of whatsoever nature and howsoever arising in respect of which the Bank would at any time require at its discretion the vessel to be insured.
 
3.
TERMS AND OBLIGATIONS FOR EFFECTING AND MAINTAINING INSURANCES
 
3.1
The Insurances to be effected in such currency as the Bank may approve and through the Approved Brokers (other than the mortgagee's interest insurance which shall be effected through brokers nominated by the Bank) and with such insurance companies and/or underwriters as shall from time to time be approved in writing by the Bank, provided however that the insurances against war risks, protection and indemnity, FD & D cover or other mutual insurance risks may be effected by the entry of the vessel with such war, protection and indemnity or other mutual insurance associations as shall from time to time be approved in writing by the Bank.
 
3.2
The Insurances to be effected and maintained free of cost and expense to the Bank and in the sole name of the Owner or, if so required by the Bank, in the joint names of the Owner and the Bank (but without liability on the part of the Bank for premiums or calls). All insurances to be in form and substance and under terms satisfactory to the Bank and with insurers acceptable to the Bank.
 
3.3
Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Bank:
 
 
(a)
The amount in respect of which the Insurances should be effected shall be an amount (Insurance Amount) which will be (aa) in respect of Hull and Machinery Insurance the greater of the market value of the vessel insured for the time being and 130% of an amount (the "Amount of Debt") equal to (i) the Loan if the agreement to which these Insurance Requirements are attached is a Loan Agreement or (ii) the Maximum Limit of the Facility if the agreement to which these Insurance Requirements are attached is an Overdraft Facility or a Facility for Issue of Guarantees or Letters of Credit; and (bb) in respect of Mortgagee's Interest Insurance 110% of the Amount of Debt.
 
 
(b)
In case that the Amount of Debt is secured by more than one vessel the above percentages should be covered by the aggregate of the Insurances in respect of all such vessels.
 
 
(c)
In case that the vessel insured secures by its Insurances Amounts of Debt under more than one agreement then the above percentages apply to the aggregate of all the Amounts of Debt under all the agreements.
 
 
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3.4
Any person which is obliged under the agreement to which these Insurance Requirements are attached to effect and maintain the Insurances, it will be obliged and it hereby undertakes, jointly and severally with any other person having the same obligation to (and will ensure that the Owner, if it is a different person shall):
 
 
(a)
procure and ensure that the Approved Brokers and/or the Club Managers, as the case may be, shall send to the Bank a letter of undertaking in respect of the Insurances in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank and Notice of Cancellation as per Clause 4(d) below. The Approved Brokers' Letter of Undertaking shall be compatible with the form recommended by Lloyd's Insurance Brokers Committee, or any subsequent LIBC form. Such brokers to further undertake to give immediate notice of any insurance being subject to the Condition Survey Warranty (J.H.II5) and/or Structural Conditions Warranty (J.H.722) and/or the Classification Clause (Hulls) 29/6/89, 30 days prior to the attachment date of any insurance bearing any of these warranties.
 
 
(b)
(if any of the Insurances form part of a fleet cover), procure that the Approved Brokers shall undertake to the Bank that they shall neither set off against any claims in respect of the vessel insured any premiums due in respect of other vessels under such fleet cover or any premiums due for other insurances, nor cancel the insurance for reasons of non-payment of premiums for other vessels under such fleet cover or of premiums for such other insurances, and shall undertake to issue a separate policy in respect of the vessel insured if and when so requested by the Bank;
 
 
(c)
punctually pay all premiums, calls, contributions or other sums payable in respect of all Insurances and produce all relevant receipts or other evidence of payment when so required by the Bank;
 
 
(d)
at least fourteen (14) days before the Insurances expire, notify the Bank of the names of the brokers and/or the war risks and protection and indemnity risks associations proposed to be employed by the Owner for the purposes of the renewal of such Insurances and of the amounts in which such Insurances are proposed to be renewed and the risks to be covered and, subject to compliance with any requirements of the Bank under the Insurance Requirements, procure that appropriate instructions for the renewal of such Insurances on the terms so specified are given to the Approved Brokers and/or to the approved war risks and protection and indemnity risks associations at least ten (10) days before the relevant Insurances expire, and that the Approved Brokers and/or the approved war risks and protection and indemnity risks associations will at least seven (7) days before such expiry (or within such shorter period as the Bank may from time to time agree) confirm in writing to the Bank as and when such renewals have been effected in accordance with the instructions so given;
 
 
(e)
arrange for the execution and delivery of such guarantees or indemnities as may from time to time be required by any protection and indemnity or war risks association;
 
 
(f)
deposit with the Approved Brokers (or procure the deposit of) all slips, cover notes, policies, certificates of entry or other instruments of insurance from time to time issued and procure that the interest of the Bank shall be endorsed thereon by incorporation of the relevant Loss Payable Clause and by means of a notice of assignment (signed by the Owner) in the form set out in Paragraph 4 of this Schedule or in such other form as may from time to time be agreed in writing by the Bank, and that the Bank shall be furnished with pro forma copies thereof and a letter or letters of undertaking from the Approved Brokers in such form as shall from time to time be required by the Bank;
 
 
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(g)
procure that any protection and indemnity and/or war risks associations and/or Hull and Machinery and/or any other insurance company or underwriters in which the vessel insured is for the time being entered and/or insured shall endorse the relevant Loss Payable Clause on the relevant certificate of entry or policy and shall furnish the Bank with a copy of such certificate of entry or policy and a letter or letters of undertaking in such form as shall from time to time be required by the Bank;
 
 
(h)
(if so requested by the Bank, but at the cost of the Owner) furnish the Bank from time to time with a detailed report signed by an independent firm of marine insurance brokers appointed by the Bank dealing with the Insurances maintained on the vessel insured and stating the opinion of such firm as to the adequacy thereof;
 
 
(i)
do all things necessary and provide all documents, evidence and information to enable the Bank to collect or recover any moneys which shall at any time become due in respect of the Insurances;
 
 
(j)
ensure that the vessel insured shall not be employed otherwise than in conformity with the terms of the Insurances (including any warranties express or implied therein) without first obtaining the consent of the insurers to such employment and complying with such requirements as to extra premium or otherwise as the insurers may prescribe;
 
 
(k)
apply all sums receivable under the Insurances which are paid to the Owner in accordance with the Loss Payable Clauses in repairing all damage and/or in discharging the liability in respect of which such sums shall have been received; and
 
      (1)
(in case that the vessel is scheduled to operate or operates within or nearby USA jurisdiction) make all the Protection & Indemnity Club US Voyage Quarterly Declarations for each quarter in time and send copies of same to the Bank.
 
        (m)  
 Fleet Cover is permitted only subject to the prior written approval of the Bank, to the conditions set out in 3.4(b) above and the Bank's prior express written approval of fleet aggregate deductibles.
 
4.
LOSS PAYABLE CLAUSES AND CANCELLATION CLAUSE
 
The Loss Payable Clauses to be attached to the relevant Insurances should be substantially in the following form:
 
(A)       Hull and Machinery (Marine and War Risks)
 
It is noted that by a Deed of General Assignment and a first priority statutory ____________  ship Mortgage and a Deed of covenant supplemental thereto, both dated ___________________, 2008     granted by ____________ of ____________ (the "Owner") in favour of EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A., acting through its office at 114 Kolokotroni Street, Piraeus, Greece (the "Mortgagee") all the Owner's rights, title and interest in and to all policies and contracts of insurance from time to time taken out or entered into by or for the benefit of the Owner including all claims of whatsoever nature and return or premia in respect of the ____________ flag m/v, "____________" and accordingly:
 
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(a)
all claims hereunder in respect of an actual or constructive or compromised or arranged total loss, and all claims in respect of a major casualty (that is to say any casualty the claim in respect of which exceeds the Major Casualty Amount inclusive of any deductible shall be paid in full to the Mortgagee or to its order; and
 
 
(b)
all other claims hereunder shall be paid in full to the Owner or to its order, unless and until the Mortgagee shall have notified the insurers hereunder to the contrary, whereupon all such claims shall be paid to the Mortgagee or to its order.
 
(B)             Protection and Indemnity Risks
 
Payment of any recovery which  ____________, of ____________ (the "Owner") is entitled to make out of the funds of the Association in respect of any liability, costs or expenses incurred by the Owner, shall be made to the Owner or to its order, unless and until the Association receives notice to the contrary from EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A., acting through its office at 114 Kolokotroni Street, Piraeus, Greece (the "Mortgagee") in which event all recoveries shall thereafter be paid to the Mortgagee or to its order; provided that no liability whatsoever shall attach to the Association, its managers or its agents for failure to comply with the latter obligation until the expiry of two clear business days from the receipt of such notice.
 
4.2
Notice of Cancellation
 
The Owner to procure that Notice of Cancellation of Insurances be given to the Mortgagee along the following terms:
 
Notice of Cancellation of Insurances will be given to EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A., acting through its office at 114 Kolokotroni Street, Piraeus, Greece (the "Mortgagee") in any of the following cases:
 
 
(a)
immediately of any material changes which are proposed to be made in the terms of the Insurances or if the insurers cease to be insurers for any purposes connected with the Insurances;
 
 
(b)
not later than fourteen (14) days prior to the expiry of any of the Insurances if instructions have not been received for the renewal thereof and, in the event of instructions being received to renew, of the details thereof;
 
 
(c)
immediately of any instructions or notices received by insurers with regard to the cancellation or invalidity of any of the Insurances aforesaid; and
 
 
(d)
immediately if the insurers give notice of their intention to cancel the Insurances, provided that the insurers will not exercise any rights of cancellation by reason of unpaid premiums without giving the Bank fourteen (14) days, from the receipt of such notice in which to remit the sums due.
 
 
4.3
Notice of Assignment
 
The Notice of Assignment shall be in the following form:
 
Form of Notice of Assignment — First Mortgage
 
(for attachment by way of endorsement to the Policy)
 
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____________, of ____________ (the "Owner") the owner of the m/v "____________" registered under ____________ flag, the ("Vessel") HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that by a Deed of General Assignment made the ___ day of ____________, 2008 and entered into by us with EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A., acting through its office at 114 Kolokotroni Street, Piraeus, Greece (the "Mortgagee") there has been assigned by us to the Mortgagee, as first Mortgagee and first assignee of the Vessel all rights, title and interest in and to all policies and contracts of insurance from time to time taken out or entered into by or for the benefit of the Owner, all insurances in respect thereof, including the insurances constituted by the Policy whereon this notice is endorsed and the Owner has authorised the Mortgage to have access and/or obtain any copies of the Policy(ies), certificate(s) of entry and/or other information from the insurers .
 
Dated ____________, 2008
 
For and on behalf of
 
The Owner
 
By: __________________
 
Attorney-in-fact

 
68

 

SCHEDULE 3
 
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
(referred to in Clause 8.2(d))
 
To: EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A.
 
From: TOP SHIPS INC. (the "Corporate Guarantor") and
 
(the "Borrower")
 
Dated: [•]
Re: US$50,000,000 - Loan Agreement dated [•] March, 2008 (the "Loan Agreement")
 
Terms defined in the Loan Agreement shall have the same meaning when used herein.
 
We [•] and [•], each being a director of the Corporate Guarantor, refer to Clause 8.2(iv) of the Loan Agreement and hereby certify that, as at [insert date of accounts] and on the date hereof;
 
1.          Financial Covenants:
 
 
(a)
the Corporate Guarantor's Corporate Leverage ratio in relation to financial period 31.01. [•] to 31.12. [•], during such period is [•];
 
 
(b)
the Guarantor's minimum Corporate Liquidity is, in relation to the said financial period, in excess of USD [•] (say United States Dollars [•])
 
2.          Default
 
[No Default has occurred and is continuing]
 
or
 
[The following Default has occurred and in continuing: [provide details of Default]. [The following steps are being taken to remedy it: [ provide details of steps being taken to remedy Default]].
 
 
 
Signed:  ________________________                  Signed: ________________________
Director                                               Director
 

 
 
 
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SIGNATURE PAGE
 
IN WITNESS whereof the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed on the date first above written.
 

SIGNED by
)
 
Mrs. Eirini Alexandropoulou
)
 
for and on behalf of
)
 
JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
    /s/ Eirini Alexandropoulou
of Liberia, in the presence of:
)
     Attorney-in-Fact 
 
 
 
 /s/ Angela Arcadis
 
 
 
Witness:       
Name:  Angela Arcadis       
Address: 13, Defteras Merarchias Street      
        Pireas, Greece       
Occupation: Attorney-at-law       
 
 
 
 
 
 

SIGNED by
)
 
Mr. Serafeim Kriempardis and
)
    /s/ Serafeim Kriempardis
Mrs. Christina Margelou        Attorney-in-fact
for and on behalf of
)
 
EMPORIKI BANK OF GREECE S.A.
)
     /s/ Christina Margelou
in the presence of:
)
     Attorney-in-Fact 
 
 
 
 /s/ Angela Arcadis
 
 
 
Witness:       
Name:  Angela Arcadis       
Address: 13, Defteras Merarchias Street      
               Pireas, Greece     
Occupation: Attorney-at-law       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SK 23116 0005 1007473


 
70

 
 
 
Exhibit 4.76
 


Dated 26 March 2008
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT
relating to a
Term Loan and
Revolving Credit Facility
of originally US$545,656,899.82
provided by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc
(1)
 
 
to
 
 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
(2)
   
 

 
^
NORTON ROSE

 
 

 

Contents
 
 
Clause  
Page
 
 
 
 
1
Definitions
1
     
2
Agreement of the Bank
2
     
3
Amendments to Principal Agreement
2
     
4
Representations and warranties
2
     
5
Conditions
4
     
6
Security Documents
5
     
7
Expenses
5
     
8
Miscellaneous and notices
5
     
9
Law and jurisdiction
5
   
Schedule 1 Form of Supplemental Letter
7
   
Schedule 2 Form of Mortgage Addendum
8
   
Part (a) Dauntless Mortgage Addendum
9
   
Part (b) loannis P Mortgage Addendum
10
   
Schedule 3 Form of Amended and Restated Loan Agreement
11
 
 

 
 
 

 

THIS AGREEMENT is dated 26 March 2008 and is made BETWEEN:
 
(1)  
TOP SHIPS INC. (formerly known as Top Tankers Inc.) with its principal place of business at 1, Vas. Sofias & Meg. Alexandrou Str., 151 24 Maroussi, Greece (the "Borrower"); and
 
(2)  
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc, acting for the purposes of this Agreement through its office at the Shipping Business Centre, 5-10 Great Tower Street, London, EC3P 3HX, England (the "Bank").
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)  
this Agreement is supplemental to a facilities agreement dated 1 November 2005 (the "Original Agreement") made between (1) the Borrower and (2) the Bank as supplemented and amended by a first supplemental agreement dated 21 December 2006 (the "First Supplemental Agreement") and a second supplemental agreement dated 22 January 2008 (the "Second Supplemental Agreement"), each made between (1) the Borrower and (2) the Bank (the Original Agreement as supplemented and amended by the First Supplemental Agreement and the Second Supplemental Agreement and as further supplemented and amended from time to time, the "Principal Agreement") pursuant to which the Bank agreed to make a term loan facility of up to $195,656,899.82 and a revolving credit facility of up to $350,000,000 available to the Borrower upon the terms and conditions set out in the Principal Agreement;
 
(B)  
pursuant to clause 2.4 of the Principal Agreement the Borrower has requested that a part of Facility B be drawndown for the purposes of financing part of the second contract instalments payable under the Contracts relating to the Additional Ships which are newbuildings with hull numbers 5-1025, S-1026, S-1027, S-1029, S-1031 and S-1033 (the "Newbuildings"); and
 
(C)  
the Bank has agreed to the Borrower's request to make available six Advances under Facility B (one Advance per Newbuilding) each in the amount of $5,000,000 subject to the terms of the Principal Agreement including, without limitation, the satisfaction of all relevant conditions precedent and subject to the amendment of the Principal Agreement in the manner set out in this Agreement.
 
NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:
 
     1         Definitions
 
1.1            Defined expressions
 
Words and expressions defined in the Principal Agreement shall unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise defined herein, have the same meanings when used in this Agreement.
 
1.2            Definitions
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Effective Date" means 26 March 2008;
 
"Dauntless Mortgage" means the Mortgage over m.v. "DAUNTLESS" (Official Number 2308) executed by Lefka Shipping Company Limited in favour of the Bank on 3 November 2005
 
"Dauntless Mortgage Addendum" means the addendum executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by Lefka Shipping Company Limited in favour of the Bank substantially in the form set out in Schedule 2 supplemental to the Dauntless Mortgage;
 
"loannis P Mortgage" means the Mortgage over m.v. "JOANN'S P" (Official Number 2476) executed by Ilisos Shipping Company Limited in favour of the Bank on dated 9 November 2005;

 
 

 

"loannis P Mortgage Addendum" means the addendum executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by Ilisos Shipping Company Limited in favour of the Bank substantially in the form set out in Schedule 2 supplemental to the loannis P Mortgage;
 
"Loan Agreement" means the Principal Agreement as amended by this Agreement;
 
"Mortgage Addenda" means the Dauntless Mortgage Addendum and the loannis P Mortgage Addendum and "Mortgage Addendum" means either of them; and
 
"Supplemental Letters" means the letters supplemental to the Security Documents executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Security Parties who are not party to this Agreement in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 2,
 
1.3          Principal Agreement
 
References in the Principal Agreement to "this Agreement" shall, with effect from the Effective Date and unless the context otherwise requires, be references to the Principal Agreement as amended by the First Supplemental Agreement, the Second Supplemental Agreement and this Agreement and words such as "herein", "hereof', "hereunder", "hereafter", "hereby" and "hereto", where they appear in the Principal Agreement, shall be construed accordingly.
 
1.4          Headings
 
Clause headings and the table of contents are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the interpretation of this Agreement.
 
1.5          Construction of certain terms
 
Clause 1.4 of the Principal Agreement shall apply to this Agreement mutatis mutandis as if set out herein and as if references therein to "this Agreement" were references to this Agreement.
 
2        Agreement of the Bank
 
 
2.1  
The Bank, relying upon the representations and warranties on the part of the Borrower contained in clause 4, agrees with the Borrower that, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, fulfilment on or before 26 March 2008 of the conditions contained in clause 5 the Bank agrees to the amendment of the Principal Agreement on the terms set out in clause 3.
 
    3         Amendments to Principal Agreement
 
3.1           Amendments
 
The Principal Agreement shall, with effect from the Effective Date, be (and it is hereby) amended so as to read in accordance with the form of the amended and restated Loan Agreement set out in Schedule 3 and (as so amended) will continue to be binding upon each of the parties hereto in accordance with its terms as so amended and restated. For the avoidance of doubt as at the date of this Agreement Facility A has been fully prepaid by the Borrower and has been cancelled.
 
3.2           Continued force and effect
 
Save as amended by this Agreement, the provisions of the Principal Agreement shall continue in full force and effect and the Principal Agreement and this Agreement shall be read and construed as one instrument.
 
    4         Representations and warranties
 
4.1           Primary representations and warranties

 
 

 

 The Borrower represents and warrants to the Bank that:
4.1.1         Existing representations and warranties
 
the representations and warranties set out in clause 7 of the Principal Agreement and in any of the other Security Documents were true and correct on the date of the Principal Agreement or such other Security Document and are true and correct, including to the extent that they may have been or shall be amended by this Agreement, as if made at the date of this Agreement with reference to the facts and circumstances existing at such date (and so that the representation and warranty set out in clause 7.1.9 of the Principal Agreement shall refer to the latest audited financial statements of the Borrower delivered under clause 8,1.5 of the Principal Agreement);
 
4.1.2       Corporate power
 
the Borrower has power to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and all documents and other instruments to be executed by it in accordance with this Agreement to which it is or is to be a party and all necessary corporate, shareholder and other action has been taken by the Borrower to authorise the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and all documents and other instruments to which it is or is to be a party;
 
4.1.3       Binding obligations
 
this Agreement constitutes valid and legally binding obligations of the Borrower enforceable in accordance with its terms;
 
4.1,4       No conflict with other obligations
 
the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Borrower will not (a) contravene any existing law, statute, rule or regulation or any judgment, decree or permit to which the Borrower is subject, (b) conflict with, or result in any breach of any of the terms of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or other instrument to which the Borrower is a party or is subject or by which it or any of its properties is bound, (c) contravene or conflict with any provision of the constitutional documents of the Borrower or (d) result in the creation or imposition of or oblige the Borrower to create any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance) on any of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of the Borrower;
 
4.1.5          No filings required
 
save for the registration of the Mortgage Addenda in the Marshall Islands it is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement that it or any other instrument be notarised, filed, recorded, registered or enrolled in any court, public office or elsewhere in any Relevant Jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar tax or charge be paid in any Relevant Jurisdiction on or in relation to this Agreement and this Agreement is in proper form for its enforcement in the courts of each Relevant Jurisdiction;
 
4,1.6         Choice of law
 
the choice of English law to govern this Agreement and the choice of the laws of the Marshall Islands to govern the Mortgage Addenda and the submission by the Borrower to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts are valid and binding; and
 
4.1.7         Consents obtained
 
every consent, authorisation, licence or approval of, or registration or declaration to, governmental or public bodies or authorities or courts required by the Borrower in connection with the execution, delivery, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement or the performance by the Borrower of its obligations under this Agreement has

 
 

 

been obtained or made and is in full force and effect and there has been no default in the observance of any conditions or restrictions (if any) imposed in, or in connection with, any of the same.
 
4.2            Repetition of representations and warranties
 
Each of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, clause 7 of the form of the amended and restated Loan Agreement set out in Schedule 3 and each of the Security Documents shall be deemed to be repeated by the Borrower on the date of execution of this Agreement as if made with reference to the facts and circumstances existing on such day.
 
     5          Conditions
 
5.1            Documents and evidence
 
The agreement of the Bank referred to in clause 2 shall be subject to the receipt by the Bank of the following conditions precedent in a form and substance satisfactory to the Bank in its sole discretion:
 
5,1.1         the Supplemental Letters duly executed;
 
5,1.2         evidence as to the due authority of the person(s) executing this Agreement and the Supplemental Letters;
 
5.1.3         evidence that the Borrower has properly and validly executed this Agreement and that the provisions of this Agreement is
binding upon it;
 
5.1.4         evidence that each Security Party has properly and validly executed a Supplemental Letter in relation to those Security
Documents to which it is a party and that the provisions of the relevant Supplemental Letter are binding upon it;
 
5.1.5
evidence that the Borrower and each of the other Security Parties have obtained all consents and authorisations necessary to enable each of them to enter into this Agreement (in the case of the Borrower) and the Supplemental Letters (in the case of the Security Parties) and all documents and other instruments to be executed by each of them in connection therewith or pursuant thereto;

5.1.6
evidence that the Borrower, each Owner and the Manager are in good standing under the laws of the Marshall Islands;

5.1.7
evidence that the Mortgage Addenda have been properly and validly executed and registered against the relevant Ship through the Registry;

5.1,8
a legal opinion in relation to the laws of the Marshall Islands in favour of the Bank confirming (inter alia) the due execution of this Agreement, the Supplemental Letters and the Mortgage Addenda; and

5.1.9
an original or certified true copy of a letter from the Borrower's agent for receipt of service of proceedings accepting its appointment under this Agreement as the Borrower's process agent.

5.2
General conditions precedent
   
 
The agreement of the Bank referred to in clause 2 shall be further subject to:
   
5.2.1
the representations and warranties in clause 4 being true and correct on the Effective Date as if each was made with respect to the facts and circumstances existing at such time; and
   
5.2.2
no Default having occurred and continuing on the Effective Date.

 

 
 

 


 
5.3
Waiver of conditions precedent
   
 
The conditions specified in this clause 5 are inserted solely for the benefit of the Bank and may be waived by the Bank in whole or in part with or without conditions.
   
6
Security Documents
   
 
The Borrower further acknowledges and agrees, for the avoidance of doubt, that:
   
6.1.1
each of the Security Documents to which it is a party, and its respective obligations thereunder, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the amendments made to the Principal Agreement by this Agreement; and
   
6.1.2
with effect from the Effective Date, references to "the Agreement" or "the Loan Agreement" in any of the Security Documents to which each is a party shall henceforth be reference to the Principal Agreement as amended by this Agreement and as from time to time hereafter amended.
   
       7
Expenses
   
 
The Borrower hereby undertakes to pay all legal and other expenses or disbursements incurred by the Bank in the negotiation, preparation and execution of this Agreement and in connection with the fulfilment of the conditions specified in clause 5,
   
       8
Miscellaneous and notices
   
8.1
Notices
   
 
The provisions of clause 16.1 of the Principal Agreement shall extend and apply to the giving or making of notices or demands hereunder as if the same were expressly stated herein.
   
8.2
Third Party Rights
   
 
No term of this Agreement shall be enforceable pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by a person who is not a party to this Agreement.
   
8.3
Counterparts
   
 
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the different parties on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original but all counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
   
9
Law and jurisdiction
   
9.1
Law
   
 
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, English law.
   
9.2
Submission to jurisdiction
   
 
The Borrower agrees, for the benefit of the Bank, that any legal action or proceedings arising out of or in connection with this Agreement against the Borrower or any of its assets may be brought in the English courts. The Borrower irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the jurisdiction of such courts and irrevocably designates, appoints and empowers Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited at present of 8 Duke Street, London W1 U 3EW, England to receive for it and on its behalf, service of process issued out of the English courts in any such legal action or proceedings. The submission to such jurisdiction shall not (and shall not be construed so as to) limit the right of the Bank to take proceedings against the Borrower in

 

 
 

 


 
 
the courts of any other competent jurisdiction nor shall the taking of proceedings in any one or more jurisdictions preclude the taking of proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not.
   
 
The parties further agree that only the courts of England and not those of any other State shall have jurisdiction to determine any claim which the Borrower may have against the Bank arising out of or in connection with this Agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered on the date first above written.

 
 

 

Scheduel 1
Form of Supplemental Letter
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Scheduel 1
Form of Mortgage Addendum
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Part (a)
 
Dauntless Mortgage Addendum
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Part (a)
 
Ioannis P Mortgage Addendum
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Scheduel 3
Form of Amended and Restated Loan Agreement
 
 


 
Private & Confidential
As amended and restated by a Supplemental Agreement dated 26 March 2008
 
Dated 1 November 2005
_____________________
 
 
                                                                                       TOP SHIPS INC.                              (1)
and
                                                                     THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc                                                                (2)
 

                                                                   
____________________________
 
Term Loan and
Revolving Credit Facility
of originally US$545,656,899.82
_____________________________
                                                                   

NORTON ROSE

 
 

 

Contents
Clause                                                                                                                         Page
 


1
Purpose and definitions
1
2
The Facilities
15
3
Interest and Interest Periods
18
4
Repayment, prepayment and reborrowing
20
5
Commitment commission, fees and expenses
24
6
Payments and taxes; accounts and calculations
25
7
Representations and warranties
26
8
Undertakings
31
9
Conditions
43
10
Events of Default
45
11
Indemnities
49
12
Unlawfulness and increased costs
50
13
Security and set off
51
14
Accounts
52
15
Assignment, transfer and lending office
54
16
Notices and other matters
55
17
Governing law and jurisdiction
56
 
Schedule 1 Part 1 - Initial Ships
 
57
 
 
Part 1 - Initial Ships
57
 
Part 2 - Additional Ship Selection Criteria
59
 
Part 3 - Maximum amount of Intra-Group Loan per Initial Ship
60
 
Part 4 - Details of Initial Owners
61

Schedule 2 Form of Drawdown Notice
 
62
Schedule 3 Documents and evidence required as conditions precedent to the Commitment
 
63
Schedule 4 Additional Cost
 
72
Schedule 5 Form of Compliance Certificate
 
73
Schedule 6 Master Swap Agreement and Novation Agreement
 
74
Schedule 7 Form of Master Swap Agreement Security Deed
 
75
Schedule 8 Form of Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
76
Schedule 9 Form of Assignment of Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
77
Schedule 10 Form of Owner’s Guarantee
 
78
Schedule 11 Forms of Mortgages
 
79

 
Part 1 - Form of Cyprus Mortgage
79
 
Part 2 - Form of Liberian/Marshall Islands Mortgage
80

Schedule 12 Form of Deed of Covenant
 
81
Schedule 13 Forms of General Assignments
 
82

 
Part 1 - Form of Cyprus General Assignment
82
 
Part 2 - Form of Liberian/Marshall Island General Assignment
83

Schedule 14 Form of Operating Accounts Charge
 
84
Schedule 15 Form of Manager’s Undertaking
 
85

 
 

 

THIS AGREEMENT is dated                                   2005 and made BETWEEN :
 
(1)  
TOP SHIPS INC. as borrower (the “ Borrower ”); and
 
(2)  
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc as bank (the “ Bank ”).
 
IT IS AGREED as follows:
 
1  
Purpose and definitions
 
1.1  
Purpose
 
This Agreement sets out the terms and conditions upon and subject to which the Bank agrees to make available to the Borrower (i) a term loan facility of up to one hundred and ninety five million six hundred and fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety nine Dollars and eighty two cents ($195,656,899.82) which is to be applied by the Borrower in making available to the relevant Initial Owners intra-group loans under Intra-Group Loan Agreements to assist in refinancing part of the existing indebtedness on the Initial Ships and (ii) a revolving credit facility originally of up to three hundred and fifty million dollars ($350,000,000) which has been reduced on 3 August 2006 to one hundred and fifty eight million Dollars ($158,000,000) and shall be further reduced on 26 March 2008 to one hundred and twenty three million Dollars ($123,000,000) which is to be applied by the Borrower (a) to the extent of one hundred and forty four million Dollars ($144,000,000) in making available to the relevant Initial Owners intra-group loans under Intra-Group Loan Agreements to assist in refinancing part of the existing indebtedness of the Initial Ships and (b) any balance from time to time in making available to the Additional Owners intra-group loans under Intra-Group Loan Agreements to allow the Additional Owners to finance part of the purchase price of the Additional Ships and Expected Project Costs in accordance with the Additional Ship Selection Criteria.
 
1.2  
Definitions
 
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
 
Additional Cost ” means in relation to any period a percentage calculated for such period at an annual rate determined by the application of the formula set out in Schedule 4 ;
 
Additional Cost Rate ” has the meaning given to it in Schedule 4;
 
Additional Owner ” means any company incorporated in a jurisdiction, capitalised, structured and managed in a manner acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion which becomes the owner of an Additional Ship;
 
Additional Ship Selection Criteria ” means, in relation to an Additional Ship, the selection criteria for such Additional Ship set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1 or such other criteria for an Additional Ship which are approved by the Bank at the request of the Borrower from time to time;
 
Additional Ships ” means the additional ships which meet the Additional Ship Selection Criteria purchased or (as the context may require) to be purchased by an Additional Owner with the prior written approval of the Bank and “ Additional Ship ” means any of them;
 
Advance ” means each borrowing of a proportion of the Commitment by the Borrower (whether being an Advance constituting Facility A or forming part of Facility B) or, as the context may require, the principal amount of such borrowing for the time being outstanding and “ Advances ” means all of them;
 
Approved Shipbrokers ” means Braemar Seascope Ltd, Clarksons, Fearnleys AS or any other independent firm or firms of shipbrokers appointed by the Bank and “ Approved Shipbroker ” means any of them;
 
1

Assignee ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in clause 15.3;
Assignment of Intra-Group Loan Agreements ” means the assignment executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 9;
 
Bank ” means The Royal Bank of Scotland plc whose registered office is at 36 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB, Scotland acting for the purposes of this Agreement through its office at the Shipping Business Centre, 5-10 Great Tower Street, London EC3P 3HX, England (or of such other address as may last have been notified to the Borrower pursuant to clause 15.6) and includes its successors in title and permitted assignees and transferees;
 
Banking Day ” means a day on which dealings in deposits in Dollars are carried on in the London Interbank Eurocurrency Market and (other than Saturday or Sunday) on which banks are open for business in London and New York City (or any other relevant place of payment under clause 6);
 
Borrowed Money ” means Indebtedness in respect of (i) money borrowed or raised and debit balances at banks, (ii) any bond, note, loan stock, debenture or similar debt instrument, (iii) acceptance or documentary credit facilities, (iv) receivables sold or discounted (otherwise than on a non-recourse basis), (v) deferred payments for assets or services acquired, (vi) finance leases and hire purchase contracts, (vii) swaps, forward exchange contracts, futures and other derivatives, (viii) any other transaction (including without limitation forward sale or purchase agreements) having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money or of any of (ii) to (vii) above and (ix) guarantees in respect of Indebtedness of any person falling within any of (i) to (viii) above;
 
Borrower ” means Top Ships Inc. a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands with its principal place of business at 1 Vas. Sofias & Meg. Alexandrou Str., 151 24 Marroussi, Greece and includes its successors in title;
 
Borrower’s Group ” means the Borrower and its Related Companies;
 
Borrower’s Security Documents ” means, at any relevant time, such of the Security Documents as shall have been executed by the Borrower at such time;
 
Builder ” means, in relation to an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, the builder of that Additional Ship and includes its successors in title and “ Builders ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Classification ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to an Initial Ship, the classification set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1; and
 
(b)  
in relation to any Additional Ship, the highest class available to vessels of its type with the relevant Classification Society,
 
or, in each case, such other classification as the Bank shall, at the request of the Borrower, have agreed in writing shall be treated as the Classification in relation to such Ship for the purposes of the Security Documents;
 
Classification Society ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to an Initial Ship, the classification society set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1; and
 
(b)  
in relation to any Additional Ship, a classification society which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies,
 
2

or, in each case, such other classification society which the Bank shall, at the request of the Borrower, have agreed in writing shall be treated as the Classification Society in relation to such Ship for the purposes of the Security Documents;
 
Commercial Manager ” means Top Tanker Management Inc. with its registered address at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960 or any other person appointed by the Borrower, with the prior written consent of the Bank, as the commercial manager of the Ships and includes its successors in title and assignees;
 
Committed Facility B Amount ” means that part of the Total Facility B Commitment that shall have been made available by the Bank to the Borrower either as the Initial Revolving Amount or as an Advance to acquire Additional Ship(s) as the same may be reduced on each Reduction Date and as advised by the Bank to the Borrower from time to time;
 
Commitment ” means the aggregate of the Total Facility A Commitments and the Total Facility B Commitments, being in total five hundred and forty five million six hundred and fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety nine Dollars and eighty two cents ($545,656,899.82) at the date of this Agreement;
 
Compliance Certificate ” means each certificate received by the Bank from the Borrower pursuant to clause 8.1.6 substantially in the form set out in Schedule 5 confirming compliance by the Borrower of the financial covenants contained at clause 8.5 of this Agreement and duly signed by an authorised signatory of the Borrower;
 
Compulsory Acquisition ” means requisition for title or other compulsory acquisition, requisition, appropriation, expropriation, deprivation, forfeiture or confiscation for any reason of a Ship by any Government Entity or other competent authority, whether de jure or de facto, but shall exclude requisition for use or hire not involving requisition of title;
 
Contract ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to any second-hand Additional Ship, the memorandum of agreement or other contract for the sale and purchase of such Ship (to be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Bank) made or (as the context may require) to be made, between the Seller of such Ship and the relevant Owner as buyer of such Ship; and
 
(b)  
in relation to any Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, a shipbuilding contract made between the relevant Builder of such Additional Ship and the relevant Additional Owner of that Additional Ship and/or the relevant Seller of that Additional Ship (to be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Bank) and as the same may subsequently be supplemented and/or amended,
 
and “ Contracts ” means all of them;
 
Contract Assignment Consent and Acknowledgements ” means the acknowledgements of notice of, and consent to, the assignment in respect of a Contract relative to an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding to be given by the relevant Builder, in the form scheduled to the relevant Pre-delivery Security Assignment;
 
Contract Instalment Advance ” means, in relation to any Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, an Advance of Facility B made, or to be made, to finance the payment of an instalment of the relevant Contract Price falling due before the Delivery Date for that Additional Ship;
 
Contract Price ” means in relation to any Additional Ship, the price payable by the relevant Owner to the relevant Builder or Seller (as appropriate) in accordance with the relevant Contract;
 
Credit Support Document ” has the meaning given to that expression in Section 14 of the Master Swap Agreement and as set out in paragraph (f) of Part 4 of the Schedule to the Master Swap Agreement;
 
 
3

 
Credit Support Provider ” means any person defined as such in the Master Swap Agreement pursuant to Section 14 of the Master Swap Agreement;
 
Dauntless ” means the vessel m.t. “DAUNTLESS” owned by the Dauntless Borrower and registered under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2308;
 
Dauntless Borrower ” means Lefka Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Deeds of Covenant ” means, where appropriate, all of the deeds of covenant collateral to the Mortgages executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Owners in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 12 and “ Deed of Covenant ” means any of them;
 
Default ” means any Event of Default or any event or circumstance which with the giving of notice or lapse of time or the satisfaction of any other condition (or any combination thereof) would constitute an Event of Default;
 
Delivery ” means the delivery of a Ship to, and the acceptance of the relevant Ship by the relevant Owner pursuant to the relevant Contract;
 
Delivery Date ” means, in relation to each Additional Ship, the date on which such Ship is delivered to the relevant Owner in accordance with the relevant Contract;
 
Delivery Date Advance ” means, in relation to an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, an Advance of Facility B made, or to be made, to finance the instalment of the Contract Price falling due on the Delivery Date for that Additional Ship;
 
DOC ” means a document of compliance issued to the Operator in accordance with the ISM Code;
 
Dollars ” and “ $ ” mean the lawful currency of the United States of America and in respect of all payments to be made under any of the Security Documents mean funds which are for same day settlement in the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or such other U.S. dollar funds as may at the relevant time be customary for the settlement of international banking transactions denominated in U.S. dollars);
 
Doubtless ” means the vessel m.t. “DOUBTLESS” owned by the Doubtless Borrower and registered under the Liberian flag under Official Number 9363;
 
Doubtless Borrower ” means Falakro Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Drawdown Date ” means any date, being a Banking Day falling during the Drawdown Period,  on which an Advance is, or is to be, made;
 
Drawdown Notice ” means a notice substantially in the terms of Schedule 2;
 
Drawdown Period ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to Facility A, the period from and including the date of this Agreement and ending on the Termination Date relative to Facility A; and
 
(b)  
in relation to Facility B, the period from and including the date of this Agreement and ending on the Termination Date relative to Facility B,
 
or, in each case, the period ending on such earlier date (if any) on which (i) the aggregate of all of the Advances is, in the case of Facility A, equal to the Commitment or (ii) the Commitment is reduced to zero pursuant to clauses 10.2 or 12;
 
 
4

 
Earnings ” means, in relation to each Ship, all moneys whatsoever from time to time due or payable to the relevant Owner of such Ship during the Security Period arising out of the use or operation of such Ship including (but without limiting the generality of the foregoing) all freight, hire and passage moneys, income arising out of pooling arrangements, compensation payable to the relevant Owner in the event of requisition of such Ship for hire, remuneration for salvage or towage services, demurrage and detention moneys and damages for breach (or payments for variation or termination) of any charterparty or other contract for the employment of such Ship and any sums recoverable under any loss of earnings insurance;
 
Encumbrance ” means any mortgage, charge (whether fixed or floating), pledge, lien, hypothecation, assignment, trust arrangement or security interest or other encumbrance of any kind securing any obligation of any person or any type of preferential arrangement (including without limitation title transfer and/or retention arrangements having a similar effect);
 
Endless ” means the vessel m.t. “ENDLESS” owned by the Endless Borrower and registered under the Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2040;
 
Endless Borrower ” means Litochoro Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1  and includes its successors in title;
 
Environmental Claim ” means:
 
(a)  
any and all enforcement, clean-up, removal or other governmental or regulatory action or order or claim instituted or made pursuant to any Environmental Law or resulting from a Spill; or
 
(b)  
any claim made by any other person relating to a Spill;
 
Environmental Incident ” means any Spill:
 
(a)  
from any Fleet Vessel; or
 
(b)  
from any other vessel in circumstances where:
 
(i)  
any Fleet Vessel or its owner, operator or manager may be liable for Environmental Claims arising from the Spill (other than Environmental Claims arising and fully satisfied before the date of this Agreement); and/or
 
(ii)  
any Fleet Vessel may be arrested or attached in connection with any such Environmental Claims;
 
Environmental Laws ” means all laws, regulations and conventions concerning pollution or protection of human health or the environment;
 
Event of Default ” means any of the events or circumstances described in clause 10.1;
 
Existing Loan Agreement ” means the loan agreement dated 2 February 2005 (as supplemented and amended from time to time) made between (inter alia) the Initial Owners and the Bank in connection with a loan of up to four hundred and twenty four million seven hundred and ninety four thousand Dollars ($424,794,000);
 
Expected Project Costs ” means:
 
(a)  
in connection with the construction of an Additional Ship, all reasonable pre-delivery costs up to the Delivery Date of such Additional Ship which have been approved by the Bank in its sole discretion;
 
 
5

 
(b)  
in connection with the acquisition of an Additional Ship from a Seller, the deposit payable in respect of such Additional Ship pursuant to the relevant Contract in an amount approved by the Bank; and
 
(c)  
all interest paid by the Borrower on the relevant Advance under clause 3 of this Agreement up to the Delivery Date of such Additional Ship;
 
         “ Facility ” means Facility A or Facility B and “ Facilities ” means both of them;
           
Facility A ” means the term loan facility made available under this Agreement as described in clause 2.3 or the principal amount outstanding for the time being under Facility A;
 
Facility B ” means the revolving credit facility made available under this Agreement as described in clause 2.4 or the principal amount outstanding for the time being under Facility B;
 
Facility B Repayment Amount ” means an amount determined by multiplying that part of the Loan forming Facility B by the same percentage as the Total Facility B Commitment is being reduced on each Reduction Date:
 
Fair Market Value ” means, in relation to each Ship, the fair market value of such Ship determined in accordance with clause 8.2.2;
 
Faithful ” means the vessel m.t. “FAITHFUL” owned by the Faithful Borrower and registered under the Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 1689;
 
Faithful Borrower ” means Gramos Shipping Company Inc., a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Faultless ” means the vessel m.t. “ FAULTLESS ” owned by the Faultless Borrower and registered under Liberian flag under Official  Number 12601;
 
Faultless Borrower ” means Parnasos Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Final Reduction Date ” means 31 August 2013;
 
Final Repayment Date ” means in relation to Facility A 30 November 2012 and in relation to Facility B 31 August 2013;
 
First Supplemental Agreement ” means the agreement dated 21 December 2006 supplemental to this Agreement made between (1) the Borrower and (2) the Bank;
 
Flag State ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to an Initial Ship, the flag state set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1   or such other state or territory designated in writing by the Bank, at the request of the Borrower or an Owner, as being the “ Flag State ” of that Owner’s Ship for the purposes of the Security Documents; or
 
(b)  
in relation to an Additional Ship any of the flag states as set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1, or such other state or territory designated in writing by the Bank, at the request of the Borrower or the Owner, as being the “ Flag State ” of that Owner’s Ship for the purposes of the Security Documents;
 
Flawless ” means the vessel m.t. “FLAWLESS” owned by the Flawless Borrower and registered under the Liberian flag under Official Number 9475;
 
6

 
Flawless Borrower ” means Pylio Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Fleet Vessel ” means each of the Ships and any other vessel owned, operated, managed or crewed by any member of the Borrower’s Group;
 
GAAP ” means accounting principles, concepts, bases and policies generally adopted and accepted in the United States of America consistently applied;
 
General Assignments ” means, where appropriate, all of the general assignments collateral to the Mortgages executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Owners in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 13 and “ General Assignment ” means any of them;
 
Government Entity ” means and includes (whether having a distinct legal personality or not) any national or local government authority, board, commission, department, division, organ, instrumentality, court or agency and any association, organisation or institution of which any of the foregoing is a member or to whose jurisdiction any of the foregoing is subject or in whose activities any of the foregoing is a participant;
 
Indebtedness ” means any obligation for the payment or repayment of money, whether as principal or as surety and whether present or future, actual or contingent;
 
Initial Owners ” means, in relation to each Initial Ship, the Owner of that Initial Ship set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 and “ Initial Owner ” means any or all of them;
 
Initial Revolving Amount ” means the Advance forming part of Facility B of up to one hundred and forty four million Dollars ($144,000,000);
 
Initial Ships ” means the initial ships whose names and particulars are set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 and “ Initial Ship ” means any of them;
 
Interest Payment Date ” means the last day of an Interest Period;
 
Interest Period ” means, in relation to any Advance, Facility A, Facility B or the Loan as the case may be, each period for the calculation of interest in respect of such Advance, Facility A, Facility B or the Loan ascertained in accordance with clauses 3.2 and 3.3;
 
Intra-Group Loan Agreements ” means the loan agreements in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Borrower and each Owner relating to the intra-group loan to be made available by the Borrower to each Owner to enable each such Owner to finance the acquisition and/or refinancing of the relevant Ship in the form set out in Schedule 8 and “Intra-Group Loan Agreement” means any of them;
 
 “ ISM Code ” means the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention constituted pursuant to Resolution A.741(18) of the International Maritime Organisation and incorporated into the Safety of Life at Sea Convention and includes any amendments or extensions thereto and any regulation issued pursuant thereto;
 
ISPS Code ” means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code constituted pursuant to Resolutions A924(22) of the International Maritime Organisation and incorporated into the Safety of Life at Sea Convention and includes any amendments or extensions thereto and any regulation issued pursuant thereto;
 
ISSC ” means an International Ship Security Certificate issued in respect of a Ship under the provisions of the ISPS Code;
 
LIBOR ” means, in relation to a particular period, the rate determined by the Bank to be that at which deposits in Dollars and in an amount comparable with the amount in relation to which LIBOR is to be determined and for a period equal to the relevant period were being offered by the Bank to prime banks in the London Interbank Market at the time the rate is fixed in accordance with clauses 3.2 and 3.3 hereof on the second Banking Day before the first day of such period, provided that if the Borrower shall at any time enter into any Transaction(s) under the Master Swap Agreement, LIBOR shall (during the period when any such Transaction(s) are effective and for an amount equal to the notional amount of such Transaction(s)) be the rate for deposits in Dollars for a period equivalent to such period at or about 11 a.m. on the second Banking Day before the first day of such period as displayed on Telerate page 3750 (British Bankers’ Association Interest Settlement Rates) (or such other page as may replace such page 3750 on such system or on any other system of the information vendor for the time being designated by the British Bankers’ Association to calculate the BBA Interest Settlement Rate (as d efined in the British Bankers’ Association’s Recommended Terms and Conditions (“ BBAIRS ” terms) dated August, 1985));
 

 
7

 

 
Limitless ” means the vessel m.t. “LIMITLESS” owned by the Limitless Borrower and registered under the Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2034;
 
Limitless Borrower ” means Mytikas Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Loan ” means the aggregate principal amount owing to the Bank under this Agreement at any relevant time whether forming part of Facility A or Facility B;
 
Management Agreements ” means the agreements executed or (as the context may require) to be executed between the relevant Owner and the Manager in a form previously approved in writing by the Bank or any other agreement previously approved in writing by the Bank between the relevant Owner and the Manager providing (inter alia) for the Manager to manage the Ships and “ Management Agreement ” means any of them;
 
Managers ” means the Commercial Manager and the Technical Manager and “ Manager ” means either of them;
 
Manager’s Undertaking ” means an undertaking executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Commercial Manager and/or the Technical Manager in favour of the Bank as a condition precedent to the approval of the appointment of the Manager as manager of a Ship, such undertaking to be in the form set out in Schedule 15 and “ Manager’s Undertakings ” means all of them;
 
Margin ” means:
 
 
(a)
up until 26 March 2008 the margin listed in the following table which shall be adjusted at each Margin Set Date:
 
Facility
Loan/Security Value
Ratio
Margin
Facility A
≤ 60%
0.875%
Facility B
≤ 60%
0.85%
Loan
>60%
1.0%

and

(b)              from 26 March 2008, 1.25%;

Margin Set Date ” means the initial Drawdown Date, 31 December 2005 and each of the dates falling at quarterly intervals thereafter.
 
Master Swap Agreement ” means the agreement dated 2 February 2005 as amended and novated pursuant to a Novation agreement dated 28 October 2005 and made between (inter alia) the Borrower and the Bank or (as the context may require) in the form or substantially in the form set out in Schedule 6, and any Confirmations (as defined therein) supplemental thereto;
 
8

 
Master Swap Agreement Security Deed ” means the deed executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Borrower in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 7;
 
month ” means a period beginning in one calendar month and ending in the next calendar month on the day numerically corresponding to the day of the calendar month on which it started, provided that (a) if the period started on the last Banking Day in a calendar month or if there is no such numerically corresponding day, it shall end on the last Banking Day in such next calendar month and (b) if such numerically corresponding day is not a Banking Day, the period shall end on the next following Banking Day in the same calendar month but if there is no such Banking Day it shall end on the preceding Banking Day and “ months ” and “ monthly ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Mortgage ” means, in relation to each Ship, a first priority statutory mortgage or first preferred mortgage of such Ship executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the relevant Owner in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 11 and “ Mortgages ” means all of them;
 
Mortgaged Ship ” means, at any relevant time, any Ship which is at such time subject to a Mortgage and the Earnings, Insurances and Requisition Compensation (as defined in the relevant Ship Security Documents) of which are subject to an Encumbrance pursuant to the relevant Security Documents and a Ship shall for the purposes of this Agreement be deemed to be a Mortgaged Ship as from the date that the Mortgage of that Ship shall have been executed and registered in accordance with this Agreement until whichever shall be the earlier of (i) the payment in full of the amount required to be paid to the Bank pursuant to clause 4.5 following the sale or Total Loss of such Ship and (ii) the date on which all moneys owing under the Security Documents have been repaid in full;
 
Noiseless ” means the vessel m.t. “NOISELESS” owned by the Noiseless Borrower and registered  under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2234;
 
Noiseless Borrower ” means Imitos Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Operating Account Charges ” the charges of the Operating Accounts executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the Borrower and each Owner in favour of the Bank in respect of each Operating Account in the form set out in Schedule 14 and “ Operating Account Charge ” means any of them;
 
         “ Operating Accounts ” means
 
(a)  
in relation to an Initial Owner and the Borrower, the accounts with account numbers as set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1; and
 
(b)  
in relation to any Additional Owner, accounts of the Borrower and such Owner opened or (as the context may require) to be opened by the Borrower and such Owner with the Bank
 
and includes any other account designated in writing by the Bank to be an Operating Account for the purposes of this Agreement and “ Operating Account ” means any of them;
 
Operator ” means any person who is at any time during the Security Period concerned in the operation of a Ship and falls within the definition of “Company” set out in rule 1.1.2 of the ISM Code;
 
Owners ” means the Initial Owners and the Additional Owners and “ Owner ” means any of them;
 
Owner’s Guarantee ” means, in relation to each Owner, a guarantee issued or (as the context may require) to be issued by that Owner in favour of the Bank in the form set out in Schedule 10 or in such other form as the Bank may from time to time require as (inter alia) security for the Loan and “ Owner’s Guarantees ” means all of them;
 
 
9

 
Permitted Encumbrance ” means any Encumbrance in favour of the Bank created pursuant to the Security Documents and Permitted Liens;
 
Permitted Liens ” means any lien on a Ship for master's, officer's or crew's wages outstanding in the ordinary course of trading, any lien for salvage and any ship repairer's or outfitter's possessory lien for a sum not (except with the prior written consent of the Bank) exceeding the Casualty Amount (as defined in the Ship Security Documents for such Ship);
 
Pollutant ” means and includes oil and its products, any other polluting, toxic or hazardous substance and any other substance whose release into the environment is regulated or penalised by Environmental Laws;
 
Priceless ” means the vessel m.t. “PRICELESS” owned by the Priceless Borrower and registered under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 1598;
 
Priceless Borrower ” means Kisavos Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of  Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Pre-delivery Security Assignment ” means, in relation to any Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, an assignment of the relevant Contract and the relevant Refund Guarantee with respect to that Additional Ship executed or (as the context may require) to be executed by the relevant Owner of that Additional Ship in favour of the Bank in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion and “ Pre-delivery Assignments ” means all of them;
 
Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance ” means, in relation to any Additional Ship, the protocol of delivery and acceptance to be signed by or on behalf of the relevant Seller and the relevant Owner as buyer of such Ship evidencing the delivery and acceptance of such Ship pursuant to the relevant Contract, such protocol to be in a form satisfactory to the Bank;
 
Reduction Date ” means in relation to Facility B 30 November 2008 and each of the dates falling at three (3) monthly intervals thereafter up to and including the Final Reduction Date;
 
Refund Guarantee ” means, in relation to any Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, the guarantee issued or to be issued by the relevant Refund Guarantor in respect of the relevant Builder’s obligations under the relevant Contract and any further guarantee(s) to be issued by such Refund Guarantor in respect of such obligations, pursuant to any agreement supplemental to the relevant Contract, and any extensions, renewals or replacements thereto or thereof and “ Refund Guarantees ” means all of them;
 
Refund Guarantee Assignment Consent and Acknowledgements ” means the acknowledgements of notice, and consent to, the assignment in respect of any Refund Guarantee to be given by the relevant Refund Guarantor in the form scheduled to the relevant Pre-delivery Security Assignment;
 
Refund Guarantor ” means, in relation to any Refund Guarantee, the refund guarantor stipulated under the relevant Contract and includes its successors in title (which shall be acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion) and “ Refund Guarantor s ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Registry ” means the office of the registrar, commissioner or representative of the relevant Flag State who is duly authorised and empowered to register the relevant Ship, the relevant Owner’s title to such Ship and the relevant Mortgage under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State through the relevant Registry;
 
Related Company ” of a person means any Subsidiary of such person, any company or other entity of which such person is a Subsidiary and any Subsidiary of any such company or entity;
 
 
10

 
Relevant Jurisdiction ” means any jurisdiction in which or where any Security Party is incorporated, resident, domiciled, has a permanent establishment, carries on, or has a place of business or is otherwise effectively connected;
 
Repayment Dates ” means (subject to clause 6.3):
 
(a)  
in relation to Facility A, 30 November 2005 and each of the dates falling at six (6) monthly intervals thereafter up to and including the Final Repayment Date relative to Facility A; and
 
(b)  
in relation to Facility B, 30 November 2008 and each of the dates falling at three (3) monthly intervals thereafter up to and including the Final Repayment Date relative to Facility B;
 
Requisition Compensation ” means all sums of money or other compensation from time to time payable during the Security Period by reason of the Compulsory Acquisition of a Ship;
 
Second Supplemental Agreement ” means the agreement dated 22 January 2008 supplemental to this Agreement made between, among others, (1) the Borrower and (2) the Bank;
 
Security Documents ” means this Agreement as supplemented and amended by the First Supplemental Agreement and the Second Supplemental Agreement, the Master Swap Agreement, the Assignment of the Intra-Group Loan Agreement, the Mortgages, the Deeds of Covenant, the General Assignments, the Owner’s Guarantees, the Operating Account Charges, the Master Swap Agreement Security Deed, the Manager’s Undertakings, any Pre-Delivery Security Assignment, any Contract Assignment Consent and Acknowledgements, any Refund Guarantee Assignment Consents and Acknowledgements, the Supplemental Agreement and any other documents as may have been or shall from time to time after the date of this Agreement be executed to guarantee and/or secure all or any part of the Loan, interest thereon and other moneys from time to time owing by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement (whether or not any such document also secures moneys from time to time owing pursuant to any other document or agreement) as such document may be supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
Security Party ” means the Borrower, any Builders, any Refund Guarantors, the Owners, the Managers or any other person who may at any time be a party to any of the Security Documents (other than the Bank) or any of them;
 
Security Period ” means the period commencing on the date hereof and terminating upon discharge of the security created by the Security Documents by payment of all monies payable thereunder;
 
Security Requirement ” means, subject to the provisions of clause 4.5, the amount in Dollars (as certified by the Bank whose certificate shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower and the Bank) which is at any relevant time one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) (or for the purposes of clause 4.5 only one hundred and sixty seven per cent (167%)) of (a) the Loan and (b) the notional or actual costs as certified by the Bank in its discretion at any relevant time of cancelling, netting out, terminating, liquidating, transferring or assigning the rights, benefits and obligations created by any Transaction or the Master Swap Agreement;

Security Value ” means the amount in Dollars (as certified by the Bank whose certificate shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower and the Bank) which, at any relevant time, is the aggregate of (a) the charter-free market value of the Mortgaged Ships as most recently determined in accordance with clause 8.2.2; (b) the value of any Additional Ships which are newbuildings as most recently determined in accordance with clause 8.2.2 less any part of the Contract Price which has not been paid by the Borrower or the relevant Owner to the relevant Builder under the relevant Contract; and (c) the market value of any additional security for the time being actually provided to the Bank pursuant to clause 8.2;
 
11

 
Seller ” means in relation to any Additional Ship the relevant Seller or Builder of such Additional Ship “ Sellers ” means all of them;
 
Shareholders ” means in relation to the Borrower, Kingdom Holdings Inc. and Sovereign Holdings Inc. each of Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands;
 
Ship Security Documents ” means in respect of each Ship the relevant Mortgage, the relevant Deed of Covenant and/or General Assignment and the relevant Manager’s Undertakings and in the case of an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding the relevant Pre-delivery Security Assignment and “ Ship Security Document ” means any of them;

Ships ” means the Initial Ships and the Additional Ships and “ Ship ” means any of them;
 
SMC ” means a safety management certificate issued in respect of each Ship in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM Code;
 
Soundless ” means the vessel m.t. “ SOUNDLESS ” owned by the Soundless Borrower and registered under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2309;
 
Soundless Borrower ” means Agrafa Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Spill ” means any actual or threatened emission, spill, release or discharge of a Pollutant into the environment;
 
Spotless ” means the vessel m.t. “SPOTLESS“ owned by the Spotless Borrower and registered under the Liberian flag under Official Number 9361;
 
Spotless Borrower ” means Idi Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is set out in Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Subsidiary ” of a person incorporated outside England and Wales means any company or entity directly or indirectly controlled by such person, and for this purpose “ control ” means either the ownership of more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting share capital (or equivalent rights of ownership) of such company or entity or the power to direct its policies and management, whether by contract or otherwise;
 
Supplemental Agreement ” means the agreement dated 26 March 2008 supplemental to this Agreement and made between the Borrower and the Bank;
 
Taintless ” means the vessel m.t. “TAINTLESS” owned by the Taintless Borrower and registered under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2307;
 
Taintless Borrower ” means Giona Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Taxes ” includes all present and future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, fees or charges of whatever nature together with interest thereon and penalties in respect thereof and “ Taxation ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Technical Manager ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to Dauntless , Endless , Faithful , Faultless , Limitless ,   Noiseless ,   Priceless , Taintless and Timeless V.Ships Management Limited of Eaglehurst, Belmont Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man;
 
 
12

 
(b)  
in relation to Doubtless , Flawless , Spotless and Vanguard, Hanseatic Shipping Co. Ltd of 284, Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, Limassol, Cyprus; and
 
(c)  
in relation to Soundless and   Topless , Top Tanker Management Inc. with its registered address at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960,
 
or any other person appointed by the Commercial Manager, with the prior written consent of the Bank (not to be unreasonably withheld), as the technical manager of the Ships and includes its successors in title and assignees and “ Technical Managers ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Termination Date ” means:
 
(a)  
in relation to Facility A, 14 November 2005; and
 
(b)  
in relation to Facility B, the earlier of (i) the date which falls ten (10) years after the date of this Agreement and (ii) the Final Repayment Date;
 
Timeless ” means the vessel m.t. “TIMELESS“ owned by the Timeless Borrower and registered under the Liberian flag under Official Number 9480;
 
Timeless Borrower ” means Taygetus Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Topless ” means the vessel m.t. “TOPLESS” owned by the Topless Borrower and registered under Marshall Islands flag under Official Number 2310;
 
Topless Borrower ” means Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited, a corporation incorporated in the Marshall Islands whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title;
 
Total Facility A Commitment ” means the sum of one hundred and ninety five million six hundred and fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety nine Dollars and eighty two cents ($195,656,899.82) at the date of this Agreement;
 
Total Facility B Commitment ” means:
 
 
(a)
from 1 November 2005 up until 2 August 2006 the aggregate amount of three hundred and fifty million Dollars ($350,000,000);
 
 
(b)
from 3 August 2006 up until 19 March 2008 the aggregate amount of one hundred and fifty eight million Dollars ($158,000,000); and
 
 
(c)
from 26 March 2008 the aggregate amount of one hundred and twenty three million Dollars ($123,000,000) at the date of this Agreement,
 
 
as the same may be reduced on each Reduction Date;
 
Total Loss ” in relation to a Ship means:
 
(a)  
actual, constructive, compromised or arranged total loss of such Ship; or
 
(b)  
the Compulsory Acquisition of such Ship; or
 
(c)  
the hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation of such Ship (other than where the same amounts to the Compulsory Acquisition of such Ship) by any Government Entity, or by persons acting or purporting to act on behalf of any Government Entity, unless such Ship be released and restored to the relevant Owner from such hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation within fifteen (15) days after the occurrence thereof;
 
 
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Transactions ” shall have the same meaning as ascribed thereto in the Master Swap Agreement;
 
Transferee ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in clause 15.4;
 
Underlying Documents ” means the Contracts, the Management Agreements and the Refund Guarantees;
 
United Kingdom ” means Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
 
Vanguard ” means the vessel m.t. “VANGUARD“ owned by the Vanguard Borrower and registered under the Cyprus flag under Official Number 709465; and
 
Vanguard Borrower ” means Pageon Shipping Company Limited, a company incorporated in the Republic of Cyprus whose registered office is set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 and includes its successors in title.
 
1.3  
Headings
 
Clause headings and the table of contents are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the interpretation of this Agreement.
 
1.4  
Construction of certain terms
 
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
 
1.4.1  
references to clauses and Schedules are to be construed as references to clauses of, and Schedules to, this Agreement and references to this Agreement include its Schedules;
 
1.4.2  
references to (or to any specified provision of) this Agreement or any other document shall be construed as references to this Agreement, that provision or that document as in force for the time being and as amended in accordance with the terms thereof, or, as the case may be, with the agreement of the relevant parties;
 
1.4.3  
references to a “ regulation ” include any present or future regulation, rule, directive, requirement, request or guideline (whether or not having the force of law) of any agency, authority, central bank or government department or any self-regulatory or other national or supra-national authority;
 
1.4.4  
words importing the plural shall include the singular and vice versa;
 
1.4.5  
references to a time of day are to London time;
 
1.4.6  
references to a person shall be construed as references to an individual, firm, company, corporation, unincorporated body of persons or any Government Entity;
 
1.4.7  
references to a “ guarantee ” include references to an indemnity or other assurance against financial loss including, without limitation, an obligation to purchase assets or services as a consequence of a default by any other person to pay any Indebtedness and “ guaranteed ” shall be construed accordingly; and
 
1.4.8  
references to any enactment shall be deemed to include references to such enactment as re-enacted, amended or extended.
 
 
14

 
1.5  
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
 
No term of this Agreement is enforceable under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by a person who is not a party to this Agreement.
 
2  
The Facilities
 
2.1  
Agreement to lend
 
The Bank, relying upon each of the representations and warranties in clause 7, agrees to lend to the Borrower upon and subject to the terms of this Agreement:
 
(a)  
a Dollar term loan facility in an aggregate amount equal to the Total Facility A Commitment; and
 
(b)  
a Dollar revolving credit and term loan facility in an aggregate amount equal to the Total Facility B Commitment,
 
(c)  
in the aggregate principal sum of originally up to five hundred and forty five million six hundred and fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety nine Dollars and eighty two cents ($545,656,899.82) and from 26 March 2008 up to one hundred and twenty three million Dollars ($123,000,000).
 
2.2  
Drawdown
 
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each Advance thereof shall be made to the Borrower following receipt by the Bank from the Borrower of a Drawdown Notice not later than 10 a.m. on the second Banking Day before the proposed Drawdown Date relative to such Advance which shall be a Banking Day falling within the Drawdown Period on which such Advance is intended to be made. A Drawdown Notice shall be effective on actual receipt by the Bank and, once given, shall, subject as provided in clause 3.6.1, be irrevocable.  No Advances shall be available after the Termination Date, and subject to the provision of this Agreement more than one Advance may be made on the same date.
 
2.3  
Facility A
 
2.3.1  
Facility A shall be made in one Advance on a Banking Day falling within the Drawdown Period.
 
2.3.2  
Facility A shall be made available solely for the purpose set out in 1.1(i).
 
2.3.3  
The Advance constituting Facility A shall be made in accordance with clause 6.2 and the maximum amount of such Advance shall be $195,656,899.82 or such other amount as may be agreed by the Bank.
 
2.3.4  
The Advance constituting Facility A (together with the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount) shall be applied in refinancing each Initial Ship in the amount set out alongside that Initial Ship in Part 3 of Schedule 1.
 
2.4  
Facility B
 
2.4.1  
Each Advance of Facility B may only be made on Banking Days falling during the Drawdown Period and the amount of each Advance of Facility B shall, subject to the following provisions of this clause 2.4, be for such amount as is specified in the Drawdown Notice of that Advance.
 
2.4.2  
The Initial Revolving Amount of Facility B shall be made available in one Advance solely for the purpose set out in 1.1(ii)(a) and shall be advanced at the same time as the Advance constituting Facility A and shall when aggregated with Facility A refinance the entire amount outstanding under the Existing Loan Agreement.
 
 
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2.4.3  
Each Advance of Facility B shall be made solely for the purpose set out in clause 1.1(ii).
 
2.4.4  
Each Advance constituting part of Facility B shall be made in accordance with clause 6.2 but so that:
 
(i)  
Facility B shall never exceed $350,000,000 up until 26 March 2008 and thereafter shall never exceed $123,000,000; and
 
(ii)  
the Initial Revolving Amount shall be up to $144,000,000 or such other amount as agreed by the Bank.
 
2.4.5  
No part of Facility B (other than the Initial Revolving Amount to be made available with the Advance constituting Facility A) shall be made available unless the vessel which the relevant Additional Owner intends to acquire using the relevant intra-group loan from the Borrower has been approved by the Bank in its sole discretion as an Additional Ship, which approval may only be granted by the Bank if the relevant vessel has met all the Additional Ship Selection Criteria.  In relation to the acquisition by an Additional Owner of a vessel the Borrower shall be required to follow the procedure set out below:
 
(a)  
if the Borrower wishes to drawdown any part of Facility B the Borrower shall first send to the Bank a request (the “ Request ”) which shall include the information described below and, if so required by the Bank, a copy of the inspection report for the relevant vessel;
 
(b)  
where the Request relates to a second-hand vessel, the Request shall include the following information:
 
Name of vessel
Flag
Official Number
IMO Number
Purchase price
Year built
Type of vessel
Gross tonnage/net tonnage
Deadweight/cubic capacity/TEU of vessel
Classification Society
Class
Seller
Expected delivery date
Charter information (if any), including name and credit rating (if any) of charterer, charter rate, % commission, period of charter, options (if any)
Typical running costs for this type of vessel
Next drydock: expected date of drydock and estimated amount
Date of next special survey
Requested loan amount
Lightweight displacement of vessel;

(c)  
where the Request relates to a vessel which is a newbuilding, the Request shall include the following information:
 
Builder
Hull No.
Type of vessel
Gross tonnage/net tonnage
Deadweight/cubic capacity/TEU of vessel
Date of Contract
Date keel laid
Original Contract Price
Purchase price
Payment terms under Contract
Seller
Scheduled delivery date
 
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Date when Buyer has option to cancel the Contract for excessive delay
Name of Refund Guarantor
Type of Refund Guarantee
Classification Society
Class
Flag on delivery.
 
2.4.6  
With respect to any vessel to be financed under Facility B, the Bank will use its best efforts to respond to any Request as soon as possible but in any event within five (5) Banking Days of the receipt of the Request.
 
2.4.7  
No Advance of Facility B shall:
 
(a)  
exceed whichever shall be the lesser of (i) the Contract Price of the Additional Ship to be financed by way of such Advance of Facility B and (ii) the Fair Market Value of the Additional Ship to be financed by way of such Advance of Facility B and in the case where the Additional Ship is a newbuilding, the Expected Project Costs approved by the Bank in its sole discretion; nor
 
(b)    
be applied in financing any Additional Ship which has not been approved by the Bank as an Additional Ship (the “ Approval ”) in accordance with clauses 2.4.5 and 2.4.6 .
 
2.4.8  
In relation to an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, Contract Instalment Advances and a Delivery Date Advance for that Additional Ship shall be in sums of up to the amounts set out in the relevant Contract and applied in or towards payment of the instalment of the Contract Price for that Additional Ship and may be made on any Banking Day falling within the Drawdown Period relative to Facility B up to and in the case of the Delivery Date Advance upon the Delivery Date for that Additional Ship subject to the relevant instalment of the Contract Price for that Additional Ship having become due and payable by the relevant Owner under such Contract.
 
2.4.9  
Any Advance constituting a Contract Instalment Advance or a Delivery Date Advance shall be applied in paying such relevant instalment of the relevant Contract Price and shall be paid by the Bank to the relevant Builder or, as the case may be, Seller and any Advance which is to be applied in meeting Expected Project Costs approved by the Bank in its sole discretion shall be paid by the Bank to the credit of the relevant Operating Account as appropriate.
 
2.4.19  
Each Advance of Facility B shall be subject to:
 
(a)  
the ratio of the Loan to the Fair Market Value of all the Mortgaged Ships not exceeding 75% both prior to and immediately following the drawdown of the relevant Advance of Facility B; and
 
(b)  
the aggregate of all Advances of Facility B drawndown at any relevant time never exceeding the Total Facility B Commitment; and
 
(c)  
the making of such Advance of Facility B not resulting in the Security Value being less than the Security Requirement.
 
2.4.11  
The parties hereby agree that from 26 March 2008 Facility A is cancelled and no further Advances shall be made under Facility B other than those Advances that the Bank has agreed to make for the purposes of financing part of the second contract instalments payable under the Contracts relating to the Additional Ships which are newbuildings with hull numbers S-1025, S-1026, S-1027, S-1029, S-1031 and S-1033 (the “ Newbuildings ”). Subject to the terms of this Agreement the Bank has agreed to make available one Advance per Newbuilding each in the maximum sum of five million Dollars ($5,000,000).
 
2.5  
Amount of Advance
 
The Borrower may not deliver a Drawdown Notice if the amount of the relevant Advance is less than $5,000,000.
 
 
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2.6  
Expected Project Costs
 
No Advance of Facility B shall constitute Expected Project Costs only.  Any Drawdown Notices for Advances constituting (in part) Expected Project Costs shall be accompanied with invoices or pro-forma estimate invoices itemised in a written inventory each in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion certified by an officer of the Borrower and presented to the Bank no later than fifteen (15) Banking Days before the relevant Drawdown Date.
 
2.7  
Availability
 
Upon receipt of a Drawdown Notice complying with the terms of this Agreement the Bank shall, subject to the provisions of clause 9, on the Drawdown Date for the relevant Advance make such Advance available to the Borrower in accordance with clause 6.2.  The Borrower acknowledges that payment of an Advance to a Seller or any Contract Instalment Advance or Delivery Date Advance to a Builder in accordance with clause 6.2 shall satisfy the obligation of the Bank to lend the corresponding portion of the Commitment to the Borrower under this Agreement.
 
2.8  
Termination of Commitment
 
2.8.1  
If the Commitment is not drawn down in full by the end of the Drawdown Period, the undrawn Commitment shall thereupon be automatically cancelled.
 
2.8.2  
The Borrower shall upon three (3) Banking Days’ notice to the Bank be entitled to permanently reduce or terminate any undrawn portion of Facility B (being five million Dollars ($5,000,000) or any larger sum which is an integral multiple of five million Dollars ($5,000,000)) without premium or penalty.
 
2.9  
Application of proceeds
 
Without prejudice to the Borrower’s obligations under clause 8.1.3, the Bank shall have no responsibility for the application of proceeds of the Loan by the Borrower.
 
3  
Interest and Interest Periods
 
3.1  
Normal interest rate
 
3.1.1  
Subject to paragraph (i) of Part 5 of the Schedule to the Master Swap Agreement, the Borrower shall pay interest on Facility A, Facility B or, as the case may be the Loan in respect of each Interest Period relating thereto on each Interest Payment Date (or, in the case of Interest Periods of more than three (3) months, by instalments, the first instalment three (3) months from the commencement of the Interest Period and the subsequent instalments at intervals of three (3) months or, if shorter, the period from the date of the preceding instalment until the Interest Payment Date relative to such Interest Period) at the rate per annum determined by the Bank to be the aggregate of (a) the relevant Margin, (b) the Additional Cost and (c) LIBOR for such Interest Period.
 
3.1.2  
For the purposes of this clause 3, the Bank shall on each Margin Set Date, following the Bank’s determination of the Security Value, which determination shall as between the Bank and the Borrower be conclusive, advise the Borrower of the Margin payable in respect of Facility A, Facility B or, as the case may be, the Loan during each quarter commencing from the relevant Margin Set Date.
 
3.2  
Selection of Interest Periods
 
Subject to (a) paragraph (i) of Part 5 of the Schedule to the Master Swap Agreement and (b) the availability of funds to the Bank in the normal course of dealing in the London Interbank Market for an Interest Period of the duration requested, the Borrower may by notice received by the Bank not later than 11a.m. on the second Banking Day before the beginning of each Interest Period in relation to each Advance or, as the case may be Facility A or, as the case may be, Facility B or, as the case may be, the Loan specify whether such Interest Period shall have a duration of three (3) or six (6) months or such other period as the Borrower may select and the Bank may, in its absolute discretion, agree.  Provided always that if on any date upon which an Interest Period falls to be selected by the Borrower pursuant to this clause 3.2, a Transaction or Transactions (which is/are effective or which shall become effective during the relevant Interest Period) shall have been entered into between the Bank and the Borrower pursuant to the Master Swap Agreement LIBOR shall during the period of any such Transaction(s) and for an amount equal to the notional amount of such Transaction(s) be determined by reference to the rate for deposits in Dollars displayed on Telerate page 3750 (British Bankers’ Association Settlement Rates) in accordance with the proviso to the definition of LIBOR.  For the avoidance of doubt, LIBOR for that Advance or, as the case may be Facility A or, as the case may be, Facility B or, as the case may be part of the Loan which exceeds the notional amount of the Transaction(s) shall be determined by reference to the rate for deposits in Dollars referred to in the definition of LIBOR but excluding the proviso to such definition.
 

 
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3.3  
Determination of Interest Periods
 
Every Interest Period shall be of the duration specified by the Borrower pursuant to clause 3.2 but so that:
 
3.3.1  
the initial Interest Period in respect of the Advance constituting Facility A and the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount shall commence on the date Facility A and the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount under the Loan Agreement are made and each subsequent Interest Period of Facility A and the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount shall commence on the last day of the previous Interest Period relating to Facility A and the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount;
 
3.3.2  
the initial Interest Period in respect of each Advance of Facility B (after the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount) shall commence on the date of the making of that Advance and each subsequent Interest period of each Advance shall commence on the last day of the previous Interest Period relating to that Advance;
 
3.3.3  
if any Interest Period for any Advance and/or Facility A and/or Facility B and/or the Loan would otherwise overrun a Final Repayment Date, then, in the case of the Final Repayment Date, such Interest Period shall end on such Repayment Date, and in the case of any other Repayment Date or Repayment Dates (as the case may be) shall be divided into parts so that there is one part in the amount of the repayment instalment due on each Repayment Date falling during that Interest Period and having an Interest Period ending on the relevant Repayment Date and another part in the amount of the balance of the relevant Advance and/or Facility A and/or Facility B and/or the Loan as the case may be having an Interest Period ascertained in accordance with clause 3.2 and the other provisions of this clause 3.3;
 
3.3.4  
if the Borrower fails to specify the duration of an Interest Period in accordance with the provisions of clause 3.2 and this clause 3.3 such Interest Period shall have a duration of three (3) months or such other period as shall comply with this clause 3.3;
 
3.3.5  
for the avoidance of doubt, during the currency of any Transaction, Interest Periods in respect of each Advance or, as the case may be, Facility A or, as the case may be, Facility B or, as the case may be, the Loan shall coincide with the payment dates set out in such Transaction and the rate of interest shall coincide with the fixed rate of interest determined in accordance with such Transaction; and
 
3.3.6  
following consultation with the Borrower the Bank shall be entitled to require that the Interest Periods relating to the Loan or any part thereof to be consolidated.
 
3.4  
Default interest
 
If the Borrower fails to pay any sum (including, without limitation, any sum payable pursuant to this clause 3.4) on its due date for payment under any of the Security Documents, the Borrower shall pay interest on such sum on demand from the due date up to the date of actual payment (as well after as before judgment) at a rate determined by the Bank pursuant to this clause 3.4.  The period beginning on such due date and ending on such date of payment shall be divided into successive periods of not more than three (3) months as selected by the Bank each of which (other than the first, which shall commence on such due date) shall commence on the last day of the preceding such period.  The rate of interest applicable to each such period shall be the aggregate (as determined by the Bank) of (a) two per cent (2%) per annum, (b) the relevant Margin (c) the Additional Cost and (d) LIBOR for such period. Such interest shall be due and payable on the last day of each such period as determined by the Bank and each such day shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be treated as an Interest Payment Date, provided that if such unpaid sum is an amount of principal which become due and payable by reason of a declaration by the Bank under clause 10.2.2 or a prepayment pursuant to clauses 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 8.2 or 12.1, on a date other than an Interest Payment Date relating thereto, the first such period selected by the Bank shall be of a duration equal to the period between the due date of such principal sum and such Interest Payment Date and interest shall be payable on such principal sum during such period at a rate two per cent (2%) above the rate applicable thereto immediately before it shall have become so due and payable.  If, for the reasons specified in clause 3.6.1, the Bank is unable to determine a rate in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this clause 3.4, interest on any sum not paid on its due date for payment shall be calculated at a rate determined by the Bank to be two per cent (2%) per annum above the aggregate of the relevant Margin and the cost of funds (including Additional Cost) to the Bank.
 
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3.5  
Notification of Interest Periods and interest rate
 
The Bank shall notify the Borrower promptly of the duration of each Interest Period and of each rate of interest determined by it under this clause 3.
 
3.6  
Market disruption; non-availability
 
3.6.1  
If and whenever, at any time prior to the commencement of any Interest Period, the Bank shall have determined (which determination shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive):
 
(a)  
that adequate and fair means do not exist for ascertaining LIBOR during such Interest Period; or
 
(b)  
that deposits in Dollars are not available to the Bank in the London Interbank Market in the ordinary course of business in sufficient amounts to fund the Loan for such Interest Period;
 
the Bank shall forthwith give notice (a “ Determination Notice ”) thereof to the Borrower.  A Determination Notice shall contain particulars of the relevant circumstances giving rise to its issue.  After the giving of any Determination Notice the undrawn amount of the Commitment shall not be borrowed until notice to the contrary is given to the Borrower by the Bank.
 
3.6.2  
During the period of ten (10) days after any Determination Notice has been given by the Bank under clause 3.6.1, the Bank shall certify an alternative basis (the “ Substitute Basis ”) for maintaining the Loan.  The Substitute Basis may (without limitation) include alternative interest periods, alternative currencies or alternative rates of interest but shall include a margin above the cost of funds including Additional Cost (if any) to the Bank equivalent to the relevant Margin.  Each Substitute Basis so certified shall be binding upon the Borrower and shall take effect in accordance with its terms from the date specified in the Determination Notice until such time as the Bank notifies the Borrower that none of the circumstances specified in clause 3.6.1 continues to exist whereupon the normal interest rate fixing provisions of this Agreement shall apply.
 
4  
Repayment, prepayment and reborrowing
 
4.1  
Repayment of Facility A
 
Subject always to the provisions of this clause 4.1, the Borrower shall repay that part of the Loan forming Facility A by fifteen (15) instalments, one such instalment to be repaid on each of the Repayment Dates relative to Facility A. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the amount of the first such instalment shall be ten million six hundred and fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety nine Dollars and eighty two cents ($10,656,899.82) each of the second instalment to the fourteenth instalment shall be ten million five hundred thousand Dollars ($10,500,000) and the amount of the last instalment shall be forty eight million five hundred thousand Dollars ($48,500,000) (comprising of a repayment instalment in the amount of ten million five hundred thousand Dollars ($10,500,000) and a balloon payment in the amount of thirty eight million Dollars ($38,000,000)).
 
 
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If Facility A is not drawn in full, the amount of each repayment instalment relative to Facility A shall be reduced proportionately.
 
4.2  
Repayment of Facility B
 
4.2.1  
Subject always to the provisions of this clause 4.2 the Borrower shall repay that part of the Loan forming Facility B (including without limitation the Initial Revolving Amount) by twenty (20) instalments.  One such instalment shall be repaid on each of the Repayment Dates relative to Facility B.  Subject to the provisions of this Agreement the amount of each such instalment shall be equal to the Facility B Repayment Amount as determined by the Bank and notified to the Borrower.  For the avoidance of doubt as from 26 March 2008 (but following the reduction of the Total Facility  B Commitment to one hundred and twenty three million Dollars ($123,000,000) pursuant to clause 4.2.2 and subject to the Borrower drawing down the entire available amount of Facility B) the amount of each of the first to the nineteenth instalments shall be four million and fifty thousand Dollars ($4,050,000) and the amount of the twentieth and final instalment shall be forty six million and fifty thousand Dollars ($46,050,000) (comprising a repayment instalment of four million and fifty thousand Dollars ($4,050,000) and a balloon repayment in the amount of forty two million Dollars ($42,000,000).
 
4.2.2  
The Total Facility B Commitment shall be reduced by the sum of thirty five million Dollars ($35,000,000) to one hundred and twenty three million Dollars ($123,000,000) on 26 March 2008 and thereafter the Total Facility B Commitment shall be reduced on each Reduction Date by a sum equal to each of the Facility B Repayment Amounts referred to in clause 4.2.1 so that on the Final Reduction Date the Total Facility B Commitment shall be reduced to zero.  The Committed Facility B Amount shall be reduced on each Reduction Date by the same percentage amount as the Total Facility B Commitment and to zero on the Final Reduction Date and the Borrower shall on each Repayment Date relative to Facility B repay such further amount as shall ensure that the aggregate of all Advances of Facility B never exceed the Total Facility B Commitment or the Committed Facility B Amount at any relevant time.
 
4.3  
Voluntary prepayment
 
4.3.1  
Prepayment of the Loan
 
The Borrower may, provided that the Bank shall have received from the Borrower not less than fourteen (14) days notice of its intention to make such prepayment specifying the amount to be prepaid, prepay Facility A or Facility B in the Borrower’s option Loan in whole or part (being five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) or any larger sum which is an integral multiple of five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000)):
 
(a)  
on any Interest Payment Date relating to the part of the Loan being prepaid together with any amounts payable under clause 11 and accrued interest and commitment commission to the date of prepayment and any other sums then payable under this Agreement and/or the Master Swap Agreement and/or the other Security Documents or any of them in respect of the Loan; and
 
(b)  
at any other time upon payment to the Bank of:
 
(i)  
accrued interest to the date of prepayment; and
 
(ii)  
such additional sum as the Bank in its absolute discretion shall determine to be the loss, cost and expense incurred by the Bank, including in relation to the Master Swap Agreement, as a result of the prepayment not being made on an Interest Payment Date for any part of the Loan being prepaid; and
 
 
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(iii)  
any other sums then payable under this Agreement and/or the Master Swap Agreement and/or the other Security Documents or any of them (including loss of Margin on the amount prepaid to the end of the then current Interest Period).
 
4.4  
Master Swap Agreement, Repayments and Prepayments
 
4.4.1  
Notwithstanding any provision of the Master Swap Agreement to the contrary, in the case of a prepayment of all or part of the Loan (including, without limit, upon a Total Loss in accordance with clause 4.5 and under clause 8.4) then subject to clause 4.4.2 the Bank shall be entitled but not obliged (and, where relevant, may do without the consent of the Borrower, where it would otherwise be required whether under the Master Swap Agreement or otherwise) to amend, re-book, supplement, cancel, close out, net out, terminate, liquidate, transfer or assign all or any part of the rights, benefits and obligations created by any Transaction and/or the Master Swap Agreement and/or to obtain or re-establish any hedge or related trading position in any manner and with any person the Bank in its absolute discretion may determine and both the Bank’s and the Borrower’s continuing obligations under any Transaction and/or the Master Swap Agreement shall, unless agreed otherwise by the Bank, be calculated so far as the Bank considers it practicable by reference to the amended repayment Schedule for the Loan taking into account the fact that less than the full amount of the Loan remains outstanding.
 
4.4.2  
If following a prepayment under this Agreement and the Bank in its absolute discretion agrees, following a written request of the Borrower, that the Borrower may be permitted to maintain all or part of a Transaction in an amount not wholly matched with or linked to all or part of the Loan, the Borrower shall within ten (10) days of being notified by the Bank of such requirement, provide the Bank with, or procure the provision to the Bank of, such additional security as shall in the opinion of the Bank be adequate to secure the performance of such Transaction, which additional security shall take such form, be constituted by such documentation and be entered into between such parties, as the Bank in its absolute discretion may approve or require, and each document comprising such additional security shall constitute a Credit Support Document.
 
4.4.3  
The Borrower shall on the first written demand of the Bank indemnify the Bank in respect of all losses, costs and expenses (including, but not limited to, legal costs and expenses) incurred or sustained by the Bank as a consequence of or in relation to the effecting of any matter or transactions referred to in this clause 4.4.
 
4.4.4  
Notwithstanding any provision of the Master Swap Agreement to the contrary, if for any reason a Transaction has been entered into but the Loan is not drawn down under this Agreement then, subject to clause 4.4.5, the Bank shall be entitled but not obliged (and, where relevant, may do so without the consent of the Borrower where it would otherwise be required whether under the Master Swap Agreement or otherwise) to amend, re-book, supplement, cancel, close out, net out, terminate, liquidate, transfer or assign all or any part of the rights, benefits and obligations created by such Transaction and/or the Master Swap Agreement and/or to obtain or re-establish any hedge or related trading position in any manner and with any person the Bank in its absolute discretion may determine.
 
4.4.5  
If a Transaction has been entered into but the Loan is not drawn down under this Agreement and the Bank in its absolute discretion agrees, following a written request of the Borrower, that the Borrower may be permitted to maintain all or part of a Transaction, the Borrower shall within ten (10) days of being notified by the Bank of such requirement, provide the Bank with, or procure the provision to the Bank of, such additional security as shall in the opinion of the Bank be adequate to secure the performance of such Transaction, which additional security shall take such form, be constituted by such documentation and be entered into between such parties, as the Bank in its absolute discretion may approve or require, and each document comprising such additional security shall constitute a Credit Support Document for the purposes of the Master Swap Agreement and/or otherwise.
 
 
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Without prejudice to or limitation of the obligations of the Borrower under clause 4.4.3, in the event that the Bank exercises any of its rights under clauses 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.4 and 4.4.5 and such exercise results in all or part of a Transaction being terminated such Transaction or the part thereof terminated (which shall for the purposes hereof be treated as a separate Transaction) in each case shall be treated under the Master Swap Agreement in the same manner as if it were a Terminated Transaction (as defined in Section 14 of the Master Swap Agreement) pursuant to an Event of Default (as so defined in that Section 14) by the Borrower and, accordingly, the Bank shall be permitted to recover from the Borrower a payment for early termination calculated in accordance with the provisions of Section 6(e)(i) of the Master Swap Agreement in respect of such Transaction.
 
4.5  
Prepayment on Total Loss and sale
 
On a Ship becoming a Total Loss (or suffering damage or being involved in an incident which in the opinion of the Bank may result in such Ship being subsequently determined to be a Total Loss) before the relevant Advance for such Ship is drawn down, the obligation of the Bank:
 
(a)  
in the case of an Initial Ship to make available the Advance constituting the Facility A or the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount for such Initial Ship; or
 
(b)  
in the case of an Additional Ship to make that Advance of Facility B for such Additional Ship
 
shall immediately cease and in the case of an Initial Ship the Total Facility A Commitment or at the option of the Bank, the Initial Revolving Amount shall be reduced by the amount that would have been applied in refinancing the Initial Ship as set out in Schedule 1, Part 3.
 
On the date ninety (90) days after that on which a Mortgaged Ship became a Total Loss or immediately prior to the completion of the sale of a Mortgaged Ship or, if earlier, on the date upon which the insurance proceeds in respect of such Total Loss are or Requisition Compensation (as defined in the relevant Ship Security Documents) is received by the relevant Owner (or the Bank pursuant to the Security Documents), the Borrower shall prepay:
 
(a)  
in the case of the Initial Ships that part of the Advance constituting Facility A or the Initial Revolving Amount as was applied in refinancing the relevant Initial Ship and set out in Schedule 1, Part 3; or
 
(b)  
in the case of the Additional Ships the relevant Advance of Facility B applied in the financing of such Additional Ship; or
 
(c)  
such greater proportion of the Loan as the Bank may in its sole discretion determine to be prepaid but in any event such amount as shall ensure that on the date of such prepayment the Security Value is not less than the Security Requirement.
 
For the purpose of this Agreement, a Total Loss shall be deemed to have occurred:
 
4.5.1  
In the case of an actual total loss of a Ship on the actual date and at the time such Ship was lost or, if such date is not known, on the date on which such Ship was last reported;
 
4.5.2  
in the case of a constructive total loss of a Ship, upon the date and at the time notice of abandonment of a Ship is given to the insurers of a Ship for the time being (provided a claim for total loss is admitted by such insurers) or, if such insurers do not forthwith admit such a claim, at the date and at the time at which either a total loss is subsequently admitted by the insurers or a total loss is subsequently adjudged by a competent court of law or arbitration tribunal to have occurred;
 
4.5.3  
in the case of a compromised or arranged total loss, on the date upon which a binding agreement as to such compromised or arranged total loss has been entered into by the insurers of such Ship;
 
4.5.4  
in the case of Compulsory Acquisition, on the date upon which the relevant requisition of title or other compulsory acquisition occurs; and
 
 
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4.5.5  
in the case of hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation of a Ship (other than where the same amounts to Compulsory Acquisition of such Ship) by any Government Entity, or by persons purporting to act on behalf of any Government Entity, which deprives the relevant Owner of the use of such Ship for more than thirty (30) days, upon the expiry of the period of thirty (30) days after the date upon which the relevant hijacking, theft, condemnation, capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation occurred.
 
4.6  
Amounts payable on prepayment
 
Any prepayment of all or part of the Loan under this Agreement shall be made together with (a) accrued interest on the amount to be prepaid to the date of such prepayment, any additional amount payable under clause 6.6 or 12.2 and (b) all other sums payable by the Borrower to the Bank under this Agreement, the Master Swap Agreement or any of the other Security Documents including, without limitation, any amounts payable under clause 11.

4.7  
Notice of prepayment; reduction of repayment instalments
 
No prepayment may be effected under clause 4.3 unless the Borrower shall have given the Bank at least fourteen (14) days' notice of its intention to make such prepayment.  Every notice of prepayment shall be effective only on actual receipt by the Bank, shall be irrevocable, shall specify (i) the amount to be prepaid, and (ii) whether the prepayment is to be applied against Facility A and/or any Advance(s) of Facility B and shall oblige the Borrower to make such prepayment on the date specified.  No amount prepaid may be reborrowed.  Any amount prepaid pursuant to:
 
4.7.1  
clause 4.3 shall be applied (a) in the case of Facility A first in reducing the repayment instalments on a pro rata basis and then the balloon payment in each case as set out in clause 4.1; and (b) in the case of Facility B in reducing the repayment instalments under clause 4.2.1 on a pro rata basis; and
 
4.7.2  
clause 4.4 following the sale or Total Loss of any of the Ships shall be applied first in reducing the repayment instalments of the Advance pursuant to which the relevant Ship was financed or refinanced (including for the avoidance of doubt the balloon payments) on a pro rata basis and thereafter (and to the extent that the relevant Advance is repaid in full) shall be applied to the extent required pursuant to clause 4.5 as between all other Advances on a pro rata basis and in reducing the repayment instalments of such other Advances on a pro rata basis.
 
The Borrower may not prepay the Loan or any part thereof save as expressly provided in this Agreement.
 
5  
Commitment commission, fees and expenses
 
5.1  
Fees
 
The Borrower shall pay to the Bank:
 
5.1.1  
on the date of this Agreement an arrangement fee of one million thirty thousand Dollars ($1,030,000);
 
5.1.2  
quarterly in arrears and at the end of the Drawdown Period, commitment commission computed from the date of this Agreement at the rate of zero point three five per cent (0.35%) per annum on the daily undrawn amount of the Loan; and
 
The fee referred to in clause 5.1.1 and the commitment commission referred to in clause 5.1.2 shall be payable by the Borrower to the Bank whether or not any part or only part of the Commitment is ever advanced.
 
 
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5.2  
Expenses
 
The Borrower shall pay to the Bank on a full indemnity basis on demand all expenses (including legal, printing and out-of-pocket expenses) incurred by the Bank:
 
5.2.1  
in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution and, where relevant, registration of the Security Documents and of any amendment or extension of or the granting of any waiver or consent under, any of the Security Documents; and
 
5.2.2  
in contemplation of, or otherwise in connection with, the enforcement of, or preservation of any rights under, any of the Security Documents, or otherwise in respect of the moneys owing under any of the Security Documents together with interest at the rate referred to in clause 3.4 from the date on which such expenses were incurred to the date of payment (as well after as before judgment).
 
5.3  
Value added tax
 
All fees and expenses payable pursuant to this clause 5 shall be paid together with value added tax or any similar tax (if any) properly chargeable thereon.  Any value added tax chargeable in respect of any services supplied by the Bank under this Agreement shall, on delivery of the value added tax invoice, be paid in addition to any sum agreed to be paid hereunder.
 
5.4  
Stamp and other duties
 
The Borrower shall pay all stamp, documentary, registration or other like duties or taxes (including any duties or taxes payable by the Bank) (if any) imposed on or in connection with any of the Underlying Documents, the Security Documents or the Loan and shall indemnify the Bank against any liability arising by reason of any delay or omission by the Borrower to pay such duties or taxes.
 
6  
Payments and taxes; accounts and calculations
 
6.1  
No set-off or counterclaim
 
The Borrower acknowledges that in performing its obligations under this Agreement, the Bank will be incurring liabilities to third parties in relation to the funding of amounts to the Borrower, such liabilities matching the liabilities of the Borrower to the Bank and that it is reasonable for the Bank to be entitled to receive payments from the Borrower gross on the due date in order that the Bank is put in a position to perform its matching obligations to the relevant third parties.  Accordingly, subject to paragraphs (c) and (i) of Part 5 of the Schedule to the Master Swap Agreement, all payments to be made by the Borrower under any of the Security Documents shall be made in full, without any set-off or counterclaim whatsoever and, subject as provided in clause 6.6, free and clear of any deductions or withholdings, in Dollars on the due date (for value on the day on which payment is due) to the account of the Bank with American Express Bank Limited, 23rd Floor, American Express Tower, 200 Vesey Street, New York NY 10285-2300, USA, Account Number 000261123 SWIFT Code:  AEIBUS33 (with a direct tested telex advice to the Bank) or to such other account at such bank in such place as the Bank may from time to time specify for this purpose.
 
6.2  
Payment by the Bank
 
All sums to be advanced by the Bank to the Borrower under this Agreement in respect of the Loan shall be remitted in Dollars on the relevant Drawdown Date to the account of the Borrower or the account of the relevant Seller specified in the relevant Drawdown Notice.
 
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6.3  
Non-Banking Days
 
When any payment under any of the Security Documents would otherwise be due on a day which is not a Banking Day, the due date for payment shall be extended to the next following Banking Day unless such Banking Day falls in the next calendar month in which case payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Banking Day.
 
6.4  
Calculations
 
All interest and other payments of an annual nature under any of the Security Documents shall accrue from day to day and be calculated on the basis of actual days elapsed and a 360 day year.
 
6.5  
Certificates conclusive
 
Any certificate or determination of the Bank as to any rate of interest or any other amount pursuant to and for the purposes of any of the Security Documents shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrower.
 
6.6  
Grossing-up for Taxes
 
If at any time the Borrower is required to make any deduction or withholding in respect of Taxes from any payment due under any of the Security Documents, the sum due from the Borrower in respect of such payment shall be increased to the extent necessary to ensure that, after the making of such deduction or withholding, the Bank receives on the due date for such payment (and retains, free from any liability in respect of such deduction or withholding), a net sum equal to the sum which it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been required to be made and the Borrower shall indemnify the Bank against any losses or costs incurred by it by reason of any failure of the Borrower to make any such deduction or withholding or by reason of any increased payment not being made on the due date for such payment.  The Borrower shall promptly deliver to the Bank any receipts, certificates or other proof evidencing the amounts (if any) paid or payable in respect of any deduction or withholding as aforesaid.
 
6.7  
Loan account
 
The Bank shall maintain, in accordance with its usual practice, an account (which shall be the “ account current ” referred to in the Mortgages governed by the laws of Cyprus) evidencing the amounts from time to time lent by, owing to and paid to it under the Security Documents.  Such account shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive as to the amount from time to time owing by the Borrower under the Security Documents.
 
7  
Representations and warranties
 
7.1  
Continuing representations and warranties
 
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Bank that:
 
7.1.1  
Due incorporation
 
the Borrower and each of the other Security Parties are duly incorporated and validly existing in good standing under the laws of their respective countries of incorporation as limited liability companies and, in case of the Borrower and each of those Initial Owners incorporated in either the Republic of Liberia or the Marshall Islands, incorporated in the Republic of Liberia or the Marshall Islands as a corporation having limited liability, and have power to carry on their respective businesses as they are now being conducted and to own their respective property and other assets;

 
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7.1.2  
Corporate power
 
the Borrower has power to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Underlying Documents and the Borrower's Security Documents to which it is or is to be a party and to borrow the Commitment and each of the other Security Parties has power to execute and deliver and perform its obligations under the Security Documents and the Underlying Documents to which it is or is to be a party; all necessary corporate, shareholder and other action has been taken to authorise the execution, delivery and performance of the same and no limitation on the powers of the Borrower to borrow will be exceeded as a result of borrowing the Loan;
 
7.1.3  
Binding obligations
 
the Security Documents and the Underlying Documents constitute or will, when executed, constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the relevant Security Parties enforceable in accordance with their respective terms;
 
7.1.4  
No conflict with other obligations
 
the execution and delivery of, the performance of its obligations under, and compliance with the provisions of, the relevant Underlying Documents and the Security Documents by the relevant Security Parties will not (i) contravene any existing applicable law, statute, rule or regulation or any judgment, decree or permit to which the Borrower or any other Security Party is subject, (ii) conflict with, or result in any breach of any of the terms of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or other instrument to which the Borrower or any other Security Party is a party or is subject or by which it or any of its property is bound, (iii) contravene or conflict with any provision of the memorandum and articles of association/articles of incorporation/by-laws or other constitutional documents of the Borrower or any other Security Party or (iv) result in the creation or imposition of or oblige the Borrower or any of its Related Companies or any other Security Party to create any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance) on any of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues Borrower or its Related Companies or any other Security Party;
 
7.1.5  
No litigation
 
no litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding is taking place, pending or, to the knowledge of the officers of the Borrower, threatened against the Borrower or any of its Related Companies or any other Security Party which could have a material adverse effect on the business, assets or financial condition of any of the Borrower or any of its Related Companies or any other Security Party;
 
7.1.6  
No filings required
 
save for the registration of the Mortgages in the relevant register under the laws of the relevant Flag State through the relevant Registry it is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of any of the Underlying Documents or any of the Security Documents that they or any other instrument be notarised, filed, recorded, registered or enrolled in any court, public office or elsewhere in any Relevant Jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar tax or charge be paid in any Relevant Jurisdiction on or in relation to the Underlying Documents, the Security Documents or any of them and each of the Underlying Documents and Security Documents is in proper form for its enforcement in the courts of each Relevant Jurisdiction;
 
7.1.7  
Choice of law
 
the choice of English law to govern the Underlying Documents and the Security Documents (other than the Mortgages) and the choice of Cyprus law to govern the Cyprus Mortgages and Deeds of Covenants, the choice of Liberian law to govern the Liberian Mortgages and the choice of Marshall Islands law to govern the Marshall Island Mortgages and the submissions by the Security Parties to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts are valid and binding;
 
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7.1.8  
No immunity
 
neither the Borrower nor any other Security Party nor any of their respective assets is entitled to immunity on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise from any legal action or proceeding (which shall include, without limitation, suit, attachment prior to judgement, execution or other enforcement);
 
7.1.9  
Financial statements correct and complete
 
the audited financial statements of the Borrower and the audited consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Related Companies in respect of the financial year ended on 31 December 2004 as delivered to the Bank have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and present fairly and accurately the financial position of the Borrower and the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Related Companies respectively as at such date and the results of the operations of the Borrower and the consolidated results of the operations of the Borrower and its Related Companies respectively for the financial year ended on such date and, as at such date, neither the Borrower nor any of its Related Companies had any significant liabilities (contingent or otherwise) or any unrealised or anticipated losses which are not disclosed by, or reserved against or provided for in, such financial statements;
 
7.1.10  
Consents obtained
 
every consent, authorisation, licence or approval of, or registration with or declaration to, governmental or public bodies or authorities or courts required by any Security Party to authorise, or required by any Security Party in connection with, the execution, delivery, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of the Underlying Documents and each of the Security Documents or the performance by each Security Party of its obligations under the Underlying Documents and the Security Documents has been obtained or made and is in full force and effect and there has been no default in the observance of any of the conditions or restrictions (if any) imposed in, or in connection with, any of the same; and
 
7.1.11  
No money laundering
 
in relation to the borrowing by the Borrower of the Loan, the performance and discharge of its obligations and liabilities under this Agreement and the transactions and other arrangements effected or contemplated by this Agreement, the Borrower is acting for its own accounts and that the foregoing will not involve or lead to contravention of any law, official requirement or other regulatory measure or procedure implemented to combat “ money laundering ” (as defined in Article 1 of the Directive (91/308/EEC) of the Council of the European Communities).
 
7.2  
Initial representations and warranties
 
The Borrower further represent and warrants to the Bank that:
 
7.2.1  
Pari passu
 
the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement and the Master Swap Agreement are direct, general and unconditional obligations of the Borrower and rank at least pari passu with all other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated Indebtedness with the exception of any obligations which are mandatorily preferred by law and not by contract;
 
7.2.2  
No default under other Indebtedness
 
 
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neither the Borrower nor any of its Related Companies nor any other Security Party is (nor would with the giving of notice or lapse of time or the satisfaction of any other condition or combination thereof be) in breach of or in default under the Master Swap Agreement or any agreement relating to Indebtedness to which it is a party or by which it may be bound;
 
7.2.3  
Information
 
the information, exhibits and reports (including all financial information relating to the Borrower and any other Security Party) furnished by any Security Party to the Bank in connection with the negotiation and preparation of the Security Documents are true and accurate in all material respects and not misleading, do not omit material facts and all reasonable enquiries have been made to verify the facts and statements contained therein; there are no other facts the omission of which would make any fact or statement therein misleading;
 
7.2.4  
No withholding Taxes
 
no Taxes are imposed by withholding or otherwise on any payment to be made by any Security Party under the Underlying Documents or the Security Documents or are imposed on or by virtue of the execution or delivery by the Security Parties of the Underlying Documents or the Security Documents or any other document or instrument to be executed or delivered under any of the Security Documents;
 
7.2.5  
No Default
 
no Default has occurred and is continuing;
 
7.2.6  
No Default under any Contract or any Refund Guarantee
 
no relevant Owner is in default of any of its obligations under any Contract or any of its obligations upon the performance or observance of which depend the continued liability of any Refund Guarantor in accordance with the terms of the relevant Refund Guarantee;
 
7.2.7  
No Encumbrance in respect of pre-delivery security
 
no relevant Owner has previously charged, encumbered or assigned the benefit of any of its rights, title and interest in or to any Contract or any Refund Guarantee and such benefit and all such rights, title and interest are freely assignable and chargeable in the manner contemplated by the Security Documents.
 
7.2.8  
the Ships
 
each Mortgaged Ship will on the Drawdown Date of Facility A and the Advance under the Facility B in relation to the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the Advance for such Ship be:
 
(a)  
in the absolute ownership of the relevant Owner who will on and after such Drawdown Date be the sole, legal and beneficial owner of such Ship;
 
(b)  
registered through the offices of the relevant Registry as a ship under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State;
 
(c)  
operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for service; and
 
(d)  
classed with the relevant Classification free of all requirements and recommendations of the relevant Classification Society;
 
 
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7.2.9  
Ships' employment
 
other than in respect of such charters, contracts, agreements to enter into charters or contracts in respect of the Initial Ships details of which have been provided to the Borrower and approved by the Bank in writing, no Ship is nor will on or before the Drawdown Date of the Advance constituting Facility A or, as the case may be, the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the relevant Advance for such Ship be subject to any charter or contract or to any agreement to enter into any charter or contract which, if entered into after the date of the relevant Ship's Security Documents would have required the consent of the Bank and on or before the Drawdown Date for the Advance constituting Facility A or, as the case may be, the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the Advance for such Ship, there will not be any agreement or arrangement whereby the Earnings (as defined in the relevant Ship's Security Documents) may be shared with any other person;
 
7.2.10  
Freedom from Encumbrances
 
none of the Ships, nor their Earnings, Insurances or Requisition Compensation (each as defined in the relevant Ship's Security Documents) nor any of the Operating Accounts nor any of the Underlying Documents nor any other properties or rights which are, or are to be, the subject of any of the Security Documents nor any part thereof will be, on the Drawdown Date for the Advance constituting Facility A or, as the case may be, the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the relevant Advance for such Ship, subject to any Encumbrance; and
 
7.2.11  
Environmental matters
 
to the best of the knowledge and belief of the Borrower and its respective officers:
 
(a)  
all Environmental Laws applicable to any Fleet Vessel have been complied with and all consents, licences and approvals required under such Environmental Laws have been obtained and complied with; and
 
(b)  
no Environmental Claim has been made or threatened or pending against any member of the Borrower’s Group or any Fleet Vessel and not fully satisfied; and
 
(c)  
there has been no Environmental Incident;
 
7.2.12  
No material adverse change
 
there has been no material adverse change in the financial position of the Borrower or the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Related Companies from that set forth in the financial statements referred to in clause 7.1.9;
 
7.2.13  
Parent company
 
each of the Owners is the wholly owned subsidiary of the Borrower and the Borrower is legally and beneficially owned as to fifteen per cent (15%) by the Shareholders;
 
7.2.14  
Copies true and complete
 
the copies of each of the Underlying Documents delivered or to be delivered to the Bank pursuant to clause 9 are, or will when delivered be, true and complete copies of such documents; such documents will when delivered constitute valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto enforceable in accordance with their respective terms and there will have been no amendments or variations thereof or defaults thereunder; and
 
30

 
 
7.2.15  
ISM Code and ISPS Code
 
any Operator has obtained and maintains (a) a DOC, and will, on or prior to the Drawdown Date, obtain an SMC for the Ships and (b) any certification required in order for any Owner, any Operator and the Ships to comply with the ISPS Code and each of such documents are, or will when issued be, in full force and effect and nothing has happened which might cause any of such documents to be withdrawn.
 
7.3  
Repetition of representations and warranties
 
7.3.1  
On and as of each Advance and (except in relation to the representations and warranties in clause 7.2) on each Interest Payment Date the Borrower shall (a) be deemed to repeat the representations and warranties in clauses 7.1 (and so that the representation and warranty in clause 7.1.9 shall for this purpose refer to the then latest audited financial statements delivered to the Bank under clause 8.1) and 7.2 as if made with reference to the facts and circumstances existing on such day and (b) be deemed to further represent and warrant to the Bank that the then latest audited financial statements delivered to the Bank (if any) have been prepared in accordance with GAAP which have been consistently applied and present fairly and accurately the financial position of the Borrower and the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Related Companies as at the end of the financial period to which the same relate and the results of the operations of the Borrower and the consolidated results of the operations of the Borrower and its Related Companies respectively for the financial period to which the same relate and, as at the end of such financial period, neither the Borrower nor any of its Related Companies had any significant liabilities (contingent or otherwise) or any unrealised or anticipated losses which are not disclosed by, or reserved against or provided for in, such financial statements.
 
8  
Undertakings
 
8.1  
General
 
The Borrower undertakes with the Bank that, from the date of this Agreement and so long as any moneys are owing under any of the Security Documents and while all or any part of the Commitment remains outstanding, it will:
 
8.1.1  
Notice of Default
 
promptly inform the Bank of any occurrence of which it becomes aware which might adversely affect the ability of any Security Party to perform its obligations under any of the Security Documents or the Underlying Documents to which it is a party and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, will inform the Bank of any Default forthwith upon becoming aware thereof and will from time to time, if so requested by the Bank, confirm to the Bank in writing that, save as otherwise stated in such confirmation, no Default has occurred and is continuing;
 
8.1.2  
Consents and licences
 
without prejudice to clauses 7.1 and 9, obtain or cause to be obtained, maintain in full force and effect and comply in all material respects with the conditions and restrictions (if any) imposed in, or in connection with, every consent, authorisation, licence or approval of governmental or public bodies or authorities or courts and do, or cause to be done, all other acts and things which may from time to time be necessary or desirable under applicable law for the continued due performance of all the obligations of the Security Parties under each of the Security Documents and the Underlying Documents;
 
8.1.3  
Use of proceeds
 
use the Loan exclusively for the purpose specified in clause 1.1;
 
 
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8.1.4  
Pari passu
 
ensure that its obligations under this Agreement and the Master Swap Agreement shall, without prejudice to the security intended to be created by the Security Documents at all times rank at least pari passu with all its other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated Indebtedness with the exception of any obligations which are mandatorily preferred by law and not by contract;
 
8.1.5  
Financial statements
 
(a)  
prepare financial statements of the Borrower and consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Related Companies in accordance with GAAP and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America consistently applied in respect of each financial year and cause the same to be reported on by its auditors and deliver as many copies of the same as the Bank may reasonably require as soon as practicable but not later than seventy five (75) days after the end of the financial period to which they relate; and
 
(b)  
prepare unaudited financial statements of the Borrower and consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Related Companies in respect of each of the first three quarters of each financial year on the same basis as the annual statements and deliver as many copies of the same as the Bank may reasonably require as soon as practicable but not later than forty five (45) days after the end of the financial period to which they relate;
 
8.1.6  
Delivery of Compliance Certificate
 
deliver to the Bank a Compliance Certificate for the relevant period with each set of financial statements provided pursuant to clause 8.1.5;
 
8.1.7  
Delivery of reports
 
deliver and procure that the other Security Parties deliver to the Bank as many copies as the Bank may reasonably require at the time of issue thereof of every report, circular, notice or like document issued by any of the Borrower or any other Security Party to its shareholders or creditors generally;
 
8.1.8  
Provision of further information
 
provide the Bank with such financial and other management information concerning any Borrower, its Related Companies, the other Security Parties and their respective affairs as the Bank may from time to time require and provide within the first ten days of each month management updates (in respect of the preceding month) in respect of cashflows, liquidity and performance of the Borrower and its Related Companies, information regarding changes in respect of vessels owned by the Borrower and any of its Related Companies (including sales of vessels) and any other information that may be requested by the Bank;
 
8.1.9  
Obligations under Security Documents
 
duly and punctually perform and procure that the other Security Parties duly and punctually perform each of the obligations expressed to be assumed by them under the Security Documents;
 
8.1.10  
ISM Code
 
(a)  
comply with and ensure that each Ship and any Operator at all times complies with the requirements of the ISM Code;
 
 
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(b)  
immediately inform the Bank if there is any actual or threatened withdrawal of an Owner’s or an Operator’s DOC or the SMC in respect of any Ship; and
 
(c)  
promptly inform the Bank upon the issue to the Borrower or any Operator of a DOC and to any Ship of an SMC or the receipt by any of the Borrower or any Operator of notification that its application for the same has been refused;
 
8.1.11  
ISPS Code
 
(a)  
comply with and ensure that each Ship and any Operator at all times complies with the requirements of the ISPS Code and with specifications of the International Maritime Organisation, and any other regulations, either existing or future, of the International Maritime Authority and the European Union; and
 
(b)  
immediately inform the Bank if there is any actual or threatened withdrawal of any certification required in order for any of them, any Operator and/or the Ship to comply with the ISPS Code;
 
8.1.12  
Documents and evidence
 
provide the Bank with such documents and evidence as the Bank shall from time to time require, based on applicable law and regulations from time to time and the Bank’s own internal guidelines from time to time to identify the Borrower and the other Security Parties and any other persons involved or affected by the transaction(s) contemplated by this Agreement;
 
8.1.13  
Management of the Borrower
 
not without the Bank’s written consent appoint at any time a new Chief Executive Officer (other than Evangelos Pistiolis);
 
8.1.14  
Owner’s Guarantee
 
procure that on or prior to the Drawdown Date of the Advance constituting Facility A and each Advance relative to Facility B (including without limitation the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount) the relevant Owner(s) execute(s) and deliver(s) to the Bank an Owner’s Guarantee;
 
8.1.15  
Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
procure that all interest payment dates and all repayment dates relating to the loans to be made pursuant to the Intra-Group Loan Agreements match those of each relevant Advance drawn down by the Borrower under this Agreement in order to make each of the said loans available to the Owners and shall procure and ensure that all sums paid and/or payable by the Owners to the credit of the Operating Accounts shall be freely available to the Bank to meet all payments of principal and interest and all other sums payable by the Borrower to the Bank pursuant to this Agreement and each of the other Security Documents;
 
8.1.16  
Operating Accounts balance
 
(a)  
subject to this clause 8.1.16, on or before the Drawdown Date of the first Advance pay to the credit of the Operating Accounts (or other accounts charged in favour of the Bank in respect of the Ships) an aggregate sum of not less than ten million Dollars ($10,000,000); and
 
(b)  
on and from the Drawdown Date of the first Advance and throughout the Security Period maintain an average balance (calculated on a monthly basis) of not less than ten million Dollars ($10,000,000) and in any event an aggregate balance of not less than five million Dollars ($5,000,000) standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts (or other accounts charged in favour of the Bank in respect of the Ships);
 
 
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8.1.17  
Classification
 
if and when so requested in writing by the Bank acting in its sole discretion, irrevocably and unconditionally instruct and authorise the Classification Societies (notwithstanding any previous instructions whatsoever which the relevant Owner may have given to any Classification Society to the contrary) as follows:
 
(a)  
to send to the Bank, following receipt of a written request from the Bank, certified true copies of all original certificates of class held by any Classification Society in relation to any Ship;
 
(b)  
to allow the Bank (or its agents), at any time and from time to time, to inspect the classification reports of any Owner for any Ship at the offices of any Classification Society and to take copies of them;
 
(c)  
to notify the Bank immediately in writing if any Classification Society:
 
(i)  
receives written notification from any Owner or any other person that the relevant Ship’s Classification Society is to be changed; or
 
(ii)  
becomes aware of any facts or matters which may result in or have resulted in a change, suspension, discontinuance, withdrawal or expiry of the relevant Ship’s Classification under the rules or terms and conditions of any Owner’s or the relevant Ship’s membership of the Classification Society;
 
(d)  
following receipt by any Classification Society of a written request from the Bank:
 
(i)  
to confirm to the Bank that the relevant Owner is not in default of any of its contractual obligations or liabilities to the Classification Society and, without limiting the foregoing, that it has paid in full all fees or other charges due and payable to the Classification Society; or
 
(ii)  
if the relevant Owner is in default of any of its contractual obligations or liabilities to the Classification Society, to specify to the Bank in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances of such default, the consequences thereof, and any remedy period agreed or allowed by the Classification Society.
 
The Borrower further undertakes with the Bank that it will continue to be responsible to the Classification Societies for the performance and discharge of all their obligations and liabilities relating to or arising out of or in connection with the contract it has with the Classification Societies, and that nothing in this clause 8.1.17 should be construed as imposing any obligation or liability on the Bank to any Classification Society in respect thereof; and
 
8.1.18  
Newbuilding
 
in the case of an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding and in respect of which the Borrower or the relevant Owner (as appropriate) is not utilising the facilities made available pursuant to this Agreement to finance all instalments of the Contract Price or the entire Contract Price, pay all instalments of the Contract Price or any part of the Contract Price not being financed under this Agreement in full and in a timely manner and otherwise in accordance with the terms of the relevant Contract and will not incur any Borrowed Money to assist it to finance any part of the Contract Price except for Borrowed Money pursuant to the Security Documents;
 
8.2  
Security value maintenance
 
 
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8.2.1  
Security shortfall
 
If at any time the Security Value shall be less than the Security Requirement, the Bank may give notice to the Borrower requiring that such deficiency be remedied and then the Borrower shall either
 
(a)  
prepay within a period of thirty (30) days of the date of receipt by the Borrower of the Bank’s said notice such sum in Dollars as will result in the Security Requirement after such prepayment (taking into account any other repayment of the Loan made between the date of the notice and the date of such prepayment) being equal to the Security Value; or
 
(b)  
within thirty (30) days of the date of receipt by the Borrower of the Bank’s said notice constitute to the satisfaction of the Bank such further security for the Loan as shall be acceptable to the Bank having a value for security purposes (as determined by the Bank in its absolute discretion) at the date upon which such further security shall be constituted which, when added to the Security Value, shall not be less than the Security Requirement as at such date.
 
Clause 4.6 shall apply to prepayments under clause 8.2.1(a).
 
8.2.2  
Valuation of Ship
 
Each of the Ships shall, for the purposes of this clause 8.2.2, be valued in Dollars as and when the Bank shall require by an Approved Shipbroker and in any event at least once a quarter immediately prior to each Margin Set Date (such valuation to be made without, unless required by the Bank, physical inspection and on the basis of a sale for prompt delivery for cash at arms length on normal commercial terms as between a willing buyer and a willing seller without taking into account the benefit of any charterparty or other engagement concerning the relevant Ship).  Such valuations shall constitute the value of the Ships for the purposes of this clause 8.2.2 unless the Borrower objects to any valuation provided by an Approved Shipbroker within ten (10) days of receipt of such valuation in which event, the value of the relevant Ship shall be the mean of the value specified in such valuation and the value specified in a valuation issued by another Approved Shipbrokers appointed by the Borrower.
 
The value of the Ships determined in accordance with the provisions of this clause 8.2.2 shall be binding upon the parties hereto until such time as any further such valuations shall be obtained.
 
8.2.3  
Information
 
The Borrower undertakes to the Bank to supply to the Bank and to any Approved Shipbrokers such information concerning the Ships and their condition as such Approved Shipbrokers may reasonably require for the purpose of making any such valuation of any of the Ships.
 
8.2.4  
Costs
 
All costs in connection with (a) the Bank obtaining one (1) valuation of each of the Ships referred to in clause 8.2.2 in any period of twelve (12) months, (b) any valuation issued by another Approved Shipbrokers appointed by the Borrower pursuant to clause 8.2.2, (c) any valuation either of any additional security for the purposes of ascertaining the Security Value at any time or necessitated by the Borrower electing to constitute additional security pursuant to clause 8.2.1(b) and (d) any valuations obtained following the occurrence of a Default, shall be borne by the Borrower.
 
8.2.5  
Valuation of additional security
 
 
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For the purpose of this clause 8.2, the market value of any additional security provided or to be provided to the Bank shall be determined by the Bank in its absolute discretion without any necessity for the Bank assigning any reason thereto.
 
8.2.6  
Documents and evidence
 
In connection with any additional security provided in accordance with this clause 8.2, the Bank shall be entitled to receive such evidence and documents of the kind referred to in Schedule 3 as may in the Bank’s opinion be appropriate and such favourable legal opinions as the Bank shall in its absolute discretion require.
 
8.3  
Negative undertakings
 
The Borrower undertakes with the Bank that, from the date of this Agreement and so long as any moneys are owing under the Security Documents and while all or any part of the Commitment remains outstanding, it will not, without the prior written consent of the Bank, but subject to the proviso hereto:
 
8.3.1  
Negative pledge
 
permit any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance) to subsist, arise or be created or extended over all or any part of its present or future undertakings, assets, rights or revenues to secure or prefer any present or future Indebtedness or other liability or obligation of any of the Borrower or any other person;
 
8.3.2  
No merger
 
merge or consolidate with any other person;
 
8.3.3  
Disposals
 
sell, transfer, abandon, lend or otherwise dispose of or cease to exercise direct control over any part (being either alone or when aggregated with all other disposals falling to be taken into account pursuant to this clause 8.3.3 material in the opinion of the Bank in relation to the undertakings, assets, rights and revenues of a Borrower’s Group) of its present or future undertaking, assets, rights or revenues (otherwise than by transfers, sales or disposals for full consideration in the ordinary course of trading) whether by one or a series of transactions related or not;
 
8.3.4  
Other business
 
undertake any business other than the ownership and operation of the Ships and the chartering of the Ships to third parties;
 
8.3.5  
Acquisitions
 
and will procure that no other Related Company shall, acquire any further assets (including vessels) other than the Ships and rights arising under contracts entered into by or on behalf of the Borrower or any Owner in the ordinary course of its businesses of owning, operating and chartering the Ships;
 
8.3.6  
Other obligations
 
incur any obligations except for obligations arising under the Underlying Documents or the Security Documents or contracts entered into in the ordinary course its businesses of owning, operating and chartering the Ships; or
 
 
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8.3.7  
No borrowing
 
and will procure that no other Related Company shall, incur any Borrowed Money except for Borrowed Money pursuant to the Security Documents (and, in the case of any Owner, Borrowed Money pursuant to the relevant Intra-Group Loan Agreement) or incurred in the ordinary course of its businesses of owning, operating and chartering the Ships; or
 
8.3.8  
Repayment of borrowings
 
repay the principal of, or pay interest on or any other sum in connection with any of its Borrowed Money except for Borrowed Money pursuant to the Security Documents; or
 
8.3.9  
Guarantees
 
issue any guarantees or indemnities or otherwise become directly or contingently liable for the obligations of any person, firm, or corporation except pursuant to the Security Documents and except for guarantees or indemnities from time to time required in the ordinary course by any protection and indemnity or war risks association with which a Ship is entered, guarantees required to procure the release of such Ship from any arrest, detention, attachment or levy or guarantees or undertakings required for the salvage of a Ship); or
 
8.3.10  
Loans
 
make any loans (other than the Loans under the Intra-Group Loan Agreements) grant any credit (save as envisaged in clause 8.3.7 and save for normal trade credit in the ordinary course of business) to any person or agree to do so and in the case of the loans to be made under the Intra-Group Loan Agreements, the Borrower will not without the prior written agreement of the Bank and except as envisaged in clause 14.4 accept any repayments of principal or interest or other sums due or payable thereunder or take any action against any Owner; or
 
8.3.11  
Sureties
 
permit any Indebtedness of the Borrower to any person (other than the Bank) to be guaranteed by any person (save for guarantees or indemnities granted by any Owner and fully subordinated in all respects to the Bank’s rights as lender under this Agreement and the other Security Documents) or from time to time required in the ordinary course by any protection and indemnity or war risks association with which a Ship is entered, guarantees required to procure the release of such Ship from any arrest, detention, attachment or levy or guarantees or undertakings required for the salvage of a Ship); or
 
8.3.12  
Share capital and distribution
 
purchase or otherwise acquire for value any shares of its capital or stock or declare or pay any dividends or distribute any of its present or future assets, undertakings, rights or revenues to any of its shareholders and will procure that the Owners will not acquire for value any shares of its capital or stock or declare or pay any dividends or distribute any of its present or future assets, undertakings rights or revenues to any of its shareholders following the occurrence of a Default or if the same would result in a Default occurring; or
 
8.3.13  
Subsidiaries and parent
 
cease to legally and beneficially own 100% of the issued shares in the capital of the Owners whether directly or indirectly;
 

 
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8.3.14  
Change of Classification, Classification Society or Flag State
 
and will procure that the Owners do not change the Classification, the Classification Society or the Flag State of any Ship;
 
8.3.15  
Managers
 
change or permit any change in either of the Managers of the Ships or amend or permit any amendment of any of the Management Agreements; and
 
8.3.16  
Constitutional documents
 
agree to any change to its constitutional documents; and
 
8.3.17  
Equity
 
and will procure that the Owners do not permit (a) the issue of any convertible equity or the conversion of any existing equity and (b) any further equity participation in the Borrower and/or the Owner unless the same is legally and effectively subordinated to all amounts due to the Bank under the Loan Agreement and the other Security Documents.
 
Provided always that subject to no Default having occurred and be continuing or resulting from any acquisition or borrowing by a Related Company which is not an Owner, nothing in sub-clauses 8.3.5 or 8.3.7 or 8.3.8 shall prevent the Borrower in assisting any Related Company (which is not an Owner) to acquire, or such Related Company (which is not an Owner) in acquiring, any further tonnage over which such Related Company shall be entitled to grant mortgages, pledges, liens or other encumbrances as security for its obligations.  The Borrower agrees that it shall upon the Bank’s first demand in writing execute such further documents as they may require to create specific cross-default provisions relating to any such acquisitions or borrowing.
 
8.4  
Permitted Ship sales
 
The Bank shall not unreasonably withhold its consent under any provision of the Security Documents to the sale of a Mortgaged Ship if the Owner delivers to the Bank evidence satisfactory to the Bank that such sale is or will be for the full value of the Ship for payment in cash at arm's length and upon normal commercial terms to a purchaser which is not associated with any Owner or the Borrower provided that no Default has occurred or will, on completion of such sale, have occurred and the Bank is satisfied that on or immediately after the delivery of such Ship to the relevant purchaser, the proceeds of sale of such Ship (after deducting customary brokers' commissions and any expenses related to such sale) will be of an amount not less than that required by the Bank to be prepaid upon completion of such sale pursuant to clause 4.5 together with all sums payable by the Borrower to the Bank under clause 4.6.
 
8.5  
Financial covenants
 
8.5.1  
The Borrower undertakes that at all times during the Security Period the financial condition of the Borrower, which shall be evidenced by the Accounting Information provided to the Bank shall be such that:
 
(a)  
the Borrower’s Adjusted Net Worth shall never be less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) and will at all times exceed thirty five per cent (35%) of Total Assets; and
 
(b)  
EBITDA of the Borrower will at all times exceed one hundred and twenty per cent (120%) of the aggregate amount of Fixed Charges;
 
(c)  
the Liquid Funds of the Borrower shall not at any time be less than the higher of:
 
 
 
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(i)  
ten million Dollars ($10,000,000); or
 
(ii)  
five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) per Group Vessel.
 
The Borrower further confirms and undertakes that if the terms relating to any future Borrowed Money (whether of the Borrower or any Related Company) including financial covenants are different to those detailed in this clause 8.5 the Borrower shall upon the Bank’s first demand in writing execute such documents as the Bank may require to enable the Bank to benefit from such enhanced and/or stronger financial covenants.
 
8.5.2  
For the purposes of this clause 8.5:
 
Accounting Information ” means the quarterly financial statements and/or the annual audited financial statements to be provided by the Borrower to the Bank in accordance with clause 8.1.5 of this Agreement;
 
Accounting Period ” means each consecutive period of approximately three months falling during the Security Period (ending on the last day in March, June, September and December of each year) for which Accounting Information is required to be delivered pursuant to clause 8.1.5 of this Agreement;
 
Adjusted Net Worth ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the amount of Total Assets less Consolidated Debt;
 
Consolidated Debt ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of Debt due by the members of the Group (other than any such Debt owing by any member of the Group to another member of the Group) as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 
Consolidated Financial Indebtedness ” means, in respect of each Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of Financial Indebtedness (including current maturities) due by the members of the Group (other than any such Financial Indebtedness owing by any member of the Group to another member of the Group) as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 
Current Assets ” means, in respect of each Accounting Period, the aggregate of the cash and marketable securities, trade and other receivables from persons other than a member of the Group realisable within one year, inventories and prepaid expenses which are to be charged to income within one year less any doubtful debts and any discounts or allowances given as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 
Debt ” means in relation to any member of the Group (the “ debtor ”);
 
(a)  
Financial Indebtedness of the debtor;
 
(b)  
liability for any credit to the debtor from a supplier of goods or services or under any instalment purchase or payment plan or other similar arrangement;
 
(c)  
contingent liabilities of the debtor (including without limitation any taxes or other payments under dispute) which have been or, under GAAP, should be recorded in the notes to the Accounting Information;
 
(d)  
deferred tax of the debtor; and
 
(e)  
liability under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another person who is not a member of the Group which would fall within (a) to (d) if the references to the debtor referred to the other person;
 
EBITDA ” means, in respect of each immediately preceding period of twelve (12) months (calculated from the date of the then most recent Accounting Information), the aggregate amount of consolidated pre-tax profits of the Group before extraordinary or exceptional items, depreciation, interest, rentals under finance leases and similar charges payable as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 
 
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Financial Indebtedness ” means, in relation to any member of the Group (the “ debtor ”), a liability of the debtor:
 
(a)  
for principal, interest or any other sum payable in respect of any moneys borrowed or raised by the debtor;
 
(b)  
under any loan stock, bond, note or other security issued by the debtor;
 
(c)  
under any acceptance credit, guarantee or letter of credit facility made available to the debtor;
 
(d)  
under a financial lease, a deferred purchase consideration arrangement (in each case, other than in respect of assets or services obtained on normal commercial terms in the ordinary course of business) or any other agreement having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money by the debtor;
 
(e)  
under any foreign exchange transaction, interest or currency swap or any other kind of derivative transaction entered into by the debtor or, if the agreement under which any such transaction is entered into requires netting of mutual liabilities, the liability of the debtor for the net amount; or
 
(f)  
under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another person which would fall within (a) to (c) if the references to the debtor referred to the other person;
 
Fixed Charges ” means, in respect of each immediately preceding period of twelve (12) months (calculated from the date of the then most recent Accounting Information), the aggregate of Interest Expenses and the portion of Consolidated Financial Indebtedness (other than balloon repayments) falling due during that period, as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 
Group ” means the Borrower and its subsidiaries (whether direct or indirect and including, but not limited to, the Owners) from time to time during the Security Period and “ member of the Group ” shall be construed accordingly;
 
Group Vessels ” means any vessel (including, but not limited to, the Ships) from time to time owned by any member of the Group (each a “ Group Vessel ”);
 
Interest Expenses ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate on a consolidated basis of all interest incurred by any member of the Group (excluding any amounts owing by one member of the Group to another member of the Group) and any net amounts payable under interest rate hedge agreements;
 
Liquid Funds ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period:
 
(a)  
cash in hand or held with banks or other financial institutions of the Borrower and/or any other member of the Group in Dollars or another currency freely convertible into Dollars, which is free of any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance and other than ordinary bankers’ liens which have not been enforced or become capable of being enforced);
 
(b)  
any other short-term financial investments which is free of any Security Interest (other than a Permitted Security Interest),
 
as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information;
 

 
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Tangible Fixed Assets ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the value (less depreciation computed in accordance with GAAP) on a consolidated basis of all tangible fixed assets of the Group as stated in the then most recent Accounting Information; and
 
Total Assets ” means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of Current Assets and Tangible Fixed Assets.
 
All expressions used in the definitions of this clause 8.5 which are not otherwise defined herein shall be construed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
 
8.6  
Pre-delivery positive undertakings
 
In relation to each Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, the Borrower undertakes and agrees with the Bank that it will or will procure that the relevant Owner will:
 
8.6.1  
Document of title to an Additional Ship
 
give irrevocable instructions to the relevant Builder to hold such Additional Ship and the builder’s certificate and any other document of title to such Additional Ship to the order and at the disposal of the Bank and ensure that the relevant Builder complies with such instructions;
 
8.6.2  
Performance of the Contract
 
duly and punctually observe and perform all the conditions and obligations imposed on it by the relevant Contract;
 
8.6.3  
Performance by Builder
 
use its best endeavours to ensure that the Builder of such Additional Ship observes and performs all conditions and obligations imposed on it by the relevant Contract and take all steps within its power to ensure that the Builder proceeds with the construction of such Additional Ship with due diligence and despatch;
 
8.6.4  
Progress of construction
 
upon the request of the Bank, advise the Bank of the progress of construction of such Additional Ship and supply the Bank with such other information as it may require regarding such Additional Ship, and the materials allocated to such Additional Ship, the relevant Contract, or otherwise relating to the construction of such Additional Ship;
 
8.6.5  
Arbitration under the Contract
 
in the event that the Builder of such Additional Ship and/or the relevant Owner resort to arbitration as provided in the relevant Contract, immediately notify the Bank in writing that such arbitration has been initiated, advise the Bank in writing of the identity of the appointed arbitrators and upon termination of the arbitration notify the Bank in writing to that effect and supply the Bank with a copy of the arbitration award and a certified English translation thereof;
 
8.6.6  
Conveyance on default
 
where such Additional Ship is (or is to be) sold in exercise of any power contained in the relevant Pre-delivery Security Assignment or otherwise conferred on the Bank, to execute, forthwith upon request by the Bank, such form of conveyance of such Additional Ship as the Bank may require;
 
8.6.7  
Enforcement of Owner’s rights
 
do or permit to be done each and every act or thing which the Bank may from time to time require to be done for the purpose of enforcing the relevant Owner’s rights under or pursuant to the relevant Contract and allow the name of the relevant Owner to be used as and when required by the Bank for that purpose;
 

 
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8.6.8  
Notification of rejection of an Additional Ship
 
notify the Bank immediately if the relevant Builder or (with the prior written consent of the Bank given pursuant to clause 8.5) the relevant Owner cancels, rescinds, repudiates or otherwise terminates the relevant Contract or purports to do so or (with the prior written consent of the Bank given pursuant to clause 8.5) the relevant Owner rejects such Additional Ship or purports to do so or if such Additional Ship shall become a Total Loss or partial loss or shall be damaged;
 
8.6.9  
Ship’s name and registration
 
register such Additional Ship provisionally or permanently under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State immediately upon Delivery, procure that (if such Additional Ship is so registered provisionally on the Delivery Date) such Additional Ship is permanently registered under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State no later than one hundred and eighty (180) days after the Delivery Date and keep such Additional Ship registered at all times from the Delivery Date under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State; and
 
8.6.10  
Mortgage
 
execute, and procure the registration of, the Mortgage relative to such Additional Ship under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State immediately upon Delivery.
 
8.7  
Pre-delivery negative undertakings
 
In relation to each Additional Ship which is a newbuilding, the Borrower hereby further undertakes and agrees with the Bank that it will not, and will procure that the relevant Owner will not without the prior written consent of the Bank (and then only subject to such conditions as the Bank may impose):
 
8.7.1  
Sale or other disposal
 
sell or agree to sell, transfer, abandon or otherwise dispose of such Additional Ship or any share or interest therein;
 
8.7.2  
Creation of Encumbrances
 
create or agree to create or permit to subsist any Encumbrance over such Additional Ship (or any share or interest therein) other than the Encumbrances created or to be created pursuant to the Security Documents;
 
8.7.3  
Variation of Contract
 
agree to any variation of the relevant Contract or any substantial variation of the specification of such Additional Ship (and for the purpose of this paragraph any extras, additions or alterations which the relevant Owner may desire to effect in the building of such Additional Ship shall be deemed to constitute a substantial variation if the cost thereof (which shall in every case be agreed in writing between the relevant Owner and the relevant Builder before the work is put in hand irrespective of whether the prior consent thereto of the Bank be required hereunder) or if the aggregate cost of the proposed work together with the cost of any work already ordered will alter the fixed price of any of such Additional Ship by an amount greater than five per cent (5%) of the said fixed price);
 
8.7.4  
Releases and waivers of Contract
 
release the relevant Builder from any of its obligations under the relevant Contract or waive any breach of the relevant Builder’s obligations thereunder or consent to any such act or omission of the relevant Builder as would otherwise constitute such breach;
 

 
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8.7.5  
Delays
 
without prejudice to clause 8.7.3, agree to any variation of the relevant Contract or the specification of such Additional Ship which would delay the time for delivery of such Additional Ship;
 
8.7.6  
Rejection and cancellation
 
either exercise or fail to exercise any right which the relevant Owner may have to reject such Additional Ship or cancel or rescind or otherwise terminate the relevant Contract provided always that any such rejection of such Additional Ship or cancellation, rescission or other termination of the relevant Contract by the relevant Owner after such consent is given shall be without responsibility on the part of the Bank who shall be under no liability whatsoever to the extent that such rejection, rescission, cancellation or termination is thereafter adjudged to constitute a repudiation or other breach of such Contract by the relevant Owner;
 
8.7.7  
Assignment of Earnings
 
assign or agree to assign otherwise than to the Bank the Earnings of such Additional Ship or any part thereof;
 
8.7.8  
Variation of a Refund Guarantee
 
agree to any variation of the relevant Refund Guarantee;
 
8.7.9  
Release and waiver of the Refund Guarantee
 
release the relevant Refund Guarantor from any of its obligations under the relevant Refund Guarantee or waive any breach of the relevant Refund Guarantor’s obligations thereunder or consent to any such act or omission of such Refund Guarantor as would otherwise constitute such breach;
 
8.7.10  
Chartering
 
let or agree to let such Additional Ship:
 
(a)  
on demise charter for any period; or
 
(b)  
by any time or consecutive voyage charter for a term which exceeds or which by virtue of any optional extensions therein contained may exceed twelve (12) months’ duration; or
 
(c)  
on terms whereby more than two months’ hire (or the equivalent) is payable in advance; or
 
(d)  
below the market rate prevailing at the time when such Additional Ship is fixed or other than on arms length terms;
 
8.7.11  
Manager
 
to appoint a manager of such Additional Ship (other than the Manager) or to terminate or amend the terms of any Management Agreement.
 
9  
Conditions
 
9.1  
Commitment
 
The obligation of the Bank to make the Commitment available shall be subject to the condition that the Bank, or its duly authorised representative, shall have received the documents and evidence set out in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
 

 
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9.2  
First Advance
 
The obligation of the Bank to make the first Advance available shall be subject to the condition that the Bank or its duly authorised representative shall have received not later than two (2) Banking Days before the day on which the Drawdown Notice for the first Advance is given, the documents and evidence specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank.
 
9.3  
All Advances
 
The obligation of the Bank to make each Advance shall be subject to the further condition that the Bank, or its duly authorised representative, shall have received on or prior to the relevant Drawdown Date of such Advance, the documents and evidence specified in Part 3 of Schedule 3 in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank.
 
9.4  
Contract Instalment Advances of Facility B
 
The obligation of the Bank to make any Advance which is a Contract Instalment Advance of Facility B shall be subject to the condition that the Bank, or its duly authorised representative, shall have received, on or prior to the day on which that Advance is intended to be made, the documents and evidence specified in Part 4 of Schedule 3 in form and substance satisfactory to the Banks.
 
9.5  
Expected Project Costs
 
The obligation of the Bank to make any Advance of Facility B for an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding constituting in part Expected Project Costs shall be subject to the further condition that the Bank, or its duly authorised representative, shall have received invoices or pro-forma invoices itemised in a written inventory which properly and accurately represents the Expected Project Costs to the satisfaction of the Bank in its reasonable discretion.
 
9.6  
General conditions precedent
 
The obligation of the Bank to make any Advance thereof shall be subject to the further conditions that, at the time of the giving of the Drawdown Notice for such Advance thereof, and at the time of the making of such Advance thereof:
 
9.6.1  
the representations and warranties contained in (i) clauses 7.1 (and so that the representation and warranty in clause 7.1.9 shall for this purpose refer to the then latest audited financial statements delivered to the Bank under clause 8.1.5), 7.2 and 7.3 and (ii) clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of the Owner’s Guarantees (and so that the representation and warranty in clause 4.1.6 of Owner’s Guarantees shall for this purpose refer to the then latest audited financial statements delivered to the Bank under clause 5.1 of the Owner’s Guarantees)   are true and correct on and as of each such time as if each was made with respect to the facts and circumstances existing at such time; and
 
9.6.2  
no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from the making of the relevant Advance thereof.
 
9.7  
Waiver of conditions precedent
 
The conditions specified in this clause 9 are inserted solely for the benefit of the Bank and may be waived by the Bank in whole or in part and with or without conditions.
 
9.8  
Further conditions precedent
 
Not later than five (5) Banking Days prior to each Drawdown Date and not later than five (5) Banking Days prior to each Interest Payment Date, the Bank may request and the Borrower shall, not later than two (2) Banking Days prior to such date, deliver to the Bank on such request further favourable certificates and/or opinions as to any or all of the matters which are the subject of clauses 7, 8, 9 and 10 of this Agreement and clauses 4 and 5 of the each Owner’s Guarantee.
 
 
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10  
Events of Default
 
10.1  
Events
 
There shall be an Event of Default if:
 
10.1.1  
Non-payment : any Security Party fails to pay any sum payable by it under any of the Security Documents or the Underlying Documents at the time, in the currency and in the manner stipulated in the Security Documents or the Underlying Documents (and so that, for this purpose, sums payable on demand shall be treated as having been paid at the stipulated time if paid within three (3) Banking Days of demand); or
 
10.1.2  
Master Swap Agreement: (a) an Event of Default or Potential Event of Default (in each case as defined in the Master Swap Agreement) has occurred and is continued under the Master Swap Agreement or (b) an Early Termination Date (as defined in the Master Swap Agreement) has occurred or been or become capable of being effectively designated under the Master Swap Agreement or (c) a person entitled to do so gives notice of an Early Termination Date under Section 6(b)(iv) of the Master Swap Agreement or (d) the Master Swap Agreement is terminated, cancelled, suspended, rescinded or revoked or otherwise ceases to remain in full force and effect for any reason; or
 
10.1.3  
Breach of Insurance and certain other obligations :  the Borrower fails to obtain and/or maintain the Insurances (as defined in, and in accordance with the requirements of, the Ship Security Documents) for any of the Mortgaged Ships or if any insurer in respect of such Insurances cancels the Insurances or disclaims liability by reason, in either case, of mis-statement in any proposal for the Insurances or for any other failure or default on the part of the Borrower or any other person or the Borrower or any Owner commits any breach of or omits to observe any of the obligations or undertakings expressed to be assumed by it under clauses 8.1 or 8.2 or 8.6 or 8.7; or
 
10.1.4  
Breach of other obligations : any Security Party commits any breach of or omits to observe any of its obligations or undertakings including without limitation, any Financial Covenants expressed to be assumed by it under any of the Underlying Documents or the Security Documents (other than those referred to in clauses 10.1.1 and 10.1.2 above) and, in respect of any such breach or omission which in the opinion of the Bank is capable of remedy, such action as the Bank may require shall not have been taken within fourteen (14) days (or any such period as the Bank may agree in writing) of the Bank notifying the relevant Security Party of such default and of such required action; or
 
10.1.5  
Misrepresentation : any representation or warranty made or deemed to be made or repeated by or in respect of any Security Party in or pursuant to any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents or in any notice, certificate or statement referred to in or delivered under any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents is or proves to have been incorrect or misleading in any material respect; or
 
10.1.6  
Cross-default : any Indebtedness of any Security Party is not paid when due or any Indebtedness of any Security Party becomes (whether by declaration or automatically in accordance with the relevant agreement or instrument constituting the same) due and payable prior to the date when it would otherwise have become due (unless as a result of the exercise by the relevant Security Party of a voluntary right of prepayment), or any creditor of any Security Party becomes entitled to declare any such Indebtedness due and payable or any facility or commitment available to any Security Party relating to Indebtedness is withdrawn, suspended or cancelled by reason of any default (however described) of the person concerned unless the relevant Security Party shall have satisfied the Bank that such withdrawal, suspension or cancellation will not affect or prejudice in any way the relevant Security Party's ability to pay its debts as they fall due and fund its commitments, or any guarantee given by any Security Party in respect of Indebtedness is not honoured when due and called upon; or
 

 
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10.1.7  
Legal process : any judgment or order made against any Security Party is not stayed or complied with within seven (7) days (or any such period as the Bank may agree in writing) or a creditor attaches or takes possession of, or a distress, execution, sequestration or other process is levied or enforced upon or sued out against, any of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of any Security Party and is not discharged within seven (7) days (or any such period as the Bank may agree in writing); or
 
10.1.8  
Insolvency : any Security Party is unable or admits inability to pay its debts as they fall due; suspends making payments on any of its debts or announces an intention to do so;  or
 
10.1.9  
Reduction or loss of capital : a meeting is convened by any Security Party for the purpose of passing any resolution to purchase, reduce or redeem any of its share capital or shares, as the case may be; or
 
10.1.10  
Winding up : any corporate action, legal proceedings or other procedure or step is taken for the purpose of winding-up any Security Party or an order is made or resolution passed for the winding up of any Security Party or a notice is issued convening a meeting for the purpose of passing any such resolution; or
 
10.1.11  
Administration : any petition is presented, notice given or other step is taken for the purpose of the appointment of an administrator of any Security Party or the Bank believes that any such petition or other step is imminent or an administration order is made in relation to any Security Party; or
 
10.1.12  
Appointment of receivers and managers : any administrative or other receiver is appointed of any Security Party or any part of its assets and/or undertaking or any other steps are taken to enforce any Encumbrance over all or any part of the assets of any Security Party; or
 
10.1.13  
Compositions : any corporate action, legal proceedings or other procedures or steps are taken, or negotiations commenced, by any Security Party or by any of its creditors with a view to the general readjustment or rescheduling of all or part of its indebtedness or to proposing any kind of composition, compromise or arrangement involving such company and any of its creditors; or
 
10.1.14  
Analogous proceedings : there occurs, in relation to any Security Party, in any country or territory in which any of them carries on business or to the jurisdiction of whose courts any part of their assets is subject, any event which, in the reasonable opinion of the Bank, appears in that country or territory to correspond with, or have an effect equivalent or similar to, any of those mentioned in clauses 10.1.7 to 10.1.13 (inclusive) or any Security Party otherwise becomes subject, in any such country or territory, to the operation of any law relating to insolvency, bankruptcy or liquidation; or
 
10.1.15  
Cessation of business : any Security Party suspends or ceases or threatens to suspend or cease to carry on its business; or
 
10.1.16  
Seizure : all or a material part of the undertaking, assets, rights or revenues of, or shares or other ownership interests in, any Security Party are seized, nationalised, expropriated or compulsorily acquired by or under the authority of any government; or
 
10.1.17  
Invalidity : any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents shall at any time and for any reason become invalid or unenforceable or otherwise cease to remain in full force and effect, or if the validity or enforceability of any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents shall at any time and for any reason be contested by any Security Party which is a party thereto, or if any such Security Party shall deny that it has any, or any further, liability thereunder; or
 
10.1.18  
Unlawfulness : it becomes impossible or unlawful at any time for any Security Party, to fulfil any of the covenants and obligations expressed to be assumed by it in any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents or for the Bank to exercise the rights or any of them vested in it under any of the Security Documents or otherwise; or
 
 
46

 
10.1.19  
Repudiation : any Security Party repudiates any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents or does or causes or permits to be done any act or thing evidencing an intention to repudiate any of the Security Documents or any of the Underlying Documents; or
 
10.1.20  
Encumbrances enforceable : any Encumbrance (other than Permitted Liens) in respect of any of the property (or part thereof) which is the subject of any of the Security Documents becomes enforceable; or
 
10.1.21  
Material adverse change : there occurs, in the opinion of the Bank, a material adverse change in the financial condition of any Security Party by reference to the financial statements referred to in clause 7.1.9 and clause 4.1.6 of the Owner’s Guarantee; or
 
10.1.22  
Arrest : any Ship is arrested, confiscated, seized, taken in execution, impounded, forfeited, detained in exercise or purported exercise of any possessory lien or other claim or otherwise taken from the possession of the Borrower or relevant Owner and the Borrower or relevant Owner shall fail to procure the release of such Ship within a period of seven (7) days (or such other period as the Bank may agree in writing) thereafter; or
 
10.1.23  
Registration : the registration of any Ship under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State is cancelled or terminated without the prior written consent of the Bank or, if any Ship is only provisionally registered on the Delivery Date for such Ship, such Ship is not permanently registered under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State within ninety (90) days after the Drawdown Date of the Advance constituting Facility A or, as the case may be, the Advance constituting the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the Advance for such Ship or if such registration of any Ship is not renewed at least forty five (45) days (or such other period as the Bank may agree in writing) prior to the expiry of such registration; or
 
10.1.24  
Unrest : the Flag State of any Ship becomes involved in hostilities or civil war or there is a seizure of power in such Flag State by unconstitutional means if, in any such case, such event could in the opinion of the Bank reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the security constituted by any of the Security Documents; or
 
10.1.25  
Environmental Incidents : there is an Environmental Incident which gives rise, or may give rise, to Environmental Claims which could, in the opinion of the Bank be expected to have a material adverse effect (i) on the business, assets, operations, property or financial condition of any Security Party or the Borrower’s Group taken as a whole or (ii) on the security constituted by any of the Security Documents or the enforceability of that security in accordance with its terms; or
 
10.1.26  
P&I : the Borrower or any Owner or any other person fails or omits to comply with any requirements of the protection and indemnity association or other insurer with which a Ship is entered for insurance or insured against protection and indemnity risks (including oil pollution risks) to the effect that any cover (including, without limitation, any cover in respect of liability for Environmental Claims arising in jurisdictions where such Ship operates or trades) is or may be liable to cancellation, qualification or exclusion at any time; or
 
10.1.27  
Parent company : any Owner ceases to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Borrower; or
 
10.1.28  
Breach of Contract : there is a material breach by the Borrower or any Owner, a Seller or a Builder of any Contract or the Borrower fails to repay any Advance of Facility B constituting (in part) Expected Project Costs representing a 10% deposit under a Contract relating to a purchase of an Additional Ship which is a second hand vessel within 7 days of the date of expiry or termination of the relevant Contract; or
 
10.1.29  
Termination or variation of a Contract : a Contract is terminated for any reason whatsoever or a Contract is frustrated or varied in any manner not permitted by or pursuant to the relevant Pre-delivery Security Assignment or this Agreement; or
 
 
47

 
10.1.30  
Termination of a Refund Guarantee : a Refund Guarantee is repudiated, cancelled, rescinded or otherwise terminated; or
 
10.1.31  
Non-Delivery of Ship :
 
a Ship is not delivered to and accepted by the Borrower or the relevant Owner under a Contract either:
 
(a)  
on or before the Termination Date (or such later date as the Bank in its absolute discretion may agree in writing); and/or
 
(b)  
on the date that it is obliged to take Delivery of the relevant Ship in accordance with any relevant Contract and its failure to take such Delivery will constitute a breach of the provisions of the relevant Contract; or
 
10.1.32  
Material events : any other event occurs or circumstance arises which, in the opinion of the Bank, is likely materially and adversely to affect either (i) the ability of any Security Party to perform all or any of its obligations under or otherwise to comply with the terms of any of the Security Documents or (ii) the security created by any of the Security Documents; or
 
10.1.33  
ISM Code : the Borrower or any Owner  or any Operator fails to comply with the requirements of the ISM Code and/or obtain and/or maintain a DOC for itself and an SMC in respect of each of the Ships in accordance with the ISM Code; or
 
10.1.34  
ISPS Code : the Borrower or any Owner or any Operator fails to comply with the requirements of the ISPS Code and/or obtain and/or maintain the certifications required in respect of each of the Ships in accordance with the ISPS Code;  or
 
10.1.35  
Managers : any Manager takes any action or institutes any proceedings or makes or asserts any claim against any Ship in exercise or purported exercise of any claim; or
 
10.1.36  
Management of Borrower :  Evangelos Pistiolis ceases to be the Chief Executive Officer of the Borrower without the Bank’s prior written consent; or
 
10.1.37  
Failure to Drawdown Delivery Date Advance : the Borrower fails to drawdown a Delivery Date Advance without the prior written consent of the Bank which shall not be unreasonably withheld; or
 
10.1.38  
Intra-Group Loans Agreements : the Borrower demands or accepts any repayments of principal or interest or any other sum payable under the Intra-Group Loan Agreements save as envisaged by clause 14.4 or takes any action against any Owner without the prior written consent of the Bank; or
 
10.1.39  
Newbuilding: the Borrower or the relevant Owner as the case may be fails to pay all instalments of the Contract Price or any part of the Contract Price not being financed under this Agreement in full and in a timely manner and otherwise in accordance with the terms of the relevant Contract for an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding or the Bank determines in its reasonable opinion that the Borrower or the relevant Owner will not be in a position to pay all such instalments of the Contract Price or any part of the Contract Price not being financed under this Agreement as aforesaid; or
 
10.1.40  
Failure to create a Mortgage: The Borrower or the relevant Owner fails to execute and register at the Registry a valid and effective Mortgage over any Additional Ship which is a newbuilding immediately following Delivery of such Additional Ship pursuant to the relevant Contract or the Bank determines in its reasonable opinion that the Borrower or the relevant Owner will not (or is unlikely to) be able and/or willing to execute and register at the Registry such Mortgage immediately upon Delivery of such Additional Ship.
 

 
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10.2  
Acceleration
 
The Bank may, without prejudice to any other rights of the Bank, at any time after the happening of an Event of Default by notice to the Borrower declare that:
 
10.2.1  
the obligation of the Bank to make the Commitment available shall be terminated, whereupon the Commitment shall be reduced to zero forthwith; and/or
 
10.2.2  
the Loan and all interest and commitment commission accrued and all other sums payable under the Security Documents have become due and payable, whereupon the same shall, immediately or in accordance with the terms of such notice, become due and payable.
 
10.3  
Demand basis
 
If, pursuant to clause 10.2.2, the Bank declares the Loan to be due and payable on demand, the Bank may by written notice to the Borrower (a) call for repayment of the Loan on such date as may be specified whereupon the Loan shall become due and payable on the date so specified together with all interest and commitment commission accrued and all other sums payable under this Agreement or (b) withdraw such declaration with effect from the date specified in such notice.
 
11  
Indemnities
 
11.1  
Miscellaneous indemnities
 
The Borrower shall on demand indemnify the Bank, without prejudice to any of the Bank's other rights under any of the Security Documents, against any loss (including loss of Margin) or expense which the Bank shall certify (which certification shall not stand in the case of manifest error) as sustained or incurred by it as a consequence of:
 
11.1.1  
any default in payment by the Borrower of any sum under any of the Security Documents when due;
 
11.1.2  
the occurrence of any other Event of Default;
 
11.1.3  
any prepayment of the Loan or part thereof being made under clause 4.4, 4.5 or 12.1, or any other repayment of the Loan or part thereof being made otherwise than on an Interest Payment Date relating to the part of the Loan prepaid or repaid; or
 
11.1.4  
any Advance not being made for any reason (excluding any default by the Bank) after the relevant Drawdown Notice for such Advance has been given,
 
including, in any such case, but not limited to, any loss or expense sustained or incurred in maintaining or funding the Loan or any part thereof or in liquidating or re-employing deposits from third parties acquired to effect or maintain the Loan or any part thereof.
 
11.2  
Currency indemnity
 
If any sum due from the Borrower under any of the Security Documents or any order or judgment given or made in relation thereto has to be converted from the currency (the “ first currency ”) in which the same is payable under the relevant Security Document or under such order or judgment into another currency (the “ second currency ”) for the purpose of (a) making or filing a claim or proof against the Borrower, (b) obtaining an order or judgment in any court or other tribunal or (c) enforcing any order or judgment given or made in relation to any of the Security Documents, the Borrower shall indemnify and hold harmless the Bank from and against any loss suffered as a result of any difference between (i) the rate of exchange used for such purpose to convert the sum in question from the first currency into the second currency and (ii) the rate or rates of exchange at which the Bank may in the ordinary course of business purchase the first currency with the second currency upon receipt of a sum paid to it in satisfaction, in whole or in part, of any such order, judgment, claim or proof.  Any amount due from the Borrower under this clause 11.2 shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sums due under or in respect of any of the Security Documents and the term “ rate of exchange ” includes any premium and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of the first currency with the second currency.
 

 
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11.3  
Environmental indemnity
 
The Borrower shall indemnify the Bank on demand and hold the Bank harmless from and against all costs, claims, expenses, losses, demands, liabilities, actions, proceedings (whether civil or criminal) penalties, fines, damages, orders or other outgoings, of whatever nature (including, without limitation, those arising under Environmental Laws) which may be suffered, incurred, paid by or made or asserted against the Bank at any time whether before or after the repayment in full of principal and interest under this Agreement relating to, or arising directly or indirectly in any manner or for any cause or reason whatsoever out of an Environmental Claim made or asserted against the Bank which would or could not have been brought if the Bank had not entered into any of the Security Documents and/or exercised any of its rights, powers and discretions thereby conferred and/or performed any of its obligations thereunder and/or been involved in any of the transactions contemplated by the Security Documents.
 
12  
Unlawfulness and increased costs
 
12.1  
Unlawfulness
 
If it is or becomes contrary to any law or regulation for the Bank to make any Advance or to maintain the Commitment or fund the Loan the Bank shall promptly give notice to the Borrower whereupon (a) the Commitment shall be reduced to zero and (b) the Borrower shall be obliged to prepay the Loan either (i) forthwith or (ii) on a future specified date not being earlier than the latest date permitted by the relevant law or regulation together with interest and commitment commission accrued to the date of prepayment and all other sums payable by the Borrower under this Agreement and/or the Master Swap Agreement.
 
12.2  
Increased costs
 
If the result of any change in, or in the interpretation or application of, or the introduction of, any law or any regulation, request or requirement (whether or not having the force of law, but, if not having the force of law, with which the Bank or, as the case may be, its holding company habitually complies), including (without limitation) those relating to Taxation, capital adequacy, liquidity, reserve assets, cash ratio deposits and special deposits, is to:
 
12.2.1  
subject the Bank to Taxes or change the basis of Taxation of the Bank with respect to any payment under any of the Security Documents (other than Taxes or Taxation on the overall net income, profits or gains of the Bank imposed in the jurisdiction in which its principal or lending office under this Agreement is located); and/or
 
12.2.2  
increase the cost to, or impose an additional cost on, the Bank or its holding company in making or keeping the Commitment available or maintaining or funding all or part of the Loan; and/or
 
12.2.3  
reduce the amount payable or the effective return to the Bank under any of the Security Documents; and/or
 
12.2.4  
reduce the Bank's or its holding company's rate of return on its overall capital by reason of a change in the manner in which it is required to allocate capital resources to the Bank's obligations under any of the Security Documents; and/or
 
12.2.5  
require the Bank or its holding company to make a payment or forgo a return on or calculated by reference to any amount received or receivable by the Bank under any of the Security Documents; and/or
 
 
50

 
12.2.6  
require the Bank or its holding company to incur or sustain a loss (including a loss of future potential profits) by reason of being obliged to deduct all or part of the Commitment or the Loan from its capital for regulatory purposes,
 
then and in each such case (subject to clause 12.3):
 
(a)  
the Bank shall notify the Borrower in writing of such event promptly upon its becoming aware of the same; and
 
(b)  
the Borrower shall on demand pay to the Bank the amount which the Bank specifies (in a certificate setting forth the basis of the computation of such amount but not including any matters which the Bank or its holding company regards as confidential) is required to compensate the Bank and/or (as the case may be) its holding company for such liability to Taxes, cost, reduction, payment, forgone return or loss.
 
For the purposes of this clause 12.2 “ holding company ” means the company or entity (if any) within the consolidated supervision of which the Bank is included.
 
12.3  
Exception
 
Nothing in clause 12.2 shall entitle the Bank to receive any amount in respect of compensation for any such liability to Taxes, increased or additional cost, reduction, payment, foregone return or loss (a) to the extent that the same is taken into account in calculating the Additional Cost or (b) to the extent that the same is the subject of an additional payment under clause 6.6.
 
13  
Security and set-off
 
13.1  
Application of moneys
 
All moneys received by the Bank under or pursuant to any of the Security Documents and expressed to be applicable in accordance with the provisions of this clause 13.1 shall be applied by the Bank in the following manner:
 
13.1.1  
first in or toward payment of all unpaid fees, commissions and expenses which may be owing to the Bank under any of the Security Documents;
 
13.1.2  
secondly in or towards payment of any arrears of interest owing in respect of the Loan or any part thereof;
 
13.1.3  
thirdly in or towards repayment of the Loan (whether the same is due and payable or not);
 
13.1.4  
fourthly in or towards payment to the Bank for any loss suffered by reason of any such payment in respect of principal not being effected on an Interest Payment Date relating to the part of the Loan repaid;
 
13.1.5  
fifthly in or towards payment to the Bank of any other sums owing to it under any of the Security Documents; and
 
13.1.6  
sixthly the surplus (if any) shall be paid to the Borrower or to whomsoever else may be entitled to receive such surplus,
 
or in such manner as the Bank may in its reasonable discretion determine.
 
13.2  
Set-off
 
13.2.1  
The Borrower authorises the Bank (without prejudice to any of the Bank's rights at law, in equity or otherwise), at any time and without notice to the Borrower, to apply any credit balance to which the Borrower is then entitled standing upon any account of the Borrower with any branch of the Bank in or towards satisfaction of any sum due and payable from the Borrower to the Bank under any of the Security Documents.  For this purpose, the Bank is authorised to purchase with the moneys standing to the credit of such account such other currencies as may be necessary to effect such application.  The Bank shall not be obliged to exercise any right given to it by this clause 13.2.  The Bank shall notify the Borrower forthwith upon the exercise or purported exercise of any right of set-off giving full details in relation thereto.
 

 
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13.2.2  
Without prejudice to its rights hereunder and/or under the Master Swap Agreement, the Bank may at the same time as, or at any time after, any Default under this Agreement or the Borrower’s default under the Master Swap Agreement, set-off any amount due now or in the future from the Borrower to the Bank under this Agreement against any amount due from the Bank to the Borrower under the Master Swap Agreement and apply the first amount in discharging the second amount.  The effect of any set-off under this clause 13.2.2 shall be effective to extinguish or, as the case may require, reduce the liabilities of the Bank under the Master Swap Agreement.
 
13.3  
Further assurance
 
The Borrower undertake that the Security Documents shall both at the date of execution and delivery thereof and so long as any moneys are owing under any of the Security Documents be valid and binding obligations of the respective parties thereto and rights of the Bank enforceable in accordance with their respective terms and that it will, at its expense, execute, sign, perfect and do, and will procure the execution, signing, perfecting and doing by each of the other Security Parties of, any and every such further assurance, document, act or thing as in the reasonable opinion of the Bank may be necessary or desirable for perfecting the security contemplated or constituted by the Security Documents.
 
13.4  
Conflicts
 
In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and any of the other Borrower's Security Documents, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.
 
14  
Accounts
 
14.1  
General
 
14.1.1  
The Borrower undertakes with the Bank that it will:
 
(a)  
on or before the Drawdown Date of the Advance constituting Facility A or the first Advance (whichever is the earlier) open or procure that there is opened by the relevant Initial Owner the relevant Operating Account and prior to the drawdown of any Advance relative to an Additional Ship open or procure that there is opened by the Owner of the relevant Additional Ship an Operating Account for that Additional Ship; and
 
(b)  
procure that all moneys payable to the Borrower and/or any Owner in respect of the Earnings (as defined in the Ship Security Documents) of the Ships shall, unless and until the Bank directs to the contrary pursuant to proviso (a) to clause 2.1 of the General Assignments, be paid to the relevant Operating Account Provided however that if any of the moneys paid to the Operating Accounts are payable in a currency other than Dollars, the Bank shall convert such moneys into Dollars at the Bank’s spot rate of exchange at the relevant time for the purchase of Dollars with such currency and the term “ spot rate of exchange ” shall include any premium and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of Dollars with such currency; and
 
(c)  
on or before the first Drawdown Date pay or procure that there is paid the sum of ten million Dollars ($10,000,000) by way of working capital to the Operating Accounts and maintain such balance in accordance with clause 8.1.16.
 
14.2  
Account Terms
 
 
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14.2.1  
Amounts standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts shall, (unless otherwise agreed between the Bank the Borrower and each of the Owners) bear interest at the rates from time to time offered by the Bank to its customers for Dollar deposits in comparable amounts for comparable periods.  Interest shall accrue on the Operating Accounts from day to day and be calculated on the basis of actual days elapsed and a 360 day year and shall be credited as appropriate to the Operating Accounts at such times as the Bank, the Borrower and each of the Owners shall agree.
 
14.2.2  
The Borrower and each of the Owners shall, unless and until a Default shall occur and the Bank shall direct to the contrary, be entitled from time to time to require that moneys for the time being standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts be transferred in such amounts and for such periods as the Borrower and each of the Owners select to fixed-term deposit accounts (“ deposit accounts ”) opened in the name of the Borrower and each of the Owners with the Bank.  The Borrower and each of the Owners shall not be entitled pursuant to clause 14.3 to withdraw moneys standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts which are the subject of a fixed term deposit until the expiry of the period of such deposit unless the Borrower and each of the Owners shall, on withdrawing such moneys, pay to the Bank on demand any loss or expense which the Bank shall certify that it has sustained or incurred as a result of such withdrawal being made prior to the expiry of the period of the relevant deposit and the Bank shall be entitled to debit the relevant Operating Account for the amount so certified prior to such withdrawal being made.  In the event that any moneys deposited are to be applied pursuant to clause 14.5, the Borrower and each of the Owners shall, on such application being made, pay to the Bank on demand any loss or expense which the Bank shall certify that it has sustained or incurred as a result of such application being made prior to the expiry of the period of the relevant deposit and the Bank shall be entitled to debit the Operating Accounts for the amount so certified prior to such application being made.  Any deposit accounts shall, for all the purposes of the Security Documents, be deemed to be sub-accounts of the Operating Accounts from which the moneys deposited in the deposit accounts were transferred and all references in the Security Documents to the Operating Account shall be deemed to include the deposit accounts deemed as aforesaid to be sub-accounts thereof.
 
14.3  
Operating Account: withdrawals
 
Unless the Bank otherwise agrees in writing, the Borrower and each of the Owners shall not be entitled to withdraw any moneys from the Operating Accounts at any time from the date of this Agreement and so long as any moneys are owing under the Security Documents save that, unless and until a Default shall occur and the Bank shall direct to the contrary, the Borrower and each of the Owners may, subject to clause 14.2.2 withdraw moneys from the Operating Accounts, provided that the aggregate amount standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts after such withdrawal does not result in a breach of the provisions of clause 8.1.16 for the following purposes:
 
14.3.1  
to pay any amount to the Bank in or towards payment of any instalments of interest or principal or any other amounts then payable pursuant to the Security Documents and to the extent that there are moneys standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts as at any Repayment Date and Interest Payment Date or other relevant date, the Borrower and each of the Owners hereby irrevocably authorise the Bank to apply such moneys in or towards payment of any instalments of interest or principal or other amounts payable pursuant to the Security Documents provided always that this shall be strictly without prejudice to the obligations of the Borrower and each of the Owners to make any such payments to the extent that the aforesaid application by the Bank is insufficient to meet the same; and
 
14.3.2  
to pay the proper and reasonable operating expenses (including costs of insuring, repairing and maintaining the Ships) of the Ships and the proper and reasonable expenses of administering the affairs of the Borrower and each of the Owners; and
 
14.3.3  
to pay any Manager’s remuneration under any Management Agreement in the amounts and at the times therein stated.
 
14.4  
Repayment under the Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
 
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The Borrower acknowledges and agrees that:
 
14.4.1  
until such time as all sums due and payable under this Agreement and each of the other Security Documents have been satisfied in full the obligation of each Owner to pay all sums of principal and interest and any other sums payable under the relevant Intra-Group Loan Agreements shall be fully satisfied by that Owner depositing the relevant sums to the credit of its Operating Account and the Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally acknowledges that all moneys from time to time standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts shall be freely available to the Bank for application in or towards payment of any instalments of principal or interest or any other amounts then due and payable pursuant to this Agreement and any of the other Security Documents; and
 
14.4.2  
at any time after the occurrence of an Event of Default, the Bank may, without notice to the Borrower or any Owner, apply all moneys then standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts (together with interest from time to time accruing or accrued thereon) in or towards satisfaction of any sums due to the Bank under the Security Documents in the manner specified in clause 13.1.
 
14.5  
Application of accounts
 
At any time after the occurrence of an Event of Default, the Bank may, without notice to the Borrower or any Owner, apply all moneys then standing to the credit of the Operating Accounts (together with interest from time to time accruing or accrued thereon) in payment to the Bank and the Bank shall apply the same in or towards satisfaction of any sums due to the Bank under the Security Documents in the manner specified in clause 13.1.
 
14.6  
Charging of Operating Accounts
 
14.6.1  
The Operating Accounts and all amounts from time to time standing to the credit thereof shall be subject to the security constituted and the rights conferred by the Operating Account Charges.
 
15  
Assignment, transfer and lending office
 
15.1  
Benefit and burden
 
This Agreement shall be binding upon, and enure for the benefit of, the Bank and the Borrower and their respective successors.
 
15.2  
No assignment by Borrower
 
The Borrower may not assign or transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement.
 
15.3  
Assignment by Bank
 
The Bank may assign all or any part of its rights under this Agreement or under any of the other Security Documents to any other bank or financial institution (an “ Assignee ”) without the consent of the Borrower.
 
15.4  
Transfer
 
The Bank may transfer all or any part of its rights, benefits and/or obligations under this Agreement and/or any of the other Security Documents to any one or more banks or other financial institutions (a “ Transferee ”) without the consent of the Borrower.
 

 
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15.5  
Documenting assignments and transfers
 
If the Bank assigns all or any part of its rights or transfers all or any part of its rights, benefits and/or obligations as provided in clause 15.3 or 15.4 the Borrower undertakes, immediately on being requested to do so by the Bank and at the cost of the Bank, to enter into, and procure that the other Security Parties shall enter into, such documents as may be necessary or desirable to transfer to the Assignee or Transferee all or the relevant part of the Bank's interest in the Security Documents and all relevant references in this Agreement to the Bank shall thereafter be construed as a reference to the Bank and/or its Assignee or Transferee (as the case may be) to the extent of their respective interests.
 
15.6  
Lending office
 
The Bank shall lend through its office at the address specified above or through any other office of the Bank selected from time to time by it through which the Bank wishes to lend for the purposes of this Agreement.  If the office through which the Bank is lending is changed pursuant to this clause 15.6, the Bank shall notify the Borrower promptly of such change.
 
15.7  
Disclosure of information
 
The Bank may disclose to a prospective Assignee, Transferee or to any other person who may propose entering into contractual relations with the Bank in relation to this Agreement such information about the Borrower as the Bank shall consider appropriate.
 
16  
Notices and other matters
 
16.1  
Notices
 
Every notice, request, demand or other communication under this Agreement or (unless otherwise provided therein) under any of the other Security Documents shall:
 
16.1.1  
be in writing delivered personally or by first-class prepaid letter (airmail if available) or facsimile transmission or other means of telecommunication in permanent written form;
 
16.1.2  
be deemed to have been received, subject as otherwise provided in the relevant Security Document, in the case of a letter, when delivered personally or three (3) days after it has been put in to the post and, in the case of a facsimile transmission or other means of telecommunication in permanent written form, at the time of despatch (provided that if the date of despatch is not a business day in the country of the addressee or if the time of despatch is after the close of business in the country of the addressee it shall be deemed to have been received at the opening of business on the next such business day); and
 
16.1.3  
be sent:
 
(a)  
to the Borrower and any Owner at:
 
c/o Top Ships Inc.
1, Vas. Sofias & Meg. Alexandrou Str.
151 24 Maroussi
Greece

Fax no:   +30 210 614 1272
Attention:   Legal Department;
 
(b)  
to the Bank at:
 
Shipping Business Centre
5-10 Great Tower Street
London
EC3P 3HX
 
Fax No:   +44 207 283 7538
Attention:  Ship Finance
 

 
55

 
or to such other address and/or numbers as is notified by one party to the other party under this Agreement.
 
16.2  
No implied waivers, remedies cumulative
 
No failure or delay on the part of the Bank to exercise any power, right or remedy under any of the Security Documents shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by the Bank of any power, right or remedy preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other power, right or remedy.  The remedies provided in the Security Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any remedies provided by law.
 
16.3  
English language
 
All certificates, instruments and other documents to be delivered under or supplied in connection with any of the Security Documents shall be in the English language or shall be accompanied by a certified English translation upon which the Bank shall be entitled to rely.
 
16.4  
Counterparts
 
This Agreement may be entered into in any number of counterparts and by the parties to it on separate counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall be an original, but all the counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
 
17  
Governing law and jurisdiction
 
17.1  
Law
 
This Agreement is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with English law.
 
17.2  
Submission to jurisdiction
 
The Borrower agrees, for the benefit of the Bank, that any legal action or proceedings arising out of or in connection with this Agreement against the Borrower or any of its assets may be brought in the English courts.  The Borrower irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the jurisdiction of such courts and irrevocably designates, appoints and empowers Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited at present of Att: Aris Christinis, 8 Duke Street, London W1U 3EW, England to receive for it and on its behalf, service of process issued out of the English courts in any such legal action or proceedings.  The submission to such jurisdiction shall not (and shall not be construed so as to) limit the right of the Bank to take proceedings against the Borrower in the courts of any other competent jurisdiction nor shall the taking of proceedings in any one or more jurisdictions preclude the taking of proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not.
 
The parties further agree that only the courts of England and not those of any other State shall have jurisdiction to determine any claim which the Borrower may have against the Bank arising out of or in connection with this Agreement.
 
IN WITNESS whereof the parties to this Agreement have caused this Agreement to be duly executed on the date first above written.                   
 

 
56

 
  Schedule 1
Part 1 - Initial Ships
                          
Ship
Owner
Country of Incorporation of Owner
Flag
Official Number
Classification Society
Classification
Ship Type
Year Built
Deadweight/TEU
Account number
“DAUNTLESS”
Lefka Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
 
Marshall Islands
2308
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Tanker for Oil ESP SPM E0 VCS-2 CSA-1 Nauticus
Products Tanker
1999
46,168
LEFSHI-USD1
“DOUBTLESS”
Falakro Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
Liberia
9363
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Products Tanker
1991
47,076
FASHOT-USD1
“ENDLESS”
Litochoro Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
2040
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Oil Tanker
1992
135,915
LITOSHIP-USD1
“FAITHFUL”
Gramos Shipping Company Inc.
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
1689
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Products Tanker
1992
45,000
GRAMSHIP-USD1
“FAULTLESS”
Parnasos Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
 
Liberia
12601
Det Norske Veritas
+A1 Tanker for oil, ESP EO PP3 Nauticus
Oil Tanker
1992
154,970
PASHICO-USD1
“FLAWLESS”
Pylio Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
 
Liberia
9475
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 tanker for oil ESP PP3 ED-SBM
Oil Tanker
1991
154,970
PYSHCO-USD1
“LIMITLESS”
Mytikas Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
 
Marshall Islands
2034
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Oil Tanker
1993
136,055
MYSHCO-USD1
“NOISELESS”
Imitos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
 
Marshall Islands
2234
Det Norske Veritas
+A1, oil carrier, ice class DO, (E) +AMS +ACCU
Oil Tanker
1992
149,554
IMSHCO-USD1
“PRICELESS”
Kisavos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
 
Marshall Islands
1598
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Tanker for oil ESP PP3 EO
Oil Tanker
1991
154,970
KISHCO-USD1
“SOUNDLESS”
Agrafa Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
 
Marshall Islands
2309
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Tanker for Oil ESP SPM E0 VCS-2 CSA-1 Nauticus
Products Tanker
1999
46,168
AGRSHI-USD1
“SPOTLESS”
Idi Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
 
Liberia
9361
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Products Tanker
1991
47,076
IDISHCO-USD1
 
 
 
57

 
“TAINTLESS”
Giona Shipping Company Limited
 
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
2307
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Tanker for Oil ESP SPM E0 VCS-2 CSA-1 Nauticus
Products Tanker
1999
47,084
GIOSHI-USD1
“TIMELESS”
Taygetus Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
 
Liberia
9480
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 tanker for oil ESP PP3 ED-SBM
Oil Tanker
1991
154,970
TASHCO-USD1
“TOPLESS”
Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
2310
Det Norske Veritas
NS MNS M0
Products Tanker
1998
47,262
AGORSHI-USD1
“VANGUARD”
Pageon Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
 
Cyprus
709465
Det Norske Veritas
+1A1 Ice-C tanker for oil ESP EO Nauticus
Products Tanker
1992
47,084
PAGSHICO-USD1

 

 
58

 

Part 2 - Additional Ship Selection Criteria
 

 
(A)  
Each Additional Ship shall:
 
1  
be a standard double hull crude oil or double hull product oil tanker;
 
2  
be aged 10 years or less on the relevant Delivery Date;
 
3  
maintain a flag and class acceptable to the Bank;
 
4  
be wholly owned by the Borrower or an Additional Owner; and
 
5  
have a purchase price which shall not exceed the Fair Market Value for such Additional Ship.
 
(B)  
The Bank shall be satisfied that Facility B relating to such Additional Ship can be repaid by the Borrower in accordance with clause 4.2 ; and
 
(C)  
Each Additional Ship shall be acceptable to the Bank in its absolute discretion.
 

 
59

 

Part 3 - Maximum amount of Intra-Group Loan per Initial Ship
 
Initial Ships
 
Maximum Amount
$
 
“DAUNTLESS”
    36,550,000.00  
“DOUBTLESS”
    10,500,000.00  
“ENDLESS”
    19,300,000.00  
“FAITHFUL”
    11,100,000.00  
“FAULTLESS”
    25,800,000.00  
“FLAWLESS”
    18,100,000.00  
“LIMITLESS”
    19,800,000.00  
“NOISELESS”
    25,800,000.00  
“PRICELESS”
    25,800,000.00  
“SOUNDLESS”
    36,550,000.00  
“SPOTLESS”
    10,500,000.00  
“TAINTLESS”
    36,550,000.00  
“TIMELESS”
    18,100,000.00  
“TOPLESS”
    34,350,000.00  
“VANGUARD”
    10,856,899.82  
      $339,656,899.82  

 

 
60

 

Part 4 - Details of Initial Owners
 
Initial Ship
Initial Owner
Country of Incorporation
Address
Shareholder
“DAUNTLESS”
Lefka Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“DOUBTLESS”
Falakro Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Borrower
“ENDLESS”
Litochoro Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“FAITHFUL”
Gramos Shipping Company Inc.
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“FAULTLESS”
Parnasos Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Borrower
“FLAWLESS”
Pylio Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Borrower
“LIMITLESS”
Mytikas Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“NOISELESS”
Imitos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“PRICELESS”
Kisavos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“SOUNDLESS”
Agrafa Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
 
Borrower
“SPOTLESS”
Idi Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Borrower
“TAINTLESS”
Giona Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
Borrower
“TIMELESS”
Taygetus Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Borrower
“TOPLESS”
Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, the Marshall Islands
Borrower
“VANGUARD”
Pageon Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
284 Arch. Makarios III Avenue, Limassol, Cyprus
Borrower

 
 
61

 
                           Schedule 2                                
Form of Drawdown Notice
(referred to in clause 2.2)
 
To:          The Royal Bank of Scotland plc
Shipping Business Centre
5-10 Great Tower Street
London
   EC3P 3HX                                                                                                                                                                                                                     2005
 
U.S.$545,656,899.82 Loan
Facility Agreement dated · 2005
 
We refer to the above Agreement and hereby give you notice that we wish to draw down the sum of [ · ] representing:
 
[Facility A]
[the Initial Revolving Amount]
[Advance(s) under Facility B]
[the Contract Instalment Advance under Facility B payable at [stage]]
[the Delivery Date Advance under Facility B]
[the Expected Project Cost under Facility B]

on { date } [and select a first Interest Period in respect thereof of [] months] [the first Interest Period in respect thereof to expire on { date }].  The funds should be credited to [name and number of account] with [details of bank in New York City] .
 
We confirm that:
 
(a)  
no event or circumstance has occurred and is continuing which constitutes a Default;
 
(b)  
the representations and warranties contained in
 
(i)  
clauses 7.1 and 7.2 of the Loan Agreement (and so that the representation and warranty in clause 7.1.9 refers for this purpose to the audited financial statements of the Borrower and the consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Related Companies in respect of the financial year ended on { date }); and
 
(ii)  
clause 4.1 and 4.2 of each Owner’s Guarantee (and so that the representation and warranty in clause 4.1.6 of each Owner’s Guarantee refers for this purpose to the consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Related Companies in respect of the financial year ended on { date };
 
(c)  
the borrowing to be effected by the drawdown of the Loan will be within our corporate powers, has been validly authorised by appropriate corporate action and will not cause any limit on our borrowings (whether imposed by statute, regulation, agreement or otherwise) to be exceeded; and
 
(d)  
there has been no material adverse change in our financial position or in the consolidated financial position of ourselves and our Related Companies from that set forth in the financial statements referred to in (b) above.
 
Words and expressions defined in the Agreement shall have the same meanings where used herein.
 
……………………………………………………….
For and on behalf of
TOP SHIPS INC
 

 
 
 
62

 

Schedule 3
Documents and evidence required as conditions precedent to the Commitment
 
(referred to in clause 9)
 
Part 1
 
(a)   
Constitutional documents
 
copies, certified by an officer of each Security Party as true, complete and up to date copies of all documents which contain or establish or relate to the constitution of that Security Party;
 
(b)   
Corporate authorisations
 
copies of resolutions of the directors and shareholders of each Security Party approving such of the Underlying Documents and the Security Documents to which such Security Party is, or is to be, party and authorising the signature, delivery and performance of such Security Party's obligations thereunder, certified (in a certificate dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) by an officer of such Security Party as:
 
(i)  
being true and correct;
 
(ii)  
being duly passed at meetings of the directors of such Security Party and other than in the case of the Borrower of the shareholders of such Security Party each duly convened and held;
 
(iii)  
not having been amended, modified or revoked; and
 
(iv)  
being in full force and effect,
 
together with originals or certified copies of any powers of attorney issued by any Security Party pursuant to such resolutions;
 
(c)   
Specimen signatures
 
copies of the signatures of the persons who have been authorised on behalf of each Security Party to sign such of the Underlying Documents and the Security Documents to which such Security Party is, or is to be, party and to give notices and communications, including notices of drawing, under or in connection with the Security Documents, certified (in a certificate dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) by an officer of such Security Party as being the true signatures of such persons;
 
(d)   
Certificates of incumbency
 
a list of directors and officers of each Security Party specifying the names and positions of such persons, certified (in a certificate dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) by an officer of such Security Party to be true, complete and up to date;
 
(e)   
Borrower’s consents and approvals
 
a certificate (dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) from an officer of the Borrower that no consents, authorisations, licences or approvals are necessary for the Borrower to authorise or are required by the Borrower in connection with the borrowing by the Borrower of the Loan pursuant to this Agreement or the execution, delivery and performance of the Borrower's Security Documents;
 

 
 
 
63

 
 
(f)   
Other consents and approvals
 
a certificate (dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) from an officer of each Security Party (other than the Borrower) that no consents, authorisations, licences or approvals are necessary for such Security Party to guarantee and/or grant security for the borrowing by the Borrower of the Commitment pursuant to this Agreement and execute, deliver and perform the Security Documents insofar as such Security Party is a party thereto;
 
(g)   
Additional documents and evidence
 
to the extent required by any change in applicable law and regulation or any changes in the Bank’s own internal guidelines since the date on which the applicable documents and evidence were delivered to the Bank pursuant to clause 8.1.12, such further documents and evidence as the Bank shall require to identify the Borrower and the other Security Parties and any other persons involved or affected by the transaction(s) contemplated by this Agreement; and
 
(h)   
Fees, commissions and expenses
 
evidence that any fee and commitment commission due pursuant to the terms of clause 5.1 or any other provision of the Security Documents and all expenses under clause 8.2 have been paid in full.

 
 
64

 

Part 2

Documents and evidence required for the First Advance being made
 
(a)   
Conditions precedent
 
evidence that the conditions precedent set out in Part 1 of Schedule 3 remain fully satisfied;
 
(b)   
Security Documents
 
the Master Swap Agreement, the Master Swap Agreement Security Deed, the Accounts Charges, the relevant Owner’s Guarantees, the Assignment of the Intra-Group Loan Agreements and the relevant Intra-Group Loan Agreement, duly executed;
 
(c)   
Legal opinions
 
(i)      Marshall Islands opinion
 
an opinion of Seward & Kissel special legal advisers to the Bank dated no earlier than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of this Agreement;
 
(ii)     Owner(s)’ opinion
 
an opinion of the Bank’s special legal advisers in each Relevant Jurisdiction with respect to the relevant Owner dated no earlier than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of this Agreement;
 
(iii)    Manager(s)’ opinion
 
an opinion of the Bank’s special legal advisers in each Relevant Jurisdiction with respect to the relevant Manager dated no earlier than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of this Agreement;
 
 (iv)    Further opinions
 
 any such further opinion as may be required by the Bank;
 
(d)   
Borrower’s process agent
 
a copy, certified as a true copy by the Borrower’s solicitors or other person acceptable to the Bank of a letter from the Borrower’s agent for receipt of service of proceedings referred to in clause 17.2 accepting its appointment under the said clause and under each of the other Security Documents in which it is or is to be appointed as the Borrower’s agent;
 
(e)   
Owner’s process agent
 
a copy, certified as a true copy by the Borrower’s solicitors or other person acceptable to the Bank of a letter from the Owner’s or the Security Party’s agent for receipt of service of proceedings referred to in, inter alia, clause 9.2 of the Owner’s Guarantee accepting its appointment under the said clause and under each of the other Security Documents in which it is or is to be appointed as the Owner’s or the Security Party’s agent;
 
(f)   
Manager’s process agent
 
a copy, certified as a true copy by the Borrower’s solicitors or other person acceptable to the Bank of a letter from the Manager’s or the Security Party’s agent for receipt of service of proceedings referred to in, inter alia, paragraph 6(b) of the Manager’s Undertaking accepting its appointment under the said clause and under each of the other Security Documents in which it is or is to be appointed as the Manager’s or the Security Party’s agent;

 
 
 
65

 
 
(g)   
Valuations
 
copies, certified by an officer of the Borrower, of valuations of each relevant Ship dated no earlier than fifteen (15) days prior to the Drawdown Date of the first Advance setting out the fair market value of each relevant Ship, such valuations to be conducted in accordance with clause 8.2.2 and each valuation to be in form and substance acceptable to the Bank;
 
(h)   
Fees, commissions and expenses
 
evidence that any fees and commission due from the Borrower pursuant to the terms of clause 5.1 or any other provision of the Security Documents and all expenses under clause 5.2 have been paid in full;
 
(i)  
Operating Accounts
 
evidence that each of the Operating Accounts has been opened together with mandates in respect thereof and the sum prescribed in clause 14.1.3 has been credited to each of the Operating Accounts (excluding the moneys representing any Borrower’s equity contribution to the relevant Contract Price);
 
(j)  
Ownership
 
evidence in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion confirming that:
 
(i)  
each Owner is the legally and beneficially wholly-owned subsidiary of the Borrower; and
 
(ii)  
the Shareholders are the legal and ultimate beneficial owners of fifteen per cent (15%) of the issued share capital of the Borrower;
 
(k)  
Financial statements and Compliance Certificate
 
the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2004 required pursuant to clause 8.1.5 and the Compliance Certificate required pursuant to clause 8.1.6 have been delivered to the Bank;
 
(l)  
Subordination of rights
 
evidence in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank in its sole discretion that all equity holders of the Borrower and/or each Owner are legally and effectively subordinated to any and all amounts due to the Bank under this Agreement and each of the other Security Documents; and
 
(m)  
Existing Loan Agreement
 
evidence that all sums due and payable under the Existing Loan Agreement have been paid and/or prepaid in full.
 

 
 
66

 

Part 3
 
Documents and evidence required as conditions precedent
 
to all Advances being made
 
(a)   
Conditions precedent
 
if an Additional Ship is a newbuilding, evidence that the conditions precedent set out in Part 1 and Part 2 of Schedule 3, remain fully satisfied;
 
(b)   
No claim
 
if an Additional Ship is a newbuilding, evidence satisfactory to the Bank that the relevant Builder (and any other party who may have a claim pursuant to the relevant Contract) has no claims against such Additional Ship or the Borrower or relevant Owner and that there have been no breaches of the terms of the relevant Contract or the Refund Guarantee or any default thereunder;
 
(c)   
No variations to Contract
 
if an Additional Ship is a newbuilding, evidence that there have been no amendments or variations agreed to the relevant Contract and that no action has been taken by the Borrower; the relevant Owner or the relevant Builder which might in any way render the relevant Contract inoperative or unenforceable, in whole or in part;
 
(d)   
No Encumbrance
 
if an Additional Ship is a newbuilding, evidence that there is no Encumbrance of any kind created or permitted by any person on or relating to the relevant Contract other than a Permitted Encumbrance;
 
(e)   
Certified Underlying Documents
 
a copy, certified (in a certificate dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the date of this Agreement) as a true and complete copy by an officer of the Borrower or relevant Owner of each of the Underlying Documents other than with respect to any Refund Guarantee which the Borrower and/or the relevant Owner shall provide in original form and which Refund Guarantee shall be in a form and substance acceptable to the Bank;
 
(f)   
Ship conditions
 
Evidence that the Ship(s) for which the relevant Advance is to be made:
 
(i)   
Registration and Encumbrances
 
is permanently or, as the case may be, provisionally registered in the name of the relevant Owner under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State through the relevant Registry and that such Ship and its Earnings, Insurances and Requisition Compensation (as defined in the relevant Ship Security Documents) are free of Encumbrances;
 
(ii)   
Classification
 
maintains the relevant Classification free of all requirements and recommendations of the relevant Classification Society; and
 
 
 
 
67

 
 
(iii)   
Insurance
 
is insured in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Ship Security Documents and all requirements of such Ship Security Documents in respect of such insurance have been complied with (including without limitation, confirmation from the protection and indemnity association or other insurer with which such Ship is, or is to be, entered for insurance or insured against protection and indemnity risks (including oil pollution risks) that any necessary declarations required by the association or insurer for the removal of any oil pollution exclusion have been made and that any such exclusion does not apply to such Ship);
 
(g)  
Cancellation
 
in respect of an Additional Ship, evidence that the prior registration of such Ship in the name of the relevant Seller has been or within a period of seven (7) days following the Delivery Date of such Ship, will be cancelled and that no Encumbrances are registered against such Ship on such prior register;
 
(h)  
Borrower’s and Owner’s further corporate authorisations
 
copies of the resolutions of the Borrower’s and relevant Owner’s directors and shareholders evidencing authorisation of the acceptance of the delivery of such Ship and authorisation and approval of the Ship Security Documents for such Ship and the transactions contemplated therein and any other documents issued or to be issued pursuant thereto and authorising their appropriate officers or other representatives to execute the same on their behalf certified in the manner referred to in paragraph (b) of Part 1 of this Schedule (or other evidence of such authorisation, approval and/or ratification) and any power of attorney issued pursuant to the said resolutions;
 
(i)  
Other further corporate authorisations
 
copies of the resolutions of the directors of each Security Party evidencing authorisation and approval of the Manager’s Undertaking for such Ship to which such Security Party is, or is to be a party and the transactions contemplated therein and any other documents issued or to be issued pursuant thereto and authorising its appropriate officer or other representative to execute the same on its behalf certified in the manner referred to in paragraph (b) of Part 1 of this Schedule (or other evidence of such authorisation, approval and/or ratification) and any power of attorney issued pursuant to the said resolutions;
 
(j)  
Updated certificates of incumbency
 
a list of directors and officers of each Security Party specifying the names and positions of such persons and copies of the signatures of the persons who have been authorised on behalf of each Security Party to sign such of the Underlying Documents and the Security Documents to which such Security Party is, or is to be, party and to give notices and communications, including notices of drawing, under or in connection with the Security Documents, certified (in a certificate dated no earlier than five (5) Banking Days prior to the Delivery Date for such Ship) by an officer of such Security Party to be, in the case of the list of directors, true, complete and up to date and, in the case of the specimen signatures, true signatures of such persons or a certificate by an officer of such Security Party that the list provided in respect of the Security Party pursuant to paragraph (d) of Part 1 of this Schedule and that the specimen signatures provided in respect of the Security Party pursuant to paragraph (c) of Part 1 of this Schedule remain true, complete and up to date;
 
(k)  
Management
 
to the extent not provided pursuant to Schedule 3, Part 1, the Manager’s Undertaking duly executed and copies, certified by an officer of the Borrower or the relevant Owner, of the Management Agreement for such Ship;
 
 
 
 
68

 
 
(l)  
Security Documents
 
the Ship Security Documents (including without limitation in the case of an Additional Ship which is a newbuilding the Pre-delivery Security Assignment) for such Ship, the Intra Group Loan Agreement, the Assignment of Intra Group Loan Agreement, the relevant Owner’s Guarantee and the relevant Account Charge duly executed;
 
(m)  
Mortgage registration
 
evidence that the Mortgage over such Ship has been registered against such Ship under the laws and flag of the relevant Flag State through the relevant Registry;
 
(n)  
Notices of assignment and acknowledgement
 
copies of duly executed notices of assignment required by the terms of such Ship Security Documents and in the forms prescribed by such Ship Security Documents;
 
(o)  
Valuations
 
a valuation (dated not more than five (5) days prior to the date of the relevant Advance) of the relevant Ship demonstrating that the market value of such Ship (or if appropriate the aggregate market value of the Ship and any other Mortgaged Ships) determined in accordance with clause 8.2.2 results in the Security Value being at least equal to the Security Requirement;
 
(p)  
Survey report
 
if so required by the Bank, a survey report by surveyors acceptable to the Bank and dated not earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the Drawdown Date of the Advance constituting Facility A or, as the case may be, the Initial Revolving Amount or, as the case may be, the relevant Advance, evidencing that such Ship is seaworthy in every respect;
 
(q)  
Evidence of subordination
 
evidence in a form and substance satisfactory to the Bank that (i) any Indebtedness of the Borrower incurred pursuant to any shareholder loan(s) and/or (ii) any part of the relevant Contract Price not advanced by way of the Loan and borrowed by the Borrower has been subordinated in all respects to the Borrower’s obligations under this Agreement and the Master Swap Agreement;
 
(r)  
ISM Code and ISPS Code
 
a copy certified as a true and complete copy by an officer of the relevant Manager of the DOC issued to the Operator and  the relevant Owner of the SMC for the relevant Ship and the International Ship Security Certificate issued by the relevant Flag State in accordance with the ISPS Code for the relevant Ship;
 
(s)  
Legal opinions
 
(i)  
an opinion of Chrysses Demetriades & Co., special legal advisers in the Republic of Cyprus to the Bank;
 
(ii)  
an opinion of Seward & Kissel, special legal advisers to the Bank on Liberian law; and
 
(iii)  
an opinion of Seward & Kissel, special legal advisers to the Bank on Marshall Islands law;
 
(iv)  
any such further opinion as may be required by the Bank;
 

 
 
 
69

 

(t)   
Insurance Opinion
 
an opinion from Messrs. BankServe Insurance Services Limited, insurance consultants to the Bank, on the insurances effected or to be effected in respect of such Ship upon and following the relevant Drawdown Date;
 
(u)  
Owner’s process agent
 
a copy, certified as a true copy by the Borrower’s solicitors or other person acceptable to the Bank of a letter from the Owner agent for receipt of service of proceedings referred to in the documents issued by such Owner accepting its appointment under the said clause;
 
(v)  
Managers’ process agent
 
a copy, certified as a true copy by the Borrower’s solicitors or other person acceptable to the Bank of a letter from the Managers’ agent for receipt of service of proceedings referred to in paragraph 6(b) of the Manager’s Undertakings accepting its appointment under the said paragraph;
 
(w)  
Manager's confirmation
 
the managers of such Ship have confirmed in writing that the representations and warranties set out in clause  7.2.11 (Environmental matters) are true and correct;
 
(x)  
Certificates of financial responsibility
 
a copy of a certificate of financial responsibility in relation to each Ship complying with the requirements of the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 or the United States Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act 1980 together with evidence of approval thereof by the relevant regulatory authorities; and
 
(y)  
Delivery Documents
 
in the case of a drawdown relating to an Additional Ship, copies of the Builder’s Certificate and/or Bill of Sale and the Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance and any other document required by the Bank in relation to the change of title of such Additional Ship; and
 
(z)  
Contract Price Payment
 
in the case of a drawdown relating to an Additional Ship, evidence that the Borrower is in a position to make payment of the difference between the relevant Advance and the Contract Price for the relevant Additional Ship.

 
 
 
70

 
Part 4
 
Additional documents and evidence required as a condition precedent to any Contract
Instalment Advance of Facility B (referred to in clause 9.4)
 
(a)  
Conditions precedent
 
evidence that the conditions precedent set out in Part 1 and Part 2 of Schedule 3, remain fully satisfied;
 
(b)  
No claim
 
evidence satisfactory to the Bank that the relevant Builder (and any other party who may have a claim pursuant to the relevant Contract) has no claims against the Additional Ship or the Borrower or relevant Owner and that there have been no breaches of the terms of the relevant Contract or the Refund Guarantee or any default thereunder;
 
(c)  
No variations to Contract
 
evidence that there have been no amendments or variations agreed to the relevant Contract and that no action has been taken by the Borrower, the relevant Owner or the relevant Builder which might in any way render such Contract inoperative or unenforceable, in whole or in part;
 
(d)  
No Encumbrance
 
evidence that there is no Encumbrance of any kind created or permitted by any person on or relating to the relevant Contract other than a Permitted Encumbrance;
 
(e)  
Equity contribution
 
evidence in a form and substance satisfactory to the Bank, that the Borrower or the relevant Owner has paid to the relevant Builder any required equity contribution for such Additional Ship;
 
(f)  
Invoices
 
a certified copy of the invoices in respect of which payment is due to the relevant Builder from the Borrower or the relevant Owner and such other evidence as the Bank may reasonably require that such payment is due and payable to such Builder;
 
(g)  
Fees, commissions and expenses
 
evidence that any fees due from the Borrower pursuant to the terms of clause 5.1 or any expenses under clause 5.2 or any other provision of the Security Documents have been paid in full; and
 
(h)  
Title documents
 
if the Additional Ship is a newbuilding copies of the Builder’s certificate and bill of sale in favour of the relevant Owner from the Builder and a protocol of delivery and acceptance duly executed and such other evidence as the Bank may reasonably require (including evidence of the Builder’s corporate authorisations to deliver title to the relevant Ship) that the relevant Owner will obtain good title to the relevant Ship on or before the relevant Delivery Date.

 
 
71

 
Schedule 4
Additional Cost
 
1  
The Additional Cost shall be calculated by the Bank in respect of each period for which it falls to be calculated in relation to the Loan in accordance with the following formula:
 
 
Y
0.01F
 = per cent per annum
100
 
Where:
 
F   = The effective per annum rate of charge payable by the Bank in respect of the Periodic Fee expressed as an amount of Sterling per £1,000,000 of its Tariff Base, calculated as being the amount of the Periodic Fee divided by the result of dividing the amount of the Bank’s Tariff Base by £1,000,000 or, in the case only of the Periodic Fee for the four month period ended 31 March 2002, the amount resulting from the foregoing calculations multiplied by three.
 
Y    =   The fraction of foreign currency liabilities taken into account under the Fees Rules in calculating the Tariff Base (disregarding any offset for claims on non-resident offices).
 
2  
For the purposes of calculating the Additional Cost:
 
(a)  
the formula is applied on the first day of each period for which it falls to be calculated (and the result shall apply for the duration of such period);
 
(b)  
each amount is rounded up to the nearest four decimal places; and
 
(c)  
if the formula produces a negative percentage, the percentage shall be taken as zero.
 
3  
If alternative or additional financial requirements are imposed by the Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority or any other United Kingdom governmental authority or agency which in the Bank’s opinion make the formula no longer appropriate, the Bank shall be entitled by notice to the Borrower to stipulate such other formula as shall be suitable to apply in substitution for the formula.  Any such other formula so stipulated shall take effect in accordance with the terms of such notice.
 
4  
In this Schedule 4:
 
(a)  
Fees Rules ” means the then current rules on periodic fees contained in the Supervision manual of the Financial Services Authority’s Handbook of rules and guidance or such other law or regulation as may be in force from time to time in respect of the payment of fees for the regulation of the accepting of deposits;
 
(b)  
Fee Tariffs ” means the fee tariffs most recently published by the Financial Services Authority in the Fees Rules in respect of activity group A.1 Deposit acceptors therein;
 
(c)  
Periodic Fee ” means the periodic fee for the period to which the Fee Tariffs relate payable to the Financial Services Authority under the Fees Rules by the Bank in respect of its being in the activity group A.1 Deposit acceptors in the Fees Rules;
 
(d)  
Sterling ” means the lawful currency of the United Kingdom; and
 
(e)  
Tariff Base ” has the meaning given to it in the Fees Rules in respect of activity group A.1 Deposit acceptors therein and the period to which the Fee Tariffs relate, and will be calculated in accordance therewith.
 
 
 
72

 
 
Schedule 5
Form of Compliance Certificate
 

To:          The Royal Bank of Scotland plc
Shipping Business Centre
5-10 Great Tower Street
London
EC3P 3HX
 

From:      Top Ships Inc. (the “ Company ”)
2005

Facilities Agreement dated [ · ] 2005 (the “Facilities Agreement”)
 
Terms defined in the Corporate Guarantee shall have the same meaning when used herein.
 
We, [  ] and [  ], each being a director of the Company, refer to clause 8.5 of the Facilities Agreement and hereby certify that, as at [ insert date of accounts ] and on the date hereof:
 
1  
Financial Covenants
 
(a)  
the Company’s Adjusted Net Worth is not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) and exceeds thirty five per cent (35%) of Total Assets; and
 
(b)  
EBITDA of the Company exceeds one hundred and twenty per cent (120%) of the aggregate amount of Fixed Charges;
 
(c)  
the Liquid Funds of the Guarantor are not less than the higher of:
 
(i)  
ten million Dollars ($10,000,000); or
 
(ii)  
five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) per Group Vessel.
 
and we hereby confirm that the above comply with the provisions of clause 8.5 of the Facilities Agreement.
 
2  
Default
 
[No Default has occurred and is continuing]
 
or
 
[The following Default has occurred and in continuing: [ provide details of Default ].  [The following steps are being taken to remedy it: [ provide details of steps being taken to remedy Default ]].
 


Signed:             ……………………….
         [Authorised Signatory]
 

73

Schedule 6
Master Swap Agreement and Novation Agreement
 
74

Schedule 7
Form of Master Swap Agreement Security Deed
 
75


Schedule 8
Form of Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
76


Schedule 9
Form of Assignment of Intra-Group Loan Agreements
 
77


Schedule 10
Form of Owner’s Guarantee
 
 
78

Schedule 11
Forms of Mortgages
 

Part 1
Form of Cyprus Mortgage
79


Part 2
Form of Liberian/Marshall Islands Mortgage
 

 
80

Schedule 12
Form of Deed of Covenant
 


 
81

Schedule 13
Forms of General Assignments
 

Part 1
Form of Cyprus General Assignment

82

Part 2
Form of Liberian/Marshall Island General Assignment
 
83



Schedule 14
Form of Operating Accounts Charge
 

 
 
 
84

 

Schedule 15
Form of Manager’s Undertaking
 



 
 
85

 


The Borrower
   
     
SIGNED by
)
 
for and on behalf of
)
 
TOP SHIPS INC
)
 
pursuant to a
)
 
power of attorney dated
)
 
   
........................................
   
Attorney-in-fact
     
     
The Bank
   
     
SIGNED by
)
 
for and on behalf of
)
 
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc
)
 
pursuant to a power
)
 
of attorney dated
)
.........................................
   
Attorney-in-fact
     
     

 
86

 
 

SIGNED by
for and on behalf of
TOP SHIPS INC.
pursuant to
board resolutions dated 25 March 2008
)
)
)
)
)
 
 
 
 
/s/Theodora Hitropetrou
Authorized signatory
       
/s/Eirini Alexandropoulou
Erini Alexandropoulou
Attorney-at-law
     
       
SIGNED by Stephen Moorby
the duly authorized signatory
for and on behalf of
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc
)
)
)
)
 
 
 
/s/Stephen Moorby      
Authorised signatory
       
 
 

 
87  

 

EXHIBIT 4.77

EXECUTION VERSION
 
Dated as of April 24, 2008
 
JAPAN II SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
as Borrower,
 
TOP SHIPS INC.,
as Guarantor,
 
THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS NAMED HEREIN,
as Lenders,
 
DVB BANK AG,
as Swap Bank,
 
and
 
 
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.,
as Agent and Security Trustee
 
_______________________________________________________
 
LOAN AGREEMENT
______________________________________________________
 
Relating to a Senior Secured Term Loan Facility of up to $48,000,000
 

 

 

 
WATSON, FARLEY & WILLIAMS (NEW YORK) LLP
100 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017
 

 

 

INDEX
 
Clause
Page
 
1
INTERPRETATION
1
     
2
FACILITY
19
     
3
DRAWDOWN
19
     
4
INTEREST
21
     
5
INTEREST PERIODS
22
     
6
DEFAULT INTEREST
23
     
7
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
24
     
8
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
27
     
9
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
28
     
10
COVENANTS
33
     
11
GUARANTY
41
     
12
PAYMENTS AND CALCULATIONS
43
     
13
APPLICATION OF RECEIPTS
45
     
14
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
47
     
15
FEES AND EXPENSES
50
     
16
INDEMNITIES
51
     
17
NO SET-OFF OR TAX DEDUCTION
54
     
18
ILLEGALITY
55
     
19
ASSIGNMENTS AND PARTICIPATIONS; CHANGES IN LENDING OFFICE
58
     
20
VARIATIONS, WAIVERS, ETC.
59
     
21
NOTICES
60
     
22
SUBORDINATION
61
     
23
SUPPLEMENTAL
61
     
24
THE AGENT AND THE SECURITY TRUSTEE
62
     
25
LAW AND JURISDICTION
65
     
26
PATRIOT ACT
66
     
27
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
67
     
 
SCHEDULE 1
INITIAL LENDERS AND COMMITMENTS
SCHEDULE 2
IRREVOCABLE DRAWDOWN NOTICE
SCHEDULE 3
CONDITION PRECEDENT DOCUMENTS
 

 
i

 
 
APPENDIX A
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
APPENDIX B
FORM OF EARNINGS ASSIGNMENT
APPENDIX C
FORM OF INSURANCE ASSIGNMENT
APPENDIX D
FORM OF CHARTER ASSIGNMENT
APPENDIX E
FORM OF MANAGER’S UNDERTAKING
APPENDIX F
FORM OF MORTGAGE
APPENDIX G
FORM OF NOTE
APPENDIX H
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT AND ACCEPTANCE

 

 
ii

 

THIS LOAN AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made as of April 24, 2008
 
AMONG
 
(1)
JAPAN II SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a Liberian corporation (the “ Borrower ”);
 
(2)           TOP SHIPS INC., a Marshall Islands corporation (the “ Guarantor ”);
 
(3)
THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS LISTED ON THE SIGNATURE PAGES HEREOF (each, an “ Initial Lender ”);
 
(4)
DVB BANK AG, acting through its office at Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 2-14, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, as Swap Bank (together with its successors and permitted assigns, the “ Swap Bank ”); and
 
(5)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V., with offices at Zeelandia Office Park, Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14, P.O. Box 3107, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, as Agent (together with its successors and permitted assigns, the “ Agent ”) and Security Trustee (together with its successors and permitted assigns, the “ Security Trustee ”).
 
WHEREAS , the Lenders have agreed to make available to the Borrower on the terms and conditions set forth herein a senior secured term loan facility in the aggregate principal amount of up to $48,000,000 for the purpose of partially financing the purchase of the Ship; and
 
WHEREAS , the Borrower may request the Swap Bank to enter into swap agreements with the Borrower on the 2002 ISDA form, as amended, to hedge the Borrower’s exposure to interest rate fluctuations under this Agreement.
 
IT IS AGREED as follows:
 
1  
INTERPRETATION
 
1.1  
Definitions .  Subject to Clause 1.5, in this Agreement and the other Finance Documents:
 
Actual Drawdown Date ” means, in respect of the Advance of all of the Loan available under this Agreement, the date on which that Advance is actually made;
 
Advance ” means the advance by the Lenders of all of the Loan available under this Agreement;
 
Affected Lender ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 4.5;
 
Affiliate ” means, as to any person, any other person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such person or is a director or officer of such person, and for purposes of this definition, the term “ control ” (including the terms “ controlling ”, “ controlled by ” and “ under common control with ”) of a person means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to vote 50% or more of the voting stock of such person or to direct or cause direction of the management and policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting stock, by contract or otherwise;
 

 
1

 

Agent ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Agreement ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Approved Charter ” means (a) any time charter entered into from time to time by the Borrower or any charterer with respect to the Ship; provided that such time charter does not have, and does not contain any extension or renewal provisions enabling it to have, a duration of more than 13 months and is otherwise in form and substance acceptable to the Agent; or (b) any bareboat charter entered into from time to time by the Borrower or any charterer; provided that written consent of the Majority Lenders is obtained prior to entering into such bareboat charter; (c) the Initial Approved Charter; or (d) any Option B Time Charter;
 
Approved Charterer ” means (a) in the case of the charterer pursuant to the Initial Approved Charter, Armada (Singapore) Pte Ltd., or (b) in each other case, any charterer or subcharterer of the Ship, and each other person entitled to the possession or to direct the use of the Ship and claiming by, through or under the Borrower or other charterer of the Ship, that shall not be an Affiliate of either Obligor and shall be otherwise acceptable to the Agent;
 
Approved Flag ” means Liberian flag or such other flag acceptable to the Majority Lenders, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld;
 
Approved Manager ” means any of (a) Top Tanker Management Inc., but if Top Tanker Management shall subcontract any management services in relation to the Ship to any person, such person shall be an Approved Technical Submanager and such subcontract shall have been approved by the Agent; (b) V.Ships Management Limited, (c) GI Ship Management or (d) any other manager as the may be approved from time to time in writing by the Agent;
 
Approved Technical Submanager ” means any of (a) V.Ships Management Limited, (b) GI Ship Management and (c) any other technical ship management company approved from time to time by the Agent, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld;
 
Assignment and Acceptance ” means an assignment and acceptance entered into by a Lender and an assignee of such Lender, and accepted by the Agent, in substantially the form of Appendix H;
 
Availability Period ” means the period commencing on and including the Effective Date and ending on and including May 15, 2008;
 
Broker ” means an experienced independent sale and purchase broker selected by the Agent and acceptable to the Majority Lenders for the purpose of valuing the Ship, at the expense of the Borrower, and who shall act as an expert and not as arbitrator and whose valuation shall be conclusive and binding on all parties to this Agreement;
 
Borrower ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Business Day ” means a day on which dealings are carried out in the London Interbank Market and that is also a day on which commercial banks are not authorized or required to close in Athens, Greece; Piraeus, Greece; New York, New York; Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles; or Frankfurt, Germany;
 

 
2

 

Charter Assignment ” means an assignment of each charter with respect to the Ship in the form set out in Appendix D;
 
Classification Society ” means Bureau Veritas or such other classification society as may be approved from time to time in writing by the Agent with the consent of the Majority Lenders, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld;
 
Collateral ” means all property (including any proceeds thereof) referred to in the Finance Documents that is or is intended to be subject to any lien in favor of the Security Trustee, for the benefit of the Lenders and the Swap Bank, securing the obligations of the Borrower or the Guarantor under this Agreement or any other Finance Documents;
 
Commitment ” means, with respect to each Lender, the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 1 or, if such Lender has entered into an Assignment and Acceptance, set forth for such Lender in the Register, in each case as such may be reduced in accordance with this Agreement;
 
Compliance Certificate ” means the certificate executed by the Guarantor’s chief financial officer in the form set out in Appendix A;
 
Confirmation ” has the meaning given such term in the Master Agreement;
 
Consent and Agreement ” means each consent and agreement executed and delivered by a charterer pursuant to any Charter Assignment;
 
Contractual Currency ” has the meaning given such term in Clause  1.1 ;
 
Credit Parties ” means the Lenders, the Agent, the Security Trustee and the Swap Bank;
 
Designated Transaction ” means a Transaction which fulfills the following requirements:
 
 
(a)
it is entered into by the Borrower and the Swap Bank pursuant to the Master Agreement;
 
 
(b)
its purpose is to hedge the Borrower’s exposure under this Agreement to fluctuations in the interest rate arising from the funding of the Advance; and
 
 
(c)
the notional principal amount of such Transaction, together with all other continuing Designated Transactions, does not and in the future (taking into account the scheduled amortization thereof) will not exceed the aggregate amount of the Loan scheduled to be outstanding from time to time;
 
Dollars ” and “ $ ” means the lawful currency of the United States of America from time to time;
 
Drawdown Notice ” means a notice in the form set out in Schedule 2 hereto (or in any other form which the Agent approves or reasonably requires);
 
Earnings ” means all moneys whatsoever that are now, or later become, payable (actually or contingently) to the Borrower and that arise out of the use or operation of the Ship, including:
 

 
3

 

 
 
(a)
all freight, hire and passage moneys, compensation payable to the Borrower in the event of requisition of the Ship for hire, remuneration for salvage and towage services, demurrage and detention moneys and damages for breach (or payments for variation or termination) of any charterparty or other contract for the employment of the Ship;
 
 
(b)
all moneys that are at any time payable under Insurances in respect of loss of earnings; and
 
 
(c)
if and whenever the Ship is employed on terms whereby any moneys falling within paragraph (a) or (b) above are pooled or shared with any other person, that proportion of the net receipts of the relevant pooling or sharing arrangement that is attributable to the Ship;
 
Earnings Assignment ” means an assignment of the Earnings and any Requisition Compensation in the form set out in Appendix B;
 
Effective Date ” means the date of this Agreement;
 
Eligible Assignee ” means:
 
 
(a)
any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States, or any State thereof, and having total assets in excess of $1,000,000,000;
 
 
(b)
any commercial bank organized under the laws of any other country that is a member of the OECD or has concluded special lending arrangements with the International Monetary Fund Associated with its General Arrangements to Borrow, or a political subdivision of any such country, and having total assets in excess of $1,000,000,000, so long as such bank is acting through a branch or agency located in the United States or in the country in which it is organized or another country that is described in this paragraph (b);
 
(c)           the central bank of any country that is a member of the OECD;
 
 
(d)
any finance company, insurance company or other financial institution or fund (whether a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity) that (i) is not affiliated with the Borrower, (ii) is engaged in making, purchasing or otherwise investing in commercial loans in the ordinary course of its business and (iii) has total assets in excess of $1,000,000,000; and
 
 
(e)
any other person (other than an Affiliate of the Borrower or the Guarantor) approved by the Agent and the Borrower and having assets in excess of $1,000,000,000, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld;
 
Environmental Law ” means any law relating to pollution or protection of the environment, to the carriage of Environmentally Sensitive Material or to actual or threatened releases of Environmentally Sensitive Material;
 
Environmental Permit ” means any permit, approval, identification number, license or other authorization required under any Environmental Law;
 

 
4

 

Environmentally Sensitive Material ” means oil, oil products and any other substance (including any chemical, gas or other hazardous or noxious substance) that is (or is capable of being or becoming) polluting, toxic or hazardous;
 
Estate ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 24.1;
 
Event of Default ” means any of the events or circumstances described in Clause 14.1;
 
Expected Drawdown Date ” means, in respect of the Advance, the date requested by the Borrower in the Drawdown Notice for such Advance to be made, but in no event later than May 15, 2008;
 
Fair Market Value ” means the market value of the Ship determined by the Broker, with or without a physical inspection of the Ship, on the basis of a sale for prompt delivery, for cash, at arm’s length, on normal commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer and free of any charter or other contract of employment and with no value to be given to any pooling arrangements;
 
Finance Document ” means each of:
 
(a)           this Agreement;
 
(b)           the Notes;
 
(c)           the Master Agreement;
 
(d)           the Manager’s Undertakings;
 
(e)           the Consents and Agreements; and
 
(f)           the Security Documents;
 
Financial Indebtedness ” means, in relation to any person, a liability of such person:
 
 
(a)
for principal, interest or any other sum payable in respect of any moneys borrowed or raised by such person;
 
 
(b)
under any bond, note or other security issued by such person;
 
 
(c)
under any acceptance credit, guarantee or letter of credit facility made available to such person;
 
 
(d)
under a financial lease, a deferred purchase consideration arrangement or any other agreement having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money by such person;
 
 
(e)
under any interest or currency swap or any other kind of derivative transaction entered into by such person or, if the agreement under which any such transaction is entered into requires netting of mutual liabilities, the liability of such person for the net amount; or
 

 
5

 

 
(f)
under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by such person in respect of a liability of another person which would fall within any of paragraphs (a) through (e) above, inclusive, if the references to such person referred to such other person;
 
First Repayment Date ” means the date which is three months after the Actual Drawdown Date;
 
Group ” means, together, the Guarantor and its subsidiaries and “ member of the Group ” means any of them;
 
Guaranteed Obligations ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 11.1;
 
Guarantor ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Guaranty ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 11.1;
 
Initial Aggregate Commitment ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 2.1;
 
Initial Approved Charter ” means the time charter party entered or to be entered into between the Borrower and Armada (Singapore) Pte Ltd. with respect to the Vessel as described in the recap dated March 14, 2008, having a term between eleven and fourteen months and otherwise in form and substance acceptable to the Agent;
 
Initial Lender ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Insurances ” means:
 
 
(a)
all policies and contracts of insurance, including entries of the Ship in any protection and indemnity or war risks association, that are effected in respect of the Ship, her Earnings or otherwise in relation to her; and
 
 
(b)
all rights and other assets relating to, or derived from, any of the foregoing, including any rights to a return of a premium;
 
Insurance Assignment ” means an assignment of the Insurances in the form set out in Appendix C;
 
Interest Period ” means a period determined in accordance with Clause 5;
 
ISM Code ” means in relation to its application to the Borrower, the Approved Manager (technical), any Approved Technical Submanager, the Ship and its operation:
 
 
(a)
the International Safety Management Code (including the guidelines on its implementation) adopted by the International Maritime Organization (“ IMO ”) as Resolution A.741(18) and Resolution A.913(22) (superseding Resolution A.788(19)) (and the terms “ safety management system ”, “ Safety Management Certificate ” and “ Document of Compliance ” have the same meanings as are given to them in the ISM Code); and
 

 
6

 

 
(b)
all further resolutions, circulars, codes, guidelines, regulations and recommendations which are now or in the future issued by or on behalf of the IMO or any other entity with responsibility for implementing the ISM Code;
 
as the same may be amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time;
 
ISM Code Documentation ” includes:
 
 
(a)
the Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate issued pursuant to the ISM Code in relation to the Ship within the periods specified by the ISM Code;
 
 
(b)
all other documents and data that are relevant to the safety management system and its implementation and verification that the Agent may require; and
 
 
(c)
all other documents that are prepared or that are otherwise relevant to establish and maintain the Ship’s compliance or the compliance of the Borrower, the Approved Manager (technical) or any Approved Technical Submanager with the ISM Code that the Agent may require;
 
ISM Responsible Person ” means:
 
 
(a)
each and every person who has assumed responsibility for the operation of the Ship and has agreed to take over or is required to assume responsibility for the performance or observance of the duties and responsibilities imposed by the ISM Code; and
 
 
(b)
each and every person ashore who is a ‘designated person’ for the purposes of the ISM Code with direct access to the highest level of management of the Ship’s owner or operator and who, in that capacity, has under the ISM Code responsibility and authority which includes:
 
 
(i)
monitoring the safety and pollution prevention aspects of the operation of the Ship; and
 
 
(ii)
ensuring that adequate resources and shore based support are supplied, as required, in each case, under the ISM Code;
 
ISPS Code ” means, in relation to its application to the Borrower, the Approved Manager (technical), any Approved Technical Submanager, the Ship and its operation, the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code constituted pursuant to resolution A.924(22) of the IMO adopted by a Diplomatic Conference of the IMO on Maritime Security on 13 December 2002 and now set out in Chapter XI-2 of the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) 1974 (as amended);
 
Junior Amending and Restating Agreement ” means the Amending and Restating Agreement, dated December 21, 2007, among (i) Jeke Shipping Company Limited, Noir Shipping S.A., Amalfi Shipping Company Limited, as joint and several borrowers, (ii) Top Ships Inc. and the Borrower, as security parties, (ii) the lenders defined therein, and (iv) DVB Bank America N.V. as agent and Junior Security Trustee.
 

 
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Junior Assignment ” means a second priority general assignment in form and substance acceptable to the Agent and to be executed and delivered by the Borrower in favor of the Junior Security Trustee to grant to the Junior Security Trustee, among other things, a second-priority security interest in the earnings and insurances related to the Ship as security for certain obligations related to the Junior Loan Agreement;
 
Junior Guarantee ” means the Guarantee, dated December 21, 2007, between the Borrower and the Junior Security Trustee;
 
Junior Loan Agreement ” means the Loan Agreement, dated November 8, 2007, as amended by letter agreements dated November 9, 2007 and November 29, 2007, amended and restated pursuant to the Junior Amending and Restating Agreement, among (i) Jeke Shipping Company Limited, Noir Shipping Company S.A. and Amalfi Shipping Company Limited, as joint and several borrowers, (ii) the lenders defined therein, and (iii) DVB Bank America N.V. as agent and security trustee, pursuant to which the lenders defined therein agreed to make available to Jeke Shipping Company Limited, Noir Shipping Company S.A. and Amalfi Shipping Company Limited a secured bridge loan facility in the principal amount of up to $35,000,000 for the purpose of, among other things, assisting them with the financing the M/V’s OCEAN SPIRIT and SALMAS;
 
Junior Loan Document ” means each of the Junior Amending and Restating Agreement, the Junior Guarantee and the Junior Security Documents;
 
Junior MOA Assignment ” means the MOA Assignment, dated November 29, 2007, between the Borrower and the Junior Security Trustee;
 
Junior Mortgage ” means a second preferred Liberian mortgage in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent to be granted by the Borrower to the Junior Security Trustee on the Ship as security for certain obligations related to the Junior Loan Agreement;
 
Junior Security Trustee ” means the “Security Trustee” as such term is defined in the Junior Loan Agreement;
 
Junior Security Document ” means each of the Junior Assignment, the Junior MOA Assignment and the Junior Mortgage;
 
Lender ” means each Initial Lender and each person that shall become a party hereto pursuant to Clause 19.2;
 
Lending Office ” means, with respect to any Lender, the office of such Lender specified as its “Lending Office” under its name on Schedule 1 or in the Assignment and Acceptance pursuant to which it shall have become a Lender, or such other office of such Lender as such Lender may from time to time specify to the Borrower and the Agent;
 
LIBOR ” means, for an Interest Period:
 
 
(a)
the rate per annum equal to the offered quotation for deposits in Dollars for a period equal to, or as near as possible equal to, the relevant Interest Period which appears on Reuters BBA Page LIBOR 01 at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for that Interest Period (and, for the purposes of this Agreement, “ BBA Page
 

 
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LIBOR 01 means that Reuters’ page or such other page as may replace that page on that service for the purpose of displaying rates comparable to that rate or on such other service as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying British Bankers’ Association Interest Settlement Rates for Dollars) provided that should there be a discrepancy between the rate appearing on BBA Page LIBOR 01 mentioned above and the actual rate at which deposits in Dollars are offered by leading banks in the London Interbank Market the “actual” rate (determined in its absolute discretion, acting reasonably) available to the Agent shall be the rate used in determining LIBOR; or
 
 
 
(b)
if no rate is quoted on BBA Page LIBOR 01, the rate per annum determined by the Agent to be the arithmetic mean (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the nearest one-sixteenth of one percent) of the rates per annum notified to the Agent by each Reference Bank as the rate at which deposits in Dollars are offered to that Reference Bank by leading banks in the London Interbank Market at that Reference Bank’s request at or about 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for that Interest Period for a period equal to that Interest Period and for delivery on the first Business Day of it;
 
Loan ” means the principal amount for the time being outstanding under this Agreement;
 
Major Casualty ” means any casualty to the Ship in respect of which the claim or the aggregate of the claims against all insurers, before adjustment for any relevant franchise or deductible, exceeds $750,000 or the equivalent in any other currency;
 
Majority Lenders ” means, at any time, Lenders holding at least 67% of the then aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan or, if no such principal amount is then outstanding, Lenders having at least 67% of the aggregate amount of the Commitments then effect;
 
Manager’s Undertaking ” means the letter executed or to be executed by the Approved Manager or the Approved Technical Submanager, if any, of the Ship, in each case in the form set out in Appendix E;
 
Margin ” means 1.75 percent per annum for the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on, but not including, the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date, and 1.50 percent per annum thereafter;
 
Margin Stock ” has the meaning specified in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and any successor regulations thereto as in effect from time to time;
 
Master Agreement ” means the Master Agreement (on the 2002 ISDA Master Agreement form) between the Borrower and the Swap Bank, pursuant to which the Borrower may enter into certain Transactions pursuant to separate Confirmations providing for, among other things, the payment of certain amounts by the Borrower to the Swap Bank to hedge the Borrower’s exposure to interest rate fluctuations under this Agreement;
 
Maturity Date ” means the fifth anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date;
 

 
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Memorandum of Agreement ” means the Memorandum of Agreement, dated August 7, 2007, and Addendum No. 1 thereto dated August 14, 2007, Addendum No. 2 thereto dated January 30, 2008, and Addendum No. 3 thereto, in each case among Nisshin Shipping Co., Ltd. and Ratu Shipping Co., S.A., as sellers, and the Borrower, as buyer, relating to the Ship;
 
Mortgage ” means the first preferred mortgage on the Ship in the form set out in Appendix F;
 
Negotiation Period ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 4.7;
 
Note ” means, if requested by a Lender, a promissory note of the Borrower, substantially in the form of Appendix G, payable to the order of such Lender and evidencing the aggregate indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender under this Agreement;
 
Obligor ” means each of the Borrower and the Guarantors;
 
OFAC ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 9.16;
 
Option B ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 7.1;
 
Option B Time Charter   has the meaning given such term in Clause 7.1;
 
Outstanding Indebtedness ” means the aggregate of all sums of money at any time and from time to time owing by the Borrower to the Lenders under or pursuant to this Agreement and the other Finance Documents (or any of them), including any and all amounts owed under Clause 15 of this Agreement;
 
PATRIOT Act ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 8.1;
 
Payment Currency ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 16.5;
 
Pertinent Jurisdiction ” means, in relation to a company:
 
(a)           the country under the laws of which the company is incorporated or formed;
 
 
(b)
a country in which the company’s central management and control is or has recently been exercised;
 
 
(c)
a country in which the overall net income of the company is subject to corporation tax, income tax or any similar tax;
 
 
(d)
a country in which assets of the company (other than securities issued by, or loans to, related companies) having a substantial value are situated, in which the company maintains a permanent place of business, or in which a Security Interest created by the company must or should be registered to ensure its validity or priority;
 
 
(e)
a country the courts of which have jurisdiction to make a winding-up, administration or similar order in relation to the company or would have such jurisdiction if their assistance were requested by the courts of a country referred to in paragraph (b) or (c) of this definition; and
 

 
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(f)
any political subdivision of any of the foregoing;
 
Potential Event of Default ” means an event or circumstance that, with the giving of any notice, the lapse of time, a determination of the Majority Lenders or the satisfaction of any other condition, would constitute an Event of Default;
 
Principal Subsidiary ” means, in respect of the Borrower and the Guarantor, a subsidiary of the Borrower or the Guarantor, as the case may be, whose total assets represent not less than 10% of the consolidated total assets of the Borrower or the Guarantor, as the case may be, as calculated by reference to the most recent audited annual financial statements of each of such subsidiary and the Borrower or the Guarantor, as the case may be;
 
Quotation Date ” means, in relation to any Interest Period (or any other period for which an interest rate is to be determined under any provision of a Finance Document), two Business Days before the first day of that period, unless market practice differs in the Relevant Interbank Market for the currency of the Loan, in which case the Quotation Date for that currency will be determined by the Agent in accordance with market practice in the Relevant Interbank Market (and if quotations would normally be given by leading banks in the Relevant Interbank Market on more than one day, the Quotation Date will be the last of those days);
 
Ratable Portion ” means, as to any Lender at any time, a fraction (expressed as a percentage) the numerator of which is the Commitment of such Lender at such time and the denominator of which is the sum of all Commitments at such time; provided that if the Ratable Portion of any Lender is to be determined after the total Commitment has been terminated, then the percentages of the Lenders shall be determined immediately prior (and without giving effect) to such termination;
 
Reference Banks ” means, for purposes of LIBOR, the reference banks chosen from time to time by the British Bankers’ Association;
 
Register ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 19.2(c);
 
Relevant Interbank Market ” means the London interbank market;
 
Relevant Ships ” has the meaning given such term in the definition of “Total Market Value Adjusted Assets” in Clause 1.2;
 
Repayment Date ” means a date on which a repayment is required to be made under Clause 7 or 10.3;
 
Required Fair Market Value ” means, at any time, the sum of:
 
(a)           the unpaid principal amount of the Loan outstanding at such time; and
 
 
(b)
the amount that would be payable by the Borrower pursuant to Section 6(e)(i) of the Master Agreement if an Early Termination Date (as such term is defined in the Master Agreement) were deemed to have occurred in relation to all Designated Transactions existing at such time following an Event of Default by the Borrower;
 

 
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Requisition Compensation ” includes all compensation or other moneys payable by reason of any act or event such as is referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of “Total Loss”;
 
Screen Rate ” means, in relation to LIBOR, the British Bankers’ Association Interest Settlement Rate for the relevant currency and period displayed on the appropriate page of the Reuters screen; provided that , if such page is replaced or service ceases to be available, the Agent may specify another page or service displaying the appropriate rate after consultation with the Borrower and the Majority Lenders;
 
Secured Liabilities ” means all liabilities which the Obligors or either of them have or shall have, at the date of this Agreement or at any later time or times, under or by virtue of the Finance Documents or any judgment relating to the Finance Documents, and for this purpose, there shall be disregarded any total or partial discharge of these liabilities, or variation of their terms, that is or shall be effected by, or in connection with, any bankruptcy, liquidation, arrangement or other procedure under the insolvency laws of any country;
 
Security Trustee ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Security Documents ” means:
 
(a)           the Mortgage;
 
(b)           the Earnings Assignment;
 
(c)           the Charter Assignment;
 
(d)           the Insurance Assignment; and
 
 
(e)
all other documents (whether creating a Security Interest or not) that are executed at any time by either Obligor or any other person as security for, or to establish any form of subordination or priorities arrangement in relation to, any amount payable to or for the benefit of a Lender, the Swap Bank, the Agent or the Security Trustee under this Agreement or any other Finance Document;
 
Security Interest ” means:
 
 
(a)
a mortgage, charge or pledge, any maritime or other lien or any other security interest of any kind;
 
 
(b)
the rights of the plaintiff under an action in rem in which the vessel concerned has been arrested or a writ has been issued or similar steps taken; and
 
 
(c)
any arrangement entered into by a person, the effect of which is to place another person in a position that is similar, in economic terms, to the position in which such other person would have been had such other person held a security interest over an asset of such person; but this paragraph (c) shall not apply to a right of set-off or combination of accounts conferred by the standard terms of business of a bank or financial institution;
 

 
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Security Period ” means the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and ending on the date on which the Agent notifies the Borrower that:
 
 
(a)
all amounts that have become due for payment by the Borrower under the Finance Documents have been paid;
 
 
(b)
no amount is owing or has accrued (without yet having become due for payment) under any Finance Document;
 
 
(c)
no Obligor has any future or contingent liability under Clause 16 or 17 or any other provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document; and
 
 
(d)
no Credit Party believes that there is a significant risk that any payment or transaction under a Finance Document would be set aside, or would have to be reversed or adjusted, in any present or possible future bankruptcy of an Obligor or in any present or possible future proceeding relating to a Finance Document or any asset covered (or previously covered) by a Security Interest created by a Finance Document;
 
Ship ” means M/V ASTRALE (ex BERGEN TRADER), a Liberian flag 75,933 dwt panamax size bulkcarrier, built in 2000 at Kanasashi Co. Ltd. shipyard in Japan, with Official Number 13718 and IMO Number 9215749;
 
Swap Bank ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction hereof;
 
Total Loss ” means:
 
(a)           actual, constructive, compromised, agreed or arranged total loss of the Ship;
 
 
(b)
any expropriation, confiscation, requisition or acquisition of the Ship, whether for full consideration, a consideration less than her proper value, a nominal consideration or without any consideration, which is effected by any government or official authority or by any person or persons claiming to be or to represent a government or official authority, excluding a requisition for hire for a fixed period not exceeding one year without any right to an extension;
 
 
(c)
any final and non-appealable condemnation of the Ship by any tribunal or by any person or persons claiming to be a tribunal; or
 
 
(d)
any arrest, capture, seizure or detention of the Ship (including any hijacking or theft) unless she is within 60 days redelivered to the full control of the Borrower;
 
Total Loss Date ” means:
 
 
(a)
in the case of an actual loss of the Ship, the date on which it occurred or, if that is unknown, the date when the Ship was last heard from;
 
 
(b)
in the case of a constructive, compromised, agreed or arranged total loss of the Ship, the earliest of:
 
(i)           the date on which a notice of abandonment is given to the insurers; and
 

 
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(ii)           the date of any compromise, arrangement or agreement made by or on behalf of the Borrower with the Ship’s insurers in which the insurers agree to treat the Ship as a total loss; and
 
 
(c)
in the case of any other type of total loss of the Ship, the date (or the most likely date) on which it appears to the Majority Lenders that the event constituting such total loss occurred;
 
Transaction ” has the meaning given such term in the Master Agreement; and
 
UCC ” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect, from time to time, in the State of New York; provided that , if perfection or the effect of perfection or non perfection or the priority of any security interest in any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, “ UCC ” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such perfection, effect of perfection or non-perfection or priority.
 
1.2  
Additional Financial Terms .  Subject to Clause 1.5, in this Agreement and the other Finance Documents:
 
Applicable Accounting Principles ” means accounting principles, bases and policies generally adopted and accepted in the United States of America consistently applied;
 
Book Equity ” means the aggregate of the amounts paid-up or credited as paid-up on the Guarantor’s issued share capital and the amount of the consolidated capital and revenue reserves of the Group (including any share premium account, capital redemption reserve fund and any credit balance on the consolidated profit and loss account of the Group) all as shown by the latest audited consolidated balance sheet and profit and loss account of the Group delivered under this Agreement but after:
 
(a)           deducting any debit balance on such consolidated profit and loss account;
 
 
(b)
deducting any amount shown in such consolidated balance sheet in respect of goodwill (including goodwill arising on consolidation) and other intangible assets;
 
 
(c)
deducting (so far as not otherwise excluded as attributable to minority interests) a sum equal to the aggregate of the amount of which the book value of any fixed assets of any member of the Group has been written up after December 31, 2005 (or, in the case of a company becoming a subsidiary after that date, the date on which that company became a subsidiary) by way of revaluation and, for the purposes of this paragraph (c) any increase in the book value of any fixed assets resulting from its transfer by one member of the Group to another member of the Group shall be deemed to result from a writing up of its book value by way of revaluation;
 
 
(d)
excluding amounts set aside for taxation as at the date of such balance sheet and making such adjustments as may be appropriate in respect of any significant additional taxation expected to result from transactions carried out by any member of the Group after such date and not reflected in that balance sheet;
 

 
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(e)
deducting all amounts attributable to minority interests in subsidiaries;
 
 
(f)
making such adjustments as may be appropriate in respect of any variation in the amount of such paid up spare capital or any such reserves after the date of the relevant balance sheet (but so that no such adjustment shall be made in respect of any variation in profit and loss account except to the extent of any profit or loss, calculated on a cumulative basis, recorded in the consolidated profit and loss account of the Group delivered to the Agent before the date of this Agreement, or under Clause 10.1(f) in respect of any subsequent period);
 
 
(g)
making such adjustments as may be appropriate in respect of any distribution declared, recommended or made by any member of the Group (otherwise than attributable directly or indirectly to the Guarantor) out of profits earned up to and including the date of the latest audited balance sheet of that member of the Group to the extent that such distribution is not provided for in that balance sheet;
 
 
(h)
making such adjustments as may be appropriate in respect of any variation in the interests of the Guarantor in its subsidiaries since the date of the latest published audited consolidated balance sheet of the Group; and
 
 
(i)
if the calculation is required for the purpose of or in connection with a transaction under or in connection with when any company is to become or cease to be a subsidiary of the Guarantor, making all such adjustments as would be appropriate if that transaction has been carried into effect;
 
Finance Lease ” means a lease treated as a finance lease pursuant to the Applicable Accounting Principles;
 
Net Asset Value ” means, at any relevant time, the amount in Dollars resulting after deducting the Total Debt from the Total Market Value Adjusted Assets, in either case at such time;
 
Total Debt ” means the aggregate principal amount (including any fixed or minimum premium payable on final repayment) of:
 
(a)           moneys borrowed or raised by the Guarantor and its subsidiaries;
 
 
(b)
bonds, notes, loan stock, debentures, commercial paper or other debt securities issued by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries not for the time being beneficially owned by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries;
 
 
(c)
sums outstanding under acceptances by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries or by any bank or acceptable house under acceptance credits opened on behalf of the Guarantor or any subsidiary;
 
 
(d)
deferred indebtedness of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries for payment of the acquisition or construction price for assets or services acquired or constructed;
 
(e)           rental payments under Finance Leases;
 

 
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(f)           receivables sold or discounted with a right of recourse to the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries;
 
 
(g)
the nominal amount of any issued and paid up share capital (other than equity share capital) of any subsidiary not beneficially owned by the Guarantor or another subsidiary;
 
(h)           preference share capital redeemable prior to the last day of the Security Period;
 
 
(i)
indebtedness secured by any Security Interest over all or any part of the undertaking, property, assets, rights or revenues of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries irrespective of whether or not such indebtedness is supported by a personal covenant on the part of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries;
 
 
(j)
indebtedness incurred in respect of swaps, forward exchange contracts, futures or other derivatives;
 
 
(k)
any other liability arising from a transaction having the commercial effect of a borrowing or the raising of money; and
 
 
(l)
obligations under guarantees in respect of the obligations of any other person which, if such person were the Guarantor or a subsidiary would fall within any of paragraphs (a) through (k) above, inclusive;
 
provided that, (i) moneys owing by the Guarantor to a subsidiary or by a subsidiary to the Guarantor or to another subsidiary shall not be taken into account and (ii) the principal amount of Total Debt deemed to be outstanding in relation to Finance Leases or hire purchase agreements shall be the present value of the minimum lease or hire payments discounted at the interest rate implicit in the relevant lease or hire purchase agreement; and
 
Total Market Value Adjusted Assets ” means the aggregate of:
 
 
(a)
the value (less depreciation computed in accordance with generally accepted international accounting principles consistently applied) on a consolidated basis of all tangible fixed assets of the Group, including long-term cash receivables (seller’s credit), as stated in the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Group, but excluding any ships at the relevant time owned by members of the Group which, for the purposes of such consolidated financial statements, are included in the consolidated tangible fixed assets of the Group (the “ Relevant Ships ”); and
 
 
(b)
the aggregate of the market value of the Relevant Ships, as such market value shall have been most recently determined (as of the date of the relevant calculation) pursuant to Clause 10.1(v) by means of valuations obtained by the Agent in accordance therewith (and not the value of the Relevant Ships as stated in the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Group).
 
All the terms defined in this Clause 1.2 and used in this Agreement are to be determined on a consolidated basis in respect of the Group and (except as items are expressly included or excluded in the relevant definition or clause) are used and shall be construed in accordance
 
 
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with Applicable Accounting Principles and as determined from the latest consolidated financial statements of the Group delivered to the Agent pursuant to Clause 10.1(f).
 
1.3  
Construction of Certain Terms .  In this Agreement and the other Finance Documents:
 
approved ” means, unless the context otherwise requires, approved in writing by the Agent acting upon the instructions of the Majority Lenders;
 
asset ” includes every kind of property, asset, interest or right, including any present, future or contingent right to any revenues or other payment;
 
company ” includes any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, unincorporated association, joint stock company and trust;
 
consent ” includes an authorization, consent, approval, resolution, license, exemption, filing, registration, notarization and legalization;
 
contingent liability ” means a liability that is not certain to arise or the amount of which remains unascertained;
 
document ” includes a deed; also a letter, fax or telex;
 
expense ” means any kind of cost, charge or expense (including all legal costs, charges and expenses) and any applicable value added or other tax;
 
law ” includes any form of delegated legislation, any order or decree, any treaty or international convention and any regulation or resolution of the United States of America, any state thereof, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the United Nations or its Security Council or any other Pertinent Jurisdiction;
 
legal or administrative action ” means any legal proceeding or arbitration and any administrative or regulatory action or investigation;
 
liability ” includes every kind of debt or liability (present or future, certain or contingent), whether incurred as principal or surety or otherwise;
 
months ” shall be construed in accordance with Clause 1.4;
 
parent company ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 1.5;
 
person ” includes natural persons, any company; any state, political sub-division of a state and local or municipal authority; and any international organization;
 
regulation ” includes any regulation, rule, official directive, request or guideline whether or not having the force of law of any governmental, intergovernmental or supranational body, agency, department or regulatory, self-regulatory or other authority or organization;
 
subsidiary ” has the meaning given such term in Clause 1.5;
 

 
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successor ” includes any person who is entitled (by assignment, novation, merger or otherwise) to any other person’s rights under this Agreement or any other Finance Document (or any interest in those rights) or who, as administrator, liquidator or otherwise, is entitled to exercise those rights; and in particular references to a successor include a person to whom those rights (or any interest in those rights) are transferred or pass as a result of a merger, division, reconstruction or other reorganization of it or any other person; and
 
tax ” includes any present or future tax, duty, impost, levy or charge of any kind that is imposed by any state, any political sub-division of a state or any local or municipal authority (including any such imposed in connection with exchange controls), and any connected penalty, interest or fine.
 
1.4  
Meaning of “month” .  A period of one or more “months” ends on the day in the relevant calendar month numerically corresponding to the day of the calendar month on which the period started (“ the numerically corresponding day ”), but:
 
 
(a)
on the Business Day following the numerically corresponding day if the numerically corresponding day is not a Business Day or, if there is no later Business Day in the same calendar month, on the last Business Day preceding the numerically corresponding day; or
 
 
(b)
on the last Business Day in the relevant calendar month if the period started on the last Business Day in a calendar month or if the last calendar month of the period has no numerically corresponding day;
 
and “ month ” and “ monthly ” shall be construed accordingly.
 
1.5  
Meaning of “subsidiary” .  A company (S) is a subsidiary of another company (P) (the “ parent company ”) if:
 
 
(a)
a majority of the issued equity in S (or a majority of the issued equity in S that carries unlimited rights to capital and income distributions) is directly owned by P or is indirectly attributable to P; or
 
 
(b)
P has direct or indirect control over a majority of the voting rights attaching to the issued shares of S; or
 
 
(c)
P has the direct or indirect power to appoint or remove a majority of the directors of S; or
 
 
(d)
P otherwise has the direct or indirect power to ensure that the affairs of S are conducted in accordance with the wishes of P;
 
and any company of which S is a subsidiary is a parent company of S.
 
1.6  
General Interpretation .
 
(a)           
In this Agreement and the other Finance Documents:
 

 
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(i)  
references to, or to a provision of, a Finance Document or any other document are references to it as amended, restated or otherwise modified, whether before the date of this Agreement or otherwise, except that any reference to, or to a provision of, any Junior Loan Document shall include such Junior Loan Document or provision, as the case may be, as amended, restated or otherwise modified, but only with the prior written consent of the Agent;
     
 
(ii)  
references to, or to a provision of, any law include any amendment, extension, re-enactment or replacement, whether made before the date of this Agreement or otherwise;
     
 
(iii) 
references to “including” shall mean including without limiting the generality of any description preceding such term;
     
 
(iv) 
any reference in any Finance Document to a clause, sub-clause, paragraph, schedule, exhibit, annex or appendix shall be construed to mean a clause, sub-clause or paragraph thereof, or a schedule, exhibit, annex or appendix thereto, respectively;
     
 
(v)
words denoting the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa; and
     
 
(vi) 
Clauses 1.1 through 1.5 and this paragraph (a) apply unless the contrary intention appears;
     
 
(b)           
References in Clause 1.1 to a document being in the form of a particular appendix, exhibit, schedule or annex include references to that form with any modifications to that form that the Agent shall approve or reasonably require; and
 
(c)           
The table of contents and the headings of the clauses, sub-clauses, paragraphs, schedules, exhibits, annexes or appendices of this Agreement or any other Finance Document shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Finance Document.
 
2  
FACILITY
 
2.1  
Amount of Facility .  Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Lenders severally agree to make available to the Borrower a loan facility in the aggregate principal amount of up to $48,000,000 (the “ Initial Aggregate Commitment ”).
 
2.2  
Purpose of Loan .  The Borrower undertakes to use the Loan only for the purposes stated in the recitals to this Agreement and in accordance with Clause 3.2(b).
 
3  
DRAWDOWN
 
3.1  
Request for the Advance .  Subject to the following conditions, the Borrower may request the Advance by delivering to the Agent a completed Drawdown Notice in respect of the Advance not later than 11:00 a.m. (New York time) three Business Days prior to the
 

 
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Expected Drawdown Date thereof.  The Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders that it has received the Drawdown Notice and shall inform each Lender of:
 
(a)           
the amount of the requested Advance and the Expected Drawdown Date thereof;
 
(b)           
the amount of each Lender’s Ratable Portion of the Advance; and
 
(c)           
the duration of the first Interest Period applicable to the Advance.
 
3.2  
Conditions to Availability .  The conditions referred to in Clause 3.1 are that:
 
(a)           
the Expected Drawdown Date shall be a Business Day during the Availability Period;
 
(b)           
the Advance shall be applied as payment for the acquisition of the Ship by the Borrower that shall not then own the Ship and shall not (i) exceed the purchase price of the Ship as stated in the Memorandum of Agreement for the Ship or (ii) exceed the lesser of the Initial Aggregate Commitment and the sum of all Commitments;
 
(c)           
there shall be no more than one Advance; and
 
(d)           
the applicable conditions precedent stated in Clause 8 shall have been satisfied or waived as provided therein.
 
3.3 
Drawdown Notice Irrevocable .  The Drawdown Notice must be signed by an officer or duly authorized attorney-in-fact of the Borrower; and once served, the Drawdown Notice cannot be revoked without the prior consent of the Agent, acting with the authority of the Majority Lenders.
 
3.4 
Disbursement of Advance .  Subject to the provisions of this Agreement:
 
(a)           
Each Lender shall before 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) make its Ratable Portion of the Advance available to the Agent, for the account of the Borrower, on and with the value date of the Expected Drawdown Date for the Advance.  After the Agent’s receipt of such funds and upon fulfillment or waiver of the applicable conditions set forth in Clause 8, the Agent shall make such funds available to the Borrower by paying such funds to such account or accounts that the Borrower specifies in the Drawdown Notice.  The payment by the Agent under this Clause 3.4 to such account or accounts shall constitute the making of the Advance to the Borrower and the Borrower shall thereupon become indebted, as principal and direct obligor, to each Lender in an amount equal to such Lender’s Ratable Portion of the Advance.
 
(b)           
Unless the Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the Expected Drawdown Date that such Lender will not make available to the Agent such Lender’s Ratable Portion of the Advance, the Agent may assume, or at its option request confirmation from such Lender, that such Lender has made its Ratable Portion available to the Agent on such date in accordance with Clause 3.4(a) and the Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption or confirmation (as the case may be), make available to the Borrower on such date a corresponding amount.  If and to the extent that such Lender shall not have so made such Ratable Portion available to the Agent, such Lender and the Borrower (but without duplication) severally agree to repay to
 

 
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the Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount, together with interest thereon, for each day from the date such amount is made available to the Borrower by the Agent until the date such amount is repaid to the Agent, at the LIBOR rate for overnight or weekend deposits.  If such Lender shall pay to the Agent such corresponding amount, such amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Ratable Portion of the Advance for purposes of this Agreement.  Nothing in this Clause 3.4(b) shall be deemed to relieve any Lender of its obligation to make the Advance to the extent provided in this Agreement.
 
(c)           
In the event that the Borrower is required to repay all or a portion of the Advance pursuant to Clause 3.4(b), as between the Borrower and the defaulting Lender, the liability for any breakage costs as described in Clause 16.2 shall be borne by the defaulting Lender, provided that if the defaulting Lender has not paid any such breakage costs upon demand by the Agent therefor, the Borrower shall pay such breakage costs upon demand by the Agent and the Borrower shall be entitled to recover from the defaulting Lender any such payment for breakage costs made by the Borrower.
 
4  
INTEREST
 
4.1  
Payment of Normal Interest .  Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, interest on the Advance or any part thereof in respect of each Interest Period shall be paid by the Borrower on the last day of that Interest Period.
 
4.2  
Normal Rate of Interest .  Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the rate of interest on the Advance or any part thereof in respect of an Interest Period shall be the sum of the Margin and LIBOR for that Interest Period.
 
4.3  
Payment of Accrued Interest .  Accrued interest shall be paid on the last day of each month and on the last day of each Interest Period.
 
4.4  
Notification of Interest Rate .  The Agent shall notify the Borrower and each Lender of the rate of interest as soon as it is determined.
 
4.5  
Notification of Market Disruption .  The Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower if:
 
(a)           
it is unable to determine LIBOR; or
 
(b)           
for any reason any Lender (the “ Affected Lender ”) is unable to obtain Dollars in the London Interbank Market to fund all or any part of its Ratable Portion of the Advance during any Interest Period,
 
in either case stating the circumstances that have caused such notice to be given.
 
4.6  
Suspension of Drawdown .  If the Agent’s notice under Clause 4.5 shall be served before the Advance is made, then while the circumstances referred to in the Agent’s notice continue:
 
(a)           
in the case of Clause 4.5(a), each Lender’s obligation to make its Ratable Portion of the Advance shall be suspended; and
 

 
 
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(b)           
in the case of Clause 4.5(b), the Affected Lender’s obligation to make its Ratable Portion of the Advance shall be suspended.
 
4.7
Negotiation of Alternative Rate of Interest .  If the Agent’s notice under Clause 4.5 is served after the Advance is made, the Borrower and the Agent shall use reasonable endeavors to agree, within the 30 days after the date on which the Agent serves its notice under Clause 4.5 (the “ Negotiation Period ”), an alternative interest rate or (as the case may be) an alternative basis for each Lender or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender to fund or continue to fund its Ratable Portion of the Advance during the Interest Period concerned.
 
4.8  
Application of Agreed Alternative Rate of Interest .  Any alternative interest rate or an alternative basis that is agreed during the Negotiation Period shall take effect in accordance with the terms agreed.
 
4.9  
Alternative Rate of Interest in Absence of Agreement .  If an alternative interest rate or alternative basis is not agreed within the Negotiation Period, and the relevant circumstances are continuing at the end of the Negotiation Period, then the Agent shall set an interest period and interest rate representing the cost of funding of the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender in Dollars or in any available currency of their or its Ratable Portion of the Advance plus the Margin and the procedure provided for by this Clause 4.9 shall be repeated if the relevant circumstances are continuing at the end of the interest period so set by the Agent.
 
4.10  
Notice of Prepayment .  If the Borrower does not agree with an interest rate set by the Agent under Clause 4.9, the Borrower may give the Agent not less than three Business Days’ notice of its intention to prepay the Advance at the end of the interest period set by the Agent.
 
4.11  
Prepayment .  A notice under Clause 4.10 shall be irrevocable.  The Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender of the Borrower’s notice of intended prepayment and:
 
(a)           
on the date on which the Agent so notifies the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender, the Commitments or (as the case may be) the Commitment of the Affected Lender shall be cancelled; and
 
(b)           
on the last Business Day of the interest period set by the Agent, the Borrower shall prepay the Loan or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender’s Ratable Portion thereof, together with accrued interest thereon at the applicable rate plus the Margin.
 
4.12  
Application of Prepayment .  The provisions of Clause 7 shall apply in relation to each prepayment pursuant to Clause 4.11.
 
5  
INTEREST PERIODS
 
5.1  
Duration of Normal Interest Periods .  Subject to Clauses 5.2 and 5.3, each Interest Period shall be:
 
(a)           
one, three or six months, but no more than three one-month periods in any one-year period and provided that no such period shall overrun the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date, in each case as notified by the Borrower to the Agent not
 

 
22

 

           
later than 11:00 a.m. (New York time) three Business Days before the commencement of such Interest Period; or
 
(b)           
three months or, if such Interest Period would overrun the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date, a shorter period ending on such anniversary, if the Borrower fails to notify the Agent by the time specified in paragraph (a) above; or
 
(c)           
such other period as the Majority Lenders may agree with the Borrower, provided that if the Borrower desires an Interest Period longer than six months, the Borrower must notify the Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (New York time) five Business Days before the commencement of such Interest Period.
 
Each notice of an Interest Period delivered by the Borrower to the Agent in accordance with this Clause 5.1 shall be irrevocable.
 
5.2  
Duration of Interest Periods Overrunning Repayment Date.   If the Borrower has selected an Interest Period that would overrun a Repayment Date or Repayment Dates, then:
 
(a)           
in the case of the final Repayment Date, the Interest Period shall end on the final Repayment Date; and
 
(b)           
in the case of any other Repayment Date, the Loan shall be divided so that:
 
(i)            
the amount of each repayment installment falling due before the end of the Interest Period selected shall have an Interest Period ending on the Repayment Date on which it falls due; and
 
(ii)           
the balance of the Loan from time to time outstanding during such Interest Period shall have an Interest Period ascertained in accordance with the provisions of Clause 5.1;
 
and for this purpose alone may there be Interest Periods of different lengths in relation to the Loan.
 
5.3  
Duration of First Interest Period .
 
(a)           
The first Interest Period of the Advance shall commence on the Expected Drawdown Date and shall expire on the last day of the Interest Period selected by the Borrower in the Drawdown Notice.
 
(b)           
Each Interest Period following the first Interest Period under Clause 5.3(a) shall commence on the expiry of the preceding Interest Period and end on the last day of the Interest Period selected by the Borrowers pursuant to the provisions of Clause 5.1.
 
6  
DEFAULT INTEREST
 
6.1  
Payment of Default Interest on Overdue Amounts .  The Borrower shall pay interest in accordance with the following provisions of this Clause 6 on all amounts payable by the Borrower under any Finance Document that the Agent, the Security Trustee or a Lender, as
 

 
23

 

 
 
 
the case may be, shall not receive on or before the date on which a Finance Document provides that such amount is due for payment.
 
 
6.2  
Rate of Default Interest .  Overdue principal and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, overdue interest in respect of the Advance and every other overdue amount payable by either Obligor pursuant to Finance Documents shall accrue interest from (and including) the date due until the date of actual payment (as well after as before judgment) at the rate per annum determined by the Agent to be two percent plus the Margin plus LIBOR for a period of one month (determined by the Agent on the first Business Day of each calendar month).
 
6.3  
Notification of Default Rates of Interest .  The Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower of each interest rate determined by the Agent pursuant to Clause 6.2, but such notice shall not be taken to imply that the Borrower is obligated to pay such interest only with effect from the date of such notice.
 
6.4  
Payment of Accrued Default Interest .  Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, all interest accruing under this Clause 6 shall be due and payable on demand.
 
7  
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
 
7.1  
Amount of Repayment Installments .  The Borrower shall repay the Loan in the following twenty consecutive quarterly installments:
 
(a)           
each of the first three of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $3,500,000;
 
(b)           
the next one of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $9,500,000;
 
(c)           
each of the next four of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $2,500,000;
 
(d)           
each of the next eleven of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $600,000; and
 
(e)           
the last of which shall be payable on the Maturity Date in an amount equal to the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan,
 
provided that if (A) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Agent not later than 270 days following the Actual Drawdown Date an irrevocable notice of the Borrower’s election to modify the amortization of the Loan in accordance with this proviso (“ Option B ”) and documentary evidence satisfactory to the Agent showing that a time charter on the Ship shall then be in full force and effect, provided that such time charter (1) shall be for a minimum term of two years from the Actual Drawdown Date and (x) if the term of such time charter shall be from and including two years from the Actual Drawdown Date up to but not including three years from the Actual Drawdown Date, the average net daily rate of such time charter shall be not less than $52,000, or (y) if the term of such time charter shall be for three years or more from the Actual Drawdown Date, the average net daily rate of such time charter shall be not less than $47,000 for the first three years of the time charter, and (2) shall be with an Approved Charterer and be in form and substance acceptable to the Agent (an “ Option B
 

 
24

 

 
Time Charter” ) and (B) each of the Borrower and the Guarantor shall have paid all fees due and payable by it pursuant to this Agreement and the Finance Documents on or before 270th day, then:
 
In the event that the Acceptable Time Charter is for a term from and including two years from the Actual Drawdown Date up to but not including three years from the Actual Drawdown Date, the Borrower shall repay the Loan in the following twenty consecutive quarterly installments:
 
 
(a)           
each of the first eight of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $3,500,000;
 
 
(b)           
each of the next four of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $1,100,000;
 
 
(c)           
each of the next seven of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $600,000; and
 
 
(d)           
the last of which shall be payable on the Maturity Date in an amount equal to the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan; or
 
In the event that the Acceptable Time Charter is for a term greater than and including three years from the Actual Drawdown Date, the Borrower shall repay the Loan in the following twenty consecutive quarterly installments:
 
 
(a)           
each of the first three of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal of the Loan and $3,500,000;
 
 
(b)           
the next one of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $3,000,000;
 
 
(c)           
each of the next eight of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $2,550,000;
 
 
(d)           
each of the next seven of which shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan and $600,000; and
 
 
(e)           
the last of which shall be payable on the Maturity Date in an amount equal to the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan.
 
7.2  
Repayment Dates .  The first repayment installment shall be made on the First Repayment Date.  Each subsequent repayment installment shall be repaid quarterly thereafter; provided that the last repayment installment shall be repaid on the Maturity Date together with all other sums then accrued or owing under the Finance Documents.
 
7.3  
Voluntary Prepayment .  The Borrower may prepay the whole or any part of the Loan on the last day of an Interest Period, subject to the following conditions:
 
(a)           
each partial prepayment shall be in an amount not less than $500,000 and increments of an integral multiple of $500,000;
 

 
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(b)           
the Agent shall have received from the Borrower at least five Business Days’ prior written notice specifying the amount to be prepaid and the date on which the prepayment is to be made; and
 
(c)           
the Borrower shall have provided evidence satisfactory to the Agent that any consent required by the Borrower in connection with the prepayment shall have been obtained and remains in force and that each regulation relevant to this Agreement that affects the Borrower shall have been complied with.
 
A prepayment notice may not be withdrawn or amended without the consent of the Agent, acting with the consent of the Majority Lenders, and the amount specified in the prepayment notice shall become due and payable by the Borrower on the date for prepayment specified in the prepayment notice.
 
7.4  
Mandatory Prepayment .
 
(a)           
If the Ship is sold or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall prepay the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan.
 
(b)           
If (i) the Borrower shall not have (A) elected Option B in accordance with the first proviso to Clause 7.1 and (B) delivered to the Agent, at least twenty Business Days prior to the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date, an irrevocable notice of its election to continue the term of the Loan beyond such anniversary and, on or before such anniversary, a written appraisal report prepared by the Broker stating the Fair Market Value of the Ship as of such anniversary, which Fair Market Value shall not be less than 140% of the sum of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan, plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, plus all other amounts due and payable by the Borrower pursuant to the Finance Documents as of such anniversary, and which report shall otherwise be in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent, or (ii) either the Borrower or the Guarantor shall not have paid all fees due and payable by it pursuant to this Agreement and the Finance Documents on or before such anniversary, the Borrower shall prepay the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loan.
 
(c)           
The Borrower shall make each mandatory prepayment pursuant to this Clause 7.4:
 
(i)            
in the case of the sale of the Ship requiring a prepayment pursuant to Clause 7.4(a), on or before the date on which the sale is completed by delivery of the Ship to the buyer; or
 
(ii)           
in the case of a Total Loss of the Ship requiring a prepayment pursuant to Clause 7.4(a), on the earlier of the date falling 180 days after the Total Loss Date and the date of receipt by the Security Trustee or the Borrower of the proceeds of insurance relating to such Total Loss;
 
(iii)          
in the case of (A) the Borrower’s failure to elect Option B in accordance with the first proviso to Clause 7.1 and to deliver the irrevocable notice and the written appraisal report described in Clause 7.4(b) or (B) the Borrower’s or the Guarantor’s failure to pay the fees described in such Clause
 

 
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7.4(b) requiring a prepayment pursuant to Clause 7.4(b), on or before the first anniversary of the Actual Drawdown Date.
 
 
7.5  
Amounts Payable on Prepayment .  Each prepayment pursuant to Clause 7.3 or 7.4 shall be made together with:
 
(a)           
any and all accrued interest (and any other amount payable under Clause 16.1 or otherwise) in respect of the amount prepaid;
 
(b)           
if the prepayment is not made on the last day of an Interest Period, any and all sums payable under Clause 16.2; and
 
(c)           
any and all additional amounts that may need to be paid for the Borrower to remain in compliance with the requirements of Clause 10.3.
 
7.6  
Application of Prepayments .  Each prepayment pursuant to Clause 7.3 shall be applied pro-rata to the repayment installments (excluding the balloon payment, if any due on the Maturity Date) of the Loan, and promptly thereafter the Agent shall recalculate the remaining repayment installments and advise the Borrower accordingly.
 
7.7  
No Reborrowing .  No amount repaid or prepaid may be reborrowed.
 
7.8  
Unwinding of Designated Transactions .  On or prior to any repayment or prepayment under this Clause 7 or any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall wholly or partially reverse, offset, unwind or otherwise terminate one or more of the continuing Designated Transactions to the extent necessary to ensure that the aggregate notional principal amount of the continuing Designated Transactions thereafter remaining does not and will not in the future (taking into account the scheduled amortization thereof) exceed the aggregate amount of the Loan scheduled to be outstanding from time to time hereunder.
 
7.9  
Repayment of Swap Benefit .  If a Designated Transaction is terminated in circumstances in which the Swap Bank would be obliged to pay an amount to the Borrower under the Master agreement, the Borrower hereby agrees that such payment shall be applied in prepayment of the Loan in accordance with the terms of Clause 7.6 and hereby authorizes the Swap Bank to pay such amount to the Agent for such purpose.
 
8  
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
 
8.1  
Documents, Fees and No Default .  Each Lender’s obligation to make available its Ratable Portion of the Advance is subject to the following conditions precedent:
 
(a)           
on or before the delivery of the Drawdown Notice, the Agent shall have received:
 
(i)           
the documents described in Part A of Schedule 3, each in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers; and
 
(ii)           
such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Agent or a Lender in order for each Lender to carry out and be satisfied with the results of all necessary “know your customer” or other checks that it is required to carry out in relation to the transactions contemplated by this
 

 
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Agreement and the other Finance Documents, including obtaining, verifying and recording certain information and documentation that will allow the Agent and each Lender to identify the Borrower and the Guarantor in accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “ PATRIOT Act ”);
 
(b)           
on or before the Expected Drawdown Date, the Agent shall have received the documents described in Part B of Schedule 3, each in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers;
 
(c)           
the Borrower shall have paid in full all fees and expenses referred to in Clause 15 that are due, or demanded by the Agent, on or before the date of the Advance;
 
(d)           
on the date of the Drawdown Notice, the Expected Drawdown Date and the Actual Drawdown Date:
 
(i)           
no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from the borrowing of the Loan or any part thereof;
 
(ii)          
the representations and warranties in Clause 9 and those of each Obligor in any other Finance Document would be true and not misleading if repeated on each of those dates with reference to the circumstances then existing;
 
(iii)         
there has been no material change in the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either of the Obligors since the date on which either Obligor provided information concerning those topics to the Agent or any Lender; and
 
(iv)         
none of the circumstances described in Clause 4.5 shall have occurred and be continuing;
 
(e)           
if the ratio set out in Clause 10.3 were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrower would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan; and
 
(f)           
the Agent shall have received and found acceptable any further opinions, consents, agreements and documents in connection with the Finance Documents that the Agent shall have requested by notice to the Borrower.
 
8.2  
Waiver of Conditions Precedent .  If the Agent, with the consent of the Majority Lenders, permits the Advance to be borrowed before certain of the conditions referred to in Clause 8.1 shall be satisfied, the Borrower shall ensure that those conditions are satisfied within five Business Days after the Actual Drawdown Date (or such longer period as the Agent may specify).
 
9  
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
 
Each Obligor represents and warrants as follows:
 

 
28

 
 
 
9.1  
Status.   Each Obligor is:
 
(a)           
a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the law of the Marshall Islands (in the case of the Guarantor) or Liberia (in the case of the Borrower); and
 
(b)           
duly qualified and in good standing as a foreign corporation in each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases property or in which the conduct of its business requires it to so qualify or be licensed.
 
9.2  
Company Power; Consents .  Each Obligor has the corporate power and has taken all action required, and no consent of any person is required, for:
 
(a)           
it to own or lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted;
 
(b)           
it to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement, each other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement and each charter to which it is or is to be a party, and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby;
 
(c)           
it to borrow under this Agreement (in the case of the Borrower) and to make all payments contemplated by, and to comply with the obligations of, the Finance Documents to which it is or is to be a party;
 
(d)           
it to grant the liens granted or to be granted by it pursuant to the Finance Documents to which it is or is to be a party;
 
(e)           
to perfect and maintain the perfection of the liens granted or to be granted by it pursuant to the Security Documents (including the first-priority nature thereof); and
 
(f)           
the exercise by the Agent, the Security Trustee, Lenders and the Swap Bank of their rights under the Finance Documents and the remedies in respect of the Collateral pursuant to the Finance Documents;
 
except, in the case of any consent, for such consents that have been duly obtained, taken, given or made and that are in full force and effect.
 
9.3  
Consents Not Capable of Revocation .  Nothing has occurred that makes any of the consents referred to in Clause 9.2 capable of being revoked and each Obligor is in compliance with all applicable laws.
 
9.4  
Legal Validity; Effective Security Interests .
 
(a)           
Each of the Memorandum of Agreement and this Agreement constitutes, and each other Finance Document to which either Obligor is to be a party will constitute upon the execution and delivery thereof by such Obligor, the legal, valid and binding obligations of each Obligor party hereto or thereto, as the case may be, enforceable against such Obligor in accordance with its terms.
 

 
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(b)           
Each Security Document creates or, upon the execution and delivery thereof by each Obligor party thereto, will create:
 
(i)           
in the case of the Mortgage, a valid first preferred mortgage in favor of the Security Trustee over the Collateral described therein, subject to the registration of the Mortgage as described herein; and
 
(ii)          
in the case of each other Security Document, a legal, valid, binding and enforceable Security Interest in favor of the Security Trustee over all the Collateral described therein that shall be duly perfected and have first priority (A) in the case of the Earnings Assignment and Charter Assignment, upon notice thereof being given each obligor referenced therein and proper UCC financing statements describing such Collateral being filed with the Washington, D.C., Recorder of Deeds, and (B) in the case of the Insurance Assignment, notice thereof being given to underwriters and protection and indemnity clubs and their consent being obtained where policy provisions or club rules so require.
 
9.5  
No Conflicts; No Liens .  The execution, delivery and performance by each Obligor of the Memorandum of Agreement, this Agreement and each other Finance Document to which it is or is to be a party, the borrowing by the Borrower of the Loan, and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not:
 
(a)           
violate or contravene (i) any law or regulation or order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree, determination or award; (ii) the organizational documents of either Obligor; or (iii) any contractual or other obligation or restriction that is binding on either Obligor or any of its assets; and
 
(b)           
except for liens created by the Security Documents, result in or require the creation or imposition of any lien upon or with respect to any of the properties of either Obligor.
 
9.6  
No Withholding Taxes; Tax Returns .
 
(a)           
Each payment that an Obligor is required to make under the Finance Documents may be made without deduction or withholding for or on account of any tax payable under any law of any Pertinent Jurisdiction.
 
(b)           
Each Obligor has filed or has caused to be filed all tax returns and other reports that it is required by law or regulation to file in any Pertinent Jurisdiction, and has paid or caused to be paid all taxes, assessments and other similar charges that are due and payable in any Pertinent Jurisdiction, other than taxes and charges that are (i) not yet delinquent or (ii) being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been established.  The charges, accruals, and reserves on the books of each Obligor respecting taxes are adequate in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles.
 
9.7  
No Default .  No Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and there is no incipient or other default under any other agreements of either Obligor.
 

 
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9.8  
Compliance with Laws .  Each Obligor is in compliance with all laws, orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or any of its assets except to the extent such non-compliance could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect of enforceability of this Agreement, any Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter;
 
9.9  
Information .  All financial and other information that has been provided in writing by or on behalf of each Obligor to any of the Credit Parties in connection with any Finance Document was true and accurate at the time it was given, there are no other facts or matters the omission of which would have made or make any such information false or misleading and there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor since the date on which such information was provided.
 
9.10  
No Litigation .  No legal or administrative action involving either Obligor (including any action relating to any alleged or actual breach of the ISM Code or ISPS Code or any Environmental Law) has been commenced or taken or, to either Obligor’s knowledge is likely to be commenced or taken, that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter.
 
9.11  
ISM Code and ISPS Code Compliance .  The Borrower has obtained, or has caused the Approved Manager (technical) and the Approved Technical Submanager, if any, to obtain, all necessary ISM Code Documentation in connection with the Ship and its operation and will be, and will cause the Ship, the Approved Manager and the Approved Technical Submanager, if any, to be, in full compliance with the ISM Code and the ISPS Code.
 
9.12  
Validity and Completeness of Memorandum of Agreement and Charters
 
(a)           
The Borrower has executed and delivered the Memorandum of Agreement and a charter in respect of the Ship and such Memorandum of Agreement and charter constitute the valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the parties thereto in accordance with their terms and is in full force and effect.  True and complete copies of the Memorandum of Agreement and each Approved Charter, each agreement, instrument and other document delivered in connection therewith, and each amendment thereto and waiver thereof have been delivered to the Agent and the Lenders.
 
(b)           
There is no default on the part of the Borrower or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, on the part of the relevant seller or charterer, with respect to the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter and no party to the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter has any right to terminate the Memorandum of Agreement or such Approved Charter.
 
(c)           
There is no, nor shall there be, any agreement or understanding to allow or pay any rebate, premium, commission, discount or other benefit or payment (howsoever
 

 
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described) to the Borrower or any third party in connection with the purchase of the Ship other than as disclosed to the Agent in writing.
 
9.13  
Margin Stock .  The Borrower is not engaged in the business of extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock and no proceeds of the Loan will be used to buy or carry any Margin Stock or to extend credit to others for the purpose of buying or carrying any Margin Stock.
 
9.14  
Compliance with Environmental Laws; Environmentally Sensitive Material .  Except to the extent the following could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor or that may affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter:
 
(a)           
the operations and assets of each Obligor comply with all Environmental Laws, all necessary Environmental Permits have been obtained and are in full force and effect for the operations and properties of each Obligor, and each Obligor is in compliance in all material respects with all such Environmental Permits; and
 
(b)           
none of the Obligors has been notified in writing by any person that it or any of its subsidiaries or Affiliates is potentially liable for the remedial or other costs with respect to treatment, storage, disposal, release, arrangement for disposal or transportation of any Environmentally Sensitive Material, except for costs incurred in the ordinary course of business with respect to treatment, storage, disposal or transportation of such Environmentally Sensitive Material.
 
9.15  
Subsidiaries; Ownership of Borrower .  The Borrower does not have any subsidiaries.  All of the outstanding equity of the Borrower has been validly issued, is fully paid, non-assessable and free and clear of all liens and is owned beneficially and of record by the Guarantor.
 
9.16  
Investment Company, Holding Company, Etc.   None of the Obligors is (a) an “investment company,” or an “affiliated person” of, or “promoter” or “principal underwriter” for, an “investment company,” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or (b) a “holding company” or a “subsidiary company” of a “holding company” or an affiliate of a “holding company” or of a “subsidiary company” of a “holding company” or a “public utility” within the meaning of the Public Utility Holding Company of 1935, as amended, or (c) a “public utility” within the meaning of the Federal Power Act of 1920, as amended.
 
9.17  
Asset Control .  None of the Obligors is a “national” of any “designated foreign country” within the meaning of the Foreign Assets Control Regulations or the Cuban Asset Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department, 31 C.F.R., Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended, or a “specially designated national” listed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“ OFAC ”), the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or any regulations or rulings issued thereunder.  Neither the making of the Advance nor the use of the proceeds thereof nor the performance by the Borrower of its obligations under any of the Finance Documents to which it is a party violates any statute, regulation or executive order restricting loans to, investments in, or the export of assets to, foreign countries or entities doing business there.
 

 
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9.18  
ERISA .  None of the Obligors maintains, or has ever established or maintained, any employee benefit plan subject to Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
 
9.19  
Use of Proceeds .  The Borrower is using the proceeds of the Loan only for the purposes stated in the recitals to this Agreement.
 
9.20  
Legal Name, Location and Place of Business .  The Borrower’s exact legal name, as defined in Section 9-503(a) of the UCC, is correctly set forth on the signature pages to this Agreement.  The Borrower has not previously changed its name, location, chief executive office, only place of business, place where it maintains its agreements, type of organization or jurisdiction of organization.  The Borrower is located (within the meaning of Section 9-307 of the UCC) in Washington, D.C., and has its chief executive office or only place of business and the location at which it conducts its affairs and keeps its records at Vas. Sofias 1 & Meg. Alexandrou, Maroussi, Athens 151 24, Greece.
 
9.21  
Repetition .  The representations and warranties contained in this Clause 9.3 shall be deemed to be repeated by each Obligor at the commencement of each Interest Period until all of the Outstanding Indebtedness has been paid in full.
 
10  
COVENANTS
 
10.1  
Affirmative Covenants .  From the date of this Agreement and throughout the Security Period (unless otherwise specified):
 
(a)           
each Obligor shall duly observe and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the other Finance Documents, the Memorandum of Agreement and the charters to which it is or will be a party, and each Obligor shall promptly notify the Agent of (i) any material default by any party to the Memorandum of Agreement or charter, and (ii) any significant damage or injury caused by or to the Ship;
 
(b)           
each Obligor shall notify the Agent, promptly upon becoming aware of the same, of the occurrence of any Event of Default or Potential Event of Default or any other event (including any litigation) that might adversely affect the ability of any Obligor to perform its obligations under this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter;
 
(c)           
each Obligor shall obtain, maintain in full force and effect and comply with the conditions and restrictions (if any) imposed in connection with each consent, and shall do all other acts and things, that may from time to time be necessary or required for the continued due performance of all of its obligations under this Agreement, the other Finance Documents, the Memorandum of Agreement and the charters to which it is a party, and shall deliver a copy of each such consent to the Agent promptly upon its request;
 
(d)           
each Obligor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, ordinances, rules, orders and regulations now in force or hereafter enacted, including all Environmental Laws and regulations relating to thereto, the failure to comply with which could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial
 

 
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condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter;
 
(e)           
each Obligor shall keep proper books of record and account, in which full and materially correct entries shall be made of all financial transactions and the assets and business of such Obligor in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles acceptable to the Agent, and the Agent shall have the right to examine the books and records of the Obligors wherever the same may be kept from time to time as it sees fit, in its sole discretion, or to cause an examination to be made by a firm of accountants selected by it;
 
(f)           
the Guarantor shall prepare and deliver to the Agent:
 
(i)            
within 45 days after the end of each of the first three quarters of each of its fiscal years, the consolidated unaudited financial results of the Group in respect of such quarter (including balance sheet, profit and loss account and quarterly management accounts), and as soon as practicable, but not later than 120 days after the end of each of its fiscal years, the consolidated annual audited financial statements of the Group in respect of such fiscal year, together with reports of and updates on all off-balance sheet financings and time charter hire commitments of the Borrower, in each case (A) prepared in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles acceptable to the Agent (and in the case of the consolidated annual financial statements, audited by a firm of independent auditors reasonably acceptable to the Agent) and (B) certified as true, complete and correct by the chief financial officer of the Guarantor;
 
(ii)           
together with each financial statement that the Guarantor delivers in Clause 10.1(f)(i), a Compliance Certificate; and
 
(iii)          
such other financial statements, annual budgets and projections as may be reasonably requested by the Agent, in each case in such form as the Agent may reasonably request;
 
(g)           
each Obligor shall prepare and timely file all tax returns required to be filed by it and pay and discharge all taxes imposed upon it or in respect of any of its property and assets before the same shall become in default, as well as all lawful claims (including claims for labor, materials and supplies) that, if unpaid, might become a lien or charge upon the Collateral or any part thereof, except in each case, such taxes (i) that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or (ii) the failure of which to pay or discharge could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of either Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter;
 

 
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(h)           
each Obligor shall permit each person designated by the Agent to visit and inspect the Ship, at the risk and cost of the Obligors, at such times and so often as the Agent may reasonably require, provided that no such visit or inspection shall unduly interfere with the operation of the Ship;
 
(i)            
the Borrower shall cause the Ship at all times to be (i) kept in a good and safe condition and state of repair that is consistent with first class ship ownership and management practice, (ii) in compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to vessels registered under the law of the Approved Flag in which the Ship is registered and trading to any jurisdiction to which the Ship may trade from time to time, (iii) managed by an Approved Manager, or an Approved Manager and an Approved Technical Submanager, in accordance with vessel management agreements and vessel technical submanagement agreements acceptable to the Agent and that shall each have executed and delivered a Manager’s Undertaking to the Agent, (iv) registered under the law of an Approved Flag state, and (v) classed with the Classification Society in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type without any outstanding conditions or recommendations affecting class (other than those for which the time prescribed for curing the condition or recommendation has not passed);
 
(j)            
the Borrower shall (i) cause the operator of the Ship to comply, in all material respects within the requisite applicable time limits for vessels of the same type, size, age and flag as the Ship, with the ISM Code and, in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, as and when required to do so by the ISM Code and at all times thereafter, (ii) cause the operator of the Ship to hold a valid Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate with respect to the Ship, (iii) provide the Agent with copies of each such Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate promptly following the issuance thereof and after every renewal and (iv) cause to kept on board the Ship a copy of such Document of Compliance and the original of such Safety Management Certificate;
 
(k)           
the Borrower shall:
 
(i)            
maintain a valid International Ship Security Certificate with respect to the Ship;
 
(ii)           
cause the Ship’s security system and associated security equipment to comply with the applicable requirements of Chapter XI-2 of SOLAS and Part A of the ISPS Code; and
 
(iii)          
maintain an approved ship security plan with respect to the Ship;
 
(l)            
each Obligor shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence;
 
(m)          
the Borrower shall maintain insurance on the Ship as required by the terms of the Mortgage;
 

 
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(n)           
each Obligor shall maintain insurance on all of its properties other than the Ship, payable in United States Dollars, with responsible companies, in such amounts and against such risks as is usually carried by owners of similar businesses and properties in the same general areas in which it operates, and as shall be satisfactory to the Majority Lenders;
 
(o)           
except as otherwise required by any Finance Document or to the extent the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of any Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter, each Obligor shall maintain and preserve all of its properties that are used or useful in the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted;
 
(p)           
the Borrower shall use the proceeds of the Loan solely for the purposes referenced in Clause 2.2;
 
(q)           
the Borrower shall furnish to the Agent a true and complete copy of the Memorandum of Agreement and each charter to which it becomes a party after the date hereof and a true and complete copy of each material amendment or other modification thereto promptly following the execution and delivery thereof;
 
(r)           
each Obligor shall take, or cause to be taken, such actions as may be reasonably required to mitigate potential liability to it arising out of pollution incidents or as may be reasonably required to protect the interests of the Credit Parties with respect thereto;
 
(s)           
the Borrower shall cause all loans made by the Guarantor or any other Affiliate to it and all sums and other obligations (financial or otherwise) owed by it to any Approved Manager to be fully subordinated to all Secured Liabilities of the Borrower;
 
(t)           
the Borrower shall procure and deliver to the Agent, in each case at the expense of the Borrower (i) on or before the thirtieth day following each of the second and fourth anniversaries of the Effective Date, a written appraisal report prepared by the Broker setting forth the Fair Market Value of the Ship as of such anniversary, and (ii) promptly following the Agent’s request therefor so long as an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, such other interim valuation reports that the Agent may request in each case prepared by the Broker and setting forth the Fair Market Value of the Ship as of any date requested by the Agent and following such request;
 
(u)           
the Guarantor shall be the sole legal and beneficial shareholder of the Borrower;
 
(v)           
the Guarantor shall:
 
(i)            
maintain, at all times until the end of the Security Period, a minimum amount of $25,000,000 in bank accounts in its name or in the name of any of a
 

 
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member of the Group and agreed by the Agent in writing from time to time, and for the purposes of this Clause 10.1(v)(i) the expression “bank accounts” shall exclude any bank accounts that shall be subject to any Security Interest;
 
(ii)           
cause its Net Asset Value to exceed $125,000,000 at all times until the end of the Security Period; and
 
(iii)          
cause its Book Equity to exceed $100,000,000 at all times until the end of the Security Period;
 
provided that (A) the compliance of the Guarantor with the covenants set out in this Clause 10.1(v) shall be determined on the basis of calculations made by the Agent at any time by reference to the latest consolidated financial statements of the Group delivered to the Agent pursuant to Clause 10.1(f) and the Agent shall be entitled to make such determinations and calculations at any time when, and in relation to any period in relation to which, the Guarantor shall be obliged to comply with each of the covenants put in this Clause 10.1(v) without regard to when any such financial statements are due to be delivered or have been actually delivered to the Agent; (B) for the purposes of this Clause 10.1(v), no item shall be deducted or credited more than once in any calculation; and any amount expressed in a currency other than Dollars shall be converted into Dollars in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles; (C) each of the Relevant Ships shall, for the purposes of this Clause 10.1(v) and the definitions relevant thereto be valued in Dollars as and when the Agent shall require and each such valuation shall be made by an independent firm of shipbrokers appointed by the Agent without, unless required by the Agent, physical inspection, and on the basis of a sale for prompt delivery for cash at arm’s length, on normal commercial terms as between a willing buyer and a willing seller and without taking into account the benefit of any charterparty or other employment of such Relevant Ship and the value of each of the Relevant Ships determined in accordance with the provisions of this Clause 10.1(v) shall be binding upon the parties hereto for the purposes of calculating the Total Market Value Adjusted Assets until such time as any further such valuations shall be calculated; (D) the Guarantor shall supply to each of the Agent and such shipbrokers such information concerning any Relevant Ship and its condition as the Agent or such shipbroker may reasonably require for the purpose of making any such valuation; and (E) all costs in connection with the Agent obtaining any valuation of each of the Relevant Ships referred to in this Clause 10.1(v) shall be borne by the Borrower;
 
(w)          
the Borrower shall (i) ensure that no person who owns a controlling interest in or otherwise controls the Borrower or any subsidiary thereof is or shall be listed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Person List or other similar lists maintained by OFAC or included in any Executive Orders, (ii) comply, and cause each of its subsidiaries to comply, with all applicable Bank Secrecy Act laws and regulations, as amended, and (iii) not use or permit the use of the proceeds of the Loan to violate any of the foreign asset control regulations of OFAC or any enabling statute or Executive Order relating thereto; and
 
(x)           
from time to time and at its expense, each Obligor shall duly execute and deliver to the Agent such further documents and assurances as the Majority Lenders or the Agent may request to effectuate the purposes of this Agreement and the other Finance Documents or to obtain the full benefit of any of the Collateral.
 

 
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10.2  
Negative Covenants .  Without the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders:
 
(a)           
none of the Obligors will create, assume or permit to exist any Security Interest whatsoever upon any of its properties or assets, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, except for (i) the Security Interests created by the Finance Documents to which it is a party, (ii) the Security Interests created by the Junior Security Documents to which it is a party, but only so long as all Security Interests created by the Junior Security Documents shall be subject and subordinate to the Security Interests created by the Finance Documents, and (iii) liens that arise by operation of law in the ordinary course of business, the failure of which to pay or discharge could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, assets, operations or business prospects of any Obligor or to affect adversely the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Finance Document, the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter;
 
(b)           
none of the Obligors shall sell, transfer or lease all of or a substantial portion of its properties and assets, or enter into any transaction of merger or consolidation or liquidate, windup or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), except that, so long as no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default shall have occurred or be continuing or would occur or be continuing immediately after giving effect to such transaction:
 
(i)            
the Borrower may sell the Ship, but only if the proceeds of the sale are applied in accordance with Clause 7.4 and the sale of the Ship is effected pursuant to an arm’s length transaction for fair market value; and
 
(ii)           
the Borrower may charter or lease the Ship in accordance with Clause 10.2(c);
 
(c)           
the Borrower shall not charter the Ship, or permit the Ship to be chartered or sub-chartered, to any person, or permit any person to have possession or the right to use or direct the use of the Ship, except that the Borrower may:
 
(i)            
charter the Ship to an Approved Charterer pursuant to the terms of an Approved Charter assigned as Collateral to the Security Trustee for the benefit of the Credit Parties pursuant to a Charter Assignment;
 
(ii)           
permit each charterer of the Ship to charter or sub-charter the Ship to an Approved Charterer pursuant to the terms of a charter that is an Approved Charter but is not an Option B Time Charter or the Initial Approved Charter; and
 
(iii)          
cause or permit the Ship to be managed by an Approved Manager, or an Approved Manager and an Approved Technical Submanager, pursuant to
 

 
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  vessel management and technical submanagement agreements acceptable to the Agent;
 
(d)           
neither of the Obligors shall enter into any transaction or series of related transactions, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, with any Affiliate or subsidiary, other than on terms and conditions substantially as favorable to such person as would be obtainable by such person at the time in a comparable arm’s-length transaction with a person other than an Affiliate or subsidiary;
 
(e)           
neither of the Obligors shall make or permit any change in accounting policies affecting (i) the presentation of financial statements or (ii) reporting practices, except in either case except as required by Applicable Accounting Principles or as may be acceptable to the Agent with the consent of the Majority Lenders;
 
(f)           
the Borrower shall not engage in any business other the execution, delivery and performance of its obligations under this Agreement, the other Finance Documents to which it is or will be a party, and the Junior Loan Documents, the ownership of the Ship, and the execution, delivery and performance of its obligations under the Memorandum of Agreement and each charter and management agreement to which it is a party relating to the Ship and permitted by the terms of this Agreement, the other Finance Documents to which it is or will be a party, and the Junior Loan Documents;
 
(g)           
the Borrower shall not transfer or change or permit the transfer or change of the flag of the Ship from the Approved Flag in which the Ship is registered on the Actual Drawdown Date or change the classification or the Classification Society of the Ship except with the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, or do or allow to be done anything as a result of which such registration or classification might be imperiled or cancelled;
 
(h)           
the Borrower shall not replace any Approved Manager or permit the appointment or replacement of any Approved Technical Submanager for the Ship or agree or consent to any material amendment or other modification of the terms of any of technical or commercial management agreements relating to the Ship, including any increase in the rate of compensation payable thereunder, except with the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld; provided that , subject to the requirements of Clause 10.1(i), the Borrower may at any time and in its discretion replace the manager of the Ship with any Approved Manager and may permit any Approved Manager to appoint any Approved Technical Submanager with respect to the Ship or to replace any technical submanager of the Ship with any Approved Technical Submanager;
 
(i)           
the Borrower shall not permit any act, event or circumstance that would result in the Guarantor holding directly less than 100% of the Borrower’s equity;
 
(j)           
the Borrower shall not incur any Financial Indebtedness other than the Loan and pursuant to pursuant to the Junior Guarantee;
 
(k)           
the Borrower shall not declare or pay any dividends or return any capital to its equity holders or authorize or make any other distribution, payment or delivery of property
 

 
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  or cash to its equity holders, or redeem, retire, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, for value, any share of any class of its capital stock or other form of equity interest (or require any rights, options or warrants relating thereto but not including convertible debt) now or hereafter outstanding, or repay any subordinated shareholder loans or set aside any funds for any of the foregoing purposes;
 
(l)           
the Borrower shall not increase its capital by way of the creation of preference securities, further common or ordinary securities or otherwise howsoever, or create any new class of equity;
 
(m)           
the Borrowers shall not permit any material amendment of or other modification to the Memorandum of Agreement or any Approved Charter, which, in the case of any Approved Charter, shall include any amendment or other modification of the day rates, the allocation of expenses or any provision relating to the term or termination of such Approved Charter;
 
(n)           
the Borrower shall not make any loan or advance to, make any investment in, or enter into any working capital maintenance or similar agreement with respect to any person, whether by acquisition of stock or indebtedness, by loan, guarantee or otherwise, except pursuant to the Junior Guarantee;
 
(o)           
the Borrower shall not acquire any capital assets (including any vessel other than the Ship) by purchase, charter or otherwise; provided that nothing in this Clause 10.2(o) shall prevent or be deemed to prevent capital improvements being made to the Ship;
 
(p)           
the Borrower shall not enter into any arrangements, directly or indirectly, with any person whereby it shall sell or transfer, or shall be obligated to sell or transfer, any property, whether real or personal, and used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, if at the time of such sale or disposition, the Borrower shall intend to lease or otherwise acquire the right to use or possess (except by purchase) such property or like property for a substantially similar purpose;
 
(q)           
the Borrower shall not change the jurisdiction of its incorporation or amend its organizational documents except in connection with a merger or consolidation that is not prohibited by the terms of Clause 10.2(b);
 
(r)           
the Borrower shall not change its name, type or jurisdiction of organization or location from the name, type or jurisdiction of organization, or location set forth on the signature pages to this Agreement or in Clause 9.1(a) or 9.19, as the case may be, without first giving at least 30 days’ prior written notice to the Agent and the Security Trustee and taking all action required by the Agent or the Security Trustee for the purpose of perfecting or protecting the security interest granted by the Security Documents; and
 
(s)           
the Guarantor shall not permit the appointment of any chief executive officer other than Mr. Evangelos Pistiolis without the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders.
 

 
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10.3    
 Value Maintenance.
 
(a)           
If, at any time during the first two years following the Effective Date, the Fair Market Value of the Ship and any additional Collateral provided pursuant to this Clause 10.3(a) shall be less than 140% of the Required Fair Market Value as at such time, or if at any time thereafter, the Fair Market Value of the Ship and any additional Collateral provided pursuant to this Clause 10.3(a) shall be less than 130% of the Required Fair Market Value as at such time, the Agent (acting upon the instruction of the Majority Lenders) shall have the right to require the Borrower and the Guarantor, within 30 Business Days of the date of the written demand of the Agent therefor, either (i) to prepay the Loan in such amount as may be necessary to cause such Fair Market Value of the Ship to equal or exceed 140% or 130%, as the case may be, of the Required Fair Market Value as at such time or (ii) to provide such additional Collateral as may be acceptable to the Agent in its sole reasonable discretion (acting upon the instruction of the Majority Lenders) so that Fair Market Value of the Ship and additional Collateral provided pursuant to this Clause 10.3(a) shall equal or exceed 140% or 130%, as the case may be, of the Required Fair Market Value as at such time, and the Obligors shall comply with any such written demand made by the Agent.
 
(b)           
Any prepayment required by this Clause 10.3 shall be subject to the requirements of Clauses 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9.
 
10.4
Clear Market .  Without the prior written consent of the Agent, neither of the Obligors shall, and the Guarantor shall not permit any of its Affiliates to, syndicate or issue, attempt to syndicate or issue, announce or authorize the announcement of the syndication or issuance of, or engage in discussions concerning the syndication or issuance of, any debt facility or debt security (including any renewals thereof) for a period of two months following the date hereof.
 
10.5  
Forward Freight Agreements .  Neither of the Obligors shall enter into any forward freight agreements with counterparties other than DVB Bank AG or its Affiliates without the prior written consent of the Agent.
 
11  
GUARANTY
 
11.1  
Guaranty .  To induce the Lenders to make the Loan to the Borrower, and to induce the Swap Bank to enter into Designated Transactions with the Borrower, the Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees (this “ Guaranty ”), as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety, the performance and punctual payment when due, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, of all Secured Liabilities of the Borrower now or hereafter existing under this Agreement and the other Finance Documents, whether for principal, interest, fees, expenses or otherwise (collectively, the “ Guaranteed Obligations ”) due or owing to the Credit Parties, and agrees to pay any and all expenses (including counsel fees and expenses) incurred by each Credit Party in enforcing any rights under this Guaranty.  The obligations of the Guarantor under this Guaranty are in addition to and shall not in any way be prejudiced by any other guaranty or security now or subsequently held by any Credit Party.
 

 
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11.2  
Obligations Absolute .  The Guarantor guarantees that the Guaranteed Obligations will be performed and paid to the Credit Parties strictly in accordance with the terms of any applicable agreement, express or implied, of the Borrower, regardless of any law, regulation or order of any jurisdiction affecting any term of any Guaranteed Obligation or the rights of the Credit Parties with respect thereto, including any law, rule or policy that is now or hereafter promulgated by any governmental authority (including any central bank) or regulatory body any of which may adversely affect the Borrower’s ability or obligation to make, or right of the Credit Parties to receive, such payments, including any sovereign act or circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense to, or a legal or equitable discharge of, the Borrower.
 
11.3  
Guaranty Unconditional .  The liability of the Guarantor hereunder shall be unconditional irrespective of, and the Guarantor hereby waives any defenses it may have with respect to:
 
(a)           
any lack of validity or enforceability of any Guaranteed Obligation or agreement or instrument relating thereto;
 
(b)           
any change in the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any other term of, any Guaranteed Obligation;
 
(c)           
any exchange, release or non-perfection of any other Collateral securing payment of any Guaranteed Obligation;
 
(d)           
any moratorium, bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or any other law, regulation or order of any jurisdiction affecting any term of any Guaranteed Obligation or a Credit Party’s rights with respect thereto; or
 
(e)           
any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or the discharge of, the Borrower or the Guarantor.
 
11.4  
Waiver of Subrogation; Contribution .  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Guaranty, until payment in full of the Guaranteed Obligations in cash and the termination of the commitments of the Lenders and the Swap Bank with respect thereto:
 
(a)           
the Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives any right to assert, enforce, or otherwise exercise any right of subrogation to any of the rights, security interests, claims, or liens that any Credit Party has or may have against the Borrower in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations;
 
(b)           
the Guarantor shall not have any right of recourse, reimbursements, contribution, indemnification, or similar right (by contract or otherwise) against the Borrower in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations; and
 
(c)           
the Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives any and all of the foregoing rights and also irrevocably waives the benefit of, and any right to participate in, any Collateral or other security given to the Credit Parties to secure payment of the Guaranteed Obligations.
 

 
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11.5
Reinstatement .  This Guaranty shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be returned by any Credit Party.
 
11.6  
Waiver .  The Guarantor waives promptness, diligence and notices with respect to any Guaranteed Obligation and this Guaranty and any requirement that a Credit Party exhaust any right or take any action against the Borrower or any other entity or any of its property.
 
11.7  
Payments; No Reductions .
 
(a)           
All payments under this Guaranty shall be made in accordance with Clauses 12, 16, and 17 of this Agreement.
 
(b)           
The Guarantor agrees to pay any and all taxes that arise from any payment made hereunder or from the execution, delivery or registration by such Guarantor of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement.
 
(c)           
The Guarantor shall indemnify each Credit Party in accordance with Clause 16.
 
(d)           
Within 30 days after the date of any payment of taxes, the Guarantor shall furnish to each Credit Party at its address for notices, the original or a certified copy of a receipt evidencing payment thereof.  If no taxes are payable in respect of any payment, the Guarantor will furnish to each Credit Party a certificate from each appropriate taxing authority, or an opinion of counsel acceptable to each Credit Party, in either case stating that such payment is exempt from or not subject to taxes.
 
11.8  
Continuing Guarantee .  This Guaranty (a) is a continuing guaranty, (b) is joint and several with each other guarantee given in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations, (c) shall, subject to Clause 11.5, remain in full force and effect until the later of the termination of the Commitments under this Agreement and the payment in full of the Guaranteed Obligations and all other amounts payable pursuant to the Finance Documents and (d) shall be binding upon the Guarantor, its successors and permitted assigns.  The obligations of the Guarantor under this Guaranty shall rank pari passu with all other unsecured obligations of the Guarantor.
 
12  
PAYMENTS AND CALCULATIONS
 
12.1  
Currency and Method of Payments .  All payments to be made by either Obligor under the Finance Documents shall be made to the Agent:
 
(a)           
not later than 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the due date;
 
(b)           
in same-day Dollar funds settled through the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or in such other Dollar funds or settled in such other manner as the Agent shall specify as being customary at the time for the settlement of international transactions of the type contemplated by this Agreement); and
 
(c)           
to the account and in favor of the Agent at HSBC Bank USA, New York, New York, ABA No. 021001088, SWIFT: MRMDUS33, for credit to 1700006231, Reference: 
 

 
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  Top Ships, or to such other account with such other bank as the Agent may from time to time notify to the Obligors.
 
12.2  
Payment on a Non-Business Day .  If any payment by either Obligor under a Finance Document would otherwise fall due on a day that is not a Business Day:
 
(a)           
the due date shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day; or
 
(b)           
if the next succeeding Business Day falls in the next calendar month, the due date shall be brought forward to the immediately preceding Business Day;
 
and interest shall be payable during any extension under Clause 12.2(a) at the rate payable on the original due date.
 
12.3  
Basis for Calculation of Periodic Payments .  All interest, commitment fees and any other payments under any Finance Document that are of an annual or periodic nature shall accrue from day to day and shall be calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed and a 360-day year.
 
12.4  
Distribution of Payments to Credit Parties .  Subject to Clauses 12.2, 12.6 and 12.7:
 
(a)           
each amount received by the Agent under a Finance Document for distribution or remittance to a Lender shall be made available by the Agent to such Lender by payment to such account indicated by notice from such Lender to the Agent not less than five Business Days prior to the date on which such payment is to be made; and
 
(b)           
amounts to be applied in satisfaction of amounts of a particular category that are due to the Lenders generally shall be distributed by the Agent to each Lender pro rata to the amount in that category that is due to it.
 
12.5  
Permitted Deductions by Agent .  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document to the contrary, the Agent may, to the extent permitted by applicable law and before making an amount available to a Lender, deduct and withhold from that amount any sum that is then due and payable to the Agent from such Lender under any Finance Document or any sum that the Agent is then entitled under any Finance Document to require such Lender to pay on demand.
 
12.6  
Agent Only Obliged to Pay Monies Received .  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document to the contrary, the Agent shall not be obligated to make available to the Borrower or any Lender any sum that the Agent is expecting to receive for remittance or distribution to the Borrower or that Lender until the Agent has satisfied itself that it has actually received that sum.
 
12.7  
Refund to Agent of Monies Not Received .  Except as is otherwise provided in Clause 3.4(b) of this Agreement, if and to the extent that the Agent makes available a sum to the Borrower or a Lender without first having received that sum, the Borrower or (as the case may be) the Lender concerned shall, on demand:
 
(a)           
refund the sum in full to the Agent; and
 

 
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(b)           
pay to the Agent the amount (as certified by the Agent) that will indemnify the Agent against any funding or other loss, liability or expense incurred by the Agent as a result of making the sum available before receiving it.
 
12.8  
Agent May Assume Receipt .  Clause 12.7 shall not affect any claim that the Agent has under the law of restitution, and applies irrespective of whether the Agent had any form of notice that it had not received the sum that it made available (except an express notice from a Lender that it will not fund its Ratable Portion of the Advance).
 
12.9  
Credit Party Accounts .  Each Credit Party shall maintain accounts showing the amounts owing to it by the Borrower under the Finance Documents and all payments in respect of those amounts made by the Obligors.
 
12.10  
Agent’s Memorandum Account .  The Agent shall maintain a memorandum account showing the amounts advanced by the Lenders and all other sums owing to the Agent, the Security Trustee and each Lender from the Obligors under the Finance Documents and all payments in respect of those amounts made by the Obligors.
 
12.11  
Accounts Prima Facie Evidence .  If the accounts maintained under Clauses 12.9 and 12.10 show an amount to be owing by any Obligor to a Credit Party, those accounts shall be prima facie evidence that that amount is owing to that Credit Party.
 
13  
APPLICATION OF RECEIPTS
 
13.1  
Normal Order of Application .  Except as this Agreement or any other Finance Document may otherwise provide, any sums that are received or recovered by the Agent or the Security Trustee under or by virtue of any Finance Document shall be paid to the account of the Agent identified in Clause 12.1(c) and applied by the Agent in the following manner:
 
 
FIRST:
in or towards payment of all sums (other than principal of the Loan or interest owing in respect thereof or amounts due under the Master Agreement) that may be owing to any Credit Party under this Agreement and the other Finance Documents (or any of them), including any amounts due under Clause 16;
 
 
SECOND:
in or towards payment of any accrued default interest due but unpaid under Clause 6;
 
 
THIRD:
in or towards payment of any accrued interest due but unpaid under Clause 4;
 
 
FOURTH:
in or towards payment, on a pro rata basis, of any amounts then due under the Master Agreement and any principal due but unpaid under Clause 7, provided that any amounts in payment of any principal due under Clause 7 shall be applied to the outstanding principal balance of the Loan as provided therein;
 
 
FIFTH:
in or towards payment of the balance (if any) of the Outstanding Indebtedness; and
 
 
SIXTH:
any surplus shall be paid to the Borrower as it directs.
 

 
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13.2
Application of Credit Balances .  Each Credit Party may, upon not less than seven days’ prior notice to each Obligor or, to the extent permitted by applicable law, without prior notice if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing:
 
(a)           
apply any balance (whether or not then due) that at any time shall be standing to the credit of any account in the name of any Obligor at any office of such Credit Party in any country in or towards satisfaction of any sum then due from that Obligor to such Credit Party under any of the Finance Documents; and
 
(b)           
for that purpose:
 
(i)            
break, or alter the maturity of, all or any part of a deposit of that Obligor;
 
(ii)           
convert or translate all or any part of a deposit or other credit balance into Dollars;
 
(iii)          
enter into any other transaction or make any entry with regard to the credit balance that such Credit Party considers appropriate.
 
Each Credit Party (other than the Agent) shall promptly notify the Agent of each amount applied pursuant to this Clause 13.2 in or towards satisfaction of any sum then due from any Obligor to such Credit Party under any of the Finance Documents.
 
13.3  
Other Rights Unaffected .  A Credit Party shall not be obliged to exercise any of its rights under Clause 13.2 and those rights shall be without prejudice and in addition to any right of set-off, combination of accounts, charge, lien or other right or remedy to which such Credit Party is entitled (whether under the general law or any document).
 
13.4  
Payments in Excess of Ratable Share .  If any Lender shall obtain any payment (whether voluntary, involuntary, through the exercise of any right of set-off, counterclaim or otherwise) on account of its portion of the Loan and in excess of its ratable share of payments on account of the Loan obtained by all the Lenders, such Lender shall forthwith purchase from the other Lenders such participation in their respective portions of the Loan as shall be necessary to share the excess payment ratably with each of them; provided that if all or any portion of such excess payment shall be thereafter recovered by any other Lender from the purchasing Lender, such purchase from such other Lender shall be rescinded and such other Lender shall repay to the purchasing Lender the purchase price to the extent of such recovery together with an amount equal to such Lender’s ratable share (according to the proportion of (a) the amount of such Lender’s required repayment to (b) the total amount so recovered from the purchasing Lender) of any interest or other amount paid or payable by the purchasing Lender in respect of the total amount so recovered.  The Borrower agrees that any Lender so purchasing a participation from another Lender pursuant to this Clause 13.4 may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, exercise all of its rights of payment (including any right of set-off) with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were the direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.  Notwithstanding the preceding sentences of this Clause 13.4, any Lender that shall have commenced or joined (as a plaintiff) in an action or proceeding in any court to recover sums due to it under this Agreement or any other Finance Document and pursuant to a judgment obtained therein or a settlement or compromise of that action or proceeding shall have received any amount, shall not be
 

 
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required to share any proportion of that amount with any Lender that shall have had the legal right to, but shall not have joined such action or proceeding or commenced and diligently prosecuted a separate action or proceeding to enforce its rights in the same or another court.  Each Lender exercising or contemplating exercising any right giving rise to a receipt or receiving any payment of the type referred to in this Clause 13.4 or instituting legal proceedings to recover sums owing to it under this Agreement shall, as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, give notice thereof to the Agent, which shall give notice thereof to the other Lenders.
 
14  
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
14.1  
Events of Default .  There shall be an Event of Default if:
 
(a)           
any sum payable under this Agreement or any of the other Finance Documents shall not be paid when due; or
 
(b)           
either Obligor or any other party (other than a Credit Party) shall commit any breach of or fail to perform any of its obligations, covenants or undertakings in this Agreement or any other Finance Document (except as provided in Clause 14.1(a)) or any event of default, or any event or circumstance that with the giving of any notice, the lapse of time or both would constitute an event of default, shall occur under any other Finance Document; or
 
(c)           
any representation or warranty made by either Obligor or any other party (other than a Credit Party) in or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Finance Document shall prove to have been incorrect in any material respect when made or deemed made or confirmed; or
 
(d)           
any principal of or interest on any Financial Indebtedness of either Obligor (other than the Financial Indebtedness payable pursuant to this Agreement or any other Finance Document) shall not be paid when due, subject to any agreed cure period but only so long as cure shall be made in accordance with the terms thereof and in any event on or before the thirtieth day after such principal or interest shall be due; or
 
(e)           
any event of default, or any event or circumstance that, with the giving of any notice, the lapse of time or both would constitute an event of default, shall occur under any agreement (other than the Finance Documents) to which either of the Obligors or a Principal Subsidiary is a party, including any charter party or other contract of employment for the Ship; or
 
(f)           
any of the consents referred to in Clause 9.3 shall be modified in a manner that shall be unacceptable to the Majority Lenders, shall be revoked or terminated, shall expire and not be renewed, or otherwise shall cease to be in full force and effect; or
 
(g)           
either Obligor shall suspend payment of its debts or shall be unable or shall admit its inability to pay its debts as they fall due or any proceeding shall be commenced by or against either Obligor for a composition or other arrangement for the benefit of its creditors generally relating to reconstruction or readjustment of it or its debts or any
 

 
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  similar process or proceeding shall be instituted by or against either Obligor under the laws of any relevant jurisdiction; or
 
(h)           
either Obligor shall take any action or any legal proceedings shall be started or other steps shall be taken for:
 
(i)            
such Obligor to be adjudicated or found bankrupt or insolvent;
 
(ii)           
the winding-up or dissolution of such Obligor; or
 
(iii)          
the appointment of a liquidator, trustee, receiver or similar officer of such Obligor or of the whole or any part of its undertakings, assets, rights or revenues or any similar process or proceeding shall be instituted under the laws of any relevant jurisdiction; or
 
(i)            
either Obligor ceases or threatens to cease to carry on its business except, with respect to the Borrower, in the case of a sale or a proposed sale of the Ship; or
 
(j)            
all or a material part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of, or shares or other ownership interest in, either Obligor shall be seized, nationalized, expropriated or compulsorily acquired by or under authority of any government; or
 
(k)           
a creditor shall attach or take possession of, or a distress, execution, sequestration or process (each an “ action ”) shall be levied or enforced upon or sued out against, a material part of the undertakings, assets, rights or revenues of either Obligor in relation to a claim by such creditor and such action shall not have been lifted, vacated, released or expunged, or substitute security posted, within 10 Business Days of such action having been instituted; or
 
(l)            
the Guarantor shall cease to be the legal and beneficial owner of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Borrower; or
 
(m)          
the Ship shall be a Total Loss and insurance proceeds with respect to such Total Loss shall not be collected or received by the Security Trustee within 150 days thereafter; or
 
(n)           
any provision of this Agreement shall cease to be valid and binding on or enforceable against either Obligor or such Obligor shall so state in writing, or any other Finance Document executed and delivered by either Obligor shall for any reason cease to be valid and binding on or enforceable against such Obligor or any such Obligor shall so state in writing; or
 
(o)           
any Security Document shall cease for any reason (other than pursuant to the terms thereof) after the execution and delivery thereof to create (i) in the case of the Mortgage, a valid first priority preferred mortgage under the laws of the Republic of Liberia on the Ship described therein or (ii) in the case of the Earnings Assignment, Insurance Assignment or Charter Assignment, a valid first-priority perfected lien on the Collateral described therein; or
 

 
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(p)           
any Approved Charter shall cease to be in full force and effect at any time after such Approved Charter shall have been executed and delivered by the parties thereto; or
 
(q)           
it shall be impossible or unlawful:
 
(i)            
for either Obligor or any other party (other than a Credit Party) to fulfill any of the covenants and obligations contained in this Agreement or any other Finance Document; or
 
(ii)           
for any Credit Party to exercise any of the rights vested in it under this Agreement or any other Finance Documents; or
 
(r)           
in the reasonable opinion of the Majority Lenders, a material adverse change in the financial condition of either Obligor shall occur; or
 
(s)           
any other event occurs or circumstance shall occur that, in the reasonable opinion of the Majority Lenders, shall likely materially and adversely affect:
 
(i)            
the ability of either Obligor or any other party (other than a Credit Party) to perform all or any of its respective obligations under or otherwise to perform its obligations under this Agreement or any other Finance Document; or
 
(ii)           
the security created by any Collateral.
 
14.2  
Actions Following an Event of Default .  If at any time an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Agent may and, if so instructed by the Majority Lenders, shall:
 
(a)           
serve on the Borrower a notice stating that all obligations of the Lenders to the Borrower under this Agreement are terminated at which time such obligations shall immediately terminate without any further action by any party hereto; provided that if any Event of Default described in either of Clauses 14.1(g) and 14.1(h) shall have occurred and be continuing, such obligations shall be deemed immediately terminated without notice thereof or any other action by any party hereto;
 
(b)           
serve on the Borrower a notice stating that the Loan, all accrued interest and all other amounts accrued or owing under this Agreement are immediately due and payable at which time the Loan, all accrued interest and all other amounts accrued or owing by the Obligors under this Agreement and the other Finance Documents shall become immediately due and payable, and the Security Trustee shall be entitled to enforce the Security Interests created by this Agreement and the other Finance Documents in any manner available to it and in such sequence as the Security Trustee may, in its absolute discretion, determine; provided that if any Event of Default described in either of Clauses 14.1(g) and 14.1(h) shall have occurred and be continuing, the Loan, all such accrued interest and all such other amounts shall become immediately due and payable and the Security Trustee shall be entitled to enforce the Security Interests as provided herein, in each case without notice or demand therefor or any other action by any party hereto; and
 

 
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(c)           
take such other actions that, as a result of such Event of Default or any notice served pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) above, a Credit Party shall be entitled to take under any Finance Document or any applicable law.
 
14.3  
Multiple Notices; Action without Notice .  The Agent may serve notices pursuant to Clauses 14.2(a) and 14.2(b) simultaneously or at different times and may take any action referred to in either such Clause even if no such notice is served or simultaneously with or at any time after the service of both or either of such notices.
 
15  
FEES AND EXPENSES
 
15.1  
Commitment Fee .  The Borrower shall pay to the Agent for the account of each Lender a commitment fee equal to 0.50% per annum of the undrawn portion of the Commitment of such Lender from the Effective Date (in the case of any Initial Lender) and from the effective date specified in the Assignment and Acceptance pursuant to which it became a Lender (in the case of each other Lender) until the end of the Availability Period, payable in arrears on the last day of the Availability Period.
 
15.2  
Other Fees .  The Guarantor shall pay to DVB Bank America N.V. for its own account such fees as may from time to time be agreed by DVB Bank America N.V. and the Guarantor.
 
15.3  
Costs of Negotiation, Preparation, Etc.   The Borrower shall pay to the Agent on demand the amount of all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Agent and each other Credit Party in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution, registration and enforcement of each Finance Document and related document and each transaction contemplated by any Finance Document or related document, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of each Credit Party’s legal counsel and any local counsel retained by them.
 
15.4  
Costs of Variations, Amendments, Enforcement, Etc .  The Borrower shall pay to the Agent on demand the amount of all expenses incurred by the Credit Parties (including the legal fees and disbursements of counsel to the Credit Parties) in connection with:
 
(a)           
each amendment or supplement to any Finance Document, and each proposal for any such amendment or supplement regardless of whether or not such amendment or supplement shall become effective;
 
(b)           
each consent or waiver by any Credit Party under or in connection with any Finance Document, and each request for any such waiver or consent regardless of whether or not such waiver or consent shall be given;
 
(c)           
the valuation of or any other matter relating to the Collateral or the Ship; and
 
(d)           
each action taken by a Credit Party for the protection, exercise or enforcement of any right or Security Interest created by any Finance Document or for any similar purpose.
 
15.5  
Documentary Taxes .  The Borrower shall promptly pay any tax payable on or by reference to any Finance Document, and shall, on demand, fully indemnify any Credit Party against any liabilities and expenses resulting from any failure or delay by the Borrower to pay such a tax.
 

 
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16  
INDEMNITIES
 
16.1  
Indemnities Regarding Borrowing and Repayment of Loan .  The Borrower shall indemnify each Lender on demand for any and all expenses, liabilities and losses incurred by such Lender as a result of or in connection with:
 
(a)           
the Advance not being borrowed on the Expected Drawdown Date specified in the Drawdown Notice for any reason other than a default by such Lender;
 
(b)           
the receipt or recovery of all or any part of the Loan or an overdue sum other than on the last day of an Interest Period or other relevant period;
 
(c)           
any failure (for whatever reason) by the Borrower to make payment of any amount due under any Finance Document on the due date (after giving credit for any default interest paid by the Borrower on the amount concerned);
 
(d)           
the occurrence and continuance of any Event of Default or Potential Event of Default and the acceleration of repayment of the Loan or any other amounts pursuant to Clause 14; and
 
(e)           
any tax (other than tax on its overall net income imposed by a taxing jurisdiction in which such Lender is organized, holds or books the Loan or has a principal place of business) for which such Lender is liable in any jurisdiction directly in connection with any amount paid or payable to such Credit Party under any Finance Document.
 
16.2  
Breakage Costs .  Without limiting its generality of Clause 16.1, the expenses, liabilities and losses indemnified by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 16.1 shall include those incurred by each Lender:
 
(a)           
in liquidating or employing deposits from third parties acquired or arranged to fund or maintain all or any part of the Loan or any overdue amount (or any aggregate amount that includes the Loan or any overdue amount); and
 
(b)           
in terminating, or otherwise in connection with, any interest or currency swap or any other transaction entered into (whether with another legal entity or with another office or department of such Lender) to hedge any exposure arising under this Agreement or that part that such Lender determines is fairly attributable to this Agreement of the amount of the liabilities, expenses or losses incurred by it in terminating, or otherwise in connection with, any number of transactions including those contemplated by this Agreement.
 
16.3  
Miscellaneous Indemnities .  The Borrower shall indemnify each Credit Party for any and all claims, demands, proceedings, liabilities, taxes, losses and expenses of every kind that may be made or brought against, or incurred by, such Credit Party, in any country, in relation to:
 
(a)           
any action taken, or omitted or neglected to be taken, under or in connection with any Finance Document by such Credit Party or by any receiver appointed under a Finance Document; and
 

 
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(b)           
any other event, matter or question that occurs or arises at any time during the Security Period and that has any connection with any payment or other transaction relating to any Finance Document or any asset covered (or previously covered) by a Security Interest created (or intended to be created) by any Finance Document;
 
other than such claims, demands, proceedings, liabilities, taxes, losses and expenses that are shown to have been caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Credit Party’s own officers or employees.
 
16.4  
Other Indemnities .  The Borrower shall indemnify each Credit Party for any and all reasonable expenses, liabilities and losses incurred by such Credit Party as a result of or in connection with the enforcement (whether through negotiations, legal proceedings or otherwise) of the Finance Documents and any other document to be delivered hereunder.
 
16.5  
Currency Indemnity.   If any amount payable by either Obligor to any Credit Party pursuant to any Finance Document or pursuant to any order or judgment relating to any Finance Document shall be converted from the currency in which the Finance Documents require such amount to be paid (the “ Contractual Currency ”) into another currency (the “ Payment Currency ”) for the purpose of:
 
(a)           
making or lodging any claim or proof against the Borrower, whether in liquidation, bankruptcy, insolvency or otherwise; or
 
(b)           
obtaining an order or a judgment from any court or other tribunal; or
 
(c)           
enforcing any such order or judgment,
 
the Borrower shall indemnify such Credit Party on demand against any and all losses arising when the amount of the payment actually received by such Credit Party is converted at the available rate of exchange into the Contractual Currency.  In this Clause 16.5, the “ available rate of exchange ” means the rate at which the Credit Party concerned shall be able at the opening of business (London time) on the Business Day after it shall have received such amount concerned to purchase the Contractual Currency with the Payment Currency.  This Clause 16.5 creates a separate liability of the Borrower that is distinct from its other liabilities under the Finance Documents and that shall not be merged in any judgment or order relating to those other liabilities.
 
16.6  
Increased Costs .
 
(a)           
If, due to either
 
(i)            
the introduction of or any change in or in the interpretation of any law or regulation; or
 
(ii)           
the compliance by any Lender with any guideline or request from any central bank or other governmental authority after the date hereof (whether or not having the force of law);
 
 
there shall be
 
 
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(x)
imposed, modified or deemed applicable any reserve, special deposit or similar requirement against assets held by, or deposits in or for the account of, any Lender;
 
 
(y)
imposed on any Lender any tax of any kind whatsoever with respect to this Agreement or the Advance made by it, or any change in the basis of taxation of payments to any Lender in respect thereof (except for taxes indemnified pursuant to Clause 17); or
 
 
(z)
imposed on any Lender any other condition relating to this Agreement or the Advance made by it;
 
and the result of any event referred to in paragraph (x), (y) or (z) of this Clause 16.6(a) shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of agreeing to make or making, funding or maintaining the Advance or to reduce any amount received or receivable by any Lender hereunder or under any Finance Document (whether of principal, interest or any other amount), then the Borrower shall from time to time, upon demand by such Lender (with a copy of such demand to the Agent) made within 60 days after the first date on which such Lender has actual knowledge that it is entitled to make demand for payment under this Clause 16.6(a), pay to the Agent for the account of such Lender additional amounts sufficient to compensate such Lender for such increased cost; provided that :
 
 
(A)
if such Lender fails to so notify the Borrower within such 60-day period, such increased cost shall commence accruing on such later date on which the Lender notifies the Borrower; and
 
 
(B)
before making any such demand, such Lender agrees to use reasonable efforts (consistent with its internal policy and legal and regulatory restrictions) to designate a different Lending Office if the making of such a designation would avoid the need for, or reduce the amount of, such increased cost and would not, in the reasonable judgment of such Lender, be otherwise disadvantageous to such Lender.
 
Each Lender, upon determining that additional amounts needed to compensate it for such increased cost are payable by the Borrower pursuant to this Clause 16.6(a), shall give prompt written notice thereof to the Borrower and the Agent, which notice shall include a certificate submitted to the Borrower and the Agent by such Lender setting forth in reasonable detail the basis for and the calculation of such increased cost (such certificate shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error), although the failure to give any such notice shall not release or diminish any Borrower’s obligations to pay such increased cost pursuant to this Clause 16.6(a).
 
(b)           
If any Lender shall determine that compliance with any law or regulation or any guideline or request from any central bank or other governmental or monetary authority in regard to capital adequacy (whether or not having the force of law) including any guideline contemplated by the report dated July 1988 entitled “International Convergence of Capital Management and Capital Standards” issued by the Bank Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices, in any case
 

 
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in which such law, regulation, guideline or request shall have become effective or shall have been made after the date hereof, shall or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on the capital of, or maintained by, such Lender or any person controlling such Lender as a consequence of such Lender making its ratable portion of the Advance or Commitment hereunder and other commitments of this type, by increasing the amount of capital required or expected to be maintained by such Lender or any person controlling such Lender, to a level below that which such Lender or any person controlling such Lender could have achieved but for such adoption, effectiveness, change or compliance (taking into account such Lender’s or such person’s policies with respect to capital adequacy), then the Borrower shall, from time to time, pay such Lender, upon demand by such Lender made within 60 days after the first date on which such Lender has actual knowledge that it is entitled to make demand for payment under this Clause 16.6(b) of such reduction in return, such additional amount as may be specified by such Lender as being sufficient to compensate such Lender for such reduction in return, to the extent that such Lender reasonably determines such reduction to be attributable to the existence of such Lender’s commitment to lend hereunder; provided that if such Lender fails to so notify the Borrower within such 60 day period, such amounts shall commence accruing on such later date on which such Lender notifies the Borrower.  A certificate as to such amounts submitted to the Borrower by a Lender shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.
 
17  
NO SET-OFF OR TAX DEDUCTION
 
17.1  
No Deductions .  All amounts due from either Obligor under any Finance Document shall be paid:
 
(a)           
without any form of set-off, cross-claim or condition; and
 
(b)           
free and clear of any tax deduction except a tax deduction that the Borrower is required by law to make.
 
17.2  
Grossing-Up for Taxes .  If either Obligor shall be required by law to make a tax deduction from any payment:
 
(a)           
that Obligor shall notify the Agent as soon as it becomes aware of the requirement;
 
(b)           
that Obligor shall pay the tax deducted to the appropriate taxation authority promptly, and in any event before any fine or penalty arises; and
 
(c)           
the amount due in respect of the payment shall be increased by the amount necessary to ensure that each Credit Party receives and retains (free from any liability relating to the tax deduction) a net amount that, after the tax deduction, is equal to the full amount that it would otherwise have received.
 
17.3  
Evidence of Payment of Taxes .  Within 30 days after making any tax deduction, an Obligor shall deliver to the Agent documentary evidence satisfactory to the Agent that the tax shall have been paid to the appropriate taxation authority.
 
 
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17.4  
Exclusion of Tax on Overall Net Income .  In this Clause 17, “ tax deduction ” means any deduction or withholding for or on account of any present or future tax except tax on a Credit Party’s overall net income imposed by a taxing jurisdiction in which such Credit Party is organized, holds or books the Loan (as applicable) or has a principal place of business.
 
18  
ILLEGALITY
 
If any Lender shall notify the Borrower that it shall have become, or shall with effect from a specified date become:
 
(a)           
unlawful or prohibited as a result of the introduction of a new law, an amendment to an existing law or a change in the manner in which an existing law is or will be interpreted or applied; or
 
(b)           
contrary to, or inconsistent with, any regulation;
 
for such Lender to maintain or give effect to any of its obligations under this Agreement in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, such Lender’s obligation to make available its Commitment shall terminate; and thereupon or, if later, on the date specified in such Lender’s notice as the date on which the notified event shall become effective, the Borrower shall prepay to such Lender that portion of the Loan payable to such Lender plus all amounts otherwise payable under Clause 7.
 
19  
ASSIGNMENTS AND PARTICIPATIONS; CHANGES IN LENDING OFFICE
 
19.1  
Assignment by Borrower .  Except as permitted by Clause 10.2(b), no Obligor may, without the consent of the Majority Lenders:
 
(a)           
transfer any of its rights or obligations under any Finance Document; or
 
(b)           
enter into any merger, de-merger or other reorganization, or carry out any other act, as a result of which any of its rights or liabilities would vest in, or pass to, another person.
 
19.2  
Assignments by Lenders; Participations .
 
(a)           
Each Lender may at its own expense assign to a bank or other entity all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment, the Advance owing to it and the Notes held by it, if any), provided that :
 
(i)            
each such assignment shall be of a uniform, and not a varying, percentage of all rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Finance Documents;
 
(ii)           
except in the case of an assignment of all of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement or an assignment to a person that, immediately prior to such assignment, shall also be a Lender, the amount of the Commitment of the assigning Lender being assigned pursuant to each such assignment (determined as of the date of the Assignment and
 

 
55

 
 
 
  Acceptance with respect to such assignment) shall in no event be less than $5,000,000 and shall be an integral multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof;
 
(iii)          
each such assignment shall be to (A) an Eligible Assignee acceptable to the Borrower, which acceptance the Borrower shall not unreasonably withhold, condition or delay, (B) another Lender or (C) an Affiliate of the assigning Lender or an Eligible Assignee;
 
(iv)          
the parties to each such assignment shall execute and deliver to the Agent, for its acceptance and recording in the Register, an Assignment and Acceptance, together with the Notes (if any) subject to such assignment and a processing and recordation fee of $5,000 payable by the assigning Lender; and
 
(v)           
after giving effect to each such assignment, there shall be no more than five Lenders.
 
Upon such execution, delivery, acceptance and recording, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Acceptance, (x) the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent that rights and obligations hereunder have been assigned to it pursuant to such Assignment and Acceptance, have the rights and obligations of a Lender hereunder and (y) the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent that rights and obligations hereunder have been assigned by it pursuant to such Assignment and Acceptance, relinquish its rights (other than its rights under Clauses 15, 16, and 17 to the extent any claim thereunder relates to an event arising prior to or in connection with such assignment) and be released from its further obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Acceptance covering all or the remaining portion of an assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto).
 
(b)           
By executing and delivering an Assignment and Acceptance, the assigning Lender thereunder and the assignee thereunder confirm to and agree with each other and the other parties hereto as follows:
 
(i)            
other than as provided in such Assignment and Acceptance, such assigning Lender makes no representation or warranty and assumes no responsibility with respect to any statements, warranties or representations made in or in connection with this Agreement or the execution, legality, validity, enforceability, genuineness, sufficiency or value of this Agreement or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant hereto;
 
(ii)           
such assigning Lender makes no representation or warranty and assumes no responsibility with respect to the financial condition of either Obligor or the performance or observance by either Obligor of any of its obligations under this Agreement, any other Finance Document or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant hereto or thereto;
 
(iii)          
such assignee confirms that it has received a copy of this Agreement, together with copies of all financial statements referred to or delivered in accordance with Clauses 9.9 and 10.1(f) and such other documents and information as it
 
 
 
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  deems appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into such Assignment and Acceptance;
 
(iv)          
such assignee will, independently and without reliance upon the Agent, the Security Trustee, the Swap Bank, the assigning Lender or any other Lender and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement;
 
(v)           
such assignee confirms that it is another Lender, an Affiliate of the assigning Lender or an Eligible Assignee;
 
(vi)          
such assignee appoints and authorizes the Agent to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement as are delegated to the Agent by the terms hereof, together with such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto;
 
(vii)         
such assignee agrees that it shall perform in accordance with their terms all of the obligations which by the terms of this Agreement are required to be performed by it as a Lender; and
 
(viii)        
such assigning Lender and such assignee represent and warrant that such assignment is not in violation of any applicable law, including any securities law.
 
(c)           
The Agent shall maintain at its address referred to in Clause 21.2 a copy of each Assignment and Acceptance delivered to and accepted by it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders and the Commitment of, and principal amount of the Advance owing to, each Lender from time to time (the “ Register ”).  The entries in the Register shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Guarantor, the Agent, the Security Trustee and the Lenders may treat each person whose name is recorded in the Register as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement and the Security Documents.  The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower or any Lender at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
 
(d)           
Upon its receipt of an Assignment and Acceptance executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the Agent shall, if such Assignment and Acceptance has been completed and is in substantially the form of Appendix H, (i) accept such Assignment and Acceptance, (ii) record the information contained therein in the Register and (iii) give prompt notice thereof to the Borrower and the Guarantor.
 
(e)           
Each Lender may, at is own expense, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities in or to all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Advances owing to it); provided that :
 

 
57

 
 
 
(i)            
such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement (including its Commitment to the Borrower hereunder) shall remain unchanged;
 
(ii)           
such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations;
 
(iii)          
such Lender shall remain a Lender for all purposes of this Agreement;
 
(iv)          
the Borrower, the Guarantor, the Agent, the Security Trustee and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement; and
 
(v)           
no participant under any such participation shall have any right to approve any amendment or waiver of any provision of any Finance Document, or any consent to any departure by the Borrower therefrom.
 
(f)           
Notwithstanding any other provision set forth in this Agreement, any Lender may, at its own expense, at any time create a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including the Advance owing to it and the Notes held by it) in favor of any Federal Reserve Bank in accordance with Regulation A of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
 
19.3  
Rights of Assignee .  In respect of any breach of a warranty, undertaking, condition or other provision of a Finance Document, or any misrepresentation made in or in connection with a Finance Document, a direct or indirect assignee of any of a Lender’s rights or interests under or by virtue of the Finance Documents shall be entitled to recover damages by reference to the loss incurred by that assignee as a result of the breach or misrepresentation irrespective of whether the Lender would have incurred a loss of that kind or amount.
 
19.4  
Subrogation Assignment .  A Lender may assign, in any manner and on terms agreed by it, all or any part of those rights to an insurer or surety who has become subrogated to them.
 
19.5  
Disclosure of Information .  Any Lender may, in connection with any assignment or participation or proposed assignment or participation pursuant to this Clause 19.2, disclose to
 
any assignee or participant, or any proposed assignee or participant, any information relating to the Obligors furnished to such Lender by or on behalf of the Obligors or received in relation to the Obligors or their affairs under or in connection with any Finance Document.
 
19.6  
Change of Lending Office .  Subject to Clause 16.6, a Lender may change its Lending Office by notice to the Borrower and such change shall become effective on the later of:
 
(a)           the date on which such notice shall become effective; and
 
 
(b)
the date, if any, specified in the notice as the date on which the change will come into effect;
 
provided that such change in Lending Office shall not result at the time of such change in an increase the Borrower’s cost under this Agreement.
 

 
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20 
 VARIATIONS, WAVIERS, ETC.
   
20.1  
Variations, Waivers, Etc.
 
(a)           
A document shall be effective to vary, waive, suspend or limit any provision of a Finance Document, or a Credit Party’s rights or remedies under such a provision or the general law, only if the document is signed, or specifically agreed to by fax, by the relevant Obligors and the relevant Credit Parties.
 
(b)           
Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, this Agreement or any term hereof may be amended, modified, waived, discharged or terminated only by an instrument in writing, signed by the Majority Lenders or by the Agent acting with the consent of the Majority Lenders; provided that no amendment, modification or waiver shall, unless by an instrument signed by all the Lenders or by the Agent acting with the consent of all the Lenders (so long as this Agreement remains in effect or there are any Designated Transactions continuing):
 
(i)            
increase the Commitment of any Lender, or increase or extend the term, or extend the time or waive any requirement for the reduction or termination, of the Advance;
 
(ii)           
extend the date fixed for the payment of principal or interest on the Loan;
 
(iii)          
reduce the amount of any payment of principal thereof or the rate at which interest is payable thereon or any fee is payable hereunder;
 
(iv)          
alter the terms of this Clause 20;
 
(v)           
waive any of the conditions precedent set forth in Clause 8;
 
(vi)          
release any Collateral, except as contemplated by this Agreement or any other Finance Document; or
 
(vii)         
change the definition of the term “Majority Lenders”;
 
provided further that any amendment of Clause 10.4 or 24 shall require the written consent of the Agent and the Security Trustee.
 
20.2  
Exclusion of Other or Implied Variations .  Except as expressly provided in any document that satisfies the requirements of Clause 20.1, no document, and no act, course of conduct, failure or neglect to act, delay or acquiescence on the part of a Credit Party (or any person acting on its behalf) shall result in such Credit Party (or any person acting on its behalf) being taken to have varied, waived, suspended or limited, or being precluded (permanently or temporarily) from enforcing, relying on or exercising:
 
(a)           
any provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document; or
 
(b)           
any Event of Default or Potential Event of Default; or
 

 
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(c)           
any breach by an Obligor of an obligation under any Finance Document or applicable law; or
 
(d)           
any right or remedy conferred by any Finance Document or applicable law;
 
and there shall not be implied into any Finance Document any term or condition requiring any such provision to be enforced, or such right or remedy to be exercised, within a certain or reasonable time.  Without limiting the forgoing, no single or partial exercise of any such right or remedy shall preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or remedy.
 
21
NOTICES
 
21.1  
General .  Unless otherwise specifically provided, each notice given pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Finance Document shall be given by registered or certified mail, by FedEx, DHL or similar courier, by facsimile or by hand.
 
21.2  
Addresses for Notices, Etc .  Each such notice shall be sent:
 
 
(a)
if to the Borrower, to:
Japan II Shipping Company Limited
c/o Top Ships Inc.
Vas. Sofias 1 & Meg. Alexandrou
Maroussi -- Athens 151 24, GREECE
Facsimile:  +30-210-614-1273;
     
     
     
     
       
 
(b)
if to the Guarantor, to:
Top Ships Inc.
Vas. Sofias 1 & Meg. Alexandrou
Maroussi -- Athens 151 24 GREECE
Facsimile:  +30-210-614-1273;
     
     
     
       
 
(c)
if to the Agent or the Security Trustee, to:
DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
Attention:  Natascha Bloem
Facsimile:  +599-9-465-2366;
     
     
     
     
     
     
       
   
with a copy to:
DVB Bank AG
Representative Office -- Greece
95 Akti Miaouli
185 35 Piraeus, GREECE
Attention:  Nikolas Chontzopoulos
Facsimile: +30-210-455-7420;
     
     
     
     
     

 

 
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(d)
if the Swap Bank, to:
DVB Bank AG
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 2-14
D-50325 Frankfurt am Main
GERMANY;
     
     
     
       
   
with a copy to:
DVB Bank AG
Representative Office -- Greece
95 Akti Miaouli
185 35 Piraeus, GREECE
Attention:  Nikolas Chontzopoulos
Facsimile: +30-210-455-7420;
     
     
     
     
     
       
 
(e)
if to any Initial Lender, to:
the address or facsimile number for such Lender listed on Schedule 1 hereto; and
       
 
(f)
if to any other Lender, to:
the address or facsimile number listed for notices to such Lender on the Assignment and Acceptance pursuant to which it shall have become a Lender;
 
or to such other address or facsimile number as such party may notify for itself to the others.
 
21.3
Effective Date of Notices .  Subject to Clauses 21.4 and 21.5:
 
 
(a)
a notice that is sent by post shall be deemed served and given, and shall take effect, three days after the date of delivery to the post;
 
 
(b)
a notice that is sent by FedEx, DHL or similar courier shall be deemed served and given, and shall take effect, two days after the date of delivery to such courier;
 
 
(c)
a notice that is sent by facsimile shall be deemed served and given, and shall take effect, two hours after its successful transmission is completed; and
 
 
(d)
a notice that is delivered by hand shall deemed served and given, and shall take effect, at the time that it is delivered.
 
21.4
Service Outside Business Hours .  However, if under Clause 21.3 a notice would be deemed to be served:
 
 
(a)
on a day that is not a Business Day in the place of receipt; or
 
 
(b)
on such a Business Day, but after 5:00 p.m. local time on such Business Day;
 
the notice shall (subject to Clause 21.5) be deemed to be served, and shall take effect, at 9:00 a.m. on the next day that is a Business Day.
 
21.5
Illegible Notices .  Clauses 21.3 and 21.4 do not apply if the recipient of a notice notifies the sender within one hour after the time at which the notice would otherwise be deemed to be served that the notice has been received in a form that is illegible in any material respect.
 
 
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21.6
English Language .  All notices given pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Finance Document shall be in the English language.
 
21.7
Meaning of “notice” .  In this Clause 21, “ notice ” includes any demand, consent, authorization, approval, instruction, waiver or other communication.
 
22
SUBORDINATION
 
22.1
[intentionally omitted]
 
22.2
[intentionally omitted]
 
22.3
[intentionally omitted]
 
22.4
Subordination .  Subject to Clause 22.5, during the Security Period, neither Obligor shall:
 
 
(a)
claim by way of any legal or administrative action any amount that may be due to it from the other Obligor whether in respect of a payment made, or matter arising out of, this Agreement or any other Finance Document, or any matter unconnected with this Agreement or any other Finance Document; or
 
 
(b)
take or enforce any form of security from the other Obligor for such an amount, or in any other way seek to have recourse in respect of such an amount against any asset of the other Obligor; or
 
 
(c)
set off any such amount against any sum due from it to the other Obligor; or
 
 
(d)
prove or claim for such an amount in any liquidation, administration, arrangement or similar procedure involving the other Obligor; or
 
 
(e)
exercise or assert any combination of the foregoing.
 
22.5
Obligors’ Required Action .  If during the Security Period, the Agent, by notice to either Obligor, requires such Obligor to take any action referred to in paragraphs (a) through (d) of Clause 22.4, in relation to the other Obligor, such Obligor shall take that action as soon as practicable after receiving the Agent’s notice.
 
23
SUPPLEMENTAL
 
23.1
Rights Cumulative, Non-Exclusive .  The rights and remedies granted to the Credit Parties pursuant to the Finance Documents:
 
 
(a)
are cumulative;
 
 
(b)
may be exercised as often as appears expedient; and
 
 
(c)
shall not, unless a Finance Document explicitly and specifically states so, be taken to exclude or limit any right or remedy conferred by applicable law.
 
 
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23.2
Severability of Provisions .  If any provision of a Finance Document is or subsequently becomes void, unenforceable or illegal, that shall not affect the validity, enforceability or legality of the other provisions of that Finance Document or of the provisions of any other Finance Document.
 
23.3
Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
 
23.4
Binding Effect .  This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, except that the Borrower shall not have the right to assign its rights hereunder or any interest herein except as provided in Clause 19.1.
 
24
THE AGENT AND THE SECURITY TRUSTEE
 
24.1
Appointment and Granting .
 
 
(a)
Each of the Lenders and the Swap Bank hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Agent to act as its agent hereunder and under any of the other Finance Documents with such powers as are specifically delegated to the Agent by the terms of this Agreement and the other Finance Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.
 
 
(b)
The Security Trustee.
 
 
(i)
Each of the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Agent hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Security Trustee to act as security trustee hereunder and under the other Finance Documents (other than the Notes) with such powers as are specifically delegated to the Security Trustee by the terms of this Agreement and such other Finance Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.
 
 
(ii)
To secure the payment of all sums of money from time to time owing to the Lenders under this Agreement, the Notes and the other Finance Documents in the maximum principal amount of $48,000,000 plus accrued interest thereon and all other amounts owing to the Lenders, the Swap Bank, the Agent and the Security Trustee pursuant to this Agreement, the Notes and the other Finance Documents, and the performance of the covenants of the Borrower and the other Obligor herein and therein contained, and in consideration of the premises and of the covenants herein contained and of the extensions of credit by the Lenders and the entry by the Swap Bank into the Master Agreement, the Security Trustee does hereby declare that it shall hold as such trustee in trust for the benefit of the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Agent, from and after the execution and delivery thereof, all of its right, title and interest as mortgagee in, to and under each Mortgage and its right, title and interest as assignee and secured party under the other Finance Documents (the right, title and interest of the Security Trustee in and to the property, rights
 
 
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    and privileges described above, from and after the execution and delivery thereof, and all property hereafter specifically subjected to the lien of the indenture created hereby and by the Finance Documents by any amendment hereto or thereto are herein collectively called the “ Estate ”) TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the Estate unto the Security Trustee and its successors and assigns forever, BUT IN TRUST, NEVERTHELESS, for the equal and proportionate benefit and security of the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Agent and their respective successors and assigns without any priority of any one over any other, UPON THE CONDITION that, unless and until an Event of Default under this Agreement shall have occurred and be continuing, the Borrower shall be permitted, to the exclusion of the Security Trustee, to possess and use the Ship.  IT IS HEREBY COVENANTED, DECLARED AND AGREED that all property subject or to become subject hereto is to be held, subject to the further covenants, conditions, uses and trusts hereinafter set forth, and the Borrower, for itself and its respective successors and assigns, hereby covenants and agrees to and with the Security Trustee and its successors in said trust, for the equal and proportionate benefit and security of the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Agent as hereinafter set forth.
 
 
(iii)
The Security Trustee hereby accepts the trusts imposed upon it as Security Trustee by this Agreement, and the Security Trustee covenants and agrees to perform the same as herein expressed and agrees to receive and disburse all monies constituting part of the Estate in accordance with the terms hereof.
 
24.2
Scope of Duties .  Neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee (which terms as used in this sentence and in Clause 24.5 shall include reference to their respective affiliates and their own respective and their respective affiliates’ officers, directors, employees, agents and attorneys-in-fact): (a) shall have any duties or responsibilities except those expressly set forth in this Agreement and the other Finance Documents, and shall not by reason of this Agreement or any of the other Finance Documents be (except, with respect to the Security Trustee, as specifically stated to the contrary in this Agreement) a trustee for a Lender; (b) shall be responsible to any Credit Party for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties contained in this Agreement or in any of the Finance Documents, or in any certificate or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by any of them under, this Agreement or any of the other Finance Documents, or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any of the other Finance Documents or any other document referred to or provided for herein or therein or for any failure by the Borrower, the Guarantor or any other person to perform any of its obligations hereunder or thereunder or for the location, condition or value of any property covered by any lien under any of the Finance Documents or for the creation, perfection or priority of any such lien; (c) shall be required to initiate or conduct any litigation or collection proceedings hereunder or under any of the Finance Documents unless expressly instructed to do so in writing by the Majority Lenders; or (d) shall be responsible for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it hereunder or under any of the Finance Documents or under any other document or instrument referred to or provided for herein or therein or in connection herewith or therewith, except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct.  Each of the Agent and the Security Trustee may employ agents and attorneys-in-fact and neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee shall be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any such agents or attorneys-in-fact selected by it in good faith.  Each of the Agent and the Security Trustee may
 
 
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  deem and treat the payee of a Note as the holder thereof for all purposes hereof unless and until a written notice of the assignment or transfer thereof shall have been filed with and accepted by the Agent in accordance herewith.
 
24.3
Reliance .  Each of the Agent and the Security Trustee shall be entitled to rely upon any certification, notice or other communication (including any thereof by telephone, telex, telefacsimile, telegram or cable) believed by it to be genuine and correct and to have been signed or sent by or on behalf of the proper person or persons, and upon advice and statements of legal counsel, independent accountants and other experts selected by the Agent or the Security Trustee, as the case may be.  As to any matters not expressly provided for by this Agreement or any of the other Finance Documents, each of the Agent and the Security Trustee shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, hereunder or thereunder in accordance with instructions signed by the Majority Lenders, and such instructions and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding on all of the Lenders and the Swap Bank.
 
24.4
Knowledge .  Neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee shall be deemed to have knowledge or notice of the occurrence of a Potential Event of Default or an Event of Default (other than, in the case of the Agent, the non-payment of principal of or interest on the Loan or the Advance) unless it shall have received notice from a Lender or an Obligor specifying such Potential Event of Default or Event of Default and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default.”  If the Agent receives such a notice of the occurrence of such Potential Event of Default or Event of Default, the Agent shall give prompt notice thereof to the Security Trustee, the Lenders and the Swap Bank (and shall give each of the Security Trustee, the Lenders and the Swap Bank prompt notice of each such non-payment).  Subject to Clause 24.8, the Agent and the Security Trustee shall take such action with respect to such Potential Event of Default or Event of Default or other event as shall be directed by the Majority Lenders, except that, unless and until the Agent and the Security Trustee shall have received such directions, each of the Agent and the Security Trustee may (but shall not be obligated to) take such action, or refrain from taking such action, with respect to such Potential Event of Default or Event of Default or other event as it shall deem advisable in the best interest of the Lenders and the Swap Bank.
 
24.5
Agent and Security Trustee as Lenders .  Each of the Agent and the Security Trustee (and any successor acting as Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be) in its individual capacity as a Lender hereunder shall have the same rights and powers hereunder as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not acting as the Agent or the Security Trustee, as the case may be, and the term “Lender” and “Lenders” shall, unless the context otherwise indicates, include each of the Agent and the Security Trustee in its individual capacity.  Each of the Agent and the Security Trustee (and any successor acting as Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be) and their respective affiliates may (without having to account therefor to any Lender or the Swap Bank) accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with the Obligors and any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates as if it were not acting as the Agent or the Security Trustee, as the case may be, and each of the Agent and the Security Trustee and their respective affiliates may accept fees and other consideration from the Borrower and the Guarantor for services in connection with this Agreement or otherwise without having to account for the same to the Lenders or the Swap Bank.
 
 
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24.6
Indemnification of the Agent and the Security Trustee.   The Lenders agree to indemnify each of the Agent and the Security Trustee (to the extent not reimbursed under other provisions of this Agreement, but without limiting the obligations of either Obligor under said other provisions), ratably in accordance with the aggregate principal amount of each Lender’s participation in the Loan, for any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind and nature whatsoever that may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the Agent or the Security Trustee in any way relating to or arising out of this Agreement or any other Finance Document or any other documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby (including the costs and expenses that the Borrower is to pay hereunder, but excluding, unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, normal administrative costs and expenses incident to the performance of their respective agency duties hereunder) or the enforcement of any of the terms hereof or thereof or of any such other documents, except that no Lender shall be liable for any of the foregoing to the extent they arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the party to be indemnified.
 
24.7
Reliance on Agent or Security Trustee .  Each of the Lenders and the Swap Bank agrees that it has, independently and without reliance on the Agent, the Security Trustee or any other Credit Party, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis of the Borrower and the Guarantor and decision to enter into this Agreement and that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Agent, the Security Trustee or any other Credit Party, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own analysis and decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement or any of the Finance Documents.  None of the Agent or the Security Trustee shall be required to keep itself informed as to the performance or observance by either of the Obligors of its obligations under this Agreement or any other Finance Document or any other document referred to or provided for herein or therein or to inspect the properties or books of either Obligor.  Except for notices, reports and other documents and information expressly required to be furnished to the Lenders and the Swap Bank by the Agent or the Security Trustee hereunder, neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee shall have any duty or responsibility to provide any Lender or the Swap Bank with any credit or other information concerning the affairs, financial condition or business of the Borrower or the Guarantor or any of their respective parents, subsidiaries or Affiliates that may come into the possession of the Agent, the Security Trustee or any of their respective Affiliates.
 
24.8
Actions by Agent and Security Trustee .  Except for action expressly required of the Agent or the Security Trustee hereunder and under the other Finance Documents, each of the Agent and the Security Trustee shall in all cases be fully justified in failing or refusing to act hereunder and thereunder unless it shall receive further assurances to its satisfaction from the Lenders of their indemnification obligations under Clause 24.6 against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action.
 
24.9
Resignation and Removal .  Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Agent or Security Trustee (as the case may be) as provided below, each of the Agent and the Security Trustee may resign at any time by giving notice thereof to the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Obligors, and the Agent or the Security Trustee may be removed at any time
 
 
66

 
 
  with or without cause by the Majority Lenders.  Upon any such resignation or removal, the Majority Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, which shall be a Lender, or a Lender with an Affiliate, that has an office in New York, New York.  If no successor Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, shall have been so appointed by the Lenders or, if appointed, shall not have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Agent’s or Security Trustee’s, as the case may be, giving of notice of resignation or the Majority Lenders’ removal of the retiring Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, then the retiring Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, which shall be a Lender, or a Lender with an Affiliate, that has an office in New York, New York.  Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Agent or Security Trustee hereunder by a successor Agent or Security Trustee, such successor Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, shall thereupon succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, and the retiring Agent or Security Trustee shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder.  After any retiring Agent’s or Security Trustee’s resignation or removal hereunder as Agent or Security Trustee, as the case may be, the provisions of this Clause 24 shall continue in effect for its benefit in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was acting as the Agent or the Security Trustee, as the case may be.
 
24.10
Release of Collateral .  Without the prior written consent of all of the Lenders and the Swap Bank, neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee shall consent to any modification, supplement or waiver under any Finance Document or release any Collateral or otherwise terminate any lien under any Finance Document, except that no such consent shall be required, and each of the Agent and the Security Trustee shall be authorized, to release any lien covering property that is the subject of a disposition of property permitted hereunder or to which the Lenders and the Swap Bank have consented.
 
25
LAW AND JURISDICTION
 
25.1
Governing Law .  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
 
25.2
Consent to Jurisdiction .
 
 
(a)
Each of parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or Federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York County, and any appellate court thereof, in any action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Finance Document or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action, suit or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State Court or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court.  Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.
 
 
67

 
 
 
(b)
Nothing in this Clause 25.2 shall affect the right of any Credit Party to bring any action or proceeding against an Obligor or its property in the courts of any other jurisdiction where such action or proceeding may be heard.
 
 
(c)
Each of the parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Finance Document in any New York State or Federal court and the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action, suit or proceeding in any such court and any immunity from jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process with respect to themselves or their property.
 
 
(d)
Each Obligor irrevocably appoints Seward & Kissel LLP, with an office at One Battery Park Plaza, New York, New York 10004 U.S.A., as its agent to receive on its behalf service of copies of the summons and complaint and any other process which may be served in any such action, suit or proceeding.  If the appointment of Seward & Kissel LLP as agent pursuant to the preceding sentence shall cease to be effective as to any Obligor or Seward & Kissel LLP shall at any time cease to have an office in New York County, each of the Obligors shall immediately appoint another person having an office in New York County and otherwise acceptable to the Agent to accept service on its behalf.  If Seward & Kissel LLP shall at any time change its name or shall move its office in the County of New York from One Battery Park Plaza, New York, New York 10004 U.S.A., each Obligor shall promptly notify the each of the Lenders, the Swap Bank and the Agent of such new name or address, as the case may be.  Each Obligor hereby consents to service of process in connection with the subject matter specified in the first sentence of Clause 25.2(a) by registered or certified mail, FedEx, DHL or similar courier at the address to which notices to it are to be given, it being agreed that service in such manner shall constitute valid service upon such party or its respective successors or assigns in connection with any such action or proceeding only; provided, that nothing in this Clause 25.2(d) shall affect the right of any party to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by applicable law.
 
25.3
Rights unaffected .  Nothing in this Clause 25 shall exclude or limit any right a Credit Party may have (whether under the law of any country, an international convention or otherwise) with regard to the bringing of proceedings, the service of process, the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or any similar or related matter in any jurisdiction.
 
25.4
Meaning of “proceedings” .  In this Clause 25, “ proceedings ” means proceedings of any kind, including an application for a provisional or protective measure.
 
26
PATRIOT ACT
 
The Agent hereby notifies the Obligors that pursuant to the requirements of the PATRIOT Act and the Agent’s policies and practices, the Agent and each of the Lenders is required to obtain, verify and record certain information and documentation that identifies each of the Obligors, which information includes the name and address of each of the Obligors and such other information that will allow the Agent and each of the Lenders to identify each of the Obligors in accordance with the PATRIOT Act.
 

 
68

 
 
 
27
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
 
THE OBLIGORS AND THE CREDIT PARTIES MUTUALLY AND IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER FINANCE DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
 

 
67

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first above written.
 

 
JAPAN II SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
 
By:      /s/ Arthur Lichtenstein
Name:  Arthur Lichtenstein
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.,
as Guarantor
 
By:      /s/ Arthur Lichtenstein
Name:  Arthur Lichtenstein
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
DVB BANK AG,
as Swap Bank
 
By:      / s/   John F. Imhof, Jr.
Name:  John F. Imhof, Jr.
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.,
as Agent and Security Trustee
 
 
By:     /s/  John F. Imhof, Jr.
Name:  John F. Imhof, Jr.
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
 

 

 
INITIAL LENDER(S):
 
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.,
as Initial Lender
 
 
By:      /s/ John F. Imhof, Jr.
Name:  John F. Imhof, Jr.
Title:  Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

SCHEDULE 1
 
LENDERS AND COMMITMENTS
 


Lender
 
Commitment
 
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.
 
 
$48,000,000
 
Lending Office :
 
DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
 
   
   
   
   
 
Address for Notices :
 
DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
Attention:  Natascha Bloem
Facsimile:  +599-9-465-2366;
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
 
with a copy to:
 
     
 
DVB Bank AG
Representative Office – Greece
95 Akti Miaouli
185 35 Piraeus, GREECE
Attention:  Nikolas Chontzopoulos
Facsimile:  +30-210-455-7420
 
   
   
   
   
   

 
 

 

 

SCHEDULE 2
 
IRREVOCABLE DRAWDOWN NOTICE
 

To:
DVB Bank America N.V., as Agent
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Attention:  Natascha Bloem
Facsimile: +599-9-465-2366
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
cc:
DVB Bank AG
Representative Office – Greece
95 Akti Miaouli
185 35 Piraeus, GREECE
Attention:  Nikolas Chonzopoulos
Facsimile: +30-210455-7420
 
   
   
   
   
 
Date: ________, 2008

 
 

 

We refer to the Loan Agreement dated as of April 24, 2008 (as such may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance therewith, the “ Loan Agreement ”) among ourselves, as Borrower, and the other parties named therein in connection with a loan facility of up to $48,000,000.  Terms defined in the Loan Agreement have their defined meanings when used in this Drawdown Notice.
 
We request to borrow Advance as follows
 
Total Amount: $_______________.
 
Expected Drawdown Date: ___________, 2008
 
Duration of the first Interest Period shall be__ months
 
Payment instructions:
 
[_____________________]
 
[_____________________]
 
[_____________________]
 
We represent and warrant that:
 
(a)
the representations and warranties in Clause 9 of the Loan Agreement would be true and not misleading if repeated on the date of this notice with reference to the circumstances now existing;
 
(b)
no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred or will result from the borrowing of the Loan.
 
This notice cannot be revoked without your prior consent.
 



 
 
 

 

We authorize you to deduct any balance of the accumulated commitment fee and any other fees payable by us under the Loan Agreement and the other Finance Documents on the Expected Drawdown Date from the amount of the Advance requested herein.
 
JAPAN II SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
as Borrower
 
By:
___________________________
Name:
Title:

 
 

 
 

 

SCHEDULE 3
 
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT DOCUMENTS
 
PART A
 
The following are the documents referred to in Clause 8.1(a):
 
1.
An original of each Finance Document (other than those Finance Documents to be delivered in connection with the Ship pursuant to paragraph 2 of Part B hereof) and each document required to be delivered by each such Finance Document, each duly executed by each party thereto;
 
2.
Copies of the constitutional documents, and each amendment thereto, of each Obligor, certified as of a date reasonably near the date of the relevant Drawdown Notice by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of such party as being a true and correct copy thereof;
 
3.
Copies of certificates dated as of a date reasonably near the date of the Drawdown Notice, certifying that each Obligor is duly incorporated and in good standing under the laws of such party’s jurisdiction of incorporation;
 
4.
Copies of resolutions of the directors (or equivalent governing body) (and where required, the shareholders or equivalent equity holders) of:
 
 
(a)
each Obligor authorizing the execution of each of the Finance Documents to which such Obligor is or is to be a party (and additionally, in the case of the Borrower, the Memorandum of Agreement) and authorizing named officers or attorneys-in-fact to execute such documents and, in the case of the Borrower, to give the Drawdown Notice and other notices required by the Finance Documents; and
 
 
(b)
the seller under the Memorandum of Agreement authorizing the execution of the Memorandum of Agreement and authorizing named officers or attorneys-in-fact to execute such documents and to give any notices required thereunder,
 
in each case certified as of a date reasonably near the date of the Drawdown Notice by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of such party as being a true and correct copy thereof;
 
5.
The original or a certified copy of any power of attorney under which any Finance Document is to be executed on behalf of an Obligor;
 
6.
Copies of all consents that any of the Obligors requires to enter into, or make any payment or perform any of its obligations under or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Finance Documents, each certified as of a date reasonably near the date of the relevant Drawdown Notice by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of such party as being a true and correct copy thereof, or certification by such president or secretary (or equivalent officer) that no such consents are required;
 

 
 

 

7.
A copy of the Memorandum of Agreement, to be in form and substance acceptable to the Majority Lenders and certified as of a date reasonably near the date of the relevant Drawdown Notice by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of the Borrower as being a true and correct copy thereof and further certifying;
 
 
(a)
such document remains valid and in full force and effect as of the anticipated delivery date of the Ship;
 
 
(b)
the seller in respect of the Memorandum of Agreement is not in default under the terms of such document; and
 
 
(c)
there is no pending dispute or arbitration proceeding arising out of or in connection with any such document; and
 
8.
Documentary evidence that Seward & Kissel LLP has accepted its appointment as agent for service of process in respect of each Obligor.
 
9.
All know-your-customer information and information under applicable anti-money laundering rules and regulations, in each case as requested by any Lender in connection with its internal compliance regulations, under the PATRIOT Act, applicable EU regulations or otherwise.
 
 
PART B
 
The following are the documents referred to in Clause 8.1(b):
 
1.
A certificate of each Obligor, signed on behalf of each such party by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of such party, dated as of the Expected Drawdown Date (the statements made in such certificate shall be true on and as of the Expected Drawdown Date), certifying as to:
 
 
(a)
the absence of any amendments to the constitutive documents of such party since the date of the certificate referred to in paragraph 2 of Part A above;
 
 
(b)
the absence of any proceeding for the dissolution or liquidation of such party;
 
 
(c)
the veracity in all material respects of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement and the other Finance Documents as though made on and as of the Expected Drawdown Date;
 
 
(d)
the absence of any material misstatement of fact in any information provided by the Obligors to the Agent, the Security Trustee or any Lender and that such information did not omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and
 
 
(e)
the absence of any event occurring and continuing, or that would result from the making of the Advance, that constitutes or would constitute a Potential Event of Default or an Event of Default;
 

 
 
4

 

2.
A duly executed original of the Mortgage, Insurance Assignment, Earnings Assignment, Charter Assignment and Manager’s Undertakings (and of each document required to be delivered thereby), duly executed by each party thereto, and documentary evidence that the Security Interest created by such Finance Documents have been duly perfected;
 
3.             Documentary evidence that:
 
 
(a)
the Ship has been unconditionally delivered by the seller to, and unconditionally accepted by, the Borrower in accordance with all of the terms and conditions of the Memorandum of Agreement, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, together with a copy, certified as of the relevant Expected Drawdown Date by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of the Borrower as being a true and correct copy of the original, of:
 
 
(i)
the Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance for the Ship, duly executed by the seller and the relevant Borrower;
 
 
(ii)
the Bill of Sale delivered by the seller to the Borrower;
 
 
(iii)
the commercial invoice issued by the seller to the Borrower;
 
 
(iv)
the corporate authorities of the seller permitting such seller to sell the Ship to the Borrower under the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement; and
 
 
(v)
each charter in effect with respect to the Ship;
 
 
(b)
there is no pending dispute or arbitration proceedings arising out of or in connection with the Memorandum of Agreement, which may be established by a certificate dated as of the relevant Expected Drawdown Date by the president, the secretary or an equivalent officer of the Borrower;
 
 
(c)
the Ship is registered in the name of the Borrower under Liberian registry, free of all recorded liens and encumbrances, save as contemplated by the Finance Documents (which shall be established by a Certificate of Ownership and Encumbrance issued by the appropriate Liberian authorities stating that the Ship is owned by the Borrower and that there are on record no other mortgages, liens or other encumbrances on the Ship except the Mortgage);
 
 
(d)
the Mortgage has been preliminarily registered against the Ship as a valid first preferred ship mortgage in accordance with the laws of Liberia and the Security Interest created by the Mortgage shall have been duly perfected;
 
 
(e)
the Ship is classed with the Classification Society in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type without any outstanding conditions or recommendations affecting class (other than those for which the time prescribed for curing the condition or recommendation has not passed), which shall be established by a Confirmation of Class Certificate issued by the Classification Society of the Ship and dated a date reasonably near the relevant Expected Drawdown Date; a “Class Statement” or similar instrument shall not be acceptable for purposes of this clause;
 

 
 
5

 

 
(f)
the Ship:
 
 
(i)
is insured in compliance with the terms of the Mortgage, including mortgagee’s interest and loss of hire insurance;
 
 
(ii)
is or will be managed by the Approved Manager and the relevant Approved Technical Submanager in accordance with management agreements acceptable to the Agent; and
 
 
(iii)
has been inspected and found to be in a satisfactory condition by an inspector appointed by the Agent at the cost of the Borrower; and
 
 
(g)
if chartered to an Approved Charterer, the Ship has been unconditionally delivered by the Borrower to, and unconditionally accepted by, such Approved Charterer in accordance with all of the terms and conditions of the relevant Approved Charter, together with a copy, certified as of the Expected Drawdown Date by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of the Borrower as being a true and correct copy of the original, of the Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance for the Ship, duly executed by the Borrower and such Approved Charterer;
 
4.
A certificate by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of the Borrower, or a certificate of the Approved Manager, identifying and giving the address and other communication details of the ISM Responsible Person(s) for the Ship;
 
5.
Copies of the Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate referred to in paragraph (a) of the definition of the ISM Code Documentation for the Ship, certified as true and in effect by the president or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of the Borrower or the Approved Manager, provided that the Borrower may deliver to the Agent on or before the Expected Drawdown Date an undertaking, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent, to deliver a copy of the Safety Management Certificate to the Agent within ten Business Days after the relevant Expected Drawdown Date;
 
6.
Copies of such other ISM Code Documentation as the Agent may have requested by written notice to the Borrower not later than two days before the relevant Expected Drawdown Date, certified as true and complete in all material respects by the Borrower or the relevant Approved Manager;
 
7.             Certification by the Borrower that:
 
 
(i)
the Ship has and will maintain for the duration of the Security Period a valid International Ship Security Certificate (and either a true copy of such International Ship Security Certificate shall be attached to such Borrower’s certification or the Borrower shall undertake to deliver a certified copy of such certificate as soon as it becomes available);
 
 
(ii)
the security system of the relevant Ship and associated security equipment complies with, and at all times during the Security Period will comply with, the applicable requirements of Chapter XI-2 of SOLAS and Part A of the ISPS Code; and
 

 
 
6

 

 
(iii)
an approved ship security plan is in place and will be maintained at all times during the Security Period.
 
8.
A favorable opinion of Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP, New York, Marshall Islands and Liberian counsel for the Credit Parties, in form, scope and substance satisfactory to the Credit Parties;
 
9.
A favorable opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, New York, Marshall Islands and Liberian counsel for the Obligors, in form, scope and substance satisfactory to the Credit Parties; and
 
10.
Documentary evidence that it has funds adequate to cover the acquisition cost of the Ship five Business Days prior to the Ship’s expected delivery date.
 

 

 
7

 

APPENDIX A
 
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
 
Financial Statement Date:  __________
 
COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
 
To:           DVB Bank America N.V., as Agent
 
Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
Reference is made to that certain Loan Agreement, dated as of April 24, 2008 (as such may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Loan Agreement ”) among (i) Japan II Shipping Company Limited, as the Borrower, (ii) Top Ships Inc., as the Guarantor, (iii) the banks and financial institutions defined therein as the Lenders, (iv) DVB Bank AG, as Swap Bank, and (v) DVB Bank America N.V., as Agent and Security Trustee.  Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Loan Agreement (as defined in the recitals hereof) are used herein as therein defined and the rules of construction and interpretation in Clause 1 of the Loan Agreement apply to this certificate, including Schedule 2 hereto.
 
The undersigned, _________________________hereby certifies on the date hereof that he/she is the Chief Financial Officer of the Guarantor and that, as such, he/she is authorized to execute and deliver this certificate to Agent on the behalf of Guarantor, and that:
 
[Use following paragraph 1 for fiscal year-end financial statements]
 
1.           Attached hereto as Schedule 1 are the year-end audited financial statements required by Clause 10.1(f)(i) of the Loan Agreement for the fiscal year of Guarantor ended as of the above date, together with the report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant required by such section.
 
[Use following paragraph 1 for fiscal quarter-end financial statements]
 
1.           Attached hereto as Schedule 1 are the unaudited financial statements required by Clause 10.1(f)(i) of the Loan Agreement for the fiscal quarter of Guarantor ended as of the above date.  Such financial statements fairly present the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of Guarantor and its subsidiaries in accordance with Applicable Accounting Principles as at such date and for such period, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.
 
2.           The undersigned has reviewed and is familiar with the terms of the Loan Agreement and has made, or has caused to be made under his/her supervision, a detailed review of the transactions and condition (financial or otherwise) of the Guarantor during the accounting period covered by the attached financial statements.
 
3.           A review of the activities of the Guarantor during such fiscal period has been made under the supervision of the undersigned with a view to determining whether during such fiscal period the Obligors performed and observed all their obligations under the Finance Documents, and
 

 
 
1

 

[select one:]
 
[to the best knowledge of the undersigned during such fiscal period, each Obligor performed and observed each covenant and condition of the Finance Documents applicable to it.]
 
--or--
 
[the following covenants or conditions have not been performed or observed and the following is a list of each such Potential Default and Event of Default and its nature and status:]
 
4.           The financial covenant analyses and information set forth on Schedule 2 attached hereto are true and accurate on and as of the date of this certificate.
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this certificate this ___ day of _______, 20___.
 
 
 
     TOP SHIPS INC.
     
     
 
By:
_______________________________
Name:
Title:  Chief Financial Officer

 
2

 

For the Quarter/Year ended
___________________(“Statement Date”)
 
SCHEDULE 1
to the Compliance Certificate
 
Financial Statements
 
 

 
3

 

 
For the Quarter/Year ended
___________________(“Statement Date”)
 
SCHEDULE 2
to the Compliance Certificate
 


Clause 10.1(v)(i):  Cash in Bank Accounts :
 
   
Names of members of the Group as of
the Statement Date:
 
______________________________
   
Cash in bank accounts in the name of
the Guarantor or in the name of any of
a member of the Group (excluding any
bank accounts that shall be
subject to any Security Interest)
 
 
 
 
$_____________
 
[itemize by bank and Group member]

 
Clause 10.1(v)(ii):  Net Asset Value:
 
I.
Total Debt :
   
(a)
moneys borrowed or raised by the Guarantor and its subsidiaries
 
 
$_____________ 
     
 
(b)
bonds, notes, loan stock, debentures, commercial paper or other debt securities issued by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries not for the time being beneficially owned by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries
 
 
 
$_____________  
     
 
(c)
sums outstanding under acceptances by the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries or by any bank or acceptable house under acceptance credits opened on behalf of the Guarantor or any subsidiary
 
 
 
$_____________  
       
(d)
deferred indebtedness of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries for payment of the acquisition or construction price for assets or services acquired or constructed
 
 
 
$_____________
       
(e)
rental payments under Finance Leases
 
$_____________
       
(f)
receivables sold or discounted with a right of recourse to the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries
 
 
$_____________
       

 
4

 

 
(g)
the nominal amount of any issued and paid up share capital (other than equity share capital) of any subsidiary not beneficially owned by the Guarantor or another subsidiary
 
$____________
       
(h)
preference share capital redeemable prior to the last day of the Security Period
 
$____________
       
(i)
over all or any part of the undertaking, property, assets, rights or revenues of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries irrespective of whether or not such indebtedness is supported by a personal covenant on the part of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries
 
$____________
       
(j)
indebtedness incurred in respect of swaps, forward exchange contracts, futures or other derivatives
   
       
(k)
any other liability arising from a transaction having the commercial effect of a borrowing or the raising of money
 
$_____________ plus
       
(l)
obligations under guarantees in respect of the obligations of any other person which, if such person were the Guarantor or a subsidiary would fall within paragraphs (a) to (k) above
 
$_____________
       
minus:
     
       
moneys owing by the Guarantor to a subsidiary or by a subsidiary to the Guarantor or to another subsidiary
 
$_____________ equals
     
Total Debt =
 
$_____________
       
 
The principal amount of Total Debt deemed to be outstanding in relation to Finance Leases or hire purchase agreements shall be the present value of the minimum lease or hire payments discounted at the interest rate implicit in the relevant lease or hire purchase agreement
 
 
5

 


II.             Total Market Value Adjusted Assets
 
   
(a)
The value (less depreciation computed in accordance with generally accepted international accounting principles consistently applied) on a consolidated basis of all tangible fixed assets of the Group, , including long-term cash receivables (seller’s credit), as stated in the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Group, but excluding any Relevant Ships
 
 
$_____________ plus
 
(b)
the aggregate of the market value of the Relevant Ships,  as such market value shall have been most recently determined (as of the date of the relevant calculation) pursuant to Clause 10.1(v) by means of valuations obtained by the Agent in accordance therewith (and not the value of the Relevant Ships as stated in the relevant consolidated financial statements of the Group)
 
 
$_____________ equals
 
Total Market Value Adjusted Assets
 
 
$_____________.
Net Asset Value (Total Debt minus Total
Market Value Adjusted Assets) as of the Statement Date
 
 
 
                                    $_____________ 
Clause 10.1(v)(iii):  Book Equity :
 
   
Aggregate of the amounts paid-up or credited as paid-up on the Guarantor’s issued share capital and the amount of the consolidated capital and revenue reserves of the Group (including any share premium account, capital redemption reserve fund and any credit balance on the consolidated profit and loss account of the Group) all as shown by the latest audited consolidated balance sheet and profit and loss account of the Group delivered under the Loan Agreement
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$_____________ minus
(a)
any debit balance on such consolidated profit and loss account
 
 
$_____________
 
(b)
any amount shown in such consolidated balance sheet in respect of goodwill (including goodwill arising on consolidation) and other intangible assets
 
$_____________
 
 
6


 
(c)
so far as not otherwise excluded as attributable to minority interests, a sum equal to the aggregate of the amount of which the book value of any fixed assets of any member of the Group has been written up after December 31, 2005 (or, in the case of a company becoming a subsidiary after that date, the date on which that company became a subsidiary) by way of revaluation and, for the purposes of this paragraph (c) any increase in the book value of any fixed assets resulting from its transfer by one member of the Group to another member of the Group shall be deemed to result from a writing up of its book value by way of revaluation
 
 
$_____________
 
(d)
amounts set aside for taxation as at the date of such balance sheet and making such adjustments as may be appropriate in respect of any significant additional taxation expected to result from transactions carried out by any member of the Group after such date and not reflected in that  balance sheet
 
 
$_____________
 
(e)
all amounts attributable to minority interests in subsidiaries
 
 
$_____________  and plus/minus
 
(f)
adjustments appropriate in respect of any variation in the amount of such paid up spare capital or any such reserves after the of the attached financial statements (but so that no such adjustment shall be made in respect of any variation in profit and loss account except to the extent of any profit or loss, calculated on a cumulative basis, recorded in the consolidated profit and loss account of the Group delivered to the Agent before the date of this Agreement, or under Clause 10.1(g) in respect of any subsequent period)
 
 
$_____________  plus/minus
 
(g)
adjustments appropriate in respect of any distribution declared, recommended or made by any member of the Group (otherwise than attributable directly or indirectly to the Guarantor) out of profits earned up to and including the date of the latest audited balance sheet of that member of the Group to the extent that such distribution is not provided for in that balance sheet
 
 
$_____________ plus/minus
 

 
 
 
7

 

(h)
adjustments appropriate in respect of any variation in the interests of the Guarantor in its subsidiaries since the date of the latest published audited consolidated balance sheet of the Group
 
 
$_____________ and plus/minus
 
(i)
if the calculation is required for the purpose of or in connection with a transaction under or in connection with when any company is to become or cease to be a subsidiary of the Guarantor, adjustments appropriate if that transaction has been carried into effect
 
 
$____________ equals
 
Book Equity  as of the Statement Date  
                                             $_______________ 

 
 
 
8

 

APPENDIX B
 
FORM OF EARNINGS ASSIGNMENT
 

 

 
 
 
 
9

 
 

APPENDIX C
 
FORM OF INSURANCE ASSIGNMENT
 

 

 
 
 
10

 

APPENDIX D
 
FORM OF CHARTER ASSIGNMENT
 

 
 
 
 
11

 
 

APPENDIX E
 
FORM OF MANAGER’S UNDERTAKING
 

 

 

 
 
 
12

 
 

APPENDIX F
 
FORM OF MORTGAGE
 

 
 
 
 
 
13

 

APPENDIX G
 
FORM OF NOTE
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
14

 

 
APPENDIX H
 
FORM OF
ASSIGNMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
 
ASSIGNMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
 
Dated as of ___________
 
Reference is made to the Loan Agreement dated as of April 24, 2008 (as such may have been and may be further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance therewith, the “ Loan Agreement ”) among Japan II Shipping Company Limited, as Borrower, Top Ships Inc., as Guarantor, the banks and financial institutions described therein as Lenders, and DVB Bank AG as Swap Bank, Agent and Security Trustee.  Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Loan Agreement are used herein as therein defined and the rules of construction and interpretation in Clause 1 of the Loan Agreement apply hereto.
 
______________________ (the “ Assignor ”) and ________________________ (the “ Assignee ”) agree as follows:
 
1.           As of the Effective Date (defined in Paragraph 4 below), the Assignor hereby sells and assigns to the Assignee, and the Assignee hereby purchases and assumes from the Assignor, that interest in and to all of the Assignor’s rights and obligations under the Loan Agreement that represents the Percentage Interest specified in Section 1 of Annex 1 hereto in the Assignor’s Commitment and the Advance owing to the Assignor.  After giving effect to such sale and assignment, the Assignee’s Commitment and the amount of the Advance owing to the Assignee will be as set forth in Section 2 of Annex 1.
 
2.           The Assignor (a) represents and warrants that it is the legal and beneficial owner of the interest being assigned by it hereunder and that such interest is free and clear of any adverse claim; and (b) makes no representation or warranty and assumes no responsibility with respect to (i) any statements, warranties or representations made in or in connection with the Loan Agreement, the execution, legality, validity, enforceability, genuineness, sufficiency or value of the Loan Agreement, or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant thereto or (ii) the financial condition of the Obligors or the performance or observance by the Obligors of any of their obligations under the Loan Agreement or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant thereto.
 
3.           The Assignee (a) confirms that it has received a copy of the Loan Agreement and the other Finance Documents, together with copies of the financial statements referred to in the Loan Agreement, and such other documents and information as it has deemed appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Assignment and Acceptance; (b) agrees that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Agent, the Security Trustee, the Assignor or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under the Loan Agreement and the other Finance Documents; (c) appoints and authorizes each of the Agent and the Security Trustee to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under the Loan Agreement and the other Finance Documents as are delegated to the Agent and the Security Trustee by the terms thereof, together with such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto; (d) agrees that it
 

 
will be bound by the Loan Agreement and perform in accordance with its terms all of the obligations that by the terms of the Loan Agreement are required to be performed by it as a Lender; and (e) specifies as its address for notices the offices set forth beneath its name on the signature page hereof.
 
4.           The effective date (the “ Effective Date ”) for this Assignment and Acceptance shall be the date of acceptance hereof by the Agent, unless a later date is specified in Annex 1 hereto, provided that no Assignment and Acceptance shall be effective until and unless the terms and conditions of Clause 19.2 of the Loan Agreement are complied with.  Following the execution of this Assignment and Acceptance, two counterparts will be promptly delivered by the Assignee to the Agent, and the Agent shall promptly forward a counterpart to the Borrower.
 
5.           Upon such acceptance and recording, as of the Effective Date, (a) the Assignee shall be a party to the Loan Agreement and, to the extent provided in this Assignment and Acceptance, have the rights and obligations of a Lender; and (b) the Assignor shall, to the extent provided in the Loan Agreement, relinquish its rights and be released from its obligations under the Loan Agreement.
 
6.           Upon such acceptance and recording, from and after the Effective Date, the Agent shall make all payments under the Loan Agreement in respect of the assignment effected hereby (including all payments of principal, interest and commitment fees with respect thereto) to the Assignee.  The Assignor and Assignee shall make all appropriate adjustments in payments under the Loan Agreement for periods prior to the Effective Date directly between themselves.
 
7.           This Assignment and Acceptance shall be governed by, and shall be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
 
 
[NAME OF ASSIGNOR]
 
 
 
 
[NAME OF ASSIGNEE]
By:  _____________________________
By:  _____________________________
Name:
Name:
Title:
Title:
   
 
Address for Notices to the Assignee:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
 
   
 
Address of Assignee’s Lending Office:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
 


 
 
 
2

 

Annex 1
to
Assignment and Acceptance
Dated as of _________
 
Section 1
 
Percentage Interest:
 
Section 2
 
Assignee’s Commitment:                                                           $
 
Aggregate Outstanding Principal
Amount of Advances owing to
the Assignee:                                                                              $
 
Section 3
 
Effective Date:
 
NAME OF ASSIGNOR
 
By:
 _______________________
  Name:
  Title:
 
 


 
 
SK 23116 0005 1007433

 

Exhibit 4.78

28.045
 

 
 
DATED 18 AUGUST 2008





LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as Borrower)

-and -

ALPHA BANK A.E.
(as Lender)


________________________

US$39,000,000 SECURED
LOAN AGREEMENT
Hull No. S-1026
________________________


STEPHENSON HARWOOD
One St. Paul's Churchyard
London EC4M 8SH
Tel: 020 7329 4422
Fax: 020 7329 7100
Ref: 28.045


 
 

 

CONTENTS
 
Page

1
Definitions and Interpretation
1
2
The Loan and its Purpose
12
3
Conditions of Utilisation
12
4
Advance
15
5
Repayment
15
6
Prepayment
15
7
Interest
16
8
Indemnities
19
9
Fees
23
10
Security and Application of Moneys
23
11
Representations
26
12
Undertakings and Covenants
29
13
Events of Default
36
14
Assignment and Sub-Participation
41
15
Set-Off
42
16
Payments
42
17
Notices
44
18
Partial Invalidity
45
19
Remedies and Waivers
45
20
Miscellaneous
45
 
 
 

 
21
Law and Jurisdiction
46
     
SCHEDULE 1: Conditions Precedent and Subsequent
48
 
Part I: Conditions precedent
48
 
Part II: Conditions subsequent
52
 
Part III: Delivery conditions precedent
53
 
Part IV: Delivery conditions subsequent
56
     
SCHEDULE 3: Form of Compliance Certificate
58
 
 
 

 
LOAN AGREEMENT
 
Dated: 18 August 2008
 
 
BETWEEN:
 
(1)
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Borrower"); and
 
(2)
ALPHA BANK A.E., acting through its office at 89 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 38 Piraeus, Greece (the "Lender").
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)
The Borrower has agreed to purchase the Vessel from the Builder on the terms of the Building Contract and intends to register the Vessel on delivery (scheduled to take place on or before February 2009) under the Approved Flag.
 
(B)
The Lender has agreed to advance to the Borrower 539,000,000 representing approximately eighty three per cent (83%) of the Contract Price of the Vessel to assist the Borrower to finance part of the Contract Price of the Vessel, and to re-finance certain existing indebtedness in respect of the Vessel in four Drawings.
 
IT IS AGREED as follows:
 
1
Definitions and Interpretation
 
 
1.1
In this Agreement:
 
"Accounting Information" means the financial statements and information to be provided by the Borrower and the Guarantor to the Lender in accordance with Clause 12.1.1.
 
"Administration" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 1.1.3 of the ISM Code.
 
"Annex VI" means Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (as modified in 1978 and 1997).
 

"Approved Flag" means the flag of Greece or Malta or Liberia or Panama or any other flag acceptable to the Lender in its discretion.
 
"Assignments" means the deed or deeds of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings, and Requisition Compensation from the Borrower referred to in Clause 10.1.4 (Security Documents).
 
"Availability Termination Date" means 30 April 2009 or such later date as the Lender may in its discretion agree.
 
"Bareboat Charter" means the bareboat charter dated 8 April 2008 on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Borrower will bareboat charter the Vessel to the Bareboat Charterer, for a duration of ten (10) years at a minimum net daily rate of hire of fourteen thousand five hundred and fifty Dollars ($14,550).
 
"Bareboat Charterer" means Daelim or any of its one hundred per cent (100%) owned subsidiaries which is guaranteed by Daelim.
 
"Break Costs" means all sums payable by the Borrower from time to time under Clause 8.3 (Break Costs).
 
"Builder" means SPP Plant & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of South Korea with its registered office at 16-1 Block, 2nd Jin-Sa Industrial Complex, Seon Jin-Ri, Young Hyeon-Myeon, Sa Cheon-City, Gyeong Sang Nam-Do, Korea.
 
"Building Contract" means the contract dated 6 December 2006, as same has been amended and/or substituted from time to time, on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Builder has agreed to construct the Vessel for, and deliver the Vessel to, the Borrower.
 
"Building Contract Assignment" means the deed of assignment of the Building Contract and the Refund Guarantee referred to in Clause 10.1.1 (Security Documents).
 
"Business Day" means a day (other than a Saturday or Sunday) on which banks are open for general business in New York, Athens, London and Piraeus.
 
2

 
"Charter Rights" , means all rights and benefits accruing to the Borrower under or arising out of the Bareboat Charter and not forming part of the Earnings.
 
"Compliance Certificate" means a certificate substantially in the form set out in Schedule 4 (Form of Compliance Certificate).
 
"Consolidated Indebtedness" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, the aggregate amount of Financial Indebtedness (including current maturities) due by the members of the Group (other than any such Financial Indebtedness owing by any member of the Group to another member of the Group) as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
"Contract Price" means the final price payable by the Borrower under the Building Contract for the Vessel in the amount of forty seven million two hundred and thirty thousand Dollars ($47,230,000).
 

"Currency of Account" means, in relation to any payment to be made to the Lender under a Finance Document, the currency in which that payment is required to be made by the teiIlls of that Finance Document.
 
"Daelim" means Daelim H&L Co., Ltd a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of South Korea with its registered office at I 1 th Floor, The Korea Chamber Of Commerce & Industry Building #45, 4-Ga, Namdaemun-Ro, Jung-Ku, Seoul, Korea 100-743.
 
"Deed of Covenants" means the deed of covenants referred to in Clause 10.1.3 (Security Documents).
 
"Deed of Release" means the deed of to be executed by RBS in favour of the Borrower in form and substance acceptable to the Lender.
 
"Default" means an Event of Default or any event or circumstance specified in Clause 13.1 (Events of Default) which would (with the expiry of a grace period, the giving of notice, the making of any determination under the Finance Documents or any combination of any of the foregoing) be an Event of Default.
 
"Delivery Date" means the date of actual delivery of the Vessel to the Borrower by the Builder under the Building Contract.
3

 
"DOC" means, in relation to the ISM Company, a valid Document of Compliance issued for the ISM Company by the Administration under paragraph 13.2 of the ISM Code.
 
"Dollars" and "$" each means available and freely transferable and convertible funds in lawful currency of the United States of America.
 
"Drawdown Date" means the date on which the relevant Drawing is advanced under Clause 4 (Advance).
 
"Drawdown Notice" means a notice substantially in the form set out in Schedule 2 (Form of Drawdown Notice).
 
"Drawing" means any part of the Loan advanced or to be advanced pursuant to a Drawdown Notice and "Drawings" means more than one of them.
 
"Earnings" means all hires, freights, pool income and other sums payable to or for the account of the Borrower in respect of the Vessel including (without limitation) all remuneration for salvage and towage services, demurrage and detention moneys, contributions in general average, compensation in respect of any requisition for hire, and damages and other payments (whether awarded by any court or arbitral tribunal or by agreement or otherwise) for breach, termination or variation of any contract for the operation, employment or use of the Vessel.
 
"Earnings Account" means a bank account to be opened in the name of the Borrower with the Lender and designated "Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited -Earnings Account".
 
"Encumbrance" means a mortgage, charge, assignment, pledge, lien, or other security interest securing any obligation of any person or any other agreement or arrangement having a similar effect.
 
"Equity Portion" means that amount of the Contract Price payable or paid by the Borrower to the Builder pursuant to the Building Contract and not forming part of the Loan.

"Event of Default" means any of the events or circumstances set out in Clause 13.I (Events of Default).
4

 
"Facility Period" means the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the date when the whole of the Indebtedness has been paid in full and the Security Parties have ceased to be under any further actual or contingent liability to the Lender under or in connection with the Finance Documents.
 
"Finance Documents" means this Agreement, the Security Documents and any other document designated as such by the Lender and the Borrower and "Finance Document" means any one of them.
 
"Financial Indebtedness" means any obligation for the payment or repayment of money, whether present or future, actual or contingent, in respect of:
 
 
(a)
moneys borrowed;
 
 
(b)
any acceptance credit;
 
 
(c)
any bond, note, debenture, loan stock or similar instrument;
 
 
(d)
any finance or capital lease;
 
 
(e)
receivables sold or discounted (other than on a non-recourse basis);
 
 
(f)
deferred payments for assets or services;
 
 
(g)
any derivative transaction protecting against or benefiting from fluctuations in any rate or price (and, when calculating the value of any derivative transaction, only the marked to market value shall be taken into account);
 
 
(h)
any amount raised under any other transaction (including any forward sale or purchase agreement) having the commercial effect of a borrowing;
 
  (i) any counter-indemnity obligation in respect of a guarantee, indemnity, bond, standby or documentary letter of credit or any other instrument issued by a bank or financial institution; and
 
  (j) the amount of any liability in respect of any guarantee or indemnity for any of the items referred to in paragraphs (a) to (i) above.
 
           " GAAP " means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
5

 
"Group" means the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (whether direct or indirect and including, but not limited to, the Borrower) from time to time during the Facility Period and "member of the Group" shall be construed accordingly.
 
"Guarantee" means the guarantee and indemnity referred to in Clause 10.1.2 (Security Documents).
 
"Guarantor" means Top Ships Inc. a company incorporated under the laws of the Marshall Islands, having its registered office at the Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Islands, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960 and/or (where the context permits) any other person who shall at any time during the Facility Period give to the Lender a guarantee and/or indemnity for the repayment of all or part of the Indebtedness.
 
"IAPPC" means a valid international air pollution prevention certificate for the Vessel issued under Annex VI.
 
"Indebtedness" means the aggregate from time to time of: the amount of the Loan outstanding; all accrued and unpaid interest on the Loan; and all other sums of any nature (together with all accrued and unpaid interest on any of those sums) payable to the Lender under all or any of the Finance Documents.
 
"Insurances" means all policies and contracts of insurance (including all entries in protection and indemnity or war risks associations) which are from time to time taken out or entered into in respect of or in connection with the Vessel or her increased value or the Earnings and (where the context permits) all benefits under such contracts and policies, including all claims of any nature and returns of premium.
 
"Interest Payment Date" means each date for the payment of interest in accordance with Clause 7.8 (Accrual and payment of interest).
 
"Interest Period" means each period for the determination and payment of interest selected by the Borrower or agreed or selected by the Lender pursuant to Clause 7 (Interest).
 
"ISM Code" means the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention.
6

 
"ISM Company" means, at any given time, the company responsible for the Vessel's compliance with the ISM Code under paragraph 1.1.2 of the ISM Code.
 
"ISPS Code" means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
 
"ISPS Company" means, at any given time, the company responsible for the Vessel's compliance with the ISPS Code.
 
"ISSC" means a valid international ship security certificate for the Vessel issued under the ISPS Code.
 
"LIBOR" means:
 
 
(a)
the applicable Screen Rate; or
 
 
(b)
(if no Screen Rate is available for any Interest Period) the arithmetic mean of the rates (rounded upwards to the nearest whole multiple of one-sixteenth of one per centum) quoted to the Lender in the London interbank market,
 
at 11.00 a.m. two (2) Business Days before the first day of the relevant Interest Period for the offering of deposits in Dollars in an amount comparable to the Loan (or any relevant part of the Loan) and for a period comparable to the relevant Interest Period.
 
"Loan" means the aggregate amount advanced or to be advanced by the Lender to the Borrower under Clause 4 (Advance) or, where the context permits, the amount advanced and for the time being outstanding.
 
"Loan Acknowledgement Declaration" means a declaration in the form set-out in Schedule 4.
 
"Management Agreement" means the agreement(s) for the commercial and/or technical management of the Vessel between the Borrower and the Managers.
 
"Managers" means Top Tanker Management Inc., a company organised and existing under the laws of the Republic of Marshall Islands, having its registered office at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands with an office in Maroussi (1 Vas. Sofias and Meg. Alexandrou Street) Attiki, Greece or such other commercial and/or technical managers of the Vessel nominated by the Borrower as the Lender may approve.

 
7

 
           "Margin" means one point sixty five per cent (1.65%) per annum.
 
"Market Value" means such the market value of the Vessel, to be conclusively determined, at least once during each calendar year or from time to time, as the Lender may reasonably request, by an international, reputable, independent and first class firm of shipbrokers appointed by the Lender and reporting to the Lender, at the expense of the Borrower, on the basis of a charter-free sale for prompt delivery for cash at arm's length on normal commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer.
 
"Maximum Loan Amount" means an aggregate amount not exceeding thirty nine million Dollars ($39,000,000).
 
"Minimum Equity" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, "total assets", as shown in the relevant Accounting Information, less the Consolidated Indebtedness.
 
"Minimum Liquidity" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, "cash" and "cash equivalents", which are free from any Encumbrances, as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
"Minimum Adjusted Net Worth" means, in respect of the relevant financial period, the Group's "total assets" as shown in the relevant Accounting Information adjusted to "fair market value" (on a consolidated basis) of the Group, as shown in the relevant Accounting Information, excluding "current and long term debt obligations" as shown in the relevant Accounting Information.
 
"Mortgage" means the preferred or statutory mortgage referred to in Clause 10.1.3 (Security Documents) together with the Deed of Covenants (if applicable).
 
"Original Financial Statements" means the audited financial statements of the Borrower and the Guarantor for the financial year ended 31 December 2007.
 
" RBS " means The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, whose registered office is at 36 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB, Scotland acting through its branch at the Shipping Business Centre, 5-10 Great Tower Street, London EC3P 3HX, England
8

 
"RBS Agreement" means the loan agreement dated 1st November 2005 as same has been amended from time to time, entered into between RBS and the Borrower for the purposes of financing part of the Contract Price.
 
"RBS Security Documents" means any documents which may at any time be executed by a Security Party as security for the payment of all or any part of any indebtedness under the RBS Agreement.
 
"Refund Guarantees" means any refund guarantee issued or to be issued by the Refund Guarantor in favour of the Borrower pursuant to the Building Contract and "Refund Guarantee" means any one of them.
 
"Refund Guarantor" means Woori Bank, Anjeong Industrial Complex Branch, of 1585-1 Hwang-ri Gwangdo-myeon Tongyeong-si Kyeongsangnam-do 650-827, Korea.

"Relevant Documents" means the Finance Documents, the Building Contract, the Refund Guarantee, the Bareboat Charter, the Management Agreement and the Managers' confirmation specified in Part I of Schedule 1 (Conditions precedent).
 
"Repayment Date" means the date for payment of any Repayment Instalment in accordance with Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan).
 
"Repayment Instalment" means any instalment of the Loan to be repaid by the Borrower under Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan).
 
"Requisition Compensation" means all compensation or other money which may from time to time be payable to the Borrower and/or the Bareboat Charterer as a result of the Vessel being requisitioned for title or in any other way compulsorily acquired (other than by way of requisition for hire).
 
"Screen Rate" means in relation to LIBOR, the British Bankers' Association Interest Settlement Rate for the relevant currency (rounded upwards to the nearest whole multiple of one-sixteenth of one per centum) and period displayed on the appropriate page of the Reuters screen. If the agreed page is replaced or the service ceases to be available, the Lender may specify another page or service displaying the appropriate rate after consultation with the Borrower.
9

 
"Security Documents" means the Building Contract Assignment, the Tripartite Deed, the Guarantee, the Mortgage and the Deed of Covenants, the Assignments or (where the context permits) any one or more of them and any other agreement or document which may at any time be executed by any person as security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness and "Security Document" means any one of them.
 
"Security Parties" means the Borrower, the Guarantor and any other person who may at any time during the Facility Period be liable for, or provide security for, all or any part of the Indebtedness, and "Security Party" means any one of them.
 
" SMC " means a valid safety management certificate issued for the Vessel by or on behalf of the Administration under paragraph 13.7 of the ISM Code.
 
" SMS " means a safety management system for the Vessel developed and implemented in accordance with the ISM Code.
 
"Subsidiaries" means any company or entity directly or indirectly controlled by such person, and for this purpose "control" means either the ownership of more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting share capital (or equivalent rights of ownership) of such company or entity or the power to direct its policies and management, whether by contract or otherwise and "Subsidiary" means any one of them.
 
" Tax " means any tax, levy, impost, duty or other charge or withholding of a similar nature (including any penalty or interest payable in connection with any failure to pay or any delay in paying any of the same).
 
"Total Loss" means:
 
 
(a)
an actual, constructive, arranged, agreed or compromised total loss of the Vessel; or
 
 
(b)
the requisition for title or compulsory acquisition of the Vessel by any government or other competent authority (other than by way of requisition for hire); or
 
 
(c)
the capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation of the Vessel by any government or by persons acting or purporting to act on behalf of any government, unless the Vessel is released and returned to the possession of
 
10

 
 
 
the Borrower or the Bareboat Charterer within one month after the capture, seizure, arrest, detention or confiscation in question.
 
"Tripartite Deed" means the deed of assignment of Insurances, Earnings, Charter Rights and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Charter referred to in Clause 10.1.5 (Security Documents).
 
"Vessel" means the product tanker of approximately 50,000 dwt and everything now or in the future belonging to her on board and ashore, currently under construction by the Builder with the Builder's hull number S1026 for the Borrower on the terms of the Building Contract and, on delivery to the Borrower, intended to be registered under an Approved Flag.
 
 
1.2
In this Agreement:
 
 
1.2.1
words denoting the plural number include the singular and vice versa;
 
 
1.2.2
words denoting persons include corporations, partnerships, associations of persons (whether incorporated or not) or governmental or quasi-governmental bodies or authorities and vice versa;
 
 
1.2.3
references to Recitals, Clauses and Schedules are references to recitals, clauses and schedules to or of this Agreement;
 
 
1.2.4
references to this Agreement include the Recitals and the Schedules;
 
 
1.2.5
the headings and contents page(s) are for the purpose of reference only, have no legal or other significance, and shall be ignored in the interpretation of this Agreement;
 
 
1.2.6
references to any document (including, without limitation, to all or any of the Relevant Documents) are, unless the context otherwise requires, references to that document as amended, supplemented, novated or replaced from time to time;
 
 
1.2.7
references to statutes or provisions of statutes are references to those statutes, or those provisions, as from time to time amended, replaced or re-enacted;
 
 
1.2.8
references to the Lender include its successors, transferees and assignees; and
 
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1.2.9
a time of day (unless otherwise specified) is a reference to London time.
 
 
1.3
Offer letter
 
This Agreement supersedes the terms and conditions contained in any correspondence relating to the subject matter of this Agreement exchanged between the Lender and the Borrower or their representatives prior to the date of this Agreement.
 
2
The Loan and its Purpose
 
 
2.1
Amount Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Lender agrees to make available to the Borrower a term loan not exceeding the Maximum Loan Amount.
 
 
2.2
Purpose The Borrower shall apply the Loan for the purposes referred to in Recital (B).
 
 
2.3
Monitoring The Lender shall not be bound to monitor or verify the application of any amount borrowed under this Agreement.
 
3
Conditions of Utilisation
 
 
3.1
Conditions precedent The Borrower is not entitled to have any Drawing advanced unless the Lender has received all of the documents and other evidence listed in Part I of Schedule 1 (Conditions precedent).
 
 
3.2
Further conditions precedent The Lender will only be obliged to advance a Drawing if on the date of the Drawdown Notice and on the proposed Drawdown Date:
 
 
3.2.1
no Default is continuing or would result from the advance of that Drawing;
and
 
 
3.2.2
the representations made by the Borrower under Clause 11 (Representations) are true in all material respects.
 
 
3.3
Drawing limit The Lender will only be obliged to advance a Drawing if:
 
 
3.3.1
that Drawing will not increase the Loan to a sum in excess of the Maximum Loan Amount;
 
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3.3.2
the proposed Drawing is either applied towards re-financing any amount due under the RBS Agreement (in the case of the first Drawing to occur) or coincides with the due date for payment by the Borrower of an instalment of the Contract Price of the Vessel and that Drawing will be applied in payment of that instalment (as applicable); and
 
 
3.3.3
that Drawing will be applied in or towards refinancing (in the case of the first and second instalment) or payment of one of the following instalments of the Contract Price of the Vessel under the Building Contract and shall amount to a maximum of the sum set out below opposite the relevant instalment under the column "Drawing" and the Borrower shall pay at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Drawdown Date of that Drawing (other than in the case of the first Drawing to occur) the Equity Portion in the sum set out below opposite the relevant instalment under the column "Equity Portion":
 

Instalment
Drawing
Equity Portion
Total
Refinancing offirst and second
instalment (already financed by RBS)
 
(upon execution of this agreement and delivery of the documents referred to in Clause 3.1)
 
$ 10,626,750
   
third instalment (upon keel laying)
 
(on or about 18 August 2008)
$7,084,500
$2,361,500
$9,446,000
fourth instalment (upon launching)
 
(on or about 5 November 2008)
 
$7,084,500
$2,361,500
$9,446,000
fifth instalment
(upon delivery)
 
(on or about 17
$14,204,250
-
$14,204,250

 
 

 
 
       
February 2009)
 

 
 
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3.4
Conditions subsequent The Borrower undertakes to deliver or to cause to be delivered to the Lender on, or as soon as practicable after, the relevant Drawdown Date the additional documents and other evidence listed in Part II of Schedule I (Conditions subsequent).
 
 
3.5
Delivery conditions precedent Whether or not a Drawing is advanced on the Delivery Date, the Borrower undertakes to deliver or to cause to be delivered to the Lender on the Delivery Date the additional documents and other evidence listed in Part III of Schedule I (Delivery conditions precedent).
 
 
3.6
Delivery conditions subsequent Whether or not a Drawing is advanced on the Delivery Date, the Borrower undertakes to deliver or to cause to be delivered to the Lender on, or as soon as practicable after, the Delivery Date the additional documents and other evidence listed in Part IV of Schedule I (Delivery conditions subsequent).
 
 
3.7
No Waiver If the Lender in its sole discretion agrees to advance a Drawing to the Borrower before all of the documents and evidence required by Clause 3.1 (Conditions precedent) and/or Clause 3.5 (Delivery conditions precedent) have been delivered to or to the order of the Lender, the Borrower undertakes to deliver all outstanding documents and evidence to or to the order of the Lender no later than thirty (30) days after the relevant Drawdown Date or such other date specified by the Lender.
 
The advance of a Drawing under this Clause 3.7 shall not be taken as a waiver of the Lender's right to require production of all the documents and evidence required by Clauses 3.1 (Conditions precedent) and 3.5 (Delivery conditions precedent).
 
 
3.8
Form and content All documents and evidence delivered to the Lender under this Clause 3 shall:
 
 
3.8.1
be in form and substance acceptable to the Lender; and
 
 
3.8.2
if required by the Lender, be certified, notarised, legalised or attested in a manner acceptable to the Lender.
 
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4
Advance
 
The Borrower may request a Drawing to be advanced in one amount on any Business Day prior to the Availability Termination Date by delivering to the Lender a duly completed Drawdown Notice not more than ten (10) and not fewer than two (2) Business Days before the proposed Drawdown Date.
 
5
Repayment
 
 
5.1
Repayment of Loan The Borrower agrees to repay the Loan to the Lender by forty consecutive quarterly instalments, the first thirty-nine such repayment instalments (1st-39th), each in the sum of six hundred thousand Dollars ($600,000), and the fortieth and last such repayment instalment in the sum of fifteen million six hundred thousand Dollars ($15,600,000) (consisting of an instalment of six hundred thousand Dollars ($600,000) and a balloon payment of fifteen million Dollars ($15,000,000) (the "Balloon Payment" )) , the first instalment falling due on the date which is three calendar months after the earlier to occur of the Delivery Date and the Availability Termination Date and subsequent instalments falling due at consecutive intervals of three calendar months thereafter.
 
 
5.2
Reduction of Repayment Instalments If the aggregate amount advanced to the Borrower is less than the Maximum Loan Amount, the amount of each Repayment Instalment shall be reduced pro rata to the amount actually advanced.
 
 
5.3
Reborrowing The Borrower may not reborrow any part of the Loan which is repaid or prepaid.
 
6
Prepayment
 
 
6.1
Illegality If it becomes unlawful in any jurisdiction for the Lender to perform any of its obligations as contemplated by this Agreement or to fund or maintain the Loan:
 
 
6.1.1
the Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower of that event; and
 
 
6.1.2
the Borrower shall repay the Loan (to the extent already advanced) on the last day of the current Interest Period or, if earlier, the date specified by the Lender in the notice delivered to the Borrower (being no earlier than the last day of any applicable grace period permitted by law).
 
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6.2
Voluntary prepayment of Loan The Borrower may prepay the whole or any part of the Loan (but, if in part, being an amount that reduces the Loan by a minimum amount of five hundred thousand Dollars ($500,000) or an integral multiple thereof) subject as follows:
 
 
6.2.1
it gives the Lender not less than fifteen (15) Business Days' (or such shorter period as the Lender may agree) prior notice;
 
 
6.2.2
no prepayment may be made until after the Availability Termination Date; and
 
 
6.2.3
any prepayment under this Clause 6.2 shall satisfy the obligations under Clause 5.1 (Repayment of Loan) in inverse order of maturity.
 
 
6.3
Mandatory prepayment on sale or Total Loss If the Vessel is sold by the Borrower or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, prepay the whole of the Loan.
 
 
6.4
Restrictions Any notice of prepayment given under this Clause 6 shall be irrevocable and, unless a contrary indication appears in this Agreement, shall specify the date or dates upon which the relevant prepayment is to be made and the amount of that prepayment.
 
Any prepayment under this Agreement shall be made together with accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, subject to any Break Costs, without premium or penalty.
 
7
Interest
 
 
7.1
Interest Periods The period during which the Loan shall be outstanding under this Agreement shall be divided into consecutive Interest Periods of one, three or six months' duration or longer duration, as selected by the Borrower by written notice to the Lender not later than 11.00 a.m. on the second Business Day before the beginning of the Interest Period in question, or such other duration as may be agreed by the Lender and subject to market availability.
 
 
7.2
Beginning and end of Interest Periods Each Interest Period shall start on the first Drawdown Date or (if a Drawing is already advanced) on the last day of the
 

 
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preceding Interest Period and end on the date which numerically corresponds to the first Drawdown Date or the last day of the preceding Interest Period in the relevant calendar month except that, if there is no numerically corresponding date in that calendar month, the Interest Period shall end on the last Business Day in that month.
 
 
7.3
Second and subsequent Drawings If the second or any subsequent Drawing is made otherwise than on the first day of an Interest Period for the balance of the Loan, there shall be a separate initial Interest Period for that Drawing commencing on its Drawdown Date and expiring on the final date of the then current Interest Period for the balance of the Loan.
 
 
7.4
Interest Periods to meet Repayment Dates If an Interest Period will expire after the next Repayment Date, there shall be a separate Interest Period for a part of the Loan equal to the Repayment Instalment due on that next Repayment Date and that separate Interest Period shall expire on that next Repayment Date.
 
 
7.5
Non-Business Days If an Interest Period would otherwise end on a day which is not a Business Day, that Interest Period will instead end on the next Business Day in that calendar month (if there is one) or the preceding Business Day (if there is not).
 
 
7.6
Interest rate During each Interest Period interest shall accrue on the Loan at the rate determined by the Lender to be the aggregate of (a) the Margin and (b) LIBOR .
 
 
7.7
Failure to select Interest Period If the Borrower at any time fails to select or agree an Interest Period in accordance with Clause 7.1 (Interest Periods), the interest rate applicable shall be the rate determined by the Lender in accordance with Clause 7.6 (Interest rate) for an Interest Period of such duration (not exceeding three months) as the Lender may select.
 
 
7.8
Accrual and payment of interest Interest shall accrue from day to day, shall be calculated on the basis of a 360 day year and the actual number of days elapsed (or, in any circumstance where market practice differs, in accordance with the prevailing market practice) and shall be paid by the Borrower to the Lender on the last day of each Interest Period and, if the Interest Period is longer than three months, on the dates falling at three monthly intervals after the first day of that Interest Period.
 
 
 
7.9
Default interest If the Borrower fails to pay any amount payable by it under a Finance Document on its due date, interest shall accrue on the overdue amount from
17

 
 
 the due date up to the date of actual payment (both before and after judgment) at a rate which is two per cent (2%) higher than the rate which would have been payable if the overdue amount had, during the period of non-payment, constituted the Loan in the currency of the overdue amount for successive Interest Periods, each selected by the Lender (acting reasonably). Any interest accruing under this Clause 7.9 shall be immediately payable by the Borrower on demand by the Lender. If unpaid, any such interest will be compounded with the overdue amount at the end of each Interest Period applicable to that overdue amount but will remain immediately due and payable.
 
 
7.10
Changes in market circumstances If at any time the Lender determines (which determination shall be final and conclusive and binding on the Borrower) that in the London interbank market either adequate and fair means do not exist for determining the rate of interest on the Loan for any Interest Period or the cost to it of obtaining matching deposits for any Interest Period would be in excess of LIBOR:
 
 
7.10.1
the Lender shall give notice to the Borrower of the occurrence of such event; and
 
 
7.10.2
the rate of interest on the Loan for that Interest Period shall be the rate per annum which is the sum of:
 
 
(a)
the Margin; and
 
 
(b)
the rate which expresses as a percentage rate per annum the cost to the Lender of funding the Loan from whatever source it may reasonably select,
 
PROVIDED THAT if the resulting rate of interest is not acceptable to the Borrower:
 
 
7.10.3
the Lender will negotiate with the Borrower in good faith with a view to modifying this Agreement to provide a substitute basis for determining the rate of interest which is financially a substantial equivalent to the basis provided for in this Agreement;
 
 
7.10.4
any substitute basis agreed pursuant to Clause 7.10.3 shall be binding on the parties to this Agreement; and
 
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7.10.5
if, within thirty (30) days of the giving of the notice referred to in Clause 7.10.1, the Borrower and the Lender fail to agree in writing on a substitute basis for determining the rate of interest, the Borrower will immediately prepay the Loan, together with any Break Costs.
 
 
7.11
Determinations conclusive The Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower of the determination of a rate of interest under this Clause 7 and each such determination shall (save in the case of manifest error) be final and conclusive.
 
8
Indemnities
 
 
8.1
Transaction expenses The Borrower will, within fourteen (14) days of the Lender's written demand, pay the Lender the amount of all costs and expenses (including legal fees and Value Added Tax or any similar or replacement tax if applicable) incurred by the Lender in connection with:
 
 
8.1.1
the negotiation, preparation, printing, execution and registration of the Finance Documents (whether or not any Finance Document is actually executed or registered and whether or not all or any part of the Loan is advanced);
 
 
8.1.2
any amendment, addendum or supplement to any Finance Document (whether or not completed); and
 
 
8.1.3
any other document which may at any time be required by the Lender to give effect to any Finance Document or which the Lender is entitled to call for or obtain under any Finance Document (including, without limitation, any valuation of the Vessel).
 
 
8.2
Funding costs The Borrower shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all losses and costs incurred or sustained by the Lender if, for any reason, a Drawing is not advanced to the Borrower after the relevant Drawdown Notice has been given to the Lender, or is advanced on a date other than that requested in the Drawdown Notice (unless, in either case, as a result of any default by the Lender).
 
 
8.3
Break Costs The Borrower shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all costs, losses, premiums or penalties incurred by the Lender as a
 

 
19

 

 
result of its receiving any prepayment of all or any part of the Loan (whether pursuant to Clause 6 (Prepayment) or otherwise) on a day other than the last day of an Interest Period for the Loan or relevant part of the Loan, or any other payment under or in relation to the Finance Documents on a day other than the due date for payment of the sum in question, including (without limitation) any losses or costs incurred in liquidating or re-employing deposits from third parties acquired to effect or maintain all or any part of the Loan, and any liabilities, expenses or losses incurred by the Lender in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any interest rate and/or currency swap, transaction or arrangement entered into by the Lender to hedge any exposure arising under this Agreement, or in terminating or reversing, or otherwise in connection with, any open position arising under this Agreement.
 
 
8.4
Currency indemnity In the event of the Lender receiving or recovering any amount payable under a Finance Document in a currency other than the Currency of Account, and if the amount received or recovered is insufficient when converted into the Currency of Account at the date of receipt to satisfy in full the amount due, the Borrower shall, on the Lender's written demand, pay to the Lender such further amount in the Currency of Account as is sufficient to satisfy in full the amount due and that further amount shall be due to the Lender as a separate debt under this Agreement.
 
 
8.5
Increased costs (subject to Clause 8.6 (Exceptions to increased costs )) If, by reason of the introduction of any law, or any change in any law, or any change in the interpretation or administration of any law, or compliance with any request or requirement from any central bank or any fiscal, monetary or other authority occurring after the date of this Agreement (including the implementation or application of or compliance with the Basel II Accord or any other Basel II Regulation (whether such implementation, application or
compliance is by any central bank or any fiscal, monetary or other authority, the Lender or the holding company of the Lender)):
 
 
8.5.1
the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) shall be subject to any Tax with respect to payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness (other than Tax on overall net income); or
 
 
8.5.2
the basis of Taxation of payments to the Lender in respect of all or any part of the Indebtedness shall be changed; or
 
20

 
 
8.5.3
any reserve requirements shall be imposed, modified or deemed applicable against assets held by or deposits in or for the account of or loans by any branch of the Lender; or
 
 
8.5.4
the manner in which the Lender allocates capital resources to its obligations under this Agreement or any ratio (whether cash, capital adequacy, liquidity or otherwise) which the Lender is required or requested to maintain shall be affected; or
 
 
8.5.5
there is imposed on the Lender (or on the holding company of the Lender) any other condition in relation to the Indebtedness or the Finance Documents;
 
and the result of any of the above shall be to increase the cost to the Lender (or to the holding company of the Lender) of the Lender making or maintaining the Loan, or to cause the Lender to suffer (in its opinion) a material reduction in the rate of return on its overall capital below the level which it reasonably anticipated at the date of this Agreement and which it would have been able to achieve but for its entering into this Agreement and/or performing its obligations under this Agreement, then, subject to Clause 8.6 (Exceptions to increased costs), the Lender shall notify the Borrower and the Borrower shall from time to time pay to the Lender the amount which shall compensate the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) for such additional cost or reduced return. A certificate signed by an authorised signatory of the Lender setting out the amount of that payment and the basis of its calculation shall be submitted to the Borrower and shall be conclusive evidence of such amount save for manifest error or on any question of law.
 
For the purposes of this Clause 8.5:
 
"Basel II Accord" means the "International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards, a Revised Framework" published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in June 2004 (or any amendments thereto) in the form existing on the date of this Agreement;
 
"Basel II Approach" means, in relation to the Lender, either the Standardised Approach or the relevant Internal Ratings Based Approach (each as defined in the Basel II Accord) adopted by the Lender (or its holding company) for the purpose of implementing or complying with the Basel II Accord;
 
 
21

"Basel II Regulation" means (a) any law or regulation implementing the Basel II Accord or (b) any Basel II Approach adopted by the Lender; and
 
"holding company" means, in respect of the Lender, the company or entity (if any) within the consolidated supervision of which the Lender is included.
 
 
8.6
Exceptions to increased costs Clause 8.5 (Increased costs) does not apply to the extent any additional cost or reduced return referred to in that Clause is:
 
 
8.6.1
compensated for by a payment made under Clause 8.10 (Taxes); or
 
 
8.6.2
compensated for by a payment made under Clause 16.3 (Grossing-up); or
 
 
8.6.3
attributable to the wilful breach by the Lender (or the holding company of the Lender) of any law or regulation.
 
 
8.7
Events of Default The Borrower shall indemnify the Lender from time to time on the Lender's written demand against all losses, costs and liabilities incurred or sustained by the Lender as a consequence of any Event of Default.
 
 
8.8
Enforcement costs The Borrower shall pay to the Lender on the Lender's written demand the amount of all costs and expenses (including legal fees) incurred by the Lender in connection with the enforcement of, or the preservation of any rights under, any Finance Document including (without limitation) any losses, costs and expenses which the Lender may from time to time sustain, incur or become liable for by reason of the Lender being mortgagee of the Vessel and/or a lender to the Borrower, or by reason of the Lender being deemed by any court or authority to be an operator or controller, or in any way concerned in the operation or control, of the Vessel.
 
 
8.9
Other costs The Borrower shall pay to the Lender on the Lender's written demand the amount of all sums which the Lender may pay or become actually or contingently liable for on account of the Borrower in connection with the Vessel (whether alone or jointly or jointly and severally with any other person) including (without limitation) all sums which the Lender may pay or guarantees which it may give in respect of the Insurances, any expenses incurred by the Lender in connection with the maintenance or repair of the Vessel or in discharging any lien, bond or other claim relating in any way to the Vessel, and any sums which the Lender may pay or guarantees which it may give to procure the release of the Vessel from arrest or detention.
 

 
22

 

 
 
 
 
8.10
Taxes The Borrower shall pay all Taxes to which all or any part of the Indebtedness or any Finance Document may be at any time subject (other than Tax on the Lender's overall net income) and shall indemnify the Lender on the Lender's written demand against all liabilities, costs, claims and expenses resulting from any omission to pay or delay in paying any such Taxes.
 
9
Fees
 
 
9.1
Commitment fee The Borrower shall pay to the Lender a fee computed at the rate of zero point forty per cent (0.40%) per annum on the undrawn amount of the Loan from time to time from 25 June 2008, until the earlier of the Drawdown Date in respect of the final Drawing and the Availability Termination Date. The accrued commitment fee is payable on the last day of each successive period of three months from 25 June 2008 and on the Availability Termination Date.
 
 
9.2
Arrangement fee The Borrower shall pay to the Lender, on the date of this Agreement, an arrangement fee in the amount of two hundred and ninety two thousand five hundred Dollars ($292,500).
 
10
Security and Application of Moneys
 
 
10.1
Security Documents As security for the payment of the Indebtedness, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to the Lender or cause to be executed and delivered to the Lender the following documents in such forms and containing such terms and conditions as the Lender shall require:
 
 
10.1.1
a first priority deed of assignment of the Building Contract and the Refund Guarantee;
 
 
10.1.2
a guarantee and indemnity from the Guarantor;
 
 
10.1.3
a first preferred or statutory mortgage over the Vessel together with a collateral deed of covenants if applicable;
 
 
10.1.4
a first priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation; and
 
 
10.1.5
a first priority deed or deeds of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings, Bareboat Charter and Requisition Compensation of the Vessel from the
 
23

   
Borrower and the Bareboat Charterer, including (in the case of the Bareboat Charterer) an agreement whereby its interests under the Bareboat Charter are subordinated to the interests of the Lender under the Mortgage and an assignmentof any performance guarantee from Daelim (if the Bareboat Charterer is a one hundred per cent (100%) subsidiary of Daelim.
 
 
10.2
Earnings Account The Borrower shall maintain the Earnings Account with the Lender for the duration of the Facility Period free of Encumbrances and rights of set off other than those created by or under the Finance Documents. Interest shall accrue on a daily basis on any balance from time to time on the Earnings Account at a rate of interest determined by the Lender in its discretion as the rate of interest payable to its customers on deposits in the same currency and of similar amount and maturity, and shall be credited to the Earnings Account.
 
  10.3
Earnings  The Borrower shall procure that all Earnings and any Requisition Compensation are credited to the Earnings Account.
 
 
10.4
Application of Earnings Account   The Borrower shall procure that there is transferred from the Earnings Account to the Lender:
 
 
10.4.1
on each Repayment Date, the amount of the Repayment Instalment then due; and
 
 
10.4.2
on each Interest Payment Date, the amount of interest then due,
 
and the Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to make those transfers.
 
 
10.5
Borrower's obligations not affected If for any reason the amount standing to the credit of the Earnings Account is insufficient to pay any Repayment Instalment or to make any payment of interest when due, the Borrower's obligation to pay that Repayment Instalment or to make that payment of interest shall not be affected.
 
 
10.6
Release of surplus Any amount remaining to the credit of the Earnings Account following the making of any transfer required by Clause 10.4 (Application of Earnings Account) shall (unless a Default shall have occurred and be continuing) be released to or to the order of the Borrower.
 
24

 
10.7
Restriction on withdrawal During the Facility Period no sum may be withdrawn from the Earnings Account (except in accordance with this Clause 10.7) without the prior written consent of the Lender.
 
 
10.8
Relocation of Earnings Account At any time following the occurrence and during the continuation of a Default, the Lender may without the consent of the Borrower but after giving notice to the Borrower relocate the Earnings Account to any other branch of the Lender, without prejudice to the continued application of this Clause 10.8 and the rights of the Lender under the Finance Documents.
 
 
10.9
Application after acceleration From and after the giving of notice to the Borrower by the Lender under Clause 13.2 (Acceleration), the Borrower shall procure that all sums from time to time standing to the credit of the Earnings Account are immediately transferred to the Lender for application in accordance with Clause 10.10 (General application of moneys) and the Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to make those transfers.
 
  10.10 General application of moneys The Borrower, subject to Clause 10.11 (Application of moneys on sale or Total Loss), irrevocably authorises the Lender to apply all sums which the Lender may receive:
 
 
10.10.1
pursuant to a sale or other disposition of the Vessel or any right, title or interest in the Vessel; or
 
 
10.10.2
by way of payment of any sum in respect of the Insurances, Earnings, Charter Rights or Requisition Compensation; or
 
 
10.10.3
by way of transfer of any sum from the Earnings Account; or
 
 
10.10.4
otherwise arising under or in connection with any Security Document,
 
in or towards satisfaction, or by way of retention on account, of the Indebtedness, in such manner as the Lender may determine.
 
  10.11
Application of moneys on sale or Total Loss The Borrower irrevocably authorises the Lender to apply all sums which the Lender may receive pursuant to a sale by the Borrower of the Vessel or a Total Loss in or towards satisfaction of the prepayment due and payable by virtue of that sale or Total Loss under Clause 6.3 (Mandatory prepayment on sale or Total Loss), but the Borrower's obligation to make that  
 

 
25

 
 
   
prepayment shall not be affected if those sums are insufficient to satisfy that obligation.
 
  10.12
Additional security If at any time the aggregate of the Market Value of the Vessel and the value of any additional security (such value to be the face amount of the deposit (in the case of cash), determined conclusively by appropriate advisers appointed by the Lender (in the case of other charged assets), and determined by the Lender in its discretion (in all other cases)) for the time being provided to the Lender under this Clause 10.12 is less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan the Borrower shall, within thirty (30) days of the Lender's request, at the Borrower's option:
 
 
10.12.1
pay to the Lender or to its nominee a cash deposit in the amount of the shortfall to be secured in favour of the Lender as additional security for the payment of the Indebtedness; or
 
 
10.12.2
give to the Lender other additional security in amount and form acceptable to the Lender in its discretion; or
 
 
10.12.3
prepay the amount of the Indebtedness which will ensure that the aggregate of the market value of the Vessel (determined as stated above) and the value of any such additional security is not less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan.
 
Clauses 5.3 (Reborrowing), 6.2.3 (Voluntary prepayment of Loan) and 6.4 (Restrictions) shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to any prepayment made under this Clause 10.12 and the value of any additional security provided shall be determined as stated above.
 
11
Representations
 
 
11.1
Representations The Borrower makes the representations and warranties set out in this Clause 11.1 to the Lender on the date of this Agreement.
 

 
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11.11.1
Status Each Security Party (which is not an individual) is a corporation, duly incorporated and validly existing under the law of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has the power to own its assets and carry on its business as it is being conducted.
 
 
 
11.1.2
Binding obligations The obligations expressed to be assumed by each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer in each Finance Document to which it is a party are, legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligations.
 
 
 
11.1.3
Non-conflict with other obligations The entry into and performance by each Security Party of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Finance Documents do not conflict with:
 
 
(a)
any law or regulation applicable to that Security Party;
 
 
(b)
the constitutional documents of that Security Party; or
 
 
(c)
any document binding on that Security Party or any of its assets,
 
and in borrowing the Loan, the Borrower is acting for its own account.
 
 
11.1.4
Power and authority Each Security Party has the power to enter into, perform and deliver, and has taken all necessary action to authorise its entry into, performance and delivery of, the Finance Documents to which it is a party and the transactions contemplated by those Finance Documents.
 
 
11.1.5
Validity and admissibility in evidence All consents, licences, approvals, authorisations, filings and registrations required or desirable:
 
 
(a)
to enable each Security Party lawfully to enter into, exercise its rights and comply with its obligations in the Finance Documents to which it is a party or to enable the Lender to enforce and exercise all its rights under the Finance Documents; and
 
 
(b)
to make the Finance Documents to which any Security Party is a party admissible in evidence in its jurisdiction of incorporation,
 
have been obtained or effected and are in full force and effect, with the exception only of the registrations referred to in Parts II and IV of Schedule 1 (Conditions subsequent and Delivery conditions subsequent).
 
 
11.1.6
Governing law and enforcement The choice of English law as the governing law of any Finance Document expressed to be governed by English law will be recognised and enforced in the jurisdiction of
 
27

 
incorporation of each relevant Security Party and/or the Bareboat Charterer, and any judgment obtained in England in relation to any such Finance Document will be recognised and enforced in the jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party and/or the Bareboat Charterer.
 
 
11.1.7
Deduction of Tax No Security Party is required under the law of its jurisdiction of incorporation to make any deduction for or on account of Tax from any payment it may make under any Finance Document.
 
 
11.1.8
No filing or stamp taxes Under the law of jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party it is not necessary that the Finance Documents be filed, recorded or enrolled with any court or other authority in that jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar tax be paid on or in relation to the Finance Documents or the transactions contemplated by the Finance Documents.
 
 
11.1.9
No default No Event of Default is continuing or might reasonably be expected to result from the advance of any Drawing.
 
 
11.1.10
No misleading information Any factual information provided by any Security Party to the Lender was true and accurate in all material respects as at the date it was provided.
 
 
11.1.11
Pari passu ranking The payment obligations of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer under the Finance Documents to which it is a party rank at least pari passu with the claims of all its other unsecured and unsubordinated creditors, except for obligations mandatorily preferred by law applying to companies generally.
 
 
11.1.12
No proceedings pending or threatened No litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings of or before any court, arbitral body or agency have been started or (to the best of the Borrower's knowledge threatened) which, if adversely determined, might reasonably be expected to have a materially adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of any Security Party.
 
 
11.1.13
Disclosure of material facts The Borrower is not aware of any material facts or circumstances which have not been disclosed to the Lender and  
 

 
28

 
 
which might, if disclosed, have adversely affected the decision of a person considering whether or not to make loan facilities of the nature contemplated by this Agreement available to the Borrower.
 
 
11.1.14
No established place of business in the UK or US No Security Party has an established place of business in the United Kingdom or the United States of America.
 
 
11.1.15
Completeness of Relevant Documents The copies of any Relevant Documents provided or to be provided by the Borrower to the Lender in accordance with Clause 3 (Conditions of Utilisation) are, or will be, true and accurate copies of the originals and represent, or will represent, the full agreement between the parties to those Relevant Documents in relation to the subject matter of those Relevant Documents and there are no commissions, rebates, premiums or other payments due or to become due in connection with the subject matter of those Relevant Documents other than in the ordinary course of business or as disclosed to, and approved in writing by, the Lender.
 
 
11.2
Repetition Each representation and warranty in Clause 11.1 (Representations) is deemed to be repeated by the Borrower by reference to the facts and circumstances then existing on the date of each Drawdown Notice and the first day of each Interest Period.
 
12
Undertakings and Covenants
 
The undertakings and covenants in this Clause 12 remain in force for the duration of the Facility Period.
 
 
12.1
Information Undertakings
 
 
12.1.1
Financial statements The Borrower shall supply and shall procure that the Guarantor supplies, to the Lender as soon as the same become available, but in any event within one hundred and eighty days (180) after the end of each of its financial years, its and the Guarantor's combined audited financial statements for that financial year, together with a Compliance Certificate, signed by one director of the Guarantor, setting out (in reasonable detail) computations as to compliance with Clause 12.2
 

 
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(Financial covenants) as at the date as at which those financial statements were drawn up.
 
 
12.1.2
Requirements as to financial statements Each set of financial statements delivered by the Borrower under Clause 12.1.1 (Financial statements):
 
 
(a)
shall be certified by a director of the Guarantor, as fairly representing its financial condition as at the date as at which those financial statements were drawn up; and
 
 
(b)
shall be prepared using GAAP, accounting practices and financial reference periods consistent with those applied in the preparation of the Original Financial Statements unless, in relation to any set of financial statements, the Borrower notifies the Lender that there has been a change in GAAP, the accounting practices or reference periods and the Borrower's auditors deliver to the Lender:
 
 
(i)
a description of any change necessary for those financial statements to reflect the GAAP, accounting practices and reference periods upon which the Original Financial Statements were prepared; and
 
 
(ii)
sufficient information, in form and substance as may be reasonably required by the Lender, to enable the Lender to make an accurate comparison between the financial position indicated in those financial statements and that indicated in the Original Financial Statements.
 
 
12.1.3
Information: miscellaneous The Borrower shall supply to the Lender:
 
 
(a)
all documents dispatched by the Borrower to its shareholders (or any class of them) or its creditors generally at the same time as they are dispatched;
 
 
(b)
promptly upon becoming aware of them, details of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings which are current, threatened or pending against any Security Party, and which might, if adversely determined, have a materially adverse effect on the
 
30

   
business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of that Security Party and/or the Bareboat Charterer; and
 
 
(c)
promptly, such further information regarding the financial condition, business and operations of any Security Party as the Lender may reasonably request including, without limitation, cash flow analyses and details of the operating costs of the Vessel.
     
 
 
12.1.4
Notification of default
 
 
(a)
The Borrower shall notify the Lender of any Default (and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy it) promptly upon becoming aware of its occurrence.
 
 
(b)
Promptly upon a request by the Lender, the Borrower shall supply to the Lender a certificate signed by two of its directors or senior officers on its behalf certifying that no Default is continuing (or if a Default is continuing, specifying the Default and the steps, if any, being taken to remedy it).
 
 
12.1.5
" Know your customer" checks If:
 
 
(a)
the introduction of or any change in (or in the interpretation, administration or application of) any law or regulation made after the date of this Agreement;
 
 
(b)
any change in the status of the Borrower after the date of this Agreement; or
 
 
(c)
a proposed assignment or transfer by the Lender of any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement,
 
obliges the Lender (or, in the case of (c) above, any prospective new Lender) to comply with "know your customer" or similar identification procedures in circumstances where the necessary information is not already available to it, the Borrower shall promptly upon the request of the Lender supply, or procure the supply of, such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Lender for itself (or, in the

 
31

 
 
case of (c) above, on behalf of any prospective new Lender) in order for the Lender (or, in the case of (c) above, any prospective new Lender) to carry out and be satisfied it has complied with all necessary "know your customer" or other similar checks under all applicable laws and regulations pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Finance Documents.
 
 
12.2
Financial covenants
 
The Borrower shall procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis (assessed semi-annually and certified in accordance with Clause 12.1.2 (a)) commencing from the date of this Agreement: -
 
 
12.2.1
maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000); and
 
 
12.2.2
maintain a Minimum Adjusted Net Worth of not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000); and
 
 
12.2.3
maintain Minimum Equity of not less than one hundred million Dollars ($100,000,000).
 
 
12.3
General undertakings
 
 
12.3.1
Authorisations The Borrower shall promptly:
 
 
(a)
obtain, comply with and do all that is necessary to maintain in full force and effect; and
 
 
(b)
supply certified copies to the Lender of,
 
any consent, licence, approval or authorisation required under any law or regulation to enable each Security Party to perform its obligations under the Finance Documents to which it is a party and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence in the jurisdiction of incorporation of each relevant Security Party of any Finance Document.
 
 
12.3.2
Compliance with laws The Borrower shall comply in all respects with all laws to which it may be subject, if failure so to comply would materially impair its ability to perform its obligations under the Finance Documents.
 
 
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12.3.3
Conduct of business The Borrower shall carry on and conduct its business in a proper and efficient manner, file all requisite tax returns and pay all tax which becomes due and payable (except where contested in good faith).
 
 
12.3.4
Evidence of good standing The Borrower will from time to time if requested by the Lender provide the Lender with evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Lender that the Security Parties and all corporate shareholders of any Security Party remain in good standing.
 
 
12.3.5
Negative pledge and no disposals The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender create nor permit to subsist any Encumbrance or other third party rights over any of its present or future assets or undertaking nor dispose of any those assets or of all or part of that undertaking.
 
 
12.3.6
Merger The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender enter into any amalgamation, demerger, merger or corporate reconstruction.
 
 
12.3.7
Change of business The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender make any substantial change to the general nature of its business from that carried on at the date of this Agreement.
 
 
12.3.8
No other business The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender engage in any business other than the ownership, operation, chartering and management of the Vessel.
 
 
12.3.9
No place of business in UK or US The Borrower shall not have an established place of business in the United Kingdom or the United States of America at any time during the Facility Period.
 
 
12.3.10
No borrowings The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender borrow any money (except for the Loan and unsecured Financial Indebtedness subordinated to the Loan and arising in the Borrower's normal course of operating the Vessel) nor incur any obligations under leases.
 
 
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12.3.11
No substantial liabilities Except in the ordinary course of business, the Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender incur any liability to any third party which is in the Lender's opinion of a substantial nature.
 
 
12.3.12
No loans or other financial commitments The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender make any loan nor enter into any guarantee or indemnity or otherwise voluntarily assume any actual or contingent liability in respect of any obligation of any other person except for loans made in the ordinary course of business in connection with the chartering, operation or repair of the Vessel.
 
 
12.3.13
No dividends The Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender pay any dividends or make any other  distributions to shareholders or issue any new shares, following the occurrence of a Default.
 
 
12.3.14
Inspection of records The Borrower will permit the inspection of its financial records and accounts from time to time by the Lender or its nominee.
 
 
12.3.15
No change in Relevant Documents The Borrower shall procure that, without the prior written consent of the Lender, there shall be no termination of, alteration to, or waiver of any term of, any of the Relevant Documents which are not Finance Documents.
 
 
12.3.16
No change in ownership or control The Borrower shall not permit any change in its beneficial ownership and control from that advised to the Lender at the date of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Lender, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
 
 
12.4
Vessel undertakings
 
 
12.4.1
No sale of Vessel The Borrower shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Vessel or any shares in the Vessel nor agree to do so without the prior written consent of the Lender.
 
 
12.4.2
No chartering after Event of Default Following the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default the Borrower shall not without the

 
34

 
 
   
prior written consent of the Lender let the Vessel on charter or renew or extend any charter or other contract of employment of the Vessel (nor agree to do so).
 
 
12.4.3
No change in management The Borrower shall procure that, without the prior written consent of the Lender, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, there shall be no termination of, alteration to, or waiver of any term of, the Management Agreement and the Borrower shall not without the prior written consent of the Lender permit the Managers to sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Vessel to any third party.
 
 
12.4.4
Registration of Vessel The Borrower undertakes to register the Vessel and maintain the registration of the Vessel under an Approved Flag for the duration of the Facility Period unless the Lender agrees otherwise in writing.
 
 
12.4.5
Evidence of current COFR The Borrower will, if and for so long as the Vessel trades in the United States of America and Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990), obtain, retain and provide the Lender with a copy of, a valid Certificate of Financial Responsibility for the Vessel under that Act and will comply strictly with the requirements of that Act.
 
 
12.4.6
ISM Code compliance The Borrower will:
 
 
(a)
procure that the Vessel remains for the duration of the Facility Period subject to a SMS;
 
 
(b)
maintain a valid and current SMC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender;
 
 
(c)
procure that the ISM Company maintains a valid and current DOC throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and

 
(d)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the SMC of the Vessel or of the DOC of the ISM Company.
 
 
12.4.7
ISPS Code compliance The Borrower will:

 
35

 
 
 
(a)
for the duration of the Facility Period comply with the ISPS Code in relation to the Vessel and procure that the Vessel and the ISPS Company comply with the ISPS Code;
 
 
(b)
maintain a valid and current ISSC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and
 
 
(c)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the ISSC.
 
 
12.4.8
Annex VI compliance The Borrower will:
 
 
(a)
for the duration of the Facility Period comply with Annex VI in relation to the Vessel and procure that the Vessel's master and crew are familiar with, and that the Vessel complies with, Annex VI;
 
 
(b)
maintain a valid and current IAPPC for the Vessel throughout the Facility Period and provide a copy to the Lender; and
 
 
(c)
immediately notify the Lender in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the IAPPC.
 
 
12.4.9
Bareboat Charter The Borrower (as owner) shall, by the date of this Agreement, enter into the Bareboat Charter, such Bareboat Charter to be in form and substance, and on terms and conditions, satisfactory to the Lender in all respects.
 
13
Events of Default
 
 
13.1
Events of Default Each of the events or circumstances set out in this Clause 13.1 is an Event of Default.
 
 
 
13.1.1
Non-payment The Borrower does not pay on the due date any amount payable by it under a Finance Document at the place at and in the currency in which it is expressed to be payable.
 
 
13.1.2
Other obligations.   A Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) does not comply with any provision of any of the Relevant
 
36

Documents to which that Security Party or person is a party (other than as referred to in Clause 13.1.1 (Non-payment)).
 
No Event of Default under this Clause 13.1.2 will occur if the failure to comply is capable of remedy and is remedied within ten (10) Business Days of the Lender giving notice to the Borrower or the Borrower becoming aware of the failure to comply.
 
 
13.1.3
Misrepresentation Any representation, warranty or statement made or deemed to be repeated by a Security Party in any Finance Document or any other document delivered by or on behalf of a Security Party under or in connection with any Finance Document is or proves to have been incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made or deemed to be repeated.

 
13.1.4
Cross default Any Financial Indebtedness of a Security Party:
 
 
(a)
is not paid when due or within any originally applicable grace period; or
 
 
(b)
is declared to be, or otherwise becomes, due and payable before its specified maturity as a result of an event of default (however described); or
 
 
(c)
is capable of being declared by a creditor to be due and payable before its specified maturity as a result of such an event.
 
 
13.1.5
Insolvency
 
 
(a)
A Security Party is unable or admits inability to pay its debts as they fall due, suspends making payments on any of its debts or, by reason of actual or anticipated financial difficulties, commences negotiations with one or more of its creditors with a view to rescheduling any of its Financial Indebtedness.
 
 
(b)
The value of the assets of a Security Party is less than its liabilities (taking into account contingent and prospective liabilities).
 
 
(c)
A moratorium is declared in respect of any Financial Indebtedness of a Security Party.

 
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13.1.6
Insolvency proceedings Any corporate action, legal proceedings or other procedure or step is taken for:
 
 
(a)
the suspension of payments, a moratorium of any Financial Indebtedness, winding-up, dissolution, administration, bankruptcy or reorganisation (by way of voluntary arrangement, scheme of arrangement or otherwise) of a Security Party;
 
 
(b)
a composition, compromise, assignment or arrangement with any creditor of a Security Party;
 
 
(c)
the appointment of a liquidator, receiver, administrative receiver, administrator, compulsory manager, or trustee or other similar officer in respect of any Security Party or any of its assets; or
 
 
(d)
enforcement of any Encumbrance over any assets of a Security Party,
 
or any analogous procedure or step is taken in any jurisdiction.
 
 
13.1.7
Creditors' process Any expropriation, attachment, sequestration, distress or execution affects any asset or assets of a Security Party.
 
 
13.1.8
Change in ownership or control of the Borrower There is any change in the beneficial ownership or control of the Borrower from that advised to the Lender by the Borrower at the date of this Agreement.
 
 
13.1.9
Repudiation A Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) repudiates any of the Relevant Documents to which that Security Party or person is a party or evidences an intention to do so.
 
 
13.1.10
Impossibility or illegality Any event occurs which would, or would with the passage of time, render performance of any of the Relevant Documents by a Security Party or any other party to any such document impossible, unlawful or unenforceable by the Lender or a Security Party.
 
 
13.1.11
Conditions subsequent Any of the conditions referred to in Clause 3.4 (Conditions subsequent) is not satisfied within the time reasonably required by the Lender.

 
38

 
 
 
13.1.12
Revocation or modification of authorisation Any consent, licence, approval, authorisation, filing, registration or other requirement of any governmental, judicial or other public body or authority which is now, or which at any time during the Facility Period becomes, necessary to enable a Security Party or any other person (except the Lender) to comply with any of its obligations under any of the Relevant Documents is not obtained, is revoked, suspended, withdrawn or withheld, or is modified in a manner which the Lender considers is, or may be, prejudicial to the interests of the Lender, or ceases to remain in full force and effect.
 
 
13.1.13
Curtailment of business A Security Party ceases, or threatens to cease, to carry on all or a substantial part of its business or, as a result of intervention by or under the authority of any government, the business of a Security Party is wholly or partially curtailed or suspended, or all or a substantial part of the assets or undertaking of a Security Party is seized, nationalised, expropriated or compulsorily acquired.
 
 
13.1.14
Reduction of capital A Security Party reduces its authorised or issued or subscribed capital.
 
 
13.1.15
Loss of Vessel The Vessel suffers a Total Loss or is otherwise destroyed, abandoned, confiscated, forfeited or condemned as prize, or a similar event occurs in relation to any other vessel which may from time to time be mortgaged to the Lender as security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness, except that a Total Loss, or event similar to a Total Loss in relation to any other vessel, shall not be an Event of Default if:
 
 
(a)
the Vessel or other vessel is insured in accordance with the Security Documents; and
 
 
(b)
no insurer has refused to meet or has disputed the claim for Total Loss and it is not apparent to the Lender in its discretion that any such refusal or dispute is likely to occur; and
 
 
(c)
payment of all insurance proceeds in respect of the Total Loss is made in full to the Lender within one hundred and fifty (150) days of the occurrence of the casualty giving rise to the Total Loss in
 
39

 
question or such longer period as the Lender may in its discretion agree.
 
 
13.1.16
Challenge to registration The registration of the Vessel or the Mortgage is contested or becomes void or voidable or liable to cancellation or termination, or the validity or priority of the Mortgage is contested.
 
 
13.1.17
War The country of registration of the Vessel becomes involved in war (whether or not declared) or civil war or is occupied by any other power and the Lender in its discretion considers that, as a result, the security conferred by any of the Security Documents is materially prejudiced.
 
 
13.1.18
Notice of termination The Guarantor gives notice to the Lender to determine its obligations under the Guarantee.
 
 
13.1.19
The Builder Any of the events or circumstances specified in Clauses 13.1.5 (Insolvency), 13.1.6 (Insolvency proceedings) and 13.1.7 (Creditors' process) occurs in relation to the Builder and/or to the Bareboat Charterer, and, in the opinion of the Lender, in the case of the Builder, the Vessel is unlikely to be delivered to the Borrower by the Builder under the Building Contract by/on 28 February 2009, or such other later date as may be agreed with the Builder (and subject to the Lender's consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) in accordance with the terms of the Building Contract.
 
 
13.1.20
Non-delivery of Vessel The Vessel is not delivered to the Borrower by the Builder under the Building Contract by/on 28 February 2009, or such other later date as may be agreed with the Builder (and subject to the Lender's consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) in accordance with the terms of the Building Contract.
 
 
13.1.21
Material adverse change Any event or series of events occurs which, in the opinion of the Lender, is likely to have a materially adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or credit worthiness of a Security Party.

 
13.1.22
Bareboat Charter If the Bareboat Charter is terminated, cancelled or repudiated or is not in force at any time during the period of its duration or if the Bareboat Charterer defaults in the performance of any of its material obligations under or pursuant to the Bareboat Charter.
 
 
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13.2
Acceleration If an Event of Default is continuing the Lender may by notice to the Borrower cancel any part of the Maximum Loan Amount not then advanced and:
 
 
13.2.1
declare that the Loan, together with accrued interest, and all other amounts accrued or outstanding under the Finance Documents are immediately due and payable, whereupon they shall become immediately due and payable; and/or
 
 
13.2.2
declare that the Loan is payable on demand, whereupon it shall immediately become payable on demand by the Lender.
 
14
Assignment and Sub-Participation
 
 
14.1
Lender's rights The Lender may assign any of its rights under this Agreement or transfer by novation any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any other branch of the Lender or to any other bank or financial institution or (for the purpose of a securitisation of the Lender's rights or obligations under the Finance Documents or a similar transaction of broadly equivalent economic effect) to any special purpose vehicle, and may grant sub-participations in all or any part of the Loan.
 
 
14.2
Borrower's co-operation The Borrower will co-operate fully with the Lender in connection with any assignment, transfer or sub-participation; will execute and procure the execution of such documents as the Lender may require in that connection; and irrevocably authorises the Lender to disclose to any proposed assignee, transferee or sub-participant (whether before or after any assignment, transfer or sub-participation and whether or not any assignment, transfer or sub-participation shall take place) all information relating to the Security Parties and the Bareboat Charterer, the Loan, the Relevant Documents and the Vessel which the Lender may in its discretion consider necessary or desirable.
 
 
14.3
Rights of assignee or transferee Any assignee or transferee of the Lender shall (unless limited by the express terms of the assignment or novation) take the full benefit of every provision of the Finance Documents benefitting the Lender.
 
41

 
 
14.4
No assignment or transfer by the Borrower The Borrower may not assign any of its rights or transfer any of its rights or obligations under the Finance Documents.
 
 
14.5
Securitisation The Lender may disclose the size and term of the Loan and the name of each of the Security Parties to any investor or potential investor in a securitisation (or similar transaction of broadly equivalent economic effect) of the Lender's rights or obligations under the Finance Documents.
 
15
Set-Off
 
The Lender may set off any matured obligation due from the Borrower under any Finance Document against any matured obligation owed by the Lender to the Borrower, regardless of the place of payment, booking branch or currency of either obligation. If the obligations are in different currencies, the Lender may convert either obligation at a market rate of exchange in its usual course of business for the purpose of the set-off.
 
16           Payments
 
 
16.1
Payments Each amount payable by the Borrower under a Finance Document shall be paid to such account at such bank as the Lender may from time to time direct to the Borrower in the Currency of Account and in such funds as are customary at the time for settlement of transactions in the relevant currency in the place of payment. Payment shall be deemed to have been received by the Lender on the date on which the Lender receives authenticated advice of receipt, unless that advice is received by the Lender on a day other than a Business Day or at a time of day (whether on a Business Day or not) when the Lender in its discretion considers that it is impossible or impracticable for the Lender to utilise the amount received for value that same day, in which event the payment in question shall be deemed to have been received by the Lender on the Business Day next following the date of receipt of advice by the Lender.
 
 
16.2
No deductions or withholdings Each payment (whether of principal or interest or otherwise) to be made by the Borrower under a Finance Document shall, subject only to Clause 16.3 (Grossing-up), be made free and clear of and without deduction for or on account of any Taxes or other deductions, withholdings, restrictions, conditions or counterclaims of any nature.
 
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16.3
Grossing-up If at any time any law requires (or is interpreted to require) the Borrower to make any deduction or withholding from any payment, or to change the rate or manner in which any required deduction or withholding is made, the Borrower will promptly notify the Lender and, simultaneously with that payment, will pay to the Lender whatever additional amount (after taking into account any additional Taxes on, or deductions or withholdings from, or restrictions or conditions on, that additional amount) is necessary to ensure that, after the deduction or withholding, the Lender receives a net sum equal to the sum which the Lender would have received had no deduction or withholding been made.
 
 
16.4
Evidence of deductions If at any time the Borrower is required by law to make any deduction or withholding from any payment to be made by it under a Finance Document, the Borrower will pay the amount required to be deducted or withheld to the relevant authority within the time allowed under the applicable law and will, no later than thirty (30) days after making that payment, deliver to the Lender an original receipt issued by the relevant authority, or other evidence acceptable to the Lender, evidencing the payment to that authority of all amounts required to be deducted or withheld.
 
 
16.5
Adjustment of due dates If any payment or transfer of funds to be made under a Finance Document, other than a payment of interest on the Loan, shall be due on a day which is not a Business Day, that payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day (unless the next succeeding Business Day falls in the next calendar month in which event the payment shall be made on the next preceding Business Day). Any such variation of time shall be taken into account in computing any interest in respect of that payment.
 
 
16.6
Control Account The Lender shall open and maintain on its books a control account in the name of the Borrower showing the advance of the Loan and the computation and payment of interest and all other sums due under this Agreement. The Borrower's obligations to repay the Loan and to pay interest and all other sums due under this Agreement, shall be evidenced by the entries from time to time made in the control account opened and maintained under this Clause 16.6 and those entries will, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and binding.
 
43

 
17
Notices
 
 
17.1
Communications in writing Any communication to be made under or in connection with this Agreement shall be made in writing and, unless otherwise stated, may be made by fax or letter.
 
 
17.2
Addresses The address and fax number (and the department or officer, if any, for whose attention the communication is to be made) of each party to this Agreement for any communication or document to be made or delivered under or in connection with this Agreement are:
 
 
17.2.1
in the case of the Borrower, c/o Top Ships Inc., 1 Vassilissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str. 151 24 Marousi, Greece (fax no: +30 210 614 1273) marked for the attention of Mr Stamatios Tsantanis; and
 
 
17.2.2
in the case of the Lender, to the Lender at its address at the head of this Agreement (fax no: 210 429 0348 telex no: 212435) marked for the attention of Shipping Division branch 960);
 
or any substitute address, fax number, department or officer as either party may notify to the other by not less than five (5) Business Days' notice.
 
 
17.3
Delivery  Any communication or document made or delivered by one party to this Agreement to the other under or in connection this Agreement will only be effective:
 
 
17.3.1
if by way of fax, when received in legible form; or
 
 
17.3.2
if by way of letter, when it has been left at the relevant address or five (5) Business Days after being deposited in the post postage prepaid in an envelope addressed to it at that address;
 
and, if a particular department or officer is specified as part of its address details provided under Clause 17.2 (Addresses), if addressed to that department or officer.
 
Any communication or document to be made or delivered to the Lender will be effective only when actually received by the Lender.

 
44

 
 
 
17.4
English language Any notice given under or in connection with this Agreement must be in English. All other documents provided under or in connection with this Agreement must be:
 
 
17.4.1
in English; or
 
 
17.4.2
if not in English, and if so required by the Lender, accompanied by a certified English translation and, in this case, the English translation will prevail unless the document is a constitutional, statutory or other official document.
 
18
Partial Invalidity
 
If, at any time, any provision of a Finance Document is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any respect under any law of any jurisdiction, neither the legality, validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions nor the legality, validity or enforceability of such provision under the law of any other jurisdiction will in any way be affected or impaired.
 
19
Remedies and Waivers
 
No failure to exercise, nor any delay in exercising, on the part of the Lender, any right or remedy under a Finance Document shall operate as a waiver, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right or remedy prevent any further or other exercise or the exercise of any other right or remedy. The rights and remedies provided in this Agreement are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by law.
 
20
Miscellaneous
 
 
20.1
No oral variations No variation or amendment of a Finance Document shall be valid unless in writing and signed on behalf of the Lender.
 
 
20.2
Further Assurance If any provision of a Finance Document shall be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part by reason of any present or future law or any decision of any court, or if the documents at any time held by or on behalf of the Lender are considered by the Lender for any reason insufficient to carry out the terms of this Agreement, then from time to time the Borrower will promptly, on demand by the Lender, execute or procure the execution of such further documents as in the
 
 
45

 
 
   
opinion of the Lender are necessary to provide adequate security for the repayment of the Indebtedness.
 
 
20.3
Rescission of payments etc. Any discharge, release or reassignment by the Lender of any of the security constituted by, or any of the obligations of a Security Party contained in, a Finance Document shall be (and be deemed always to have been) void if any act (including, without limitation, any payment) as a result of which such discharge, release or reassignment was given or made is subsequently wholly or partially rescinded or avoided by operation of any law.
 
 
20.4
Certificates Any certificate or statement signed by an authorised signatory of the Lender purporting to show the amount of the Indebtedness (or any part of the Indebtedness) or any other amount referred to in any Finance Document shall, save for manifest error or on any question of law, be conclusive evidence as against the Borrower of that amount.
 
 
20.5
Counterparts This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts each of which shall be original but which shall together constitute the same instrument.
 
 
20.6
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 A person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce or to enjoy the benefit of any teiiii of this Agreement.
 
21
Law and Jurisdiction
 
 
21.1
Governing law This Agreement shall in all respects be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English law.
 
 
21.2
Jurisdiction For the exclusive benefit of the Lender, the parties to this Agreement irrevocably agree that the courts of England are to have jurisdiction to settle any disputes which may arise out of or in connection with this Agreement and that any proceedings may be brought in those courts.
 
 
21.3
Alternative jurisdictions Nothing contained in this Clause 21 shall limit the right of the Lender to commence any proceedings against the Borrower in any other court of competent jurisdiction nor shall the commencement of any proceedings against the Borrower in one or more jurisdictions preclude the commencement of any proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not.
 

 
46

 
 
 
21.4
Waiver of objections The Borrower irrevocably waives any objection which it may now or in the future have to the laying of the venue of any proceedings in any court referred to in this Clause 21, and any claim that those proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient or inappropriate forum, and irrevocably agrees that a judgment in any proceedings commenced in any such court shall be conclusive and binding on it and may be enforced in the courts of any other jurisdiction.
 
 
21.5
Service of process Without prejudice to any other mode of service allowed under any relevant law, the Borrower:
 
 
21.5.1
irrevocably appoints Top Tankers (UK) Limited of 8 Duke Street, W1U 3EW London, UK as its agent for service of process in relation to any proceedings before the English courts in connection with this Agreement; and
 
 
21.5.2
agrees that failure by a process agent to notify the Borrower of the process will not invalidate the proceedings concerned.
 

 
47

 
 
SCHEDULE 1: Conditions Precedent and Subsequent
 
 
Part I: Conditions precedent
 
 
1              Security Parties
 
 
(a)
Constitutional Documents Copies of the constitutional documents of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer together with such other evidence as the Lender may reasonably require that each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer is duly incorporated in its country of incorporation and remains in existence with power to enter into, and perform its obligations under, the Relevant Documents to which it is or is to become a party.
 
 
(b)
Certificates of good standing A certificate of good standing in respect of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if such a certificate can be obtained).
 
 
(c)
Board resolutions A copy of a resolution of the board of directors of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable):
 
 
(i)
approving the terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Relevant Documents to which it is a party and resolving that it execute those Relevant Documents; and
 
 
(ii)
authorising a specified person or persons to execute those Relevant Documents (and all documents and notices to be signed and/or despatched under those documents) on its behalf.
 
 
(d)
Shareholder resolutions A copy of a resolution signed by all the holders of the issued shares in each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable), approving the terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Relevant Documents to which that Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable) is a party.
 
 
(e)
Officer's certificates A certificate of a duly authorised officer of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable) certifying that each copy document relating to it specified in this Part I of Schedule 1 is correct, complete and in full force and effect and setting out the names of the directors, officers and shareholders of that Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable) and the proportion of shares held by each shareholder.
 
48

 
 
(f)
Evidence of registration Where such registration is required or permitted under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction, evidence that the names of the directors, officers and shareholders of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer are duly registered in the companies registry or other registry in the country of incorporation of that Security Party.
 
 
(g)
Powers of attorney The notarially attested and legalised power of attorney of each Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable) under which any documents are to be executed or transactions undertaken by that Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer (if applicable).
 
2            Security and related documents
 
 
(a)
Vessel documents Photocopies, certified as true, accurate and complete (and in form and substance acceptable to the Lender) by a director or the secretary or the legal advisers of the Borrower, of:
 
 
(i)
the Building Contract;
 
 
(ii)
such documents as the Lender may reasonably require to evidence the nomination of the Borrower as purchaser of the Vessel pursuant to the Building Contract;
 
 
(iii)
the Bareboat Charter;
 
 
(iv)
if the Bareboat Charterer is not Daelim, but a 100% subsidiary of Daelim, the performance guarantee of Daelim;
 
 
(v)
the Refund Guarantee; and
 
 
(vi)
the notice or invoice issued by the Builder and countersigned by the Vessel's classification society evidencing the obligation of the Borrower to pay the relevant instalment to the Builder under the Building Contract on a date no later than the proposed Drawdown Date of the Drawing in question.
 
 
(b)
Security Documents The Building Contract Assignment, the Guarantee, the Charter Assignment, together with all other documents required by any of them, including, without limitation, all notices of assignment and/or charge and evidence that those notices will be duly acknowledged by the recipients.
 
49

 
 
(c)
No disputes The written confirmation of the Borrower that there is no dispute under any of the Relevant Documents as between the parties to any such document.
 
 
(d)
Deed of Release The Deed of Release in form and substance acceptable to the Lender.
 
3              Legal opinions
 
 
(a)
If a Security Party and the Bareboat Charterer is incorporated in a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or if any Finance Document is governed by the laws of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales, a legal opinion of the legal advisers to the Lender in each relevant jurisdiction, substantially in the form or forms provided to the Lender prior to signing this Agreement or confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that such an opinion will be given.
 
4              Other documents and evidence
 
 
(a)
Drawdown Notice A duly completed Drawdown Notice.
 
 
(b)
Process agent Evidence that any process agent referred to in Clause 21.5 (Service of process) and any process agent appointed under any other Finance Document has accepted its appointment.
 
 
(c)
Other authorisations A copy of any other consent, licence, approval, authorisation or other document, opinion or assurance which the Lender considers to be necessary or desirable (if it has notified the Borrower accordingly) in connection with the entry into and performance of the transactions contemplated by any of the Relevant Documents or for the validity and enforceability of any of the Relevant Documents.
 
 
(d)
Financial statements Copies of the Original Financial Statements.
 
 
(e)
Fees Evidence that the fees, costs and expenses then due from the Borrower under Clause 8 (Indemnities) and Clause 9 (Fees) have been paid or will be paid by the relevant Drawdown Date.
 
 
(f)
"Know your customer" documents Such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Lender in order for the Lender to comply with all
 
 
50

 
 
   
necessary "know your customer" or similar identification procedures in relation to the transactions contemplated in the Finance Documents.
 
 
(g)
Equity Portion Evidence that the relevant Equity Portion of the instalment in question has been deposited by the Borrower in the Earnings Account at least three Business Days prior to the proposed Drawdown Date of the Drawing in question.
 
51

 
Part II: Conditions subsequent
 
1
Acknowledgements of notices Acknowledgements of all notices of assignment and/or charge given pursuant to any Security Documents received by the Lender pursuant to Part I of this Schedule 1.
 
2
Legal opinions Such of the legal opinions specified in Part 1 of this Schedule I as have not already been provided to the Lender.
 
3
Companies Act registrations Evidence that the prescribed particulars of any Security Documents received by the Lender pursuant to Part I of this Schedule 1 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies of England and Wales within the statutory time limit.
 
4
Loan Acknowledgement Declaration The Loan Acknowledgement Declaration duly executed.
 

 
52

 
 
Part Ill: Delivery conditions precedent
 
1
Officer's certificate A certificate signed by a duly authorised officer of each Security Party confirming that none of the documents and evidence delivered to the Lender pursuant to Clauses 3.1 (Conditions precedent) and 3.4 (Conditions subsequent) has been amended, modified or revoked in any way since its delivery to the Lender.
 
2            Security and related documents
 
 
(a)
Vessel documents Photocopies, certified as true, accurate and complete by a director or the secretary of the Borrower, of:
 
 
(i)
the builder's certificate and/or bill of sale transferring title in the Vessel to the Borrower free of all encumbrances, maritime liens or other debts;
 
 
(ii)
the protocol of delivery and acceptance evidencing the unconditional physical delivery of the Vessel by the Builder to the Borrower pursuant to the Building Contract;
 
 
(iii)
the commercial invoice issued by the Builder in respect of the final contract price of the Vessel;
 
 
(iv)
the declaration of warranty issued by the Builder to the Borrower pursuant to the Building Contract;
 
 
(v)
any charterparty or other contract of employment of the Vessel which will be in force on the Delivery Date including, without limitation, the Bareboat Charter;
 
 
(vi)
the Management Agreement;
 
 
(vii)
the Vessel's current Safety Construction, Safety Equipment, Safety Radio, Oil Pollution Prevention and Load Line Certificates;
 
 
(viii)
the Vessel's current Certificate of Financial Responsibility issued pursuant to the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990;
 
 
(ix)
the Vessel's current SMC;
 
 
(x)
the ISM Company's current DOC;
 
53

 
 
(xi)
the Vessel's current ISSC;
 
 
(xii)
the Vessel's current IAPPC;
 
 
(xiii)
the Vessel's current Tonnage Certificate;
 
 
(xiv)
the Borrower's current Carrier Initiative Agreement with the United States' Customs Service;
 
in each case together with all addenda, amendments or supplements.
 
 
(b)
Evidence of Borrower's title Evidence that any prior registration of the Vessel in the ownership of the Builder and any Encumbrance registered against that ownership have been cancelled (or confirmation from the Builder that there was no such prior registration) and evidence that on the Delivery Date (i) the Vessel will be at least provisionally registered under the flag stated in Recital (A) in the ownership of the Borrower and (ii) the Mortgage will be capable of being registered against the Vessel with first priority.
 
 
(c)
Evidence of insurance Evidence that the Vessel is insured in the manner required by the Security Documents and that letters of undertaking will be issued in the manner required by the Security Documents, together with (if required by the Lender) the written approval of the Insurances by an insurance adviser appointed by the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower.
 
 
(d)
Confirmation of class An interim Certificate of Confirmation of Class for hull and machinery confirming that the Vessel is classed with the highest class applicable to vessels of her type with Lloyd's Register or such other classification society as may be acceptable to the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower.
 
 
(e)
Survey report A report by a surveyor instructed by the Lender to inspect the Vessel confirming that the condition of the Vessel is in all respects acceptable to the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower.
 
 
(f)
Valuation A valuation of the Vessel addressed to the Lender from an independent broker acceptable to the Lender, certifying the Market Value of the Vessel, assessed in such manner as the Lender may require in its discretion, acceptable to the Lender and at the expense of the Borrower, confirming that the Maximum Loan Amount is equal or less than seventy five per cent (75%) of the Market Value.
 
54

 
 
(g)
Security Documents The Mortgage, the Assignments, together with all other documents required by any of them, including, without limitation, all notices of assignment and/or charge and evidence that those notices will be duly acknowledged by the recipients.
 
 
(h)
Mandates Such duly signed forms of mandate, and/or other evidence of the opening of the Earnings Account, as the Lender may require.
 
 
(i)
Managers' confirmation The written confirmation of the Managers that, throughout the Facility Period unless otherwise agreed by the Lender, they will remain the commercial and technical managers of the Vessel and that they will not, without the prior written consent of the Lender, sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Vessel to any third party and confirming in terms acceptable to the Lender that, following the occurrence of an Event of Default, all claims of the Managers against the Borrower shall be subordinated to the claims of the Lender under the Finance Documents.
 
3            Legal opinions
 
 
(a)
If a Security Party is incorporated in a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or if any Finance Document is governed by the laws of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales, a legal opinion of the legal advisers to the Lender in each relevant jurisdiction, substantially in the form or forms provided to the Lender prior to signing this Agreement or confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that such an opinion will be given.
 
4            Other documents and evidence
 
 
(a)
Process agent Evidence that any process agent appointed under any Finance Document has accepted its appointment.
 
 
(b)
Other authorisations A copy of any other consent, licence, approval, authorisation or other document, opinion or assurance which the Lender considers to be necessary or desirable (if it has notified the Borrower accordingly) in connection with the entry into and performance of the transactions contemplated by any of the Relevant Documents or for the validity and enforceability of any of the Relevant Documents.

 

 
55

 
 
Part IV: Delivery conditions subsequent
 
1
Evidence of Borrower's title Certificate of ownership and encumbrance (or equivalent) issued by the Registrar of Ships (or equivalent official) of the flag stated in Recital (A) confirming that (a) the Vessel is permanently registered under that flag in the ownership of the Borrower, (b) the Mortgage has been registered with first priority against the Vessel and (c) there are no further Encumbrances registered against the Vessel.
 
2
Letters of undertaking Letters of undertaking in respect of the Insurances as required by the Security Documents together with copies of the relevant policies or cover notes or entry certificates duly endorsed with the interest of the Lender.
 
3
Acknowledgements of notices Acknowledgements of all notices of assignment and/or charge given pursuant to any Security Documents received by the Lender pursuant to Part III of this Schedule 1.
 
4
Legal opinions Such of the legal opinions specified in Part III of this Schedule 1 as have not already been provided to the Lender.
 
5
Companies Act registrations Evidence that the prescribed particulars of any Security Documents received by the Lender pursuant to Part III of this Schedule 1 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies of England and Wales within the statutory time limit.
 
6
Master's receipt The master's receipt for the Mortgage.
 

 

 
56

 
 
SCHEDULE 2: Form of Drawdown Notice
 
To:             Alpha Bank A.E.
 
From:     LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
[Date]
 
Dear Sirs
 
Drawdown Notice
 
We refer to the Loan Agreement dated                   2008 made between ourselves and yourselves (the "Agreement").
 
Words and phrases defined in the Agreement have the same meaning when used in this Drawdown Notice.
 
Pursuant to Clause 4 of the Agreement, we irrevocably request that you advance to us a Drawing in the sum of [                                 ] in respect of the Vessel on                                200 , which is a Business Day, by paying the amount of the Drawing in accordance with the provisions of the Building Contract [in] [towards] payment of the [   ] instalment of the Contract Price.
 
We warrant that the representations and warranties contained in Clause 11.1 of the Agreement are true and correct at the date of this Drawdown Notice and will be true and correct on  200 , that no Default has occurred and is continuing, and that no Default will result from the advance of the Drawing requested in this Drawdown Notice.
 
[We select the period of [      ] months as the first Interest Period.]
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
____________________
For and on behalf of
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 

 
57

 

SCHEDULE 3: Form of Compliance Certificate
 
To:             Alpha Bank A.E.
 
From: LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
Dated:
 
Dear Sirs
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED – $39,000,000 Loan Agreement dated [         ] (the "Agreement")
 
We refer to the Agreement. This is a Compliance Certificate. Terms defined in the Agreement have the same meaning when used in this Compliance Certificate unless given a different meaning in this Compliance Certificate.
 
We confirm that the Guarantor:-
 
 
i)
maintains a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000); and
 
 
ii)
maintains a Minimum Adjusted Net Worth of not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) ; and
 
 
iii)
maintains Minimum Equity of not less than one hundred million Dollars ($100,000,000).
 
We confirm that no Default is continuing.
 
 
 
 
Signed:   ____________________
         Director
 
         of
 
         LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

 
58

 

 
\GI \ 139249.5  
 
59

 
 
SCHEDULE 4: Form of Loan Acknowledgement Declaration
 
To:           Alpha Bank A.E.
         89 Akti Miaouli Street  
         GR 185 38, Piraeus 
    Greece
 
From: LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED       2008
 
Dear Sirs,
 
Loan Acknowledgement Declaration
 
We refer to the Loan Agreement dated                                  2008 made between ourselves and yourselves ("the Agreement" ).
 
Words and phrases defined in the Agreement have the same meaning when used in this Loan Acknowledgement Declaration.
 
We irrevocably confirm to you that we have drawndown and received from you [part of] the Loan in the amount of [               ] Dollars ($[        ]) on             2008.
 
We warrant that the representations and warranties contained in Clause 11.1 of the Agreement are true and correct at the date of this Drawdown Notice and are true and correct on the date of this Loan Acknowledgement Declaration; that no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, that (unless otherwise agreed by you in writing that they may be waved) the conditions precedent to the availability of the Loan referred to in Clause 3 of the Loan Agreement have been fulfilled and that we expressly reconfirm all our obligations under the Loan Agreement.
 
This Loan Acknowledgement Declaration is given in accordance with the provisions of the Loan Agreement in four (4) originals.
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
--------------------------
 
For and on behalf of
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

 
60

 
 
IN WITNESS of which the parties to this Agreement have executed this Agreement the day and year first before written.
 
 
SIGNED  by Andreas Louka
)
 
as duly authorized
)
 
for and on behalf of
)
 /s/ Andreas Louka
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
Constantinos Karachallos     
 

 
SIGNED  by Konstantinos Sotiriou
)
 
                       Constantinos Flokos  
as duly authorized
)
 /s/  Konstantinos Sotiriou
for and on behalf of
)
 /s/ Constantinos Flokos
ALPHA BANK A.E.
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
Constantinos Karachallos     


SK 23116 0005 1007450

 
61

 



Exhibit 4.79
 
DATED 23 FEBRUARY 2009
 
 
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as borrower)
 
 
and -
 
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
(as guarantor)
 
 
-and -
 
 
ALPHA BANK A.E.
(as lender)
 

 

 
     
     
 
 
FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO A SECURED
LOAN FACILITY AGREEMENT DATED 18 AUGUST 2008
 
 
     
 
STEPHENSON HARWOOD
One, St. Paul's Churchyard
London EC4M 8SH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7329 4422
Fax: +44 (0)20 7329 7100
Ref: 28.045
 

 
 

 

CONTENTS
Page
1
Interpretation
 
3
2
Conditions
 
4
3
Representations and Warranties
 
5
4
Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
6
5
Confirmation and Undertaking
 
7
6
Expenses
 
7
7
Miscellaneous Provisions
 
8
8
Notices, Law and Jurisdiction
 
8

 
 

 


SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT
 
Dated: 23 February 2009
 
BETWEEN:
 
(1)
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Borrower"); and
 
(2)
TOP SHIPS INC., a company incorporated according to the law of the Marshall Islands whose registered office is at the Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Islands, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960 (the "Guarantor"); and
 
(3)
ALPHA BANK A.E., acting through its office at 89 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 38 Piraeus, Greece (the "Lender").
 
SUPPLEMENTAL TO:-
 
A secured loan agreement dated 18 August 2008 (the "Loan Agreement") made between the Borrower and the Lender, on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Lender agreed to advance to the Borrower an aggregate amount not exceeding thirty nine million Dollars ($39,000,000) (the "Loan").
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)
DAELIM H&L CO., LTD ., of 1lth Floor, The Korea Chamber Of Commerce & Industry Building #45, 4-Ga, Namdaemun-Ro, Jung-Ku. Seoul, Korea 100-743 (the " Original Bareboat Charterer ") has ceased to exist with all the rights, interests, obligations and liabilities of the Original Bareboat Charterer having been assigned to and/or novated to and/or absorbed by (as appropriate) DAELLM CORPORATION , of 1OF KCCI Bldg, 45 4ga Namdaernunre, Jung gu Seoul, Korea (the " Replacement Bareboat Charterer "). The Replacement Bareboat Charterer has assumed all of the Original Bareboat Charterer's rights, obligations and liabilities under the Bareboat Charter pursuant to Addendum No.2 to the Bareboat Charter dated 21 November 2008 made between the Borrower, the Original Bareboat Charterer and the Replacement Bareboat Charterer.
 
(B)
The Borrower has requested the Lender to agree to the replacement of the Original Bareboat Charterer by the Replacement Bareboat Charterer in the Loan Agreement and the Tripartite Deed be cancelled and replaced by the New Tripartite Deed and all references to the Bareboat Charter and the Bareboat Charterer in the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents are amended as more particularly described in this Supplemental Agreement.
 
2

 
 
(C)
The parties to this Supplemental Agreement have agreed to amend the Loan Agreement on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in this Supplemental Agreement.
 
IT IS AGREED THAT:
 
1           Interpretation
 
 
1.1
In this Supplemental Agreement: -
 
"Additional Security Documents" means this Supplemental Agreement, the New Tripartite Deed and any other agreement or document which may at any time be executed by any person as additional security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness.
 
"Effective Date" means the date on which the Lender confirms to the Borrower that all of the conditions referred to in Clause 2.1 have been satisfied, which confirmation the Lender shall be under no obligation to give if a Default shall have occurred.
 
"New Tripartite Deed" means the deed of assignment of Insurances, Earnings, Charter Rights and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Charter from the Borrower and the Replacement Bareboat Charterer in form and substance satisfactory in all respect to the Lender in its discretion.
 
"Tripartite Deed" means the deed of assignment of Insurances, Earnings, Charter Rights and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Charter from the Borrower and the Original Bareboat Charterer dated 20 August 2008.
 
"Security Parties" means all parties to this Supplemental Agreement other than the Lender.
 
 
1.2
All words and expressions defined in the Loan Agreement shall have the same meaning when used in this Supplemental Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, and clause 1.2 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to the interpretation of this Supplemental Agreement as if it was set out in full.
 

 
3

 

2           Conditions
 
 
2.1
As conditions for the agreement of the Lender to the request specified in Recital (B) above and for the effectiveness of Clause 4, the Borrower shall deliver or cause to be delivered to or to the order of the Lender the following documents and evidence:
 
 
2.1.1
a certificate from a duly authorised officer of each of the Security Parties confirming that none of the documents delivered to the Lender pursuant to Clause 3.1 of the Loan Agreement have been amended or modified in any way since the date of their delivery to the Lender, or copies, certified by a duly authorised officer of the Security Party in question as true, complete, accurate and neither amended nor revoked, of any which have been amended or modified;
 
 
2.1.2
a copy, certified by a director or the secretary of the Security Party in question as true, complete and accurate and neither amended nor revoked, of a resolution of the directors and a resolution of the shareholders of each Security Party (together, where appropriate, with signed waivers of notice of any directors' or shareholders' meetings) approving, and authorising or ratifying the execution of, this Supplemental Agreement and any document to be executed by that Security Party pursuant to the Additional Security Documents; and
 
 
2.1.3
a notarially attested and legalised power of attorney of each of the Security Parties under which the Additional Security Documents and any documents required pursuant to it are to be executed by that Security Party; and
 
 
2.1.4
if a Security Party is incorporated in a jurisdiction other than England and Wales, a legal opinion of the legal advisers to the Lender in each relevant jurisdiction, substantially in the form or forms provided to the Lender prior to signing the Additional Security Documents or confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that such an opinion will be given;
 
 
4

 
 
 
 
2.1.5
evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Lender in its discretion of the merger between the Original Bareboat Charterer and the Replacement Bareboat Charterer; and
 
 
2.1.6
the Additional Security Documents, together with all notices and other documents required by any of them, duly executed;
     
 
2.2
All documents and evidence delivered to the Lender pursuant to this Clause shall:
 
 
2.2.1
be in form and substance acceptable to the Lender;
 
 
2.2.1
be accompanied, if required by the Lender, by translations into the English language, certified in a manner acceptable to the Lender; and
 
 
2.2.3
if required by the Lender, be certified, notarised, legalised or attested in a manner acceptable to the Lender.
 
3           Representations and Warranties
 
 
3.1
Each of the representations and warranties contained in clause 11 of the Loan Agreement shall be deemed repeated by the Borrower at the date of this Supplemental Agreement and at the Effective Date, by reference to the facts and circumstances then pertaining, as if references to the Finance Documents included this Supplemental Agreement.
 
 
3.2
Each Security Party further represents and warrants to the Lender that:
 
 
3.2.1
it is a body corporate duly constituted and existing and (where applicable) in good standing under the law of its country of incorporation, in each case with the power to sue and be sued, to own its assets and to carry on its business, and all of its corporate shareholders are duly constituted and existing under the laws of their countries of incorporation with perpetual corporate existence and the power to sue and be sued, to own their assets and to carry on their business;
 
 
3.2.2
it has the power to enter into and perform this Supplemental Agreement, the documentation and the transactions contemplated hereby and has taken all necessary action to authorise the entry into and performance of this Supplemental Agreement and such documentation and transactions;
 
5

 
 
 
3.2.3
this Supplemental Agreement constitutes legal, valid and binding obligations of that Security Party enforceable in accordance with its terms; and
 
 
3.2.4
the entry into and performance of this Supplemental Agreement and the documentation and transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not conflict with (i) any law or regulation or any official or judicial order, or (ii) the constitutional documents of that Security Party, or (iii) any agreement or document to which that Security Party is a party or which is binding on it or any of its assets, nor result in the creation or imposition of any encumbrance on any of its assets.
 
4           Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
With effect from the Effective Date:
 
 
4.1
the definition of "Tripartite Deed" set forth in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the definition of ''New Tripartite Deed" contained in Clause 1.1 and it was moved accordingly;
 
 
4.2
the definition of "Security Documents" set out in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was amended to include the Additional Security Documents and exclude the Tripartite Deed.
 
 
4.3
the definition of "Bareboat Charter" set out in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced as follows:
 
""Bareboat Charter" means the bareboat charter dated 8 April 2008, as amended and supplemented by Addendum No.I dated 20 August 2008 and as further amended and supplemented by Addendum No.2 dated 21 November 2008, on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Borrower will bareboat charter the Vessel to the Bareboat Charterer, for a duration of ten (10) years at a minimum net daily rate of hire of fourteen thousand five hundred and fifty Dollars ($14,550).";
 
 
6

 
 
 
4.4
the definition of "Bareboat Charterer" set out in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced as follows:
 
""Bareboat Charterer" means Daelim Corporation of 10F KCCI Bldg, 45 4ga Namdaemanre, Jung gu Seoul, Korea";
 
 
4.5
clause 10.1.5 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced as follows:-
 
"10.1.5 a first priority deed or deeds of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings, Bareboat Charter and Requisition Compensation of the Vessel from the Borrower and the Bareboat Charterer, including (in the case of the Bareboat Charterer) an agreement whereby its interests under the Bareboat Charter are subordinated to the interests of the Lender under the Mortgage." ; and
 
 
4.6
schedule 1, Part I, 2, (a) (iv) was deleted and schedule 1, Part I, 2, (a) shall he renumbered accordingly.
 
All other terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement shall remain unaltered and in full force and effect.
 
5           Confirmation and Undertaking
 
 
5.1
Each of the Security Parties confirms that all of its respective obligations under or pursuant to each of the Security Documents to which it is a party remain in full force and effect, despite the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Supplemental Agreement, as if all references in any of the Security Documents to the Loan Agreement were references to the Loan Agreement as amended, supplemented and novated by this Supplemental Agreement.
 
 
5.2
The definition of any term defined in any of the Security Documents shall, to the extent necessary, be modified to reflect the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Supplemental Agreement.
 
6           Expenses
 
 
6.1
The Borrower undertakes to indemnify the Lender, within fourteen days of the Lender's written demand, in respect of all costs, charges and expenses (together with value added tax or any similar tax thereon and including without limitation the fees and expenses of legal advisers) incurred by the Lender in connection with the negotiation, preparation, printing, execution and registration of this Supplemental Agreement, and the completion of the transactions herein contemplated.
 
 
 
 
7

 
 
 
6.2
The Borrower undertakes to indemnify the Lender, within fourteen days of the Lender's written demand against all stamp. registration and similar taxes which may be payable in connection with the entry into, performance and enforcement of this Supplemental Agreement.
 
7           Miscellaneous Provisions
 
 
7.1
This Supplemental Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which, when so executed, shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
 
 
7.2
With effect from the Effective Date, this Supplemental Agreement shall be construed with and shall constitute an instrument supplemental to the Loan Agreement. Save as otherwise provided herein and as hereby expressly varied and supplemented, the Loan Agreement shall remain valid and binding and in full force and effect after the Effective Date.
 
8           Notices, Law and jurisdiction
 
The provisions of clauses 17 and 21 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to this Supplemental Agreement as if they were set out in full and as if references to the Loan Agreement were references to this Supplemental Agreement and references to the Borrower were references to the Security Parties.
 

 
8

 

IN WITNESS of which the parties to this Supplemental Agreement have executed this Supplemental Agreement as a deed the day and year first before written.
 
SIGNED and DELIVERED as
)
 
A DEED by
)
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY
)
 
LIMITED
)
 
acting by
)
 
Andreas Louka
)
/s/ Andreas Louka
its duly authorised attorney-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
Constantinos Karachallos
)
 
     
     
     
     
SIGNED and DELIVERED as
)
 
A DEED by
)
 
TOP SHIPS INC.
)
 
acting by
)
 
Andreas Louka
)
/s/ Andreas Louka
its duly authorised attorney-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
Constantinos Karachallos
)
 
     
     
     
     
SIGNED and DELIVERED as
)
 
A DEED by
)
 
ALPHA BANK A.E.
)
 
acting by
)
 
Gregorios N. Kondilis
)
/s/ Gregorios N. Kondilis
Constantinos V. Flokos
)
/s/ Constantinos V. Flokos
its duly authorised attorney-in-fact
)
 
in the presence of:
)
 
Constantinos Karachallos
)
 
     
     


SK 23116 0005 1007460

 
9

 


Exhibit 4.80

 
F28.054
 
DATED 3 APRIL 2009
 
 
 
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as borrower)
 
-and-
 
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
(as collateral guarantor)
 
-and-
 
 
ALPHA BANK A.E.
 
(as lender)
 
__________________________________________________________________________
 
SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO SECURED
LOAN FACILITY AGREEMENT DATED 18 AUGUST 2008 AS AMENDED AND
SUPPLEMENTED BY A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT DATED 23 FEBRUARY 2009
 
__________________________________________________________________________
 
STEPHENSON HARWOOD
One, St. Paul's Churchyard
London EC4M 8SH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7329 4422
Fax: +44 (0)20 7329 7100
Ref: F28.054
 

 
 

 

CONTENTS
   
Page
     
1
Interpretation
 
3
2
Conditions
 
3
3
Representations and Warranties
 
7
4
Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
7
5
Confirmation and Undertaking
 
 10
6
Communications, Law and Jurisdiction
 10
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT
 
Dated: 3 April 2009
 
BETWEEN:
 
(1)
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Borrower" ); and
 
(2)
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80, Broad Street Monrovia, Liberia (the "Collateral Guarantor" ); and
 
(3)
ALPHA BANK A.E., acting through its office at 89 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 38 Piraeus, Greece (the "Lender" ).
 
SUPPLEMENTAL TO a secured loan agreement dated 18 August 2008 as amended and supplemented by a first supplemental agreement dated 23 February 2009 (together the "Loan Agreement" ) both made between, among others, the Borrower, as borrower and the Lender, as lender on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Lender has agreed to advance to the Borrower an aggregate amount not exceeding thirty nine million Dollars ($39,000,000) (the "Loan" ).
 
WHEREAS:
 
(A)
The Collateral Guarantor and the Lender have entered into a secured loan agreement dated 17 December 2007 (the "Japan Loan Agreement" ) made between the Collateral Guarantor, as borrower and the Lender, as lender on the terms and subject to the conditions of which the Lender has agreed to advance to the Collateral Guarantor an aggregate amount not exceeding forty eight million Dollars ($48,000,000) (the "Japan Loan" ). As security for the obligations of the Collateral Guarantor under the Japan Loan Agreement, the Collateral Guarantor executed, delivered and registered (where applicable) in favour of the Lender, as first mortgagee and assignee, a first preferred Liberian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel together with a first priority assignment of the Collateral Vessel's Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation.
 
(B)
As security for the obligations of the Borrower under the Loan Agreement the Lender has requested and the Collateral Guarantor agreed to execute, deliver and register (where applicable) in favour of the Lender a guarantee and indemnity, a second preferred Liberian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel and a second priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Collateral Vessel.
 

 
1

 

 
 
 
 
(C)
The aggregate of the Market Value of the Vessel pursuant to clause 10.12 of the Loan Agreement is less than one hundred and thirty per cent (130%) of the Loan.
 
(D)
Pursuant to the provisions of clauses 10.12.1 to 10.12.3 of the Loan Agreement, the Borrower has an obligation to take certain action following the occurrence of the event set out in Recital (C) above.
 
(E)
The Borrower has requested that the Lender agrees to waive the provisions of clauses 10.12.1 to 10.12.3 and 12.2.2 of the Loan Agreement with effect from the Effective Date until and including 31 March 2010.
 
(F)
Pursuant to the provisions of clause 12.2.1 of the Loan Agreement, the Borrower would procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis commencing from the date of the Loan Agreement maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000).
 
(G)
The Borrower has requested that the Lender agrees to reduce the amount of the Minimum Liquidity referred to in clause 12.2.1 of the Loan Agreement to an amount not less than fifteen million Dollars ($15,000,000) with effect from the Effective Date up to and including 31 March 2010, whereupon and for the remaining of the Facility Period the amount of the Minimum Liquidity will be increased again to an amount of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000).
 
(H)
The Lender is willing to agree to all the foregoing requests and amend the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Second Supplemental Agreement.
 
(I)
At the date of this Second Supplemental Agreement the outstanding amount of the Loan is thirty nine million Dollars ($39,000,000).
 
 

 
2

 

 
 
IT IS AGREED THAT:
 
1            Interpretation
 
1.1     In this Second Supplemental Agreement:
 
"Bareboat Charterer" means Daelim Corporation. of 10F KCCI Bldg, 45 4ga Namdaemunre. Jung gu Seoul, Republic of South Korea.
 
"Bareboat Charterer's Deed of Confirmation" means a notarially attested and legalised (in respect of the Bareboat Charterer) deed of confirmation to be executed by the Borrower and the Bareboat Chatrterer in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
"Effective Date" means the date of this Second Supplemental Agreement.
 
"Collateral Assignment" means a second priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings and Requisition Compensation in respect of the Collateral Vessel to be granted by the Collateral Guarantor, as owner of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
"Collateral Guarantee" means a guarantee and indemnity to be executed by the Collateral Guarantor in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
"Collateral Manager's Confirmation" means a managers' confirmation to be executed by each of Top Tanker Management Inc., of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Interorient Maritime Enterprises Inc., of the Republic of Liberia, as managers of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
"Collateral Mortgage" means a second preferred Liberian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel to be granted by the Collateral Guarantor, as owner of the Collateral Vessel in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.

 
3

 

"Collateral Vessel" means the motor vessel "CYCLADES" registered in the ownership of the Owner under the flag of the Republic of Liberia with Official Number 13719, together with all her engines, machinery, boats, tackle, outfit, fuels, spares, consumable and other stores, belongings and appurtenances, whether on board or ashore, including any which may in the future be put on board or may in the future be intended to be used for the Collateral Vessel if on shore.
 
"Deed of Confirmation" means a deed of confirmation to be executed by Top Ships Inc., of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in favour of the Lender in form and substance acceptable to the Lender in all respects.
 
"New Security Documents" means this Second Supplemental Agreement, the Collateral Guarantee, the Collateral Mortgage, the Collateral Assignment, the Collateral Manager's Confirmation, the Bareboat Charterer's Deed of Confirmation, the Deed of Confirmation and any other agreement or document which may at any time be executed by any person as additional security for the payment of all or any part of the Indebtedness.
 
"Security Parties" means all parties to this Second Supplemental Agreement other than the Lender.
 
 
1.2
Unless otherwise defined, all words and expressions defined in the Loan Agreement shall have the same meaning when used in this Second Supplemental Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, and clause 1.2 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to the interpretation of this Second Supplemental Agreement as if it was set out in full.
 
2        Conditions
 
 
2.1
As conditions for the agreement of the Lender to the requests specified in Recitals (E) and (G) above, the Borrower shall deliver or cause to be delivered to or to the order of the Lender the following documents and evidence:
 
 
2.1.1
a certificate from a duly authorised officer of each of the Borrower and the Guarantor confirming that none of the documents delivered to the Lender pursuant to clauses 3.1 and 3.5 of the Loan Agreement have been amended or modified in any way since the date of their delivery to the Lender, or copies, certified by a duly authorised officer of each of the Borrower and the Guarantor as true, complete, accurate and neither amended nor revoked, of any documents which have been amended or modified;

 
4

 

 
 
2.1.2
copies of the constitutional documents of the Collateral Guarantor together with such other evidence as the Lender may reasonably require that the Collateral Guarantor is duly incorporated in its country of incorporation and remains in existence with power to enter into, and perform its obligations under, the New Security Documents to which it is or is to become a party;
 
 
2.1.3
the original resolution of the directors and the shareholders of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor (together, where appropriate, with signed waivers of notice of any directors' or shareholders' meetings) approving, and authorising or ratifying the execution of, the New Security Documents and any document to be executed by each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor pursuant to the New Security Documents;
 
 
2.1.4
a notarially attested and legalised power of attorney of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor under which the New Security Documents and any documents required pursuant to them are to be executed by each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor;
 
 
2.1.5
a certificate of good standing in respect of each of the Security Parties and the Guarantor;
 
 
2.1.6
the New Security Documents, together with all other documents required by any of them, including, without limitation, all other notices of assignment and/or charge duly executed and registered (where applicable) and evidence that those notices will be duly acknowledged by the recipients and in the case of the Collateral Mortgage registered with second priority at the Ship's Registry (or equivalent office) of the Collateral Vessel's current flag;
 
 
2.1.7
a certificate of ownership and encumbrance (or equivalent) issued by the Registrar of Ships (or equivalent official) of the Collateral Vessel's current flag confirming that the Collateral Vessel is permanently registered under the flag of the Republic of Liberia in the ownership of the Collateral Guarantor and that the Collateral Mortgage in respect of the Collateral Vessel has been registered with second priority and that there are no further encumbrances registered apart from a first preferred Liberian mortgage over the Collateral Vessel dated 19 December 2007 executed by the Collateral Guarantor in favour of the Lender;

 
5

 

 
 
2.1.8
evidence that the Collateral Vessel is insured in the manner required by the New Security Documents and that letters of undertaking will be issued in the manner required by the New Security Documents together with copies of the relevant policies or cover notes or entry certificates duly endorsed with the interest of the Lender as second mortgagee and assignee, together with (if required by the Lender) the written approval of the Insurances by an insurance adviser appointed by the Lender;
 
 
2.1.9
if required by the Lender, the written confirmation of the Managers that, throughout the Facility Period unless otherwise agreed by the Lender, they will remain the commercial and technical managers of the Collateral Vessel and that they will not, without the prior written consent of the Lender sub-contract or delegate the commercial or technical management of the Collateral Vessel to any third party and confirming in terms acceptable to the Lender that, following the occurrence of an Event of Default, all claims against the Borrower shall be subordinated to the claims of the Lender under the Finance Documents;
 
 
2.1.10
confirmation satisfactory to the Lender that all legal opinions required by the Lender will be given substantially in the form required by the Lender;
 
 
2.1.11
evidence that any process agent referred to in clause 21.5 of the Loan Agreement and any process agent appointed under any New Security Document has accepted its appointment;

 
6

 

 
 
2.1.12
a copy of any other consent, licence, approval, authorisation or other document, opinion or assurance which the Lender considers to be necessary or desirable (if it has notified the Borrower and/or the Collateral Guarantor accordingly) in connection with the entry into and performance of the transactions contemplated by this Second Supplemental Agreement and the other New Security Documents or for the validity and enforceability of this Second Supplemental Agreement and the other New Security Documents.
 
 
2.2
If the Lender agrees, in its sole discretion, to waive any conditions under Clause 2.1 prior to the Effective Date, the Borrower undertakes to deliver all outstanding documents and evidence to or to the order of the Lender no later than the date specified by the Lender, which however, shall not be taken as a waiver of the Lender's right to require production of all the documents and evidence required by Clause 2.1.
 
 
2.3
All documents and evidence delivered to the Lender pursuant to this Clause shall:
 
 
2.3.1
be in form and substance acceptable to the Lender;
 
 
2 . 3 . 2
be accompanied, if required by the Lender, by translations into the English language, certified in a manner acceptable to the Lender; and
 
 
2.3.3
if required by the Lender, be certified, notarised, legalised or attested in a manner acceptable to the Lender.
 
3          Representations and Warranties
 
Each of the representations and warranties contained in clause 11 of the Loan Agreement shall be deemed repeated by the Borrower at the Effective Date, by reference to the facts and circumstances then pertaining, as if references to the Security Documents included this Second Supplemental Agreement.

 
7

 

 
4          Amendments to Loan Agreement
 
With effect from the Effective Date:
 
 
4.1
the definitions contained in Clause 1.1 (other than the definition of "Effective Date" ) of this Second Supplemental Agreement shall be added to clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement;
 
 
4.2
the definition of "Collateral Guarantor" contained in Recital 2 was added in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement;
 
 
4.3
the definition of the term "Margin", as is set out in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement shall be substituted as follows:-
 
""Margin" means two point twenty five per cent (2.25%) per annum.";
 
 
4.4
where the context so admits, all references to the term "Mortgage" (however defined) in the Loan Agreement and the Security Documents, shall be read and construed as including the plural of such term or as referring to each "Mortgage", as if they were references to the Mortgage in respect of the Vessel and to the Collateral Mortgage in respect of the Collateral Vessel;
 
 
4.5
the definition of "Security Documents" set forth in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was construed to include the New Security Documents;
 
 
4.6
the definition of "Security Parties" set forth in clause 1.1 of the Loan Agreement was construed to include the Collateral Guarantor;
 
 
4.7
where the context so admits, all references to the term "Vessel" (however defined) in the Loan Agreement, including but not limited to references in clauses 1.1, 10, 12 and 13 of the Loan Agreement, and the Security Documents, shall be read and construed as including the plural of such term or as referring to each "Vessel" respectively, as if they were references to the Vessel in relation to the Borrower and to the Collateral Vessel in relation to the Collateral Guarantor;
 
 
4.8
the Lender agrees to waive the breach of the covenant contained in clause 10.12 of the Loan Agreement only until 31 March 2010;

 
8

 

 
4.9
clause 6.3 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 6.3:
 
"6.3 Mandatory Prepayment on sale or Total Loss If the Vessel is sold by the Borrower or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, prepay the whole of the Loan. If the Collateral Vessel is sold by the Collateral Guarantor or becomes a Total Loss, the Borrower shall, simultaneously with any such sale or within one hundred and fifty (150) days after any such Total Loss, within thirty (30) days of the Lender's request, at the Borrower's option:
 
 
6.3.1
pay to the Lender or to its nominee a cash deposit to be secured in favour of the Lender as additional security for the payment of the Indebtedness; or
 
 
6.3.2
give to the Lender other additional security in amount and form acceptable to the Lender in its discretion; or
 
 
6.3.3
prepay an amount of the Indebtedness,
 
which, in each case, will ensure that the aggregate of the market value of the Vessel (as determined pursuant to Clause 10.12) and the value of any such additional security is not less than the ratio of the market value of the Vessel and the Collateral Vessel as was immediately prior to the sale or Total Loss of the Collateral Vessel."
 
 
4.10
clause 12.2 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 12.2:
 
"12.2            Financial covenants
The Borrower shall procure that the Guarantor shall at all times during the Facility Period on a consolidated basis (assessed semi-annually and certified in accordance with Clause 12.1.2 (a)) commencing from the date of this Agreement:-
 
 
12.2.1
maintain a Minimum Liquidity of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000), but of not less than fifteen million Dollars ($15,000,000) from the Effective Date until 31 March 2010 whereupon and for the remaining of the Facility Period the amount of the Minimum Liquidity will be increased again to an amount of not less than twenty five million Dollars ($25,000,000); and

 
9

 

 
12.2.2
maintain a Minimum Adjusted Net Worth of not less than two hundred and fifty million Dollars ($250,000,000) with the exception of the period between the Effective Date and 31 March 2010; and
 
  12.2.3 
maintain Minimum Equity of not less than one hundred million Dollars ($100,000,000).";
 
 
4.11
clause 13.1. I 8 of the Loan Agreement was deleted and replaced with the following clause 13.1.18:-
 
 
"13.1.18 Notice of termination The Guarantor or the Collateral Guarantor gives notice to the Lender to determine its obligations under the Guarantee or the Collateral Guarantee."; and
 
 
4.12
clause 10.1 of the Loan Agreement shall be read and construed as including the New Security Documents.
 
For the avoidance of doubt, the Lender hereby consents to and permits the creation of additional Encumbrance over the Collateral Vessel by virtue of the New Security Documents. All other terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement shall remain unaltered and in full force and effect.
 
5          Confirmation and Undertaking
 
 
5.1
The Borrower confirms that all of its respective obligations under or pursuant to each of the Security Documents to which it is a party remain in full force and effect, despite the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Second Supplemental Agreement, as if all references in any of the Security Documents to the Loan Agreement (however described) were references to the Loan Agreement as amended and supplemented by this Second Supplemental Agreement.
 
 
5.2
The definition of any term defined in any of the Security Documents shall, to the extent necessary, be modified to reflect the amendments to the Loan Agreement made in this Second Supplemental Agreement.
 
6          Notices, Law and Jurisdiction
 
The provisions of clauses 17 and 21 of the Loan Agreement shall apply to this Second Supplemental Agreement as if they were set out in full and as if references to the Loan Agreement were references to this Second Supplemental Agreement and references to the Borrower were references to the Security Parties.

 
10

 

 
 
 
IN WITNESS of which the parties to this Second Supplemental Agreement have executed this Second Supplemental Agreement as a deed the day and year first before written.
 
SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
LICHTENSTEIN SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
acting by Andreas Louka
)      /s/Andreas Louka
its duly authorised  attorney-in-fact
)
in the presence of:
)
   
/s/Stephenson Harwood              
STEPHENSON HARWOOD  
ARISTON BUILDING  
2 FILELL NON STR & AKTI MIA OULI  
PIRAEUS 185 36 GREECE  
VAT NO  998711156   
TEL  210 42 95 160  
 
SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
)
acting by Andreas Louka
)      /s/Andreas Louka
its duly authorised  attorney-in-fact
)
in the presence of:
)
 
/s/Stephenson Harwood              
STEPHENSON HARWOOD  
ARISTON BUILDING  
2 FILELL NON STR & AKTI MIA OULI  
PIRAEUS 185 36 GREECE  
VAT NO  998711156   
TEL  210 42 95 160  
 
SIGNED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
)
ALPHA BANK A.E.
)
acting by Constantinos Flokos
)      /s/Constantinos Flokos
and by Gregorios Kondilis
)      /s/Gregorios Kondilis
its duly authorized  attorneys-in-fact
)
in the presence of:
)
 
/ s /Stephenson Harwood             
STEPHENSON HARWOOD  
ARISTON BUILDING  
2 FILELL NON STR & AKTI MIA OULI  
PIRAEUS 185 36 GREECE  
VAT NO  998711156   
TEL  210 42 95 160  
 
 
 
 

 
11

 

Exhibit 4.81






CREDIT FACILITY PROVIDING FOR A

SENIOR SECURED TERM LOAN

OF UP TO US$121,286,500

TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO

WARHOL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
INDIANA R SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
AND
BRITTO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
as joint and several Borrowers,

BY

HSH NORDBANK AG,
as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee,

and the Banks and Financial Institutions
identified on Schedule 1, as Lenders
 





 
October 1, 2008

 

 
 

 

CONTENTS


     
1.
DEFINITIONS
1
       
 
1.1
Specific Definitions
1
 
1.2
Computation of Time Periods; Other Definitional Provisions
22
 
1.3
Accounting Terms
22
 
1.4
Certain Matters Regarding Materiality
22
 
1.5
Forms of Documents
22
     
2.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
22
     
 
2.1
Representations and Warranties
22
         
   
(a)
Due Organization and Power
23
   
(b)
Authorization and Consents
23
   
(c)
Binding Obligations
23
   
(d)
No Violation
23
   
(e)
Filings; Stamp Taxes
23
   
(f)
Litigation
23
   
(g)
No Default
24
   
(h)
Vessels
24
   
(i)
Insurance
24
   
(j)
Financial Information
24
   
(k)
Tax Returns
24
   
(l)
Chief Executive Office
25
   
(m)
Foreign Trade Control Regulations
25
   
(n)
Equity Ownership
25
   
(o)
Environmental Matters and Claims
25
   
(p)
Compliance with ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI
26
   
(q)
No Threatened Withdrawal of DOC, ISSC, SMC or IAPPC
26
   
(r)
Liens
26
   
(s)
Financial Indebtedness
26
   
(t)
No Proceedings to Dissolve
27
   
(u)
Solvency
27
   
(v)
Senior/Pari Passu Ranking
27
   
(w)
Taxes on Payments
27
   
(x)
Jurisdiction/Governing Law
27
   
(y)
Charter Hire
27
   
(z)
Compliance with Laws
27
 
 
i

 
   
(aa)
Survival
27
         
 
3.
THE ADVANCES
28
     
 
3.1
(a)
Purposes
28
   
(b)
Making of the Advances
28
     
 
3.2
Drawdown Notice
30
       
 
3.3
Effect of Drawdown Notice
30
       
 
3.4
Notation of Advances
30
     
4.
CONDITIONS
30
     
 
4.1
Conditions Precedent to Initial Advance
30
         
   
(a)
Corporate Authority
30
   
(b)
Transaction Documents
31
   
(c)
Solvency
32
   
(d)
Approved Manager Documents
32
   
(e)
Environmental Claims
32
   
(f)
Equity and Reserve Account
32
   
(g)
Compliance Certificate
33
   
(h)
Vessel Appraisal
33
   
(i)
Money Laundering Due Diligence
33
   
(j)
Subordination Agreement
33
   
(k)
Shipbuilding Contracts and Refund Guarantees
33
   
(l)
Charter Party Agreements and Performance Guarantees
33
   
(m)
Mortgage Recording; Charterer Subordination
33
   
(n)
ISM and ISPS Code
34
   
(o)
Process Agent
34
   
(p)
Legal Opinions
34
   
(q)
Know Your Customer Requirements
34
   
(r)
UCC Financing Statements
35
 
 
4.2
Conditions Precedent to Secondary Advances and Tertiary Advances
35
       
   
(a)
Builder Invoices
35
   
(b)
Evidence of Construction Milestone
35
       
 
4.3
Conditions Precedent to Delivery Advances
35
       
   
(a)
The Vessels
35
   
(b)
Vessel Documents
36
   
(c)
Mortgage Recording; Recording Prior to Delivery to Charterer
36
   
(d)
Accounts
37
 
 
 
   
(e)
Additional Documents
37
   
(f)
Vessel Liens
37
   
(g)
Vessel Appraisals
37
   
(h)
ISM and ISPS Code
38
   
(i)
Approved Manager Documents
38
   
(j)
Legal Opinions
38
       
 
4.4
Further Conditions Precedent
38
       
   
(a)
Drawdown Notice
38
   
(b)
Representations and Warranties
38
   
(c)
No Event of Default
38
   
(d)
No Change in Laws
38
   
(e)
No Material Adverse Effect
38
   
(f)
Fees
39
       
 
4.5
Conditions Subsequent
39
       
 
4.6
Breakfunding Costs
39
       
 
4.7
Satisfaction after Drawdown
39
       
5.
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
39
       
 
5.1
Repayment
39
       
 
5.2
Voluntary Prepayment; No Re-Borrowing
41
       
 
5.3
Mandatory Prepayment Upon Sale or Loss of Vessel
41
       
 
5.4
Sale or Loss of Collateral Vessel
41
       
 
5.5
Interest and Costs with Prepayments/Application of Prepayments
41
       
6.
INTEREST AND RATE
42
       
 
6.1
Applicable Rate
42
       
 
6.2
Default Rate
42
       
 
6.3
Interest Periods
42
       
 
6.4
Interest Payments
43
       
7.
PAYMENTS
43
       
 
7.1
Place of Payments, No Set Off
43
       
 
7.2
Tax Credits
43
       
 
7.3
Sharing of Setoffs
43
       
 
 
iii

 
 
 
7.4
Computations; Banking Days
44
       
8.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
44
       
 
8.1
Events of Default
44
       
   
(a)
Non-Payment of Principal
44
   
(b)
Non-Payment of Interest or Other Amounts
44
   
(c)
Representations
44
   
(d)
Impossibility; Illegality
44
   
(e)
Mortgage
45
   
(f)
Covenants
45
   
(g)
Debt
45
   
(h)
Ownership of Borrowers or Collateral Obligors
45
   
(i)
Bankruptcy
45
   
(j)
Termination of Operations; Sale of Assets
45
   
(k)
Judgments
45
   
(l)
Inability to Pay Debts
46
   
(m)
Change in Financial Position
46
   
(n)
Change in Control
46
   
(o)
Cross-Default
46
       
 
8.2
Indemnification
46
       
 
8.3
Application of Moneys
47
       
9.
COVENANTS
47
       
 
9.1
Affirmative Covenants
47
       
   
(a)
Performance of Agreements
47
   
(b)
Notice of Default, etc
48
   
(c)
Obtain Consents
48
   
(d)
Financial Information
48
   
(e)
Vessel Valuations
49
   
(f)
Corporate Existence
49
   
(g)
Books and Records
50
   
(h)
Taxes and Assessments
50
   
(i)
Inspection
50
   
(j)
Inspection and Survey Reports
50
   
(k)
Compliance with Statutes, Agreements, etc
50
   
(l)
Environmental Matters
50
   
(m)
Vessel Management
51
   
(n)
ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI Matters
51
   
(o)
Brokerage Commissions, etc
51
   
(p)
Deposit Accounts; Assignment
51
 
 
iv

 
   
(q)
Insurance
52
   
(r)
Interest Rate Agreements
52
   
(s)
Subordination of General and Administrative Costs
52
       
 
9.2
Negative Covenants
52
       
   
(a)
Liens
52
   
(b)
Debt
53
   
(c)
Change of Flag, Class, Management or Ownership
53
   
(d)
Chartering
53
   
(e)
Change in Business
53
   
(f)
Sale or Pledge of Shares
53
   
(g)
Sale of Assets
53
   
(h)
Changes in Offices
54
   
(i)
Consolidation and Merger
54
   
(j)
Change Fiscal Year
54
   
(k)
Limitations on Ability to Make Distributions
54
   
(l)
Use of Corporate Funds
54
   
(m)
Issuance of Shares
54
   
(n)
No Money Laundering
54
   
(o)
Accounts
55
   
(p)
Dividends and Distributions to the Guarantor
55
   
(q)
Use of Proceeds
55
       
 
9.3
Financial Covenants
55
       
   
(a)
Adjusted Net Worth
55
   
(b)
EBITDA to Fixed Charges
55
   
(c)
Minimum Liquidity
55
       
 
9.4
Asset Maintenance
55
       
10.
ASSIGNMENT
56
     
11.
ILLEGALITY, INCREASED COST, NON-AVAILABILITY, ETC
56
       
 
11.1
Illegality
56
       
 
11.2
Increased Costs
56
       
 
11.3
Nonavailability of Funds
57
       
 
11.4
Lender's Certificate Conclusive
58
       
 
11.5
Compensation for Losses
58
       
12.
CURRENCY INDEMNITY
58
       
 
 
v

 
 
 
12.1
Currency Conversion
58
       
 
12.2
Change in Exchange Rate
58
       
 
12.3
Additional Debt Due
58
       
 
12.4
Rate of Exchange
58
       
13.
FEES AND EXPENSES
59
       
 
13.1
Fees
59
       
 
13.2
Expenses
59
       
14.
THE AGENTS
59
       
 
14.1
Appointment of Agents
59
       
 
14.2
Security Trustee as Trustee
60
       
 
14.3
Distribution of Payments
60
       
 
14.4
Holder of Interest in Note
60
       
 
14.5
No Duty to Examine, Etc
60
       
 
14.6
Agents as Lenders
61
       
 
14.7
Acts of the Agents
61
       
 
14.8
Certain Amendments
62
       
 
14.9
Assumption re Event of Default
62
       
 
14.10
Limitations of Liability
63
       
 
14.11
Indemnification of the Agents
63
       
 
14.12
Consultation with Counsel
63
       
 
14.13
Resignation
63
       
 
14.14
Representations of Lenders
64
       
 
14.15
Notification of Event of Default
64
       
 
14.16
No Agency or Trusteeship if not Syndicated
64
       
 
14.17
Nature of Duties
64
       
 
14.18
Delegation of Power
64
       
15.
NOTICES AND DEMANDS
65
       
 
15.1
Notices
65
       
       
16.
MISCELLANEOUS
65
       
 
 
vi

 
 
16.1
Time of Essence
65
       
 
16.2
Invalidity
66
       
 
16.3
Further Assurances
66
       
 
16.4
Prior Agreements, Merger
66
       
 
16.5
Entire Agreement; Amendments
66
       
 
16.6
Indemnification
66
       
 
16.7
Remedies Cumulative and Not Exclusive; No Waiver
67
       
 
16.8
Successors and Assigns
67
       
 
16.9
Counterparts; Electronic Delivery
67
       
 
16.10
References
68
       
 
16.11
Headings
68
       
17.
APPLICABLE LAW, JURISDICTION AND WAIVERS
68
       
 
17.1
Applicable Law
68
       
 
17.2
Jurisdiction
68
       
 
17.3
Waiver of Jury Trial
68
       
 
17.4
Waiver of Immunity
69
 

 
vii

 

SCHEDULE

1
The Lenders and the Initial Commitments
2
The Vessels
3
Financial Indebtedness

EXHIBITS

 
A
Form of Note
 
B
Form of Guaranty
 
C-1
Form of Account Pledge (Retention Account)
 
C-2
Form of Account Pledge (Earnings Accounts)
 
C-3
Form of Account Pledge (Equity and Reserve Account)
 
C-4
Form of Collateral Account Pledge (Retention Account)
 
C-5
Form of Collateral Account Pledge (Earnings Account)
 
C-6
Form of Collateral Account Pledge (Debt Service Reserve Account)
 
D-1
Form of Mortgage
 
D-2
Form of Mortgage and Deed of Covenants (Malta)
 
D-3
Form of Collateral Mortgage
 
E-1
Form of Earnings Assignment
 
E-2
Form of Collateral Earnings Assignment
 
F-1
Form of Insurances Assignment
 
F-2
Form of Collateral Insurances Assignment
 
G
Form of Assignment and Assumption Agreement
 
H
Form of Compliance Certificate
 
I
Form of Drawdown Notice
 
J
Form of Interest Notice
 
K
Form of Approved Manager's Undertaking
 
L
Form of Assignment of Shipbuilding Contract and Refund Guarantees
 
M
Form of Assignment of Charter Party Agreement
 
N
Form of Collateral Assignment of Charter Party Agreement
 
O
Form of Management Agreement Assignment


 
viii

 


SENIOR SECURED TERM CREDIT FACILITY
 
THIS SENIOR SECURED TERM CREDIT FACILITY AGREEMENT (this "Credit Facility Agreement") is made as of the 1 st day of October, 2008, by and among (1) WARHOL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED  ("Warhol"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia, INDIANA R SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED ("Indiana"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia, and BRITTO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED ("Britto"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia, as joint and several borrowers (together the "Borrowers" and each a "Borrower"), (2) the banks and financial institutions listed on Schedule 1, as lenders (together with any bank or financial institution which becomes a Lender pursuant to Section 10, the "Lenders") and (3) HSH NORDBANK AG ("HSH"), as mandated lead arranger (in such capacity, the "Mandated Lead Arranger"), underwriter (in such capacity, the "Underwriter"), administrative agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, the "Administrative Agent") and security trustee for the Lenders (in such capacity, the "Security Trustee").
 
WITNESSETH THAT :
 
WHEREAS, at the request of the Borrowers, HSH has agreed to serve in its capacities as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee under the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement and the Lenders have agreed to provide to the Borrowers a senior secured credit facility for a term loan to be made available in three tranches, one per Vessel (as defined below), in the aggregate amount of the least of US$121,286,500 or 85% of the Construction Costs of the Vessels or 80% of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels, to partly re-finance and finance the construction and delivery costs of the Vessels;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, the covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as set forth below:
 
1.
DEFINITIONS
 
1.1            Specific Definitions .  In this Credit Facility Agreement the words and expressions specified below shall, except where the context otherwise requires, have the meanings attributed to them below:

 
"Acceptable Accounting Firm"
 
means Deloitte & Touche, or such other recognized international accounting firm as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld;
"Account Pledge(s)"
means each of the pledge agreements to be executed by the Borrowers in favor of the Finance Parties in respect of the Retention Account, Earnings Accounts and Equity and Reserve Account, pursuant to Section 4.1(b) and Section 4.3(d), as the case may be, substantially in the form set out
 
 
 

 
 
 
  in Exhibits C-1, C-2 and C-3 respectively;
"Accounting Period"
means each consecutive period of three months falling during the period (ending on the last day in March, June, September and December of each year) for which quarterly accounting information is required to be provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Additional Deposit"
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4.1(f);
"Adjusted Net Worth"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the amount of Total Assets (as adjusted to include the aggregate Fair Market Value of each of the vessels owned by the Guarantor and each of its Subsidiaries) less Consolidated Debt as stated in then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Administrative Agent"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Advance(s)"
means any amount advanced to the Borrowers with respect to the Facility or (as the context may require) the aggregate amount of all such Advances for the time being outstanding; provided , however , that only four Advances shall be made per Tranche and that no Advance shall be made available after the Final Availability Date;
"Affiliate"
means with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with such Person.  For the purposes of this definition, "control" (including, with correlative meanings, the terms "controlled by" and "under common control with") as applied to any Person means the possession directly or indirectly of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of that Person whether through ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise;
"Agents"
means each of the Administrative Agent and the Security Trustee;
"Amalfi"
means Amalfi Shipping Company Limited, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands;

 
2

 


"AMALFI"
means that certain handymax bulker vessel owned by Amalfi, with IMO Number 9218337, built in 2000 and registered under the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands with Official Number 2825;
 
"Annex VI"
means Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (as modified in 1978 and 1997);
 
"Applicable Rate"
means any rate of interest applicable to the Facility from time to time pursuant to Section 6.1;
 
"Approved Manager"
means a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Guarantor or any other company approved by the Lenders from time to time as the manager of a Vessel, which approval shall not unreasonably be withheld;
 
"Approved Manager's
Undertaking(s)"
means each of the undertakings made or to be made by an Approved Manager in favor of the Lenders in respect of a Vessel or Collateral Vessel (as applicable), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit K;
 
"Assigned Moneys"
means sums assigned to or received by the Agents pursuant to any Security Document;
 
"Assignment and
Assumption Agreement(s)"
means the Assignment and Assumption Agreement(s) executed pursuant to Section 10 substantially in the form set out in Exhibit G;
 
"Assignment Notices"
means notices with respect to the Assignments and the Collateral Assignments;
 
"Assignments"
means the Earnings Assignments, Insurances Assignments, Assignments of Charter Party Agreement, Assignments of Shipbuilding Contract and Refund Guarantee and Management Agreement Assignments;
 
"Assignment(s) of Charter
Party  Agreement"
means the assignments in respect of the Charter Party Agreements and Performance Guarantees, to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.3(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit M;
 
"Assignment(s) of Shipbuilding
 Contract and Refund Guarantee"
means the assignments in respect of the Shipbuilding Contracts and Refund Guarantees to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant
 

 
3

 


   to Section 4.1(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit L;
"Banking Day(s)"
means day(s) on which banks are open for the transaction of business in London, England, New York, New York (United States of America), Piraeus, Greece and Hamburg, Germany;
"Borrower(s)"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Britto"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"BRITTO"
means that certain Vessel owned or to be owned by Britto, with Hull Number S-1031 and registered or to be registered under the flag of the Republic of Liberia;
"BRITTO Charter Party Agreement"
means the bareboat charter agreement between the BRITTO Charterer and Britto with respect to the BRITTO with a minimum net charter rate of $14,550 per day and a minimum duration of 10 years;
"BRITTO Charterer"
means Daelim H&L Co., Ltd.;
"BRITTO Refund Guarantee"
means that certain letter of guarantee No. 1372400009198179 dated December 18, 2006 issued by the Refund Guarantor in favor of the Guarantor in connection with the BRITTO Shipbuilding Contract to be assigned to Britto on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche C;
"BRITTO Shipbuilding Contract"
means that certain Shipbuilding Contract for construction of the vessel BRITTO entered into as of October 31, 2006, between the Builder and the Guarantor to be novated in favor of Britto on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche C;
"Builder"
means SPP Plant & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of Korea;
"Change of Control"
means (a) any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), other than a member of the immediate family of Evangelos Pistiolis or a member of the immediate family of George Economou, who becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 35% of the total voting power or

 
4

 


 
ownership interest of the Guarantor or (b)  the Board of Directors of the Guarantor ceases to consist of a majority of the directors existing on the date hereof or directors nominated by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the then existing directors;
"Charter Party Agreement(s)"
means (i) the WARHOL Charter Party Agreement, (ii) the INDIANA Charter Party Agreement, (iii) the BRITTO Charter Party Agreement and (iv) any other bareboat charter agreement or any time charter agreement with any of the Borrowers which the Borrowers shall from time to time enter, having a duration of longer than eleven (11) months including but not limited to the existing charters with respect to each Vessel;
"Charterer(s)"
means (i) the WARHOL Charterer, (ii) the INDIANA Charterer, (iii) the BRITTO Charterer and (iv) any other bareboat charterer or time charterer who has entered or shall from time to time enter into a Charter Party Agreement with any of the Borrowers;
"Classification Society"
means Det Norske Veritas or any other member of the International Association of Classification Societies, as approved by the Administrative Agent, with whom any of the Vessels are entered and who conducted periodic physical surveys and/or inspections of any of the Vessels;
"Code"
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor statute and regulation promulgated thereunder;
"Collateral"
 
means the Vessels, each of the Collateral Vessels, all property or other assets, real or personal, tangible or intangible, whether now owned or hereafter acquired in which any Agent or any Lender has been granted a security interest pursuant to a Security Document;
"Collateral Account Pledge(s)"
means each of the second preferred pledge agreements executed by the relevant Collateral Obligor in favor of the Finance Parties in respect of the Retention Accounts, Earnings Account and Debt Service Reserve Account (as defined in the $95M Credit Agreement) pursuant to Section 4.1(b), and substantially in the form set out in Exhibits C-4, C-5 and C-6 respectively;

 
5

 


"Collateral Assignments"
means the Collateral Earnings Assignments, Collateral Insurances Assignments, and the Collateral Assignments of Charter Party Agreement;
"Collateral Assignment(s) of
Charter Party Agreement"
means the second preferred assignments in respect of any charter party agreements and bareboat charter agreements in respect of each Collateral Vessel from any and all sources, to be executed by the relevant Collateral Obligors in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit N;
"Collateral Earnings
Assignment(s)"
means the second preferred assignments in respect of the earnings of each Collateral Vessel from any and all sources, to be executed by the relevant Collateral Obligor in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit E-2;
"Collateral Insurances
Assignment(s)"
means the second assignments in respect of the insurances over each of the Collateral Vessels to be executed by the relevant Collateral Obligor, bareboat charter, if any, and the manager of the relevant Collateral Vessel in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit F-2;
"Collateral Mortgage(s)"
mean, collectively, the second preferred mortgages on each of the Collateral Vessels, executed or to be executed by Amalfi with respect to the AMALFI and Jeke with respect to the VOC GALLANT in favor of the Security Trustee, as security trustee, on behalf of the Lenders, pursuant to the terms herein, substantially in the form set out in Exhibit D-3;
"Collateral Obligors"
means Amalfi and Jeke and each of them;
"Collateral Vessels"
means each of the vessels VOC GALLANT and AMALFI;
"Commitment(s)"
means in relation to a Lender, the portion of the Facility set out opposite its name in Schedule 1 or, as the case may be, as reduced by or set out in any relevant Assignment and Assumption Agreement, as such amount shall be reduced from time to time pursuant to Section 5;
"Commitment Fee"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 13.1;
"Compliance Certificate"
means a certificate certifying the compliance by each of the Borrowers and/or the Guarantor, as the case may be, with
 

 
6

 

 
 
all of its respective covenants contained herein and showing the calculations thereof in reasonable detail,  executed and delivered by the chief financial officer of the Guarantor to the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.1(d) in the form set out in Exhibit H, or in such other form as the Administrative Agent may agree;
"Consent and Agreement"
means the consent and agreement relating to this Credit Facility Agreement to be executed by the Guarantor and each of the Collateral Obligors in the form attached hereto;
"Consolidated Debt"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period for the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the aggregate amount of Debt due by the Security Parties as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Consolidated Financial
Indebtedness"
means, measured at the end of each Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of Financial Indebtedness (including current maturities) of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Construction Costs"
means, in relation to a Vessel, the total cost of construction, including, but not limited to, any amount owed to the Builder under the Shipbuilding Contracts, as determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion prior to the date of any Delivery Advance in respect of the relevant Vessel;
"Credit Facility Agreement"
means this agreement, as the same shall be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time;
"Current Assets"
means, measured at the end of each Accounting Period, the aggregate of the cash and marketable securities, trade and other receivables of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis from Persons which can be realized within one year, inventories and prepaid expenses which are to be charged to income within one year less any doubtful debts and any discounts or allowances given as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;

 
7

 


"Debt"
means, in relation to the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (the "debtor"):  (a) Financial Indebtedness of the debtor; (b) liability for any credit to the debtor from a supplier of goods or services or under any installment purchase or payment plan or similar arrangement; (c) contingent liabilities of the debtor (including without limitation any taxes or other payments under dispute) which have been or, under GAAP, should be recorded in the notes to the accounting information; (d) deferred tax of the debtor; and (e) liability under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another Person who is not a Security Party which would fall within (a) to (d) if the references to the debtor referred to the other Person;
"Default Rate"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6.2;
"Delivery Advance"
means with respect to each Tranche, the fourth and final Advance to be made to any Borrower; provided , however , that no Delivery Advance shall be made available after the Final Availability Date with respect to the applicable Tranche;
"Delivery Date"
means with respect to each Vessel the date on which a Vessel is delivered to its respective Borrower;
"DOC"
means a document of compliance issued to an Operator in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM Code;
"Dollars" and the sign "$"
means the legal currency, at any relevant time hereunder, of the United States of America and, in relation to all payments hereunder, in same day funds settled through the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or such other Dollar funds as may be determined by the Administrative Agent to be customary for the settlement in New York City of banking transactions of the type herein involved);
"Drawdown Date(s)"
means the dates, each being a Banking Day, upon which the Borrowers have requested that an Advance be made available to the Borrowers, and such Advance is made, as provided in Section 3; provided , that no Drawdown Date shall occur after the Final Availability Date with respect to the applicable Tranche;

 
8

 


"Drawdown Notice"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.2;
"Earnings Account"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.3(d);
"Earnings Assignment(s)"
means the assignments in respect of the earnings of each Vessel from any and all sources, to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.3(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit E-1;
"EBITDA"
means, in respect of an Accounting Period, the aggregate amount of consolidated pre-tax profits of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries before extraordinary or exceptional items (including drydocking costs), depreciation, interest, rentals under finance leases and similar charges payable but after the deduction of payments made under bareboat charters in each case as stated in the then most recent accounting information;
"Environmental Affiliate(s)"
means any Person, the liability of which for Environmental Claims any Security Party or Subsidiary of any Security Party may have assumed by contract or operation of law;
"Environmental Approval(s)"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
"Environmental Claim(s)"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
"Environmental Law(s)"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.1(o);
"Equity Deposit"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(f);
"Equity and Reserve Account"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(f);
"Event(s) of Default"
means any of the events set out in Section 8.1;
"Exchange Act"
means the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;
"Facility"
means the term loan facility to be made available by the Lenders to the Borrowers hereunder in three (3) Tranches, each comprised of four (4) Advances to be made available pursuant to Section 3; and being, in the aggregate, no more than the least of (i) One Hundred Twenty One Million Two Hundred Eighty Six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($121,286,500), (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the Construction Costs of the Vessels, or (iii) eighty percent

 
9

 


  (80%) of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels;
"Fair Market Value"
 
 
means (i) in relation to a Vessel, her sale value, determined as the average of two valuations per Vessel prior to the Delivery Date relating to such Vessel, and thereafter one valuation every six months commencing six months following the Delivery Date relating to such Vessel, and (ii) in relation to a Collateral Vessel, her sale value, determined as the average of two valuations per Collateral Vessel prior to the Initial Advance under any Tranche, and thereafter one valuation per year commencing on the first anniversary following the first Delivery Date relating to any Vessel, each valuation to be not older than one month from any of Simpson, Spence and Young, London, England or Astrup Fearnley A/S, Oslo, Norway or AC Shipping, London, England or R.S. Platou Shipbrokers A/S, Oslo, Norway or Galbraith's Limited, London, England or H. Clarksons & Co. Ltd., London, England) with or without physical inspection (as the Lender may require) in United States Dollars on the basis of the sale of the Vessel (i) for prompt delivery, (ii) for cash, (iii) without taking into account any charter party relating to the Vessel, and (iv) at arm's length on normal commercial terms between a willing seller and a willing buyer. If the two valuations for any Vessel obtained prior to the Drawdown Date differ by a margin of more than fifteen percent (15%) then a third appraiser from the aforementioned firms selected by the Administrative Agent shall make an independent appraisal at the Borrowers' expense, and the Fair Market Value of the Vessel shall be considered to be the average of all three valuations obtained;
"Fee Letter"
means that certain fee letter of even date herewith, entered into by the Guarantor and HSH in respect of the Facility;
"Final Availability Date"
means (i) with respect to Tranche A, July 28, 2009, (ii) with respect to Tranche B, October 27, 2009 and (iii) with respect to Tranche C, November 27, 2009;
"Final Tranche A
Payment Date"
means, that date which is ten (10) years after the Delivery Advance under Tranche A, but in any event not later than December 30, 2019;
"Final Tranche B
Payment Date"
means, that date which is ten (10) years after the Delivery Advance under Tranche B, but in any event not later than

 
10

 


  December 30, 2019;
"Final Tranche C
Payment Date"
means, that date which is ten (10) years after the Delivery Advance under Tranche C, but in any event not later than December 30, 2019;
"Finance Parties"
means (i) HSH as the Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee, (ii) the Lenders and (iii) the Swap Provider;
"Financial Indebtedness"
means, in relation to the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (the "debtor"), a liability of the debtor:  (a) for principal, interest or any other sum payable in respect of any moneys borrowed or raised by the debtor; (b) under any loan, stock, bond, note or other security issued by the debtor; (c) under any acceptance credit, guarantee or letter of credit facility made available to the debtor; (d) under a financial lease, a deferred purchase consideration arrangement (in each case, other than in respect of assets or services obtained on normal commercial terms in the ordinary course of business) or any other agreement having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money by the debtor; (e) under any foreign exchange transaction, interest or currency swap or any other kind of derivative transaction entered into by the debtor or, if the agreement under which any such transaction is entered into requires netting of mutual liabilities, the liability of the debtor for the net amount; or (f) under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another Person which would fall within (a) to (e) if the references to the debtor referred to the other Person;
"Fixed Charges"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of Interest Expenses and the portion of Consolidated Financial Indebtedness (other than balloon repayments) in respect of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries falling due during that period, as stated in the then most recent accounting information provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"GAAP"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 1.3;
"Guarantor"
means Top Ships Inc. (fka Top Tankers Inc.), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands;

 
11

 


"Guaranty"
means the unconditional and irrevocable guaranty to be executed by the Guarantor in respect of the obligations of the Borrowers under and in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement and the Note in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.l(b), substantially in the form set out in form of Exhibit B;
"HSH"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Hull Cover Ratio"
means the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels then mortgaged hereunder divided by the outstanding principal amount under the Facility;
"IAPPC"
means a valid international air pollution prevention certificate for a Vessel issued under Annex VI;
"Indemnitee"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 16.6;
"Indiana"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"INDIANA"
means that certain Vessel owned or to be owned by Indiana, with Hull Number S-1029 and registered or to be registered under the flag of the Republic of Malta;
"INDIANA Charter Party
Agreement"
means the bareboat charter agreement between the INDIANA Charterer and Indiana with respect to the INDIANA with a minimum net charter rate of $14,300 per day and a minimum duration of 7 years;
"INDIANA Charterer"
means Magellano Marine C.V.;
"INDIANA Refund Guarantee"
means that certain letter of guarantee No. 1372200009194179 dated December 18, 2006 issued by the Refund Guarantor in favor of the Guarantor in connection with the INDIANA Shipbuilding Contract to be assigned to Indiana on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche B;
"INDIANA Shipbuilding Contract"
means that certain Shipbuilding Contract for construction of the vessel INDIANA entered into as of October 31, 2006, between the Builder and the Guarantor to be novated in favor of Indiana on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche B;
"Initial Advance"
 means, with respect to each Tranche, the first Advance to
 

 
12

 


 
be made to any Borrower thereunder for the purpose of re-financing the existing pre-delivery debt in respect of the Vessels; provided , however , that the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche A shall not exceed $9,918,300, the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche B shall not exceed $10,023,300 and the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche C shall not exceed $10,023,300;
"Initial Payment Date"
means, with respect to each Tranche, three (3) months after the Delivery Advance thereunder;
"Insurances Assignment"
means the assignments in respect of the insurances over each of the Vessels to be executed by the relevant Borrower, Charterer and manager of the respective Vessel (as applicable) in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.3(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit F-1;
"Interest Expense"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the aggregate on a consolidated basis of all interest incurred by the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries and any net amounts payable under interest rate hedge agreements, as stated in the then most recent accounting information provided to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Interest Notice"
means a notice from the Borrowers to the Administrative Agent specifying the duration of any relevant Interest Period, each substantially in the form set out in Exhibit J;
"Interest Payment Date"
means each date on which accrued interest on the Facility shall be payable pursuant to Section 6.4;
"Interest Period(s)"
means period(s) of three (3), six (6) or twelve (12) months as selected by the Borrowers, or as otherwise agreed by the Lenders and the Borrowers;
"Interest Rate Agreement"
means any interest rate protection agreement, interest rate future agreement, interest rate option agreement, interest rate swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar agreement, interest rate hedge agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement entered into between the Borrowers with the Swap Provider, which is designed to protect the Borrowers against fluctuations in interest rates applicable under this Credit Facility Agreement, to or under which the Borrowers, the Guarantor or any of the Guarantor's Subsidiaries is a party

 
13

 


 
or a beneficiary on the date of this Credit Facility Agreement or becomes a party or a beneficiary hereafter;
"ISM Code"
means the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operating of Ships and for Pollution Prevention constituted pursuant to Resolution A.741(18) of the International Maritime Organization and incorporated into the Safety of Life at Sea Convention and includes any amendments or extensions thereto and any regulation issued pursuant thereto;
"ISPS Code"
means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code adopted by the International Maritime Organization (as the same may be amended from time to time);
"ISSC"
means a valid and current International Ship Security Certificate issued under the ISPS Code;
"Jeke"
means Jeke Shipping Company Limited, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia;
"Lender(s)"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"LIBOR"
means the rate for deposits of Dollars for a period equivalent to the relevant Interest Period at or about 11:00 A.M. (London time) on the second London Banking Day before the first day of such period as displayed on the Reuters screen "LIBOR01", or any successor service for the purpose of displaying the London Interbank rates of major banks for Dollars (the Reuters screen "LIBOR01" is the display designated as the Reuters screen "LIBOR01", or such other page as may replace the Reuters screen "LIBOR01" on that service or such other service or services as may be denominated by the British Bankers' Association for the purpose of displaying London Interbank offered rates for Dollar deposits); provided , however , that if on such date no such rate is so displayed for the relevant Interest Period, LIBOR for such period shall be the rate quoted to the Facility Agent by the Reference Bank at the request of the Facility Agent as the offered rate for deposits of Dollars in an amount approximately equal to the amount in relation to which LIBOR is to be determined for a period equivalent to the relevant Interest Period to prime banks in the London Interbank Market at or about 11:00 A.M. (London time) on

 
14

 


  the second Banking Day before the first day of such period.
"Liquid Funds"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period:  (a) cash in hand or held with banks or other financial institutions of the Guarantor and/or any other Security Party in Dollars or another currency freely convertible into Dollars, which is free of any security interest (other than a permitted security interest and other than ordinary bankers' liens which have not been enforced or become capable of being enforced); or (b) any other short-term financial investments which is free of any security interest (other than a permitted security interest), as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Majority Lenders"
means, at any time, Lenders holding an aggregate of more than 60% of the Advances then outstanding;
"Management Agreement Assignment(s)"
means the assignments in respect of the management agreements with respect to the Vessels to be executed by the relevant Borrower in favor of the Security Trustee pursuant to Section 4.3(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit O;
"Mandated Lead Arranger"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Mandatory Costs"
means the cost of complying with any applicable regulatory requirements of any relevant regulatory authority;
"Margin"
means, with respect to any Advance under a Tranche, (a) 1.75% per annum until and including the Margin Final Date and (b) after the Margin Final Date, the Margin as determined between the Lenders and the Borrowers in accordance with Section 6.1(b);
"Margin Final Date"
shall be August 30, 2010;
"Material Adverse Effect"
means a material adverse effect on (i) the ability of the Borrowers to repay the Advances or perform any of its obligations hereunder or under the Note, (ii) the ability of any Security Party to perform its obligations under any Security Documents or (iii) the business, property, assets, liabilities, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or

 
15

 


  prospects of the Security Parties taken as a whole;
"Minimum Liquidity Amount"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.3(c);
"Mortgage(s)"
means each of the first preferred ship mortgages (together with any deed of covenants collateral thereto, if applicable) on each of the Vessels, to be executed under the laws of a Permitted Jurisdiction by the respective Borrower, as owner, as listed in Schedule 2 in favor of the Security Trustee (as trustee for the Lenders) pursuant to Section 4.4(b), substantially in the form set out in Exhibit D-1 or Exhibit D-2, as applicable;
"MTSA"
means the Maritime and Transportation Security Act, 2002, as amended, inter alia , by Public Law 107-295;
"$95M Credit Agreement"
means that certain senior secured term loan facility agreement dated November 8, 2007 entered into by and among the Collateral Obligors and Noir, as borrowers, the Guarantor, as guarantor, HSH together with any banks and financial institutions as are a party thereto (the "$95M Lenders"), as lenders, and HSH, as agent and security trustee for the $95M Lenders (together with the $95M Lenders, the "$95M Creditors"), pursuant to which $95M Lenders made available to the Collateral Obligors and Noir a credit facility in the amount of $95,000,000 (the "$95M Facility");
"$95M Mortgage(s)"
means the first preferred mortgages on the VOC GALLANT and the AMALFI, executed by the relevant Collateral Obligor in favor of HSH as security trustee on behalf of the $95M Creditors, pursuant to the terms of the $95M Credit Agreement;
"$95M Transaction Documents"
means each of the $95M Credit Agreement, all promissory notes evidencing the $95M Facility, the $95M Mortgages and all assignments, pledge agreements, guaranties and other documents executed as security for the $95M Facility and the Collateral Obligors' obligations in connection therewith;
"Noir"
means Noir Shipping S.A., a company organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands;

 
16

 


"Note"
means the promissory note to be executed by the Borrowers to the order of the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 4.1(b), to evidence the Facility, substantially in the form set out in Exhibit A;
"Operator"
means, in respect of any Vessel, the Person who is concerned with the operation of such Vessel and falls within the definition of "Company" set out in rule 1.1.2 of the ISM Code;
"Payment Dates"
means, with respect to each Tranche, the Initial Payment Date with respect to such Tranche and the dates falling at three month intervals thereafter, the last of which is, in respect of Tranche A, the Final Tranche A Payment Date, in respect of Tranche B, the Final Tranche B Payment Date and, in respect of Tranche C, the Final Tranche C Payment Date;
"Performance Guarantees"
means the irrevocable performance guarantees to be executed by the relevant Performance Guarantor in respect of the INDIANA Charter Party Agreement and the BRITTO Charter Party Agreement, respectively;
"Performance Guarantor(s)"
means Marco Polo Seatrade B.V. in respect of the INDIANA Charter Party Agreement and Daelim Corp. Co. Ltd. in respect of the BRITTO Charter Party Agreement and each of them;
"Permitted Jurisdiction"
means the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Liberia, the Republic of Malta or such other jurisdiction as may be approved in writing by the Majority Lenders;
"Person"
means any individual, sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership (general or limited), limited liability company, business trust, bank, trust company, joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust or other unincorporated organization, whether or not a legal entity, or any government or agency or political subdivision thereof;
"Proceeding"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.1(i);
"Reference Bank"
means HSH;
"Refund Guarantee(s)"
means the WARHOL Refund Guarantee, the INDIANA Refund Guarantee and the BRITTO Refund Guarantee, and

 
17

 


  each of them;
"Refund Guarantor"
means Woori Bank;
"Regulation T"
means Regulation T of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
"Regulation U"
means Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
"Regulation X"
means Regulation X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as in effect from time to time;
"Required Percentage"
means, until the fourth anniversary of this Credit Facility Agreement, one hundred and twenty percent (120%), and thereafter, one hundred and twenty five percent (125%) of the amount of the outstanding Facility and the notional cost or actual cost (if any) as determined by the Lender of terminating any interest rate swap entered into by the Borrowers;
"Retention Account"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.3(d);
"Retention Amount"
means, with respect to any Tranche, an amount equal to one third (1/3) of the next quarterly principal payment due in accordance with Section 5 hereof in respect of such Tranche and the relevant fraction of interest accruing on the relevant Advances during the next month in accordance with Section 6 hereof;
"Retention Date"
means the date one month after the first Initial Advance and at monthly intervals thereafter;
"Secondary Advance"
means with respect to each Tranche, the second Advance to be made to the Borrowers for the purpose of financing the third (keel laying) installment due under the Shipbuilding Contract with respect to the Vessel to which such Tranche relates; provided , however , that the Secondary Advance with respect to Tranche A shall not exceed $6,612,200, the Secondary Advance with respect to Tranche B shall not exceed $6,682,200 and the Secondary Advance with respect to Tranche C shall not exceed $6,682,200;
"Security Document(s)"
means the Guaranty, the Mortgages, the Collateral Mortgages, the Assignments, the Collateral Assignments,
 

 
18

 

 
 
the Assignment Notices, the Account Pledges, the Collateral Account Pledges, the Approved Manager's Undertakings and any other documents that may be executed as security for the Facility and the Borrowers' obligations in connection therewith;
"Security Party(ies)"
means each of the Borrowers, the Collateral Obligors and the Guarantor;
"Security Trustee"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Shipbuilding Contract(s)"
means the WARHOL Shipbuilding Contract, the INDIANA Shipbuilding Contract and the BRITTO Shipbuilding Contract, and each of them;
"SMC"
means the safety management certificate issued in respect of each Vessel in accordance with rule 13 of the ISM code;
"Subsidiary(ies)"
means, with respect to any Person, any business entity of which more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock or other equity interest is owned directly or indirectly by such Person and/or one or more other Subsidiaries of such Person and, in the case of the Guarantor, such term shall include, but not be limited to, the Borrowers, the Collateral Obligors and each of them;
"Swap Provider"
means HSH;
"Tangible Fixed Assets"
means, measured at the end of an Accounting Period, the value (less depreciation computed in accordance with GAAP) on a consolidated basis of all tangible fixed assets of the Security Parties as stated in the then most recent accounting information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Taxes"
means any present or future income or other taxes, levies, duties, charges, fees, deductions or withholdings of any nature now or hereafter imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed by any taxing authority whatsoever, except for taxes on or measured by the overall net income of each Lender imposed by its jurisdiction of incorporation or applicable lending office, the United States of America, the State or City of New York or any governmental subdivision or taxing authority of any thereof or by any other taxing authority having jurisdiction over such Lender (unless such jurisdiction is asserted by reason of the

 
19

 


  activities of any of the Security Parties);
"Tertiary Advance"
means with respect to each Tranche, the third Advance to be made to the Borrowers for the purpose of financing the fourth (launching) installment due under the Shipbuilding Contract with respect to the Vessel to which such Tranche relates; provided , however , that the Tertiary Advance with respect to Tranche A shall not exceed $6,612,200, the Tertiary Advance with respect to Tranche B shall not exceed $6,682,200 and the Tertiary Advance with respect to Tranche C shall not exceed $6,682,200;
"Total Assets"
means, measured at the end  of an Accounting Period, the aggregate of Current Assets and Tangible Fixed Assets as stated in the then most recent financial information delivered to the Administrative Agent hereunder;
"Total Loss"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Mortgages;
"Tranche(s)"
means any, all or any combination, as the context requires, of Tranche A, Tranche B and Tranche C;
"Tranche A"
means that portion of the Facility attributable to the WARHOL in an amount equal to the least of (i) Forty Million One Hundred and Forty Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($40,145,500), (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the Construction Costs of the WARHOL, and (iii) eighty percent (80%) of the Fair Market Value of the WARHOL, to be made available to the Borrowers in four (4) Advances: an Initial Advance, a Secondary Advance, a Tertiary Advance and a Delivery Advance;
"Tranche B"
means that portion of the Facility attributable to the INDIANA in an amount equal to the least of (i) Forty Million Five Hundred Seventy Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($40,570,500), (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the Construction Costs of the INDIANA, and (iii) eighty percent (80%) of the Fair Market Value of the INDIANA, to be made available to the Borrowers in four (4) Advances: an Initial Advance, a Secondary Advance, a Tertiary Advance and a Delivery Advance;
"Tranche C"
means that portion of the Facility attributable to the BRITTO in an amount equal to the least of (i) Forty Million Five Hundred Seventy Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($40,570,500), (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the

 
20

 


 
Construction Costs of the BRITTO, and (iii) eighty percent (80%) of the Fair Market Value of the BRITTO, to be made available to the Borrowers in four (4) Advances: an Initial Advance, a Secondary Advance, a Tertiary Advance and a Delivery Advance;
"Transaction Document(s)"
means this Credit Facility Agreement, the Consent and Agreement, the Note, the Security Documents, any Interest Rate Agreement, or any of them, as the case may be;
"Underwriter"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"Vessel(s)"
each of the WARHOL, INDIANA and BRITTO, registered or to be registered in the name of the relevant Borrower, as owner, as set forth in Schedule 2 hereto, but excluding any Vessel for which a mandatory prepayment is made pursuant to Section 5.3; and
"VOC GALLANT"
means that certain handymax bulker vessel owned by Jeke, with IMO Number 9257072, built in 2002 and registered under the flag of the Republic of Liberia having Official No. 13736;.
"Warhol"
shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble;
"WARHOL"
means that certain Vessel owned or to be owned by Warhol, with Hull Number S-1025 and registered or to be registered under the flag of the Republic of Liberia;
"WARHOL Charter Party
Agreement"
means the bareboat charter agreement between the WARHOL Charterer and Warhol with respect to the WARHOL, with a minimum net charter rate of $14,400 per day and a minimum duration of 10 years;
"WARHOL Charterer"
means Perseveranza Societa de Navigazione S.p.A.;
"WARHOL Refund Guarantee"
means that certain letter of guarantee number 1372300009210179 dated December 19, 2006 issued by the Refund Guarantor in favor of the Guarantor in connection with the WARHOL Shipbuilding Contract to be assigned to Warhol on or prior to the date of the initial Advance with respect to Tranche A;
"WARHOL Shipbuilding
Contract"
means that certain Shipbuilding Contract for construction of the vessel WARHOL entered into as of December 6, 2006, between the Builder and the Guarantor to be novated in favor of Warhol on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche A;

 
 
21

 
 

 
in favor of Warhol on or prior to the date of the Initial Advance with respect to Tranche A;
 

1.2            Computation of Time Periods; Other Definitional Provisions .  In the Transaction Documents, in the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word "from" means "from and including" and the words "to" and "until" each mean "to but excluding"; words importing either gender include the other gender; references to "writing" include printing, typing, lithography and other means of reproducing words in a tangible visible form; the words "including," "includes" and "include" shall be deemed to be followed by the words "without limitation"; references to articles, sections (or subdivisions of sections), exhibits, annexes or schedules are to such Transaction Document, as applicable; references to agreements and other contractual instruments (including the Transaction Documents) shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, amendments and restatements, supplements, extensions, replacements and other modifications to such instruments (without, however, limiting any prohibition on any such amendments, extensions and other modifications by the terms of any Transaction Document); references to any matter that is "approved" or requires "approval" of a party shall mean approval given in the sole and absolute discretion of such party unless otherwise specified.
 
1.3            Accounting Terms .  Unless otherwise specified herein, all accounting terms used in the Transaction Documents shall be interpreted, and all financial statements and certificates and reports as to financial matters required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or to the Lenders under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be prepared, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for the United States (" GAAP ") as from time to time in effect.
 
1.4            Certain Matters Regarding Materiality .  To the extent that any representation, warranty, covenant or other undertaking of any of the Borrowers or any other Security Party in this Credit Facility Agreement is qualified by reference to those which are not reasonably expected to result in a "Material Adverse Effect" or language of similar import, no inference shall be drawn therefrom that any Agent or Lender has knowledge or approves of any noncompliance by any of the Borrowers or any other Security Party with any governmental rule.
 
1.5            Forms of Documents .  Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Credit Facility Agreement, references to documents or certificates "substantially in the form" of Exhibits to another document shall mean that such documents or certificates are duly completed in the form of the related Exhibits with substantive changes subject to the provisions of Section 14.8 of this Credit Facility Agreement, as the case may be, or the correlative provisions of the other Transaction Documents.
 
2.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
 
2.1            Representations and Warranties .  In order to induce the Agents and the Lenders to enter into this Credit Facility Agreement and to induce the Lenders to make the Facility available, each of the Borrowers (and each of the Guarantor and the Collateral Obligors by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto) hereby represents and warrants to the Agents and the Lenders (which representations and warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Credit Facility Agreement and the Note and the drawdown of each Advance hereunder) that:
 

 
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(a)         Due Organization and Power .  each Security Party is duly formed and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, has full power to carry on its business as now being conducted and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, and has complied with all statutory, regulatory and other requirements relative to such business and such agreements;
 
(b)           Authorization and Consents .  all necessary corporate action has been taken to authorize, and all necessary consents and authorities have been obtained and remain in full force and effect to permit, each Security Party to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents, to which it is a party, and, in the case of the Borrowers, to borrow, service and repay the Advances and, as of the date of this Credit Facility Agreement, no further consents or authorities are necessary for the service and repayment of the Advances or any part thereof;
 
(c)            Binding Obligations .  each of the Transaction Documents constitute or will, when executed and delivered, constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of each Security Party as is a party thereto enforceable against such Security Party in accordance with their respective terms, except to the extent that such enforcement may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting generally the enforcement of creditors' rights;
 
(d)           No Violation .  the execution and delivery of, and the performance of the provisions of, the Transaction Documents to which it is to be a party by each Security Party do not contravene any applicable law or regulation existing at any date this representation is given or any contractual restriction binding on such Security Party or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws (or equivalent instruments) thereof and that the proceeds of the Advances shall be used by the Borrowers exclusively for their own account or for the account of a Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Borrowers;
 
(e)           Filings; Stamp Taxes .  other than the recording of the Mortgages and the Collateral Mortgages with the appropriate authorities for the flag state of the Vessel to which such mortgage relates, upon the filing of such Mortgages and Collateral Mortgages, and the filing of UCC Financing Statements in the District of Columbia in respect of the Assignments and the Collateral Assignments, and the payment and filing or recording fees consequent thereto, it is not necessary for the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of the Transaction Documents that any of them or any document relating thereto be registered, filed, recorded or enrolled with any court or authority in any relevant jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar Taxes be paid on or in relation to any of the Transaction Documents;
 
(f)            Litigation .  except as has been publicly disclosed by the Guarantor, no action, suit or proceeding is pending or threatened against the Guarantor or any Subsidiary before any court, board of arbitration or administrative agency which is reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
 
 
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(g)           No Default .  no Security Party nor any of its Subsidiaries is in default under any material agreement by which it is bound, or is in default in respect of any financial commitment or obligation;
 
(h)           Vessels .  upon the date of the making of the Delivery Advance under a Tranche, the Vessel to which such Tranche relates:
 
 
(i)
will be in the sole and absolute ownership of the respective Borrower as set forth in Schedule 2 and duly registered in such Borrower's name under the flag of a Permitted Jurisdiction, unencumbered, save and except for the Mortgage recorded against it and as permitted thereby;
 
 
(ii)
will be classed in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type with the respective Classification Society as set forth in Schedule 2 without any outstanding recommendations affecting class and without any qualifications;
 
 
(iii)
will be operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for its intended service; and
 
 
(iv)
will be insured in accordance with the provisions of the Mortgage recorded against it and the requirements thereof in respect of such insurances will have been complied with;
 
(i)            Insurance .  each of the Security Parties has insured its properties and assets against such risks and in such amounts as are customary for companies engaged in similar businesses;
 
(j)            Financial Information .  on or prior to the date hereof, all financial statements, information and other data furnished by the Guarantor and/or the Borrowers to the Administrative Agent are complete and correct, such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and accurately and fairly present the financial condition of the parties covered thereby as of the respective dates thereof and the results of the operations thereof for the period or respective periods covered by such financial statements, and, since the date of the Guarantor's financial statements most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent, there has been no Material Adverse Effect as to any of such parties and none thereof has any contingent obligations, liabilities for taxes or other outstanding financial obligations, except as disclosed in such statements, information and data;
 
(k)           Tax Returns .  the Guarantor and each of its Subsidiaries have filed all tax returns required to be filed by them and have paid all taxes payable by them which have become due, other than those not yet delinquent and except for those taxes being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and for which adequate reserves shall have been set aside on its books;
 

 
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(l)           Chief Executive Office .  the chief executive office of the Security Parties and chief place of business and the office in which the records relating to the earnings and other receivables of each Subsidiary are kept is located at 1 Vassillissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str. 151 24, Maroussi, Greece;
 
(m)          Foreign Trade Control Regulations .  none of the transactions contemplated herein will violate the provisions of any statute or regulation enacted to prohibit or limit economic transactions with foreign Persons including, without limitation, the Foreign Assets Control Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 500, as amended), any of the provisions of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 515, as amended), any of the provisions of the Iranian Transaction Regulations of the United States of America (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 560, as amended) or any of the provisions of the Regulations of the United States of America Governing Transactions in Foreign Shipping of Merchandise (Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter V, Part 505, as amended);
 
(n)           Equity Ownership .  each of the Borrowers is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Guarantor;
 
(o)           Environmental Matters and Claims .  (a) except as heretofore disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders (i) the Guarantor, each of its Subsidiaries and their Affiliates will be in compliance with all applicable United States federal and state, local, foreign and international laws, regulations, conventions and agreements relating to pollution prevention or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, ground water, navigable waters, waters of  the contiguous zone, ocean waters and international waters), including, without limitation, laws, regulations, conventions and agreements relating to (1) emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous materials, oil, hazardous substances, petroleum and petroleum products and by-products ("Materials of Environmental Concern"), or (2) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environmental Concern ("Environmental Laws"); (ii) the Guarantor, each of its Subsidiaries and their Affiliates will have all permits, licenses, approvals, rulings, variances, exemptions, clearances, consents or other authorizations required under applicable Environmental Laws ("Environmental Approvals") and will, when required, be in compliance with all Environmental Approvals required to operate their business as then being conducted; (iii) none of the Guarantor, any Subsidiary (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Borrowers) nor any Affiliate thereof has received any notice of any claim, action, cause of action, investigation or demand by any Person, entity, enterprise or government, or any political subdivision, intergovernmental body or agency, department or instrumentality thereof, alleging potential liability for, or a requirement to incur, material investigator costs, cleanup costs, response and/or remedial costs (whether incurred by a governmental entity or otherwise), natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys' fees and expenses, or fines or penalties, in each case arising out of, based on or resulting from (1) the presence, or release or threat of release into
 

 
25

 
 
 
the environment, of any Materials of Environmental Concern at any location, whether or not owned by such Person, or (2) circumstances forming the basis of any violation, or alleged violation, of any Environmental Law or Environmental Approval ("Environmental Claim") (other than Environmental Claims that have been fully and finally adjudicated or otherwise determined and all fines, penalties and other costs, if any, payable by the Security Parties in respect thereof have been paid in full or which are fully covered by insurance (including permitted deductibles)); and (iv) there are no circumstances that may prevent or interfere with such full compliance in the future; and (b) except as heretofore disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent there is no Environmental Claim pending or threatened against the Guarantor, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate thereof and there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge or disposal of any Materials of Environmental Concern, that could form the basis of any Environmental Claim against such Persons the adverse disposition of which may result in a Material Adverse Effect;
 
(p)           Compliance with ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI .  (i) each Collateral Vessel complies and each Operator with respect to a Collateral Vessel complies with the requirements of the ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates pursuant thereto; and (ii) on and after the Delivery Date with respect to a Vessel, such Vessel and each such other Vessel delivered on or prior to such Delivery Date will comply and each Operator of any such Vessel or Vessels will comply with the requirements of the ISM Code, the ISPS Code, the MTSA and Annex VI including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates pursuant thereto;
 
(q)           No Threatened Withdrawal of DOC, ISSC, SMC or IAPPC .  (i) there is no actual or, to the best of each Security Parties' knowledge, threatened withdrawal of any Operator's DOC or any Collateral Vessel's ISSC, SMC or IAPPC or other certification or documentation related to the ISM Code, Annex VI or otherwise required for the operation of such Collateral Vessels; and (ii) on and after the Delivery Date with respect to a Vessel, there will be no actual or, to the best of each Security Parties' knowledge, threatened withdrawal of any Operator's DOC or such Vessel's (or, with respect to any such other Vessel delivered on or prior to such Delivery Date, such other Vessel's) ISSC, SMC or IAPPC or other certification or documentation related to the ISM Code, Annex VI or otherwise required for the operation of such vessels in respect of any of the Vessels;
 
(r)            Liens .  there are no liens of any kind on any property owned by the Guarantor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor other than liens pursuant to the $95M Transaction Documents and liens occurring in the ordinary course of business and paid in a timely manner;
 
(s)            Financial Indebtedness .  neither the Borrowers nor the Guarantor has, on the date hereof, Financial Indebtedness other than as set out on Schedule 3 hereto;
 
 
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(t)           No Proceedings to Dissolve .  there are no proceedings or actions pending or contemplated by any Security Party, or, contemplated by any third party, to dissolve or terminate any Security Party;
 
(u)            Solvency .  in the case of each of the Security Parties, (a) the sum of its assets, at a fair valuation, does and will exceed its liabilities, including, to the extent they are reportable as such in accordance with GAAP, contingent liabilities, (b) the present fair market salable value of its assets is not and shall not be less than the amount that will be required to pay its probable liability on its then existing debts, including, to the extent they are reportable as such in accordance with GAAP, contingent liabilities, as they mature, (c) it does not and will not have unreasonably small working capital with which to continue its business and (d) it has not incurred, does not intend to incur and does not believe it will incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature;
 
(v)            Senior/Pari Passu Ranking .  each of the Security Parties' obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party rank (a) at least pari passu with all its other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated payment obligations, except for obligations mandatorily preferred by law applying to companies generally and (b) , with respect to the Collateral Obligors, junior to the Collateral Obligors' obligations under the $95M Transaction Documents;
 
(w)            Taxes on Payments .  all amounts payable by each of the Security Parties to the Administrative Agent under this Credit Facility Agreement and the other Transaction Documents may be made without any deduction for Taxes;
 
(x)            Jurisdiction/Governing Law .  (a) the irrevocable submission by each of the Security Parties under this Credit Facility Agreement to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, agreement that this Credit Facility is governed by New York law, and agreement not to claim any immunity to which it or its assets may be entitled are legal, valid and binding under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; and (b) any judgment obtained in the courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York will be recognized and enforceable by the courts of its jurisdiction of incorporation, subject to any statutory or other conditions of such jurisdiction;
 
(y)            Charter Hire .  none of the Borrowers has received prepayments of hire with respect to a period of longer than one month under any Charter Party Agreement;
 
(z)            Compliance with Laws .  each of the Security Parties is in compliance with all applicable laws except where the failure to comply would not alone or in the aggregate result in a Material Adverse Effect; and
 
(aa)          Survival .  all representations, covenants and warranties made herein and in any certificate or other document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the making of the Advances and the issuance of the Note.
 

 
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3.             THE ADVANCES
 
3.1          (a)            Purposes .  The Lenders shall make the Advances available to the Borrowers for the purpose of refinancing and financing the construction and delivery costs of the Vessels.
 
              (b)            Making of the Advances .  
 
 
(i)
Each of the Lenders, relying upon each of the representations and warranties set out in Section 2, hereby severally and not jointly agrees with the Borrowers that, subject to and upon the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement, it will, not later than 11:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the Drawdown Date of any Advance in respect of each Tranche (except as provided in subsection (ii) of this Section), make its portion of the relevant Advance, in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City, to the Administrative Agent at its address and to such account as set forth on Schedule 1 or to such account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders.  Unless the Administrative Agent determines that any applicable condition specified in Section 4 has not been satisfied, the Administrative Agent will make the funds so received from the Lenders available to the Borrowers at the aforesaid address, subject to the receipt of the funds by the Administrative Agent as provided in the immediately preceding sentence, not later than 10:00A.M. (New York City time) on the date of such Advance, and in any event as soon as practicable after receipt. All Advances, subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, shall be in a minimum amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) and in multiples of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000). The Facility and each Tranche hereunder shall be repayable as provided in Section 5.
 
 
(ii)
The Lenders' obligation to make the relevant Initial Advance in respect of any Tranche hereunder shall terminate if the conditions precedent provided in Section 4.1 are not each completed to the satisfaction of the Administrative Agent upon the date hereof and the Administrative Agent does not receive a Drawdown Notice in respect of each Initial Advance under any Tranche within 90 days of the date hereof.  The Lenders' obligation to make the relevant Secondary Advance and/or Tertiary Advance in respect of any Tranche hereunder shall terminate if the conditions precedent provided in Section 4.2 are not each completed to the satisfaction of the Administrative Agent and the Administrative Agent does not receive a Drawdown Notice in respect of each Secondary Advance
 

 
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  and/or Tertiary Advance under any Tranche prior to the relevant Delivery Date of the relevant Vessel.  The Lenders' obligation to make the relevant Delivery Advance in respect of any Tranche hereunder shall terminate if the conditions precedent provided in Section 4.3 are not each completed to the satisfaction of the Administrative Agent upon the date of the relevant Delivery Advance and the Administrative Agent does not receive a Drawdown Notice in respect of the relevant Delivery Advance at least three (3) Banking Days before the Final Availability Date.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Lenders' obligation to make any Advance in respect of any Tranche hereunder shall terminate if the Vessel to which such Tranche relates is not delivered to the Borrowers by the Final Availability Date with respect to such Tranche.
     
 
(iii)
Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the Drawdown Date of any Advance that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender's share of such Advance, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available to the Administrative Agent on the date of such Advance in accordance with this Section 3.1 and the Administrative Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrowers on such date a corresponding amount.  If and to the extent that such Lender shall not have so made such share available to the Administrative Agent, such Lender and the Borrowers (but without duplication and not if such Lender is an affiliate of the Administrative Agent) severally agree to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount together with interest thereon, for each day from the date such amount is made available to the Borrowers until the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of the Borrowers, a rate per annum equal to the higher of (y) the LIBOR rate for overnight or weekend deposits plus the Margin and (z) the interest rate applicable thereto pursuant to Section 6.1 and (ii) in the case of such Lender, the LIBOR rate for overnight or weekend deposits.  If such Lender shall repay to the Administrative Agent such corresponding amount, such amount so repaid shall constitute such Lender's Advance included in such Advance for purposes of this Credit Facility Agreement as of the date such Advance was made.  Nothing in this subsection (b)(iii) shall be deemed to relieve any Lender of its obligation to make Advances to the extent provided in this Credit Facility Agreement.  In the event that the Borrowers are
 

 
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required to repay an Advance to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 3.1(b)(iii), as between the Borrowers and the defaulting Lender, the liability for any breakfunding costs as described in Section 4.6 shall be borne by the defaulting Lender.  If the defaulting Lender has not paid any such breakage costs upon demand by the Administrative Agent therefor, the Borrowers shall pay such breakage costs upon demand by the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers shall be entitled to recover any such payment for breakfunding costs made by the Borrowers from the defaulting Lender.
 
3.2            Drawdown Notice .  The Borrowers shall, at least three (3) Banking Days before a Drawdown Date, serve a notice (a "Drawdown Notice"), substantially in the form of Exhibit I, on the Administrative Agent, which notice shall (a) be in writing addressed to the Administrative Agent, (b) be effective on receipt by the Administrative Agent, (c) specify the amount of such Advance to be drawn, (d)  specify the Banking Day on which such Advance is to be drawn and, subject to the terms of Section 6.3 hereof, the Interest Period, (e) specify the disbursement instructions and (f) be irrevocable.  The Administrative Agent shall deliver the Drawdown Notice to Lenders as soon as practicable after its receipt thereof.
 
3.3            Effect of Drawdown Notice .  Such Drawdown Notice shall be deemed to constitute a warranty by the Borrowers (a) that the representations and warranties stated in Section 2 (updated mutatis mutandis ) are true and correct on and as of the date of such Drawdown Notice and will be true and correct on and as of the relevant Drawdown Date as if made on such date, and (b) that no Event of Default nor any event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would constitute an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
 
3.4            Notation of Advances .  Each Advance made by the Lenders to the Borrowers may be evidenced by a notation of the same made by the Administrative Agent on the grid attached to the Note, which notation, absent manifest error, shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of the relevant Advance.
 
4.
CONDITIONS
 
4.1            Conditions Precedent to Initial Advance .  The obligation of the Lenders to make the Facility and any Advance available to the Borrowers under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly subject to the following conditions precedent:
 
(a)           Corporate Authority .  the Administrative Agent shall have received the following documents in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
 
 
(i)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each of the Borrowers, the Collateral Obligors and Noir, of the resolutions of their respective board of directors and, in the case of the Collateral Obligors and Noir, their respective shareholders evidencing approval of the Transaction
 

 
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  Documents to which it is to be a party and authorizing an appropriate officer or officers or attorney-in-fact or attorneys-in-fact to execute the same on its behalf, or other evidence of such approvals and authorizations;
     
 
(iii)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of the Guarantor, of the resolutions of the board of directors evidencing approval of the Transaction Documents to which it is to be a party and authorizing an appropriate officer or officers or attorney-in-fact or attorneys-in-fact to execute the same on its behalf, or other evidence of such approvals and authorizations;
 
 
(iii)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each Security Party and Noir, of all documents evidencing any other necessary action (including actions by such parties thereto other than the Security Parties or Noir as may be required by the Administrative Agent), approvals or consents with respect to the Transaction Documents;
 
 
(iv)
copies, certified as true and complete by an officer of each Security Party and Noir, of the certificate of incorporation and by-laws, certificate of formation and operating agreement, or equivalent instruments thereof;
 
 
(v)
certificate of an authorized officer of the Guarantor certifying that it legally and beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, or limited liability company membership interests, as the case may be, of each of the Borrowers, each of the Collateral Obligors and Noir and that such capital stock or membership interests are free and clear of any liens, claims, pledges or other encumbrances whatsoever and have been paid in full; and
 
 
(vi)
certificates of the jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as the case may be, of each Security Party and Noir as to the good standing thereof;
 
(b)           Transaction Documents .  each Security Party shall have duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent the following Transaction Documents to which it is a party:
 
 
(i)
this Credit Facility Agreement;
 
 
(ii)
the Note;
 
 
(iii)
the Consent and Agreement;
 

 
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  (iv)  the Guaranty;
     
 
(v)
the Account Pledge with respect to the Equity and Reserve Account;
 
 
(vi)
the Collateral Account Pledge (which shall also be executed by Noir) with respect to the 'Retention Account' under the $95 M Credit Agreement;
 
 
(vii)
the Collateral Account Pledges with respect to the 'Earnings Accounts' under the $95 M Credit Agreement;
 
 
(viii)
the Collateral Pledge (which shall also be executed by Noir) with respect to the 'Debt Service Reserve Account' under the $95 M Credit Agreement;
 
 
(ix)
the Collateral Mortgages;
 
 
(x)
the Assignments of Shipbuilding Contract and Refund Guarantees;
 
 
(xi)
the Collateral Earnings Assignments;
 
 
(xii)
the Collateral Insurances Assignments (which shall also be executed by the bareboat charterer, if any, and the manager of the relevant Collateral Vessel);
 
 
(xiii)
the Collateral Assignments of Charter Party Agreements; and
 
 
(xiv)
the Assignment Notices with respect to (x), (xi), (xii) and (xiii) above;
 
(c)            Solvency .  the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of an officer of the Guarantor confirming the representations and warranties with respect to solvency set forth in the Guaranty and containing conclusions as to the solvency of each of the Security Parties;
 
(d)            Approved Manager Documents .  each Approved Manager shall have duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent the Approved Manager's Undertaking relating to each of the Collateral Vessels, if applicable;
 
(e)            Environmental Claims .  the Administrative Agent shall be satisfied that none of the Security Parties nor any of their Subsidiaries or their Affiliates is subject to any Environmental Claim;
 
(f)            Equity and Reserve Account .  the Borrowers shall have established an equity and reserve account (the "Equity and Reserve Account") into which Warhol shall make
 

 
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a deposit of $2,833,800, Indiana shall make a deposit of $2,863,800 and Britto shall make a deposit of $5,727,600 (each an "Equity Deposit") and into which the Borrowers shall, collectively, make an additional deposit of $1,000,000 (the "Additional Deposit"), each Equity Deposit and the Additional Deposit to be made prior to the relevant Initial Advance of the relevant Tranche relating to the respective Vessel and to be maintained in the Equity and Reserve Account pursuant to Section 9.1(p);
 
(g)            Compliance Certificate .  the Administrative Agent shall have received an executed and completed Compliance Certificate with respect to the most recently ended fiscal quarter;
 
(h)            Vessel Appraisal .  the Administrative Agent shall have received one recent (not older than one month) independently appraised valuations evidencing the Fair Market Value of each Vessels and each Collateral Vessel, which valuations shall be provided at the expense of the Borrowers;
 
(i)            Money Laundering Due Diligence .  the Administrative Agent shall have received such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent in order for each of the Lenders to carry out and be satisfied with the results of all necessary "know your client" or other checks which is required to carry out in relation to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents;
 
(j)            Subordination Agreement .  the Administrative Agent shall have entered into a subordination agreement with HSH, as agent for the $95M Lenders, and consented to by the Security Parties, in such form and substance as shall be acceptable to the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion, pursuant to which each of $95M Creditors shall consent to the Collateral Mortgages and the Collateral Assignments;
 
(k)            Shipbuilding Contracts and Refund Guarantees .  the Administrative Agent shall have received certified copies of (i) each executed Shipbuilding Contract in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and (ii) each executed Refund Guarantee in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and executed by a Refund Guarantor satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
 
(l)            Charter Party Agreements and Performance Guarantees .  the Administrative Agent shall have received certified copies of (i) each executed Charter Party Agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and (ii) each executed Performance Guarantee in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
 
(m)            Mortgage Recording; Charterer Subordination .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that (i) the Collateral Mortgages have been recorded in accordance with the laws of the relevant Permitted Jurisdiction so as to constitute a second preferred mortgage lien under the laws of such jurisdiction and a foreign 'preferred mortgage' under Charter 313 of Title 46 of the United States Code (46 U.S.C. §§31301 et seq.), (ii) each Collateral Vessel is registered in the name of the applicable Collateral Obligor and is
 

 
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free and clear of all registered encumbrances other than the relevant $95M Mortgage and the relevant Collateral Mortgage executed in favor of the Security Trustee and (iii) any charterer with respect to any such Collateral Vessel has subordinated its rights to the rights of the Security Trustee under and pursuant to the relevant Collateral Mortgage;
 
(n)            ISM and ISPS Code .  the Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of the DOC, SMC, ISSC and IAPPC with respect to each of the Collateral Vessels;
 
(o)            Process Agent .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence that each of the Security Parties have appointed CT Corporation System, having an address at 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011, as its true and lawful attorney-in-fact and duly authorized agent for the limited purpose of accepting service of legal process and that each Security Party has agreed that service of process upon such party shall constitute personal service of such process upon such Security Party.  Each of the Security Parties shall have agreed that such appointment shall be maintained for the duration of this Credit Facility Agreement and that if such agent shall cease to act, the Security Parties shall immediately designate and appoint another such agent satisfactory to the Administrative Agent evidence in writing of such other agent's acceptance of such appointment;
 
(p)            Legal Opinions .  the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Agents and the Lenders, shall have received legal opinions addressed to the Administrative Agent from (i) G.C. Economou & Associates, counsel for the Security Parties in respect of, inter alia , no material litigation or breach of contract by the Security Parties and no filings are required in Greece, and (ii) Seward & Kissel LLP, special United States, New York, Liberian and Marshall Islands counsel to the Agents and Lenders in respect of inter alia , the corporate authority of the Security Parties and the enforceability of the Transaction Documents, in each case in such form as the Administrative Agent may require, as well as such other legal opinions as the Administrative Agent shall have required as to all or any matters under the laws of the United States of America, the State of New York, the Republic of Greece, the Republic of Liberia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Malta covering the representations and conditions which are the subjects of Section 2 and this Section 4; and
 
(q)            Know Your Customer Requirements .  the Administrative Agent shall have received documentation to its satisfaction in connection with its know your customer requirements, including but not limited to:
 
 
(i)
completed bank account opening mandates with telephone and fax indemnities to include the list of the Borrowers' authorized signatories and specimens of their signatures;
 
 
(ii)
certified list of directors, including titles, business and residential addresses and dates of birth;
 
 
(iii)
certified true copy of photo identification (i.e. passport or driving license) and evidence of residential address (i.e. utility bill or bank statement) for all authorized signatories;
 

 
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  (iv)   certificate of ultimate beneficial ownership, certified by the respective secretary of such entity, from the Borrowers with respect to each other Security Party; and
     
 
(v)
non-resident declaration forms;
 
(t)            UCC Financing Statements .  the Administrative Agent shall have received such Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statements for filing with the District of Columbia and such other jurisdictions as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require;
 
4.2            Conditions Precedent to Secondary Advances and Tertiary Advances .  The obligation of the Lenders to make each Secondary Advance and each Tertiary Advance in respect of a Tranche available to the Borrowers under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly and separately subject to the following further conditions precedent on the relevant Drawdown Date:
 
(a)            Builder Invoices .  The Administrative Agent shall have received:
 
 
(i)
copies of the invoices received from the Builder certified by the relevant Borrower for the relevant installment due under the Shipbuilding Contract to which such Advance relates; and
 
 
(ii)
instructions from the relevant Borrower directing the Administrative Agent to release funds from the Equity and Reserve Account in payment of such Borrower's equity portion of the third (keel laying) or fourth (launching) installment, as the case may be, under the relevant Shipbuilding Contract.
 
                             (b)            Evidence of Construction Milestone .  The Administrative Agent shall have received such evidence (including, for example without limitation, a certificate from the Builder as to the status of construction of the relevant Vessel) as it shall reasonably require to demonstrate that the applicable construction milestone (i.e. keel laying or launching) under the applicable Shipbuilding Contract has been completed to the satisfaction of the Administrative Agent.
 
4.3            Conditions Precedent to Delivery Advances .  The obligation of the Lenders to make each Delivery Advance in respect of a Tranche available to the Borrowers under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly and separately subject to the following further conditions precedent on the relevant Drawdown Date:
 
(a)            The Vessels .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that the relevant Vessel:
 
 
(i)
has been delivered to the relevant Borrower;
 
 
(ii)
is in the sole and absolute ownership of the relevant Borrower and duly registered in such Borrower's name under the flag of a
 

 
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    Permitted Jurisdiction, respectively, unencumbered, save and except for the Mortgage, recorded against it and as otherwise permitted thereby;
     
 
(iv)
is classed in the highest classification and rating for vessels of the same age and type with the respective Classification Society as set forth in Schedule 2 without any material outstanding recommendations;
 
 
(v)
is operationally seaworthy and in every way fit for its intended service; and
 
 
(vi)
is insured in accordance with the provisions of the Mortgage recorded against it and the requirements thereof in respect of such insurance have been complied with;
 
(b)            Vessel Documents .  the relevant Borrower shall have duly executed (as appropriate) and delivered to the Administrative Agent:
 
 
(i)
the Mortgage over its Vessel;
 
 
(ii)
the Insurances Assignment with respect to its Vessel (which shall also be executed by the relevant Charterer and the manager of the Vessel);
 
 
(iii)
the Earnings Assignment with respect to its Vessel;
 
 
(iv)
the Assignment of Charter Party Agreement with respect to its Vessel;
 
 
(v)
the Management Agreement Assignment with respect to its Vessel (if applicable);
 
 
(vi)
the Assignment Notices with respect to the above-indicated Assignments; and
 
 
(vii)
Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statements for filing with the District of Columbia and in such other jurisdictions as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require;
 
(c)            Mortgage Recording; Recording Prior to Delivery to Charterer .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that (i) the Mortgage over the Vessel to which such Delivery Advance relates has been recorded in accordance with the laws of the relevant Permitted Jurisdiction so as to constitute a first preferred mortgage lien under the laws of such jurisdiction and a foreign 'preferred mortgage' under Charter 313 of Title 46 of the United States Code (46 U.S.C. §§31301 et seq.) and (ii) such Mortgage was duly
 

 
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recorded prior to delivery of the relevant Vessel to the Charterer under the applicable Charter Party Agreement;
 
(d)           Accounts .  the relevant Borrower shall have:
 
 
(i)
established with the Administrative Agent (A) an individual earnings account (the "Earnings Account") into which the Assigned Moneys are to be paid and (B) a joint retention account (the "Retention Account") into which, on each Retention Date, the Borrowers shall deposit (from the individual Earnings Accounts or from such other accounts of the Borrowers) an amount equal to the Retention Amount shall be transferred; and
 
 
(ii)
duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent (A) the Account Pledge with respect to the Retention Account and (B) an Account Pledge with respect to its Earnings Account;
 
(e)           Additional Documents .  the relevant Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent each of the following documents:
 
 
(i)
an executed management agreement with an Approved Manager, if applicable; and
 
 
(ii)
inspection reports acceptable to the Administrative Agent by a surveyor appointed by the Administrative Agent at the Borrowers' expense, of the physical inspection of the relevant Vessel, provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may waive this requirement and reserve the right to have the relevant Vessel inspected after the relevant Advance, if the Borrowers deliver to the Administrative Agent, prior to the relevant Advance, its in-house survey report of the relevant Vessel in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, however, all surveys must be done without undue interference with the operation of the relevant Vessel;
 
(f)            Vessel Liens .  the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it and to its legal advisor that, save for the liens created by the Mortgage and the Assignments relating to such Vessel, there are no liens, charges or encumbrances of any kind whatsoever on such Vessel or on its earnings except as permitted hereby or by any of the Security Documents;
 
(g)            Vessel Appraisals .  the Administrative Agent shall have received two (three if the first two received differ by more than fifteen percent) recent (not older than one month) independently appraised valuations evidencing the Fair Market Value of each of the Vessels, which valuations shall be provided at the expense of the Borrowers;
 

 
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(h)           ISM and ISPS Code .  the Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of the DOC, SMC, ISSC and IAPPC for the Vessel to which such Delivery Advance relates;
 
(i)            Approved Manager Documents .  each Approved Manager shall have duly executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent the Approved Manager's Undertaking relating to the relevant Vessel, if applicable;
 
(j)            Legal Opinions .  the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Agents and the Lenders, shall have received legal opinions addressed to the Administrative Agent from (i) G.C. Economou & Associates, counsel for the Security Parties in respect of, inter alia , no material litigation or breach of contract by the Security Parties and no filings are required in Greece, (ii) counsel for the Security Parties, which counsel shall be acceptable to the Lenders in their sole discretion, in respect of, inter alia , the enforceability, proper execution and recordation of the applicable Mortgages in the Republic of Malta and (iii) Seward & Kissel LLP, special United States, New York, Liberian and Marshall Islands counsel to the Agents and Lenders in respect of, inter alia , the corporate authority of the relevant Borrower and the enforceability of the relevant Security Documents, in each case in such form as the Administrative Agent may require, as well as such other legal opinions as the Administrative Agent shall have required as to all or any matters under the laws of the United States of America, the Republic of Greece, the State of New York, the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Malta or any other relevant Permitted Jurisdiction covering the representations and conditions which are the subjects of Sections 2 and this Section 4.
 
4.4            Further Conditions Precedent .  The obligation of the Lenders to make any Advance available to the Borrower under this Credit Facility Agreement shall be expressly and separately subject to the following further conditions precedent on the relevant Drawdown Date:
 
(a)            Drawdown Notice .  the Administrative Agent having received a Drawdown Notice in accordance with the terms of Section 3.2;
 
(b)            Representations and Warranties .  the representations stated in Section 2  (updated mutatis mutandis to such date) being true and correct as if made on and as of that date;
 
(c)            No Event of Default .  no Event of Default having occurred and being continuing and no event having occurred and being continuing which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default;
 
(d)            No Change in Laws .  the Administrative Agent being satisfied that no change in any applicable laws, regulations, rules or in the interpretation thereof shall have occurred which make it unlawful for any Security Party to make any payment as required under the terms of the Transaction Documents or any of them;
 
(e)            No Material Adverse Effect .  there having been no Material Adverse Effect since the date hereof; and
 

 
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(f)           Fees .  the Administrative Agent shall have received payment in full of all fees and expenses then due to the Agents and/or the Lenders under Section 13 and the Fee Letter (including, without limitation, payment in full of the Arrangement Fee (as defined in the Fee Letter)).
 
4.5            Conditions Subsequent .  The Borrowers shall deliver to the Administrative Agent:
 
(a)           within ten (10) days after the date of first Advance made under this Agreement, duly executed acknowledgements (in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) from each of the Builder and the Refund Guarantor (as applicable) to the applicable Assignment Notice given pursuant to any Assignment of Shipbuilding Contract and Refund Guarantee; and
 
(b)           within ten (10) days after the date of first Advance made under this Agreement, duly executed acknowledgements (in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) from each applicable charterer and insurer of a Collateral Vessel (as applicable) to the applicable Assignment Notice given pursuant to any Collateral Assignment.
 
(c)           within ten (10) days after each Delivery Advance, the signed acknowledgment of the relevant Charterer to the applicable Assignment of Charter Party Agreement;
 
(d)           within ten (10) days after each Delivery Advance, the signed acknowledgment of the relevant insurers with respect to the applicable Insurances Assignment;
 
4.6            Breakfunding Costs .  In the event that, on the date specified for the making of an Advance in any Drawdown Notice, the Lenders shall not be obliged under this Credit Facility Agreement to make such Advance available, the Borrowers shall indemnify and hold the Lenders fully harmless against any losses which the Lenders (or any thereof) may sustain as a result of borrowing or agreeing to borrow funds to meet the drawdown requirement of such Drawdown Notice and the certificate of the relevant Lender or Lenders shall, absent manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers as to the extent of any such losses.
 
4.7            Satisfaction after Drawdown .  Without prejudice to any of the other terms and conditions of this Credit Facility Agreement, in the event the Lenders, in their sole discretion, make any Advance prior to the satisfaction of all or any of the conditions referred to in this Section 4, each of the Borrowers hereby covenants and undertakes to satisfy or procure the satisfaction of such condition or conditions within fourteen (14) days after the relevant Drawdown Date (or such longer period as the Lenders, in their sole discretion, may agree).
 
5.
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
 
5.1            Repayment .  (a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5 regarding prepayments and the application thereof and subject to repayment of the Facility at the Lenders' demand pursuant to Section 6.1(b), the Borrowers shall, on the Payment Dates, repay the principal amount of that portion of the Facility attributable to:
 

 
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  (i)
Tranche A in forty (40) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Advance of Tranche A.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000); (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000); and (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000).  A balloon payment of Eleven Million Nine Hundred Forty Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($11,945,500), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable on the Final Tranche A Final Payment Date.  The amount of each installment and the balloon payment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche A is drawn down;
     
 
(ii)
Tranche B in forty (40) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Advance of Tranche B.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000); (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000); (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000).  A balloon payment of Twelve Million Three Hundred Seventy Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($12,370,500), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable on the Final Tranche B Final Payment Date.  The amount of each installment and the balloon payment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche B is drawn down; and
 
 
(iii)
Tranche C in forty (40) consecutive installments payable quarterly in arrears commencing on the date occurring three (3) months after the Delivery Advance of Tranche C.  The amount of each of the installments shall be as follows: (i) the first through eighth installments shall each be in the amount of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000); (ii) the ninth through twentieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000); and (iii) the twenty-first through fortieth installments shall each be in the amount of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000).  A balloon payment of Twelve Million Three Hundred Seventy Thousand
 

 
40

 

 
 
 
Five Hundred Dollars ($12,370,500), or such other amount as remains outstanding, shall be payable on the Final Tranche C Payment Date.  The amount of each installment and the balloon payment shall be reduced pro rata in the event less than the maximum amount of Tranche C is drawn down.
 
(b)       In the event that any Delivery Advance under any Tranche is not drawn down by the Final Availability Date with respect to such Tranche, such Tranche shall be repaid in full on the Final Availability Date with respect to such Tranche together with accrued interest and breakage costs as applicable.
 
5.2           Voluntary Prepayment; No Re-Borrowing .  The Borrowers may prepay, upon seven (7) Banking Days written notice, any outstanding Advance or any portion thereof, without penalty, provided that if such prepayment is made on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period of such Advance such prepayment shall be made together with the costs and expenses provided for in Section 5.5.  Each prepayment shall be in a minimum amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) plus any One Million Dollar ($1,000,000) multiple thereof or the full amount of the then outstanding Tranches.  Prepayments shall be applied to the remaining payments on a pro-rata basis and will not be available for re-borrowing.
 
5.3           Mandatory Prepayment Upon Sale or Loss of Vessel .  On (i) any sale of a Vessel or (ii) the earlier of (x) one hundred eighty (180) days after the Total Loss of a Vessel or (y) the date on which the insurance proceeds in respect of such loss are received by the Borrowers or the Security Trustee as assignee thereof or (iii) any of the Borrowers is released from its obligations hereunder, the Borrowers shall prepay the Facility and/or any commitment of the Lenders under the Facility will be reduced in an amount equal to the greater of (i) the amounts outstanding under the Tranche to which such Vessel relates and (ii) the amount required to ensure that the Hull Cover Ratio in relation to the remaining Vessels is not less than the Required Percentage.   Any prepayment under this Section 5.3 shall be applied towards the remaining scheduled installments in inverse order of maturity.
 
5.4           Sale or Loss of Collateral Vessel .  On (i) any sale of a Collateral Vessel or (ii) the earlier of (x) one hundred eighty (180) days after the Total Loss of a Collateral Vessel or (y) the date on which the insurance proceeds in respect of such loss are received by the Collateral Obligors or the Security Trustee as assignee thereof, the Borrowers shall ensure that any sale or insurance proceeds with respect to such Collateral Vessel, to the extent that any such proceeds remain after giving effect to the prepayment provisions with respect to such Collateral Vessel in the $95M Transaction Documents, are deposited in the Equity and Reserve Account and any such funds shall, at the election of the Borrowers, either (A) remain in the Equity and Reserve Account until the Borrowers' obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents have been satisfied in full or (B) be used to prepay the Facility.
 
5.5         Interest and Costs with Prepayments/Application of Prepayments .  Any prepayment of the Advances made hereunder (including, without limitation, those made pursuant to Sections 5 and 9.4) shall be subject to the condition that on the date of prepayment all accrued interest to the date of such prepayment shall be paid in full with respect to the Advances or portions thereof being
 
 
41

 
prepaid, together with any and all costs or expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any breaking of funding (as certified by such Lender, which certification shall, absent any manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers).  
 
6.             INTEREST AND RATE
 
6.1            Applicable Rate .  (a) Each Advance shall bear interest at the Applicable Rate, which shall be defined as the rate per annum which is equal to the aggregate of (1) LIBOR for the relevant Interest Period, plus (2)  Mandatory Costs, plus (3) the Margin.  The Applicable Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent two (2) Banking Days prior to the first (1 st ) day of the relevant Interest Period and the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrowers in writing of the Applicable Rate as and when determined.  Each such determination, absent manifest error, shall be conclusive and binding upon the Borrowers.
 
(b)           The Lenders and the Borrowers shall negotiate in good faith to determine the Margin for the period following the Margin Final Date; provided , however , that should an agreement on the Margin for the period following the Margin Final Date not be reached between the Lenders and the Borrowers by two (2) days before the Margin Final Date, the Lenders shall as of the Margin Final Date be entitled to demand immediate repayment of the outstanding Facility together with accrued interest thereon.
 
6.2            Default Rate .  Any amounts due under this Credit Facility Agreement, not paid when due, whether by acceleration or otherwise, shall bear interest thereafter from the due date thereof until the date of payment at a rate per annum equal to (i) the Applicable Rate, plus two percent (2%) per annum (the "Default Rate").  In addition, following the occurrence of any Event of Default  and until such Event of Default is cured to the satisfaction of the Majority Lenders, the Facility shall bear interest at the Default Rate.
 
6.3            Interest Periods .  The Borrowers shall give the Administrative Agent an Interest Notice specifying the Interest Period selected for the next subsequent Interest Period at least three (3) Banking Days prior to the end of any then existing Interest Period, which notice the Administrative Agent agrees to forward on to all Lenders on a same day basis or as soon as practicable.  If at the end of any then existing Interest Period the Borrowers fail to give an Interest Notice, the relevant Interest Period shall be three (3) months.  The Borrowers' right to select an Interest Period shall be subject to the restriction that no selection of an Interest Period shall be effective unless each Lender is satisfied that the necessary funds will be available to such Lender for such period and that no Event of Default or event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, in which case the Interest Period shall be determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion.  Interest Periods for each Tranche hereunder shall be consolidated as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) days after the delivery of the Vessel to which such Tranche relates.  The Borrowers shall reimburse the Lenders for any and all costs or expenses incurred by the Lenders in connection with any breaking of funding (as certified by each Lender, which certification, absent manifest error, shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers) as a consequence of such consolidation.  Unless and until the Borrowers and the Lenders agree to a Margin for the period following the Margin Final Date, no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Margin Final Date.
 
 
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6.4            Interest Payments .  Accrued interest on the Facility shall be payable in arrears on the last day of each Interest Period, except that if the Borrowers shall select an Interest Period in excess of three (3) months, accrued interest shall be payable during such Interest Period on each three (3) month anniversary of the commencement of such Interest Period and upon the end of such Interest Period (each an "Interest Payment Date").
 
7.
PAYMENTS
 
7.1            Place of Payments, No Set Off .  All payments to be made hereunder by the Borrowers shall be made to the Administrative Agent, not later than 10 a.m. New York time (any payment received after 10 a.m. New York time shall be deemed to have been paid on the next Banking Day) on the due date of such payment, at its office located at Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50, 20095 Hamburg, Germany, or to such other office of the Administrative Agent as the Administrative Agent may direct, without set-off or counterclaim and free from, clear of, and without deduction or withholding for, any Taxes, provided, however, that if the Borrowers shall at any time be compelled by law to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any amounts payable to the Lenders hereunder, then the Borrowers shall pay such additional amounts in Dollars as may be necessary in order that the net amounts received after withholding or deduction shall equal the amounts which would have been received if such withholding or deduction were not required and, in the event any withholding or deduction is made, whether for Taxes or otherwise, the Borrowers shall promptly send to the Administrative Agent such documentary evidence with respect to such withholding or deduction as may be required from time to time by the Lenders, including evidence that the Borrowers have duly paid the withholding or deductions as required.
 
7.2            Tax Credits .  If any Lender obtains the benefit of a credit against the liability thereof for federal income taxes imposed by any taxing authority for all or part of the Taxes as to which the Borrowers have paid additional amounts as aforesaid in Section 7.1, then such Lender shall pay an amount to the Borrowers which that Lender determines will leave it (after such payment) in the same position as it would have been had the Tax payment not been made by the Borrowers.  
 
7.3            Sharing of Setoffs .  Each Lender agrees that if it shall, through the exercise of a right of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or pursuant to a secured claim under Section 506 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code or other security or interest arising from, or in lieu of, such secured claim, exercised or received by such Lender under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or otherwise, or by any other means, obtain payment (voluntary or involuntary) in respect of any Advance or Advances as a result of which its funded Commitment shall be proportionately less than the funded Commitment of any other Lender, it shall be deemed simultaneously to have purchased from such other Lender at face value, and shall promptly pay to such other Lender the purchase price for, a participation in the funded Commitment of such other Lender so that the aggregate funded Commitment of each Lender shall be in the same proportion to the aggregate funded Commitments then outstanding as its funded Commitment prior to such exercise of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or other event was to the principal amount of all funded Commitments outstanding prior to such exercise of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim or other event; provided , however , that, if any such purchase or purchases or adjustments shall be made pursuant to this Section 7.3 and the payment giving rise thereto shall thereafter be recovered, such purchase or purchases or adjustments shall be rescinded to the extent of such recovery and the purchase price or

 
43

 

 
prices or adjustment restored without interest.  Any Lender holding a participation in a funded Commitment deemed to have been so purchased may exercise any and all rights of banker's lien, setoff or counterclaim with respect to any and all moneys owing to such Lender by reason thereof as fully as if such Lender had made an Advance in the amount of such participation.  Each of the Borrowers expressly consent to the foregoing arrangement.
 
7.4            Computations; Banking Days .  (A)    All computations of interest and fees shall be made by the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, as the case may be, on the basis of a 360-day year, in each case for the actual number of days (including the first day but excluding the last day) occurring in the period for which interest or fees are payable.  Each determination by the Administrative Agent or the Lenders of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error;
 
 
(B)
Whenever any payment hereunder or under the Note shall be stated to be due on a day other than a Banking Day, such payment shall be due and payable on the next succeeding Banking day unless the next succeeding Banking Day falls in the following calendar month, in which case it shall be payable on the immediately preceding Banking Day.
 
8.
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
8.1            Events of Default .  The occurrence of any of the following events shall be an Event of Default:
 
(a)            Non-Payment of Principal .  any payment of principal is not paid when due; or
 
(b)            Non-Payment of Interest or Other Amounts .  any interest or any other amount becoming payable to any of the Finance Parties under any of the Transaction Documents is not paid within three (3) Banking Days of the due date or date of demand (as the case may be); or
 
(c)            Representations .  any representation, warranty or other statement made by any of the Borrowers in this Credit Facility Agreement or by any Security Party in any of the Transaction Documents or in any other instrument, document or other agreement delivered in connection herewith or therewith proves to have been untrue or misleading in any material respect as at the date as of which made or confirmed; or
 
(d)            Impossibility; Illegality .  it becomes impossible or unlawful for any of the Security Parties to fulfill any of its covenants or obligations hereunder, under the Note or under any of the Transaction Documents or for any of the Finance Parties to exercise any of the rights vested in any of them hereunder, under the Note or under any of the other Transaction Documents; or
 
 
 

 
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(e)            Mortgage .  there is an event of default under any Mortgage or Collateral Mortgage; or
(f)            Covenants .  any Security Party (i) defaults in the due and punctual observance or performance of Sections 9.1(c), 9.1(h), 9.1(j), 9.1(k), 9.1(m), 9.1(n), 9.2(h) or 9.2(k) and such default continued unremedied for a period of sixty (60) days or (ii) defaults under any other term, covenant or agreement contained in any of the Transaction Documents or in any other instrument, document or other agreement delivered in connection herewith or therewith, or there occurs any other event which constitutes a default under any of the Transaction Documents, in each case other than an Event of Default referred to elsewhere in this Section 8.1; or
 
(g)            Debt .  any Security Party shall default in the payment when due of any Debt or of any other debt, in either case, in the outstanding principal amount equal to or exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) or such debt or debt is, or by reason of such default is subject to being, accelerated or any party becomes entitled to enforce the security for any such Debt or debt and such party shall take steps to enforce the same, unless such default or enforcement is being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and the Security Party, Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Guarantor, as the case may be, shall set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto; or
 
(h)            Ownership of Borrowers or Collateral Obligors .  the Guarantor shall cease to own directly or indirectly, one hundred percent (100%) of any of the Borrowers or the Collateral Obligors; or
 
(i)            Bankruptcy .  any Security Party or any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor commences any proceeding under any reorganization, arrangement or readjustment of debt, dissolution, winding up, adjustment, composition, bankruptcy or liquidation law or statute of any jurisdiction, whether now or hereafter in effect (a "Proceeding"), or there is commenced against any thereof any Proceeding and such Proceeding remains undismissed or unstayed for a period of thirty (30) days or any receiver, trustee, liquidator or sequestrator of, or for, any thereof or any substantial portion of the property of any thereof is appointed and is not discharged within a period of thirty (30) days or any thereof by any act indicates consent to or approval of or acquiescence in any Proceeding or the appointment of any receiver, trustee, liquidator or sequestrator of, or for, itself or of, or for, any substantial portion of its property; or
 
(j)            Termination of Operations; Sale of Assets .  except as expressly permitted under this Credit Facility Agreement, any Security Party ceases its operations or sells or otherwise disposes of all or substantially all of its assets or all or substantially all of the assets of any Security Party are seized or otherwise appropriated; or
 
(k)            Judgments .  any judgment or order is made, the effect whereof would be to render ineffective or invalid any of the Transaction Documents or any material provision thereof, or any Security Party asserts that any such agreement or provision thereof is invalid; or
 

 
 
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(l)            Inability to Pay Debts .  any Security Party or any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor is unable to pay or admits its inability to pay its debts as they fall due or a moratorium shall be declared in respect of any material indebtedness of any Security Party or any Affiliate of the Guarantor; or
(m)          Change in Financial Position .  any change in the financial position of any Security Party or any Affiliate of the Guarantor which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, shall have a Material Adverse Effect; or
 
(n)            Change in Control .  a Change of Control shall occur with respect to the Guarantor; or
 
(o)            Cross-Default .  any Security Party or any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of the Guarantor defaults under any material contract or material agreement, including, without limitation, any $95M Transaction Document, to which it is a party or by which it is bound.
 
Upon and during the continuance of any Event of Default, the Lenders' obligation to make any Advance available shall cease and the Administrative Agent may, and on the instructions of the Majority Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrowers, declare the entire unpaid balance of the then outstanding Advances, accrued interest and any other sums payable by the Borrowers hereunder or under the Note due and payable, whereupon the same shall forthwith be due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived; provided that upon the happening of an event specified in subsections (i) or (l) of this Section 8.1 with respect to the Borrowers, the Note shall be immediately due and payable without declaration or other notice to the Borrowers.  In such event, the Lenders may proceed to protect and enforce their rights by action at law, suit in equity or in admiralty or other appropriate proceeding, whether for specific performance of any covenant contained in any Transaction Document, or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein or therein, or the Lenders may proceed to enforce the payment of the Note or to enforce any other legal or equitable right of the Lenders, or proceed to take any action authorized or permitted under the terms of any Transaction Document or by applicable law for the collection of all sums due, or so declared due, on the Note.  Without limiting the foregoing, each of the Borrowers agrees that during the continuance of any Event of Default each of the Lenders shall have the right to appropriate and hold or apply (directly, by way of set-off or otherwise) to the payment of the obligations of the Borrowers to the Lenders hereunder and/or under the Note (whether or not then due) all moneys and other amounts of the Borrowers then or thereafter in possession of any Lender, the balance of any deposit account (demand or time, mature or unmatured) of the Borrowers then or thereafter with any Lender and every other claim of the Borrowers then or thereafter against any of the Lenders.
 
8.2            Indemnification .  Each of the Borrowers agrees to, and shall, indemnify and hold the Finance Parties harmless against any loss, as well as against any costs or expenses (including legal fees and expenses), which any of the Finance Parties sustains or incurs as a consequence of any default in payment of the principal amount of the Facility, interest accrued thereon or any other amount payable hereunder, under the Note or under any Transaction Document, including, but not limited to, all actual losses incurred in liquidating or re-employing fixed deposits made by third parties or funds acquired to effect or maintain the Facility or any portion thereof.  Any Finance
 

 
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Party's certification of such costs and expenses shall, absent any manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers.
 
8.3            Application of Moneys .  Except as otherwise provided in any Transaction Document, all moneys received by the Agents or the Lenders under or pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any of the other Transaction Documents after the happening of any Event of Default (unless cured to the satisfaction of the Majority Lenders) shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following manner:
 
 
(A)
first, in or towards the payment or reimbursement of any expenses or liabilities incurred by the Finance Parties in connection with the ascertainment, protection or enforcement of their rights and remedies hereunder, under the Note and under any of the other Transaction Documents,
 
 
(B)
second, in or towards payment of any interest owing in respect of the Facility,
 
 
(C)
third, in or towards repayment of principal owing in respect of the Facility,
 
 
(D)
fourth, in or towards payment of all other sums which may be owing to the Finance Parties under the Transaction Documents (other than any Interest Rate Agreement),
 
 
(E)
fifth, in or towards payments of any amounts then owed under any Interest Rate Agreement, including, but not limited to, any costs associated with unwinding any Interest Rate Agreement, on a pari passu basis, and
 
 
(F)
sixth, the surplus (if any) shall be paid to the Borrowers or to whosoever else may be entitled thereto.
 
9.
COVENANTS
 
9.1            Affirmative Covenants .  Each of the Borrowers (and the Guarantor and each of the Collateral Obligors by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto), hereby covenant and undertake with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal, interest or other moneys are owing in respect of any of the Transaction Documents, it will:
 
(a)            Performance of Agreements .  duly perform and observe, and procure the observance and performance by all other parties thereto (other than the Agents and the Lenders) of, the terms of the Transaction Documents;
 
 
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(b)            Notice of Default, etc .  promptly upon, and in any event no later than three (3) Banking Days after, obtaining knowledge thereof, inform the Administrative Agent of the occurrence of (a) any Event of Default or of any event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, (b) any litigation or governmental proceeding pending or threatened against it or against any of its Subsidiaries which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, including but not limited to, in respect of any Environmental Claim, (c) the withdrawal of any Vessel's rating by its Classification Society or the issuance by the Classification Society of any material recommendation or notation affecting class and (d) any other event or condition which is reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect;
 
(c)           Obtain Consents .  without prejudice to Section 2.1 and this Section 9.1, obtain and maintain every consent and do all other acts and things which may from time to time be necessary or advisable for the continued due performance of all its and the other Security Parties' respective obligations under the Transaction Documents;
 
(d)           Financial Information .  deliver to each Lender:
 
 
(i)
as soon as available but not later than one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, complete copies of the consolidated financial reports of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries (together with a Compliance Certificate and a detailed reconciliation of all of the differences between GAAP as at December 31, 2007 and as at the time of delivery), all in reasonable detail, which shall include at least the consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries as of the end of such year and the related consolidated statements of income and sources and uses of funds for such year, which shall be audited reports prepared by an Acceptable Accounting Firm, and each of the Borrowers shall provide to each Lender as soon as available but not later than one hundred eighty (180) days after the end of each fiscal year of such Borrower and any Charterers, complete copies of the consolidated financial reports of each of the Borrowers and consolidated, audited financial reports of each of the Charterers;
 
 
(ii)
as soon as available but not later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, a quarterly interim consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries and the related consolidated profit and loss statements and sources and uses of funds (together with a Compliance Certificate and a detailed reconciliation of all of the differences between GAAP as at December 31, 2007 and as at the time of delivery), all in
 

 
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    reasonable detail, unaudited, but certified to be true and complete by the chief financial officer of the Guarantor;
     
  (iii)
within ten (10) days of the filing thereof at the email addresses (as provided by the Administrative Agent from time to time), electronic copies of all registration statements and reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K (or their equivalents) and other material filings which the Guarantor shall have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any similar governmental authority;
     
 
(iv)
promptly upon the mailing thereof to the shareholders of the Guarantor, copies of all financial statements, reports, proxy statements and other communications provided to the Guarantor's shareholders;
 
 
(v)
within ten (10) days of the Security Parties' receipt thereof, copies of all audit letters or other correspondence from any external auditors including material financial information in respect of the Security Parties;
 
 
(vi)
such other statements (including, without limitation, monthly consolidated statements of operating revenues and expenses), lists of assets and accounts, budgets, forecasts, reports and other financial information with respect to its business as the Administrative Agent may from time to time request, certified to be true and complete by the chief financial officer of each of the Guarantor;
 
(e)            Vessel Valuations .  reimburse the Administrative Agent for the cost of appraisals of the Fair Market Value of the Vessels.  The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to obtain such valuations (1) in connection with the Vessels from two ship brokers approved by the Lenders one time per Vessel in each calendar year, to be delivered on each six month anniversary of the date of the Initial Advance relating to the Tranche for such Vessel, (2) in connection with the Collateral Vessels from one ship broker approved by the Lenders one time per Vessel in each calendar year, to be delivered on each anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (3) upon the occurrence of an Event of Default;
 
(f)            Corporate Existence .  do or cause to be done, and procure that each Subsidiary of the Guarantor shall do or cause to be done, all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence, or limited liability company existence, as the case may be, and all licenses, franchises, permits and assets necessary to the conduct of its business;
 

 
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(g)            Books and Records .  at all times keep, and cause each Subsidiary of the Guarantor to keep, proper books of record and account into which full and correct entries shall be made in accordance with GAAP;
 
(h)            Taxes and Assessments .  pay and discharge, and cause each Subsidiary of the Guarantor to pay and discharge, all taxes, assessments and governmental charges or levies imposed upon it or upon its income or property prior to the date upon which penalties attach thereto; provided , however , that it shall not be required to pay and discharge, or cause to be paid and discharged, any such tax, assessment, charge or levy so long as the legality thereof shall be contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or other acts and it shall set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto;
 
(i)            Inspection .  allow, and cause each Subsidiary to allow, upon ten (10) Banking Days notice from the Administrative Agent, any representative or representatives designated by the Administrative Agent, subject to applicable laws and regulations, to visit and inspect any of its properties, and, on request, to examine its books of account, records, reports, agreements and other papers and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its officers, all at such times and as often as the Administrative Agent requests;
 
(j)            Inspection and Survey Reports .  if the Lenders shall so request, permit the Lenders to inspect any Vessel or any Collateral Vessel and shall provide the Lenders with copies of all internally generated inspection or survey reports on the Vessels and the Collateral Vessels, provided , however , that if the Vessels and the Collateral Vessels are found in satisfactory condition, the cost of such inspections shall be borne by the Borrowers not more than once a year;
 
(k)            Compliance with Statutes, Agreements, etc .  do or cause to be done, and cause each Subsidiary to do and cause to be done, all things necessary to comply with all contracts or agreements to which it, or any Subsidiary is a party, and all laws, and the rules and regulations thereunder, applicable to the Borrowers, the Guarantor or such Subsidiary, including, without limitation, those laws, rules and regulations relating to employee benefit plans and environmental matters;
 
(l)            Environmental Matters .  promptly upon the occurrence of any of the following conditions, provide to the Administrative Agent a certificate of an executive officer thereof, specifying in detail the nature of such condition and its proposed response or the response of its Environmental Affiliates:  (a) its receipt or the receipt by any other Security Party or any Environmental Affiliates of the Borrowers or any other Security Party of any written communication whatsoever that alleges that such Person is not in compliance with any applicable Environmental Law or Environmental Approval, if such noncompliance could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) knowledge by it, or by any other Security Party or any Environmental Affiliates of the Borrowers or any other Security Party that there exists any Environmental Claim pending or threatened against any such Person, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or (c) any release, emission, discharge or disposal of any material that could form the basis of any Environmental Claim against it, any other Security Party or against any Environmental Affiliates of the
 
 
50

 
 
Borrowers or any other Security Party, if such Environmental Claim could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Upon the written request by the Administrative Agent, it will submit to the Administrative Agent at reasonable intervals, a report providing an update of the status of any issue or claim identified in any notice or certificate required pursuant to this subsection;
 
(m)           Vessel Management .  cause each of the Vessels to be technically and commercially managed properly and maintained according to shipping industry standards.  At the termination of any of the Charter Party Agreements, cause the respective Vessel to be managed commercially by Top Tanker Management Inc., which may subcontract the technical management of such Vessel to V. Ships or Hanseatic or any other management company acceptable to the Majority Lenders;
 
(n)            ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI Matters .  (i) procure that the Operator will comply with and ensure each of the Vessels and Collateral Vessels will comply with the requirements of the ISM Code, ISPS Code, MTSA and Annex VI in accordance with the implementation schedule thereof, including (but not limited to) the maintenance and renewal of valid certificates and when required, security plans, pursuant thereto; and (ii) will procure that the Operator will immediately inform the Administrative Agent if there is any threatened or actual withdrawal of its DOC, SMC, the ISSC or IAPPC in respect of any Vessel or any Collateral Vessel; and upon the request of the Administrative Agent (iii) will procure that the Operator will promptly inform the Administrative Agent upon the issuance to the Borrowers or Operator of a DOC and the issuance to any Vessel or any Collateral Vessel of an SMC, ISSC or IAPPC;
 
(o)            Brokerage Commissions, etc .  indemnify and hold each of the Agents and the Lenders harmless from any claim for any brokerage commission, fee, or compensation from any broker or third party resulting from the transactions contemplated hereby;
 
(p)            Deposit Accounts; Assignment .  , in the case of each of the Borrowers, (i) on and after its establishment pursuant to Section 4.3(d) maintain an Earnings Account and deposit therein all Assigned Monies (other than as provided in this Section 9.1(p)); (ii) maintain the Equity and Reserve Account and maintain the funds deposited therein pursuant to Section 4.1(f); provided , however , that the Additional Deposit shall be released to the Borrowers on the date of the Delivery Advance with respect to the last delivered Vessel; provided , further , that such funds from the Equity Deposits shall be remitted to the Builder from time to time upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 4.2 for payment of the relevant Borrower's equity portion of the third (keel laying) or fourth (launching) installment under the relevant Shipbuilding Contract; provided further that the Administrative Agent shall not release: (A) funds from the Equity Deposits in an aggregate amount of more than (1) $2,083,800 to Warhol (2) $2,113,800 to Indiana, and (3) $4,977,600 to Britto (for the avoidance of doubt, $750,000 per Vessel of the Equity Deposits shall remain deposited in the Equity and Reserve Account throughout the tenor of the Facility and shall thereafter be remitted to the relevant Borrowers (1/3 each) upon repayment of the Facility); or (B) the Additional Deposit unless in accordance with the provision above; or (C) the proceeds of any sale or loss of a Collateral Vessel received into the Equity and Reserve Account pursuant to
 
 
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Section 5.4 unless in repayment of the Facility or until the Borrowers' obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note and the Security Documents have been satisfied in full; and (iii) on and after its establishment pursuant to Section 4.3(d) maintain the Retention Account and shall ensure that the Retention Amount is transferred each month (from its Earnings Accounts or from such other account(s) of the Borrower(s)) to the Retention Account;
 
(q)        Insurance .  (i) maintain, and cause each other Security Party to maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurance companies satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, insurance on all their respective properties and against all such risks and in at least such amounts as are usually insured against by companies of established reputation engaged in the same or similar business from time to time, including, but not limited to (A) hull and machinery insurance (fire, marine and other risks, including excess risks and war risks) in an amount of not less than 120% of the Facility or the Fair Market Value of the Vessels, whichever is higher, and (B) protection and indemnity insurance at the highest possible cover available (as of the date of this Credit Facility Agreement, $1,000,000,000 for oil pollution claims) and with a P&I club satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, and (ii) reimburse the Security Trustee for all costs of acquiring and maintaining (A) mortgagee's interest insurance ("MII") in an amount of not less than 120% of the Facility and (B) mortgagee's additional perils pollution insurance ("MAP") in an  amount of not less than 110% of the Facility;
 
(r)            Interest Rate Agreements .  provide the Swap Provider with a right of first refusal to quote for interest rate swap contracts and all other interest rate hedging related instruments with respect to the Facility.  The Borrowers further undertake with the Swap Provider to hedge at least 75% of the amount of the Facility for a period ending on August 30, 2013 which hedge shall commence within two (2) months of the date on which the first Advance is drawn under the Facility; and
 
(s)            Subordination of General and Administrative Costs .  take such steps are necessary and as may be advisable to ensure that all general and administrative costs (including, without limitation, ship management fees due and payable to an Approved Manager under any management agreement, if applicable) incurred in connection with the ownership and operation of the Vessels shall be subordinated to the Borrowers' debt service obligations with respect to the Facility.
 
9.2            Negative Covenants .  Each of the Borrowers (and the Guarantor and each of the Collateral Obligors by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto) hereby covenants and undertakes with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal, interest or other moneys are owing in respect of any of the Transaction Documents, it will not, without the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders (or all of the Lenders if required by Section 14.8):
 
(a)            Liens .  create, assume or permit to exist, any mortgage, pledge, lien, charge, encumbrance or any security interest whatsoever upon any Collateral or other property except:

 
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(i)
the Mortgages, the Collateral Mortgages, the Assignments, the Collateral Assignments and other liens in favor of the Security Trustee;
 
 
(ii)
liens, charges and encumbrances against their respective Vessels or the Collateral Vessels permitted to exist under the terms of the Mortgages or the Collateral Mortgages; and
 
 
(iii)
liens, charges and encumbrances on the Collateral Vessels in connection with the $95M Transaction Documents;
 
(b)            Debt .  (i) with respect to each of the Borrowers and the Collateral Obligors, incur any Debt, excluding Debt to the Agents or any of the Lenders hereunder, other than under the $95M Transaction Documents or in the ordinary course of business, and with respect to the Guarantor, incur any Debt that would violate Section 9.3, (ii) permit any Subsidiary of the Guarantor to incur any Debt that would cause the Guarantor to be in default under any provision of Section 9.3 or (iii) permit the Guarantor to make advances or extend credit to, or become obligated, contingently or otherwise, in respect of any Debt of, any Subsidiary;
 
(c)            Change of Flag, Class, Management or Ownership .  change the flag of any Vessel or Collateral Vessel other than to a Permitted Jurisdiction, their Classification Society other than to another member of the International Association of Classification Societies designated by the Borrowers and approved by the Administrative Agent, the technical management of any Vessel other than to one or more technical management companies acceptable to the Majority Lenders or the immediate or ultimate ownership of any Vessel or Collateral Vessel;
 
(d)            Chartering .  (i) enter into any bareboat charter with any party other than the Charterers or a Subsidiary or an Affiliate of the Borrowers or the Guarantor, with respect to any of the Vessels having a duration of, including any options to extend such charter, more than twelve (12) months and (ii) with respect to the Charter Party Agreements and the Performance Guarantees, amend, alter, terminate, assign or otherwise adversely effect the rights of the Lenders hereunder, without the prior consent of the Administrative Agent (acting on behalf of the Majority Lenders);
 
(e)            Change in Business .  materially change the nature of its business or commence any business materially different from its current business;
 
(f)            Sale or Pledge of Shares .  with respect to the Guarantor, sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise convey or dispose of any of the shares (including by way of spin-off, installment sale or otherwise) of the capital stock, or limited liability company interests, as the case may be of any of the Borrowers or Collateral Obligors;
 
(g)            Sale of Assets .  with respect to each of the Borrowers or Collateral Obligors, sell, or otherwise dispose of, any Vessel or Collateral Vessel (unless otherwise in

 
 
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accordance with this Credit Facility Agreement) or any other asset (including  by way of spin-off, installment sale or otherwise) which is substantial in relation to its assets taken as a whole, other than such sales by the one Borrower to another;
 
(h)            Changes in Offices .  change the location of the chief executive office of any Security Party, the office of the chief place of business of any such parties or the office of the Security Parties in which the records relating to the earnings or insurances of any Vessel are kept unless the Lenders shall have received thirty (30) days prior written notice of such change;

(i)       Consolidation and Merger .  consolidate with, or merge into, any corporation or other entity, or merge any corporation or other entity into it;
 
(j)            Change Fiscal Year .  change its fiscal year;
 
(k)            Limitations on Ability to Make Distributions .  create or otherwise cause or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Borrower to (i) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its capital stock or limited liability company interests, as the case may be, to the Guarantor or any Borrower or pay any Debt owed to the Guarantor, (ii) make any loans or advances to the Guarantor, or (iii) transfer any of its property or assets to the Guarantor;
 
(l)            Use of Corporate Funds .  permit any Borrower to pay out any funds to any Person except (i) in the ordinary course of business in connection with the management of the business of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, including the operation and/or repair of any of the Vessels and other vessels owned or operated by such parties and (ii) the servicing of the Debt permitted hereunder;
 
(m)            Issuance of Shares .  permit any Borrower or Collateral Obligor to issue or dispose of any shares of its own capital stock or limited liability company interests, as the case may be, to any Person other than the Guarantor;
 
(n)            No Money Laundering .  in connection with any of the Transaction Documents, contravene or permit any Borrower or Collateral Obligor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor to contravene, any law, official requirement or other regulatory measure or procedure implemented to combat "money laundering" (as defined in Article 1 of the Directive (91/308/EEC) of the Council of the European Communities) and comparable United States Federal and state laws.  In addition, each of the Borrowers confirm that they are the beneficiary (within the meaning of Section 8 of the German Money Laundering Act (Gesetz über das Aufspüren von Gewinnen aus schweren Straftaten (Geldwäschegesetz)) for each Advance made or to be made available to it. The Borrowers will promptly inform the Lenders (by written notice to the Administrative Agent) if any of the Borrowers are not or ceases to be the beneficiary and will provide in writing the name and address of the beneficiary.  Each of the Borrowers agrees that it will submit any documentation on request, if such documentation is required by any of the Lenders to comply with their Anti-Money Laundering/legal identification requirements;

 
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                   (o)            Accounts .  will not establish any operating accounts or earnings accounts in respect of the Assigned Moneys with any Lender or with any other financial institution other than the Administrative Agent;
 
                  (p)            Dividends and Distributions to the Guarantor .  with respect to the Borrowers, declare or pay dividends or make any distributions to its shareholders in any form whatsoever in excess of 70% of its net income per year, as evidenced by such Borrower's relevant financial statements;
 
(q)    Use of Proceeds .  will not use the proceeds of Advances in violation of Regulation T, U or X; and
 
9.3            Financial Covenants .  The Guarantor, by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto, hereby covenants and undertakes with the Lenders that, from the date hereof and so long as any principal or interest are outstanding or other moneys are owing in respect of any of the Transaction Documents, the Guarantor will:
 
(a)            Adjusted Net Worth .  maintain at all times an Adjusted Net Worth of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Million Dollars ($250,000,000) and such Adjusted Net Worth shall not be less than Thirty Five Percent (35%) of the Total Assets;
 
(b)            EBITDA to Fixed Charges .  ensure that EBITDA shall at all times exceed 120% of the aggregate amount of Fixed Charges; and
 
(c)            Minimum Liquidity .  at all times maintain Liquid Funds in the greater of Twenty Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000), or Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) per vessel directly or indirectly owned or bareboat chartered-in and/or leased-back by the Guarantor (the "Minimum Liquidity").
 
Each of the financial covenants set forth in this Section 9.3 shall be tested on the basis of the quarterly, semi-annual and annual financial statements of the Guarantor and shall be accompanied by a Compliance Certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit H hereto, detailing all appropriate calculations, prepared and signed by a duly authorized representative of the Guarantor.  In addition, the Guarantor shall provide any information on their financial condition, commitments and operations which any Lender may reasonably require.
 
9.4            Asset Maintenance .  If at any time during the term of the Credit Facility Agreement, the Fair Market Value of Vessels is less than the Required Percentage, the Borrowers shall, within a period of thirty (30) days following receipt by the Borrowers of written notice from the Administrative Agent notifying the Borrowers of such shortfall and specifying the amount thereof (which amount shall, in the absence of manifest error, be deemed to be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers), either (i) deliver to the Security Trustee such additional collateral as may be satisfactory to the Lenders in their sole discretion of sufficient value to make the aggregate Fair Market Value of said Vessels plus the additional collateral, equal to the Required Percentage or (ii) the Borrowers shall prepay such amount of the Facility (together with interest thereon and any other monies payable in

 
55

 
 
respect of such prepayment pursuant to Section 5.5) as shall result in the Fair Market Value of the Vessels being not less than the Required Percentage.
 
10.
ASSIGNMENT
 
This Credit Facility Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the Borrowers and the Lenders, the Agents and their respective successors and assigns, except that the Borrowers may not assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder.  Each Lender shall be entitled to assign its rights and obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement or grant participation(s) in the Facility to any third party without the consent of the Borrowers.  Each Lender may transfer all or any part of its rights, benefits and its obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement and any of the other Transaction Documents to any third party (the "Transferee") if the Transferee, by delivery of such undertaking, becomes bound by the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement and agrees to perform all or, as the case may be, part of such Lender's obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement.  Each Lender may disclose to a prospective assignee, transferee or to any other Person who may propose entering into contractual relations with such Lender in relation to the Credit Facility Agreement and such information about each if the Borrowers and the Guarantor as such Lender shall consider appropriate.  The Borrowers will take all actions requested by the Agents or any Lender to effect such assignment, including, without limitation, the execution of a written consent to any Assignment and Assumption Agreement.
 
11.
ILLEGALITY, INCREASED COST, NON-AVAILABILITY, ETC.
 
11.1            Illegality .  In the event that by reason of any change in any applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement or in the interpretation thereof, a Lender has a basis to conclude that it has become unlawful for any Lender to maintain or give effect to its obligations as contemplated by this Credit Facility Agreement, such Lender shall inform the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers to that effect, whereafter the liability of such Lender to make its Commitment available shall forthwith cease and the Borrowers shall be required either to repay to such Lender that portion of the Facility advanced by such Lender immediately or, if such Lender so agrees, to repay such portion of the Facility to such Lender on the last day of any then current Interest Period in accordance with and subject to the provisions of Section 11.5.  In any such event, but without prejudice to the aforesaid obligations of the Borrowers to repay such portion of the Facility, the Borrowers and the relevant Lender shall negotiate in good faith with a view to agreeing on terms for making such portion of the Facility available from another jurisdiction or otherwise restructuring such portion of the Facility on a basis which is not unlawful.
 
11.2            Increased Costs .  If as a result of the implementation of the International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards: A Revised Framework (Basel II) or any other change in applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement (including any applicable law, regulation or regulatory requirement which relates to capital adequacy or liquidity controls or which affects the manner in which any Lender allocates capital resources under this Credit Facility Agreement), or in the interpretation or application thereof by any governmental or other authority, shall:
 
 
(i)
subject any Lender to any Taxes with respect to its income from the Facility, or any part thereof; or

 
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(ii)
change the basis of taxation to any Lender of payments of principal or interest or any other payment due or to become due pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement (other than a change in the basis effected by the jurisdiction of organization of such Lender, the jurisdiction of the principal place of business of such Lender, the United States of America, the State or City of New York or any governmental subdivision or other taxing authority having jurisdiction over such Lender  (unless such jurisdiction is asserted by reason of the activities of the Borrowers or any of the other Security Parties) or such other jurisdiction where the Facility may be payable); or
 
 
(iii)
impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve requirements or require the making of any special deposits against or in respect of any assets or liabilities of, deposits with or for the account of, or loans by, a Lender; or
 
 
(iv)
impose on any Lender any other condition affecting the Facility or any part thereof;
 
and the result of the foregoing is either to increase the cost to such Lender of making available or maintaining its Commitment or any part thereof or to reduce the amount of any payment received by such Lender, then and, in any such case, if such increase or reduction, in the opinion of such Lender, materially affects the interests of such Lender under or in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement:
 
 
(i)
the Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers of the happening of such event, and
 
 
(ii)
the Borrowers agree forthwith upon demand to pay to such Lender such amount as such Lender certifies to be necessary to compensate such Lender for such additional cost or such reduction.
 
11.3            Nonavailability of Funds .  If the Administrative Agent shall determine (i) that, by reason of circumstances affecting the London Interbank Market generally, adequate and reasonable means do not or will not exist for ascertaining the Applicable Rate for the Facility for any Interest Period or (ii) (after consultation with the Lenders) that the Lenders are not able to borrow Dollars from leading banks in the London Interbank Market in the ordinary course of business at published LIBOR rates, the Administrative Agent shall give notice of such determination to the Borrowers.  The Majority Lenders shall then determine the interest rate and/or Interest Period to be substituted for those which would otherwise have applied under this Credit Facility Agreement.  If the Majority Lenders are unable to agree upon such a substituted interest rate and/or Interest Period within thirty (30) days of the giving of such determination notice, the Administrative Agent shall set an interest rate and Interest Period to take effect from the expiration of the Interest Period in effect at the date of determination, which rate shall be equal to the Margin plus the cost to the Lenders (as certified by each Lender) of funding the Facility.  In the event the state of affairs referred to in this

 
 
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Section 11.3 shall extend beyond the end of the Interest Period, the foregoing procedure shall continue to apply until, as the case may be, circumstances are such that the Applicable Rate may be determined pursuant to Section 6 or the Lenders are able to borrow Dollars from leading banks in the London Interbank Market in the ordinary course of business at published LIBOR rates.
 
11.4            Lender's Certificate Conclusive .  A certificate or determination notice of any Lender as to any of the matters referred to in this Section 11 shall, absent manifest error, be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers.
 
11.5     Compensation for Losses .  Where the Facility or any portion thereof is to be repaid by the Borrowers pursuant to this Section 11, the Borrowers agree simultaneously with such repayment to pay to the relevant Lender all accrued interest to the date of actual payment on the amount repaid and all other sums then payable by the Borrowers to the relevant Lender pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement, together with such amounts as may be certified by the relevant Lender to be necessary to compensate such Lender for any actual loss, premium or penalties incurred or to be incurred thereby on account of funds borrowed to make, fund or maintain its Commitment or such portion thereof for the remainder (if any) of the then current Interest Period or Interest Periods, if any, but otherwise without penalty or premium.
 
12.
CURRENCY INDEMNITY
 
12.1            Currency Conversion .  If, for the purpose of obtaining or enforcing a judgment in any court in any country, it becomes necessary to convert into any other currency (the "judgment currency") an amount due in Dollars under the Transaction Documents, then the conversion shall be made, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, at the rate of exchange prevailing either on the date of default or on the day before the day on which the judgment is given or the order for enforcement is made, as the case may be (the "conversion date"), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be entitled to recover under this section any amount in the judgment currency which exceeds at the conversion date the amount in Dollars due under the Transaction Documents.
 
12.2            Change in Exchange Rate .  If there is a change in the rate of exchange prevailing between the conversion date and the date of actual payment of the amount due, the Borrowers shall pay such additional amounts (if any, but, in any event, not a lesser amount) as may be necessary to ensure that the amount paid in the judgment currency, when converted at the rate of exchange prevailing on the date of payment, will produce the amount then due under the Transaction Documents in Dollars; any excess over the amount due received or collected by the Lenders shall be remitted to the Borrowers.
 
12.3            Additional Debt Due .  Any amount due from the Borrowers under this Section 12 shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sums due under or in respect of the Transaction Documents.
 
12.4            Rate of Exchange .  The term "rate of exchange" in this Section 12 means the rate at which the Administrative Agent  in accordance with its normal practices is able on the relevant date to purchase Dollars with the judgment currency and includes any premium and costs of exchange payable in connection with such purchase.

 
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13.
FEES AND EXPENSES
 
13.1            Fees .  During the period beginning from August 29, 2008 (which is the signing date of the Commitment Letter (as such term is defined in the Fee Letter)) and ending on the Final Availability Date with respect to the last delivered Vessel, the Borrowers shall pay, quarterly in arrears, with the final payment to be made on the Final Availability Date of the last delivered Vessel, to the Administrative Agent (for the account of the Lenders), a non-refundable commitment fee (the "Commitment Fee") of fifty hundredths of one percent (0.50%) per annum payable on the average undrawn amount of the Facility.  The Borrowers shall also pay the Lenders such fees as the parties have agreed pursuant to the Fee Letter.
 
13.2            Expenses .  The Borrowers agree, whether or not the transactions hereby contemplated are consummated, on demand to pay, or reimburse the Agents for their payment of, the expenses of the Agents and (after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default) the Lenders incident to said transactions (and in connection with any supplements, amendments, waivers or consents relating thereto or incurred in connection with the enforcement or defense of any of the Agents' and the Lenders' rights or remedies with respect thereto or in the preservation of the Agent's and the Lenders' priorities under the documentation executed and delivered in connection therewith), including, without limitation, all costs and expenses of preparation, negotiation, execution and administration of this Credit Facility Agreement and the documents referred to herein (including, but not limited to, any value added tax imposed on any Lender related to those expenses), the fees and disbursements of the Agents' and Lenders' counsel in connection therewith (including, without limitation, any expenses incurred by the Agents or the Lenders with respect to any legal opinion to be delivered in connection with Section 4 hereof or in connection with any amendment to this Credit Facility Agreement), as well as the fees and expenses of any independent appraisers, surveyors, engineers, inspectors and other consultants retained by the Agents in connection with this Credit Facility Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and under the other Transaction Documents, all costs and expenses, if any, in connection with the enforcement of the Transaction Documents and stamp and other similar taxes, if any, incident to the execution and delivery of the documents (including, without limitation, the Note) herein contemplated and to hold the Agents and the Lenders free and harmless in connection with any liability arising from the nonpayment of any such stamp or other similar taxes.  Such taxes and, if any, interest and penalties related thereto as may become payable after the date hereof shall be paid immediately by the Borrowers to the Agents or the Lenders, as the case may be, when liability therefor is no longer contested by such party or parties or reimbursed immediately by the Borrowers to such party or parties after payment thereof (if the Agents or the Lenders, at their sole discretion, chooses to make such payment).
 
14.
THE AGENTS
 
14.1            Appointment of Agents .  Each of the Lenders and the Swap Provider irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Agents severally each to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under the Transaction Documents as are delegated to such Agent by the terms hereof and thereof.  No Agent nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it or them under the Transaction Documents or in connection therewith, except for its or their own gross negligence or willful misconduct.  No
 
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party to this Credit Facility Agreement (other than the respective Agent) may take any action or institute any proceeding against any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of such Agent in respect of any claim it may have against such Agent or in respect of any act or omission of any kind by that current or former director, officer, employee or agent in relation to any Transaction Document or any other documents in connection therewith, and any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Agents may rely on this Section 14.1.
 
14.2    Security Trustee as Trustee .  Each of the Lenders and the Swap Provider irrevocably appoints the Security Trustee as trustee on its behalf with regard to (i) the security, powers, rights, titles, benefits and interests (both present and future) constituted by and conferred on the Lenders or any of them or for the benefit thereof under or pursuant to any of the Transaction Documents (including, without limitation, the benefit of all covenants, undertakings, representations, warranties and obligations given, made or undertaken to any Finance Party in any Transaction Document),  (ii) all moneys, property and other assets paid or transferred to or vested in any Finance Party or any agent of any Finance Party or received or recovered by any Finance Party or any agent of any Finance Party pursuant to, or in connection with, the Transaction Documents whether from any Security Party or any other Person and (iii) all money, investments, property and other assets at any time representing or deriving from any of the foregoing, including all interest, income and other sums at any time received or receivable by any Finance Party or any agent of any Finance Party in respect of the same (or any part thereof).  The Security Trustee hereby accepts such appointment.
 
14.3            Distribution of Payments .  Whenever any payment is received by the Administrative Agent from the Borrowers or any other Security Party for the account of the Finance Parties, or any of them, whether of principal or interest on the Note, commissions, fees under Section 13 or otherwise, it will thereafter cause to be distributed on the same day if received before 3 p.m. Hamburg time, or on the next day if received thereafter, like funds relating to such payment ratably to the Lenders according to their respective Commitments or, if applicable, to such other Finance Parties, in each case to be applied according to the terms of this Credit Facility Agreement.  The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any delay (or any related consequences ) in crediting an account with an amount required under the Credit Facility Agreement to be paid by the Administrative Agent if the Administrative Agent has taken all necessary steps to comply with the regulations or operating procedures of any recognized clearing or settlement system used by the Agent for that purpose.
 
14.4            Holder of Interest in Note .  The Agents may treat each Lender as the holder of all of the interest of such Lender in the Note.
 
14.5            No Duty to Examine, Etc .  The Agents shall not be under a duty to examine or pass upon the validity, enforceability, sufficiency, effectiveness or genuineness of any of the Transaction Documents or any instrument, document or communication furnished pursuant to this Credit Facility Agreement or in connection therewith or in connection with any other Transaction Document, and the Agents shall be entitled to assume that the same are valid, effective and genuine, have been signed or sent by the proper parties and are what they purport to be. Nothing contained in this Credit Facility Agreement shall oblige any Agent to carry out any "know your customer" or other checks in relation to any Person on behalf of any Lender and each Lender confirms to the Agents that it is solely responsible for such checks and may not rely on any statement in relation thereto made by any Agent.
 

 
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14.6            Agents as Lenders .  With respect to that portion of the Facility made available by it, each Agent shall have the same rights and powers hereunder as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Agent, and the term "Lender" or "Lenders" shall include each Agent in its capacity as a Lender.  Each Agent and its affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with, the Borrowers and the other Security Parties, as if it was not an Agent.
 
14.7    Acts of the Agents .  Each Agent shall have duties and reasonable discretion, and shall act as follows:
 
 
(A)
Obligations of the Agents .  The obligations of each Agent under the Transaction Documents are only those expressly set forth herein and therein.
 
 
(B)
No Duty to Investigate .  No Agent shall at any time be under any duty to investigate whether an Event of Default, or an event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, has occurred or to investigate the performance of any Transaction Document by any Security Party.
 
 
(C)
Discretion of the Agents .  Each Agent shall be entitled to use its discretion with respect to exercising or refraining from exercising any rights which may be vested in it by, and with respect to taking or refraining from taking any action or actions which it may be able to take under or in respect of, the Transaction Documents, unless the Administrative Agent shall have been instructed by the Majority Lenders to exercise such rights or to take or refrain from taking such action; provided , however , that no Agent shall be required to take any action which exposes such Agent to personal liability or which is contrary to this Credit Facility Agreement or applicable law. Each Agent may refrain from acting in accordance with the instructions of the Majority Lenders (or, if appropriate, all of the Lenders) until such Agent has received such security as it may require for any costs, loss or liability (together with any associated value added tax) which it may incur in complying with said instructions.
 
 
(D)
Instructions of Majority Lenders .  Each Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting under any Transaction Document in accordance with the instructions of the Majority Lenders (or, in the case of any Interest Rate Agreement, in accordance with the instructions of the Swap Provider), and any action taken, or failure to act pursuant to such instructions, shall be binding on all of the Lenders any instructions given by the Majority Lenders will be binding on all of the Lenders.
 
 
(E)
Power of Attorney .  Each Agent has the right to delegate by power of attorney or otherwise to any Person or Persons all or any of the rights, trusts, powers, authorities and discretions vested in it by this Credit Facility Agreement or any other agreement relating hereto on such terms and
 

 
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conditions as such Agent shall think fit and such Agent shall not be bound to supervise the proceedings or be in any way responsible for any loss incurred by reason of any misconduct or default on the part of any such delegate or sub-delegate provided that such Agent shall have acted reasonably in making such delegation to such delegate and such Agent shall promptly give notice to each of the Lenders of the appointment of any delegate or such delegate as aforesaid.
 
 
14.8       Certain Amendments .  Neither this Credit Facility Agreement, the Consent and Agreement, the Note, nor any Security Document nor any terms hereof or thereof may be amended unless such amendment is approved by the Borrowers and the Majority Lenders, provided that no such amendment shall, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby, (i)  reduce the interest rate or extend the time of a scheduled payment of principal or interest or fees on the Facility, or reduce the principal amount of the Facility or any fees hereunder, (ii) increase or decrease the Commitment of any Lender or subject any Lender to any additional obligation (it being understood that a waiver of any Event of Default, other than a payment default, or any mandatory repayment of Facility shall not constitute a change in the terms of any Commitment of any Lender), (iii) amend, modify or waive any provision of this Section 14.8, (iv) amend the definition of Majority Lenders or any other definition referred to in this Section 14.8, (v) consent to the assignment or transfer by the Borrowers of any of their rights and obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, (vi) accept payment for the obligations of the Security Parties under this Credit Facility Agreement in any currency other than Dollars, (vii) waive the requirements regarding the delivery of audited financial statements under Section 9.1(d), (viii) release any Security Party from any of its obligations under any Security Document except as expressly provided herein or in such Security Document or (ix) amend any provision relating to the maintenance of collateral under Section 9.4; provided, further, that approval by all Lenders shall be required for any amendment or waivers with respect to Section 5.3 of this Credit Facility Agreement.  All amendments approved by the Majority Lenders under this Section 14.8 must be in writing and signed by the Borrowers, each of the Lenders comprising the Majority Lenders and, if applicable, each Lender affected thereby and any such amendment shall be binding on all the Lenders; provided , however , that any amendments or waivers with respect to Section 5.3 of this Credit Facility Agreement must be in writing and signed by the Borrowers and all of the Lenders.
 
14.9            Assumption re Event of Default .  Except as otherwise provided in Section 14.15, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to assume that no Event of Default, or event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, has occurred and is continuing, unless the Administrative Agent has been notified by any Security Party of such fact, or has been notified by a Lender that such Lender considers that an Event of Default or such an event (specifying in detail the nature thereof) has occurred and is continuing.  In the event that the Administrative Agent shall have been notified, in the manner set forth in the preceding sentence, by any Security Party or any Lender of any Event of Default or of an event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders and shall take action and assert such rights under the Transaction Documents as the Majority Lenders (or the in the case of any Interest Rate Agreement, the Swap Provider) shall request in writing.
 

 
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14.10          Limitations of Liability .  Neither any Agent nor any of the Lenders shall be under any liability or responsibility whatsoever:
 
 
(A)
to any Security Party or any other Person or entity as a consequence of any failure or delay in performance by, or any breach by, any other Lenders or any other Person of any of its or their obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement or under any other Transaction Document;
 
 
(B)
to any Lender or Lenders as a consequence of any failure or delay in performance by, or any breach by, any Security Party of any of its respective obligations under this Credit Facility Agreement, under the Note or under the other Transaction Documents; or
 
 
(C)
to any Lender or Lenders for any statements, representations or warranties contained in this Credit Facility Agreement, in any other Transaction Document or in any document or instrument delivered in connection with the transaction hereby contemplated; or for the validity, effectiveness, enforceability or sufficiency of any of the Transaction Documents or any document or instrument delivered in connection with the transactions hereby contemplated.
 
14.11         Indemnification of the Agents .  The Lenders and, with respect to any Interest Rate Agreement, the Swap Provider agree to indemnify each Agent (to the extent not reimbursed by the Security Parties or any thereof), pro rata according to the respective amounts of their Commitments, from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever (including legal fees and expenses incurred in investigating claims and defending itself against such liabilities) which may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against, such Agent in any way relating to or arising out of any Transaction Document, any action taken or omitted by such Agent thereunder or the preparation, administration, amendment or enforcement of, or waiver of any provision of, any Transaction Document, except that no Lender shall be liable for any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements resulting from such Agent's gross negligence or willful misconduct.
 
14.12         Consultation with Counsel .  Each of the Agents may consult with legal counsel reasonably selected by such Agent and shall not be liable for any action taken, permitted or omitted by it in good faith in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel.
 
14.13         Resignation .  Any Agent may resign at any time by giving thirty (30) days' written notice thereof to the other Agents, the Lenders and the Borrowers.  Upon any such resignation, the Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Agent.  If no successor Agent shall have been so appointed by the Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Agent's giving notice of resignation, then the retiring Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Agent which shall be a bank or trust company of recognized standing.  Any resignation by an Agent pursuant to this Section 14.13 shall be effective only upon the appointment of a successor Agent. After any retiring Agent's resignation as Agent hereunder, the provisions of this Section 14 shall continue in effect for its benefit with respect to any actions taken or omitted by it while acting as Agent. 
 

 
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this Section 14.13 shall be effective only upon the appointment of a successor Agent. After any retiring Agent's resignation as Agent hereunder, the provisions of this Section 14 shall continue in effect for its benefit with respect to any actions taken or omitted by it while acting as Agent. 
14.14        Representations of Lenders .  Each Lender represents and warrants to each other Lender and each Agent that:
 
 
(A)
in making its decision to enter into this Credit Facility Agreement and to make its Commitment available hereunder, it has independently taken whatever steps it considers necessary to evaluate the financial condition and affairs of the Security Parties, that it has made an independent credit judgment and that it has not relied upon any statement, representation or warranty by any other Lender or any Agent; and
 
 
(B)
so long as any portion of its Commitment remains outstanding, it will continue to make its own independent evaluation of the financial condition and affairs of the Security Parties.
 
14.15        Notification of Event of Default .  The Administrative Agent hereby undertakes to promptly notify the Lenders, and the Lenders hereby promptly undertake to notify the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders, of the existence of any Event of Default, which shall have occurred and be continuing, of which the Administrative Agent or Lender has actual knowledge which, for purposes of this Section 14.15, shall mean the actual knowledge of an officer having responsibility for the transactions contemplated by this Credit Facility Agreement.
 
14.16        No Agency or Trusteeship if not Syndicated .  Unless and until the Facility is syndicated or at any other time HSH is the only Lender, all references to the terms "Agent" and "Security Trustee" shall be deemed to be references to HSH as Lender and not as agent or security trustee.
 
14.17        Nature of Duties .  The Agents shall have no duties or responsibilities except those expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents.  Neither the Agents nor any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees or affiliates shall be liable for any action taken or omitted by it or them hereunder or under any of the Security Documents or in connection herewith or therewith, unless caused by such Person's gross negligence or willful misconduct (any such liability limited to the applicable Agent to whom such Person relates).  The duties of each of the Agents shall be mechanical and administrative in nature; neither of the Agents shall have by reason of this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents, any fiduciary relationship in respect of any Lender or the holder or any Note; and nothing in this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents, expressed or implied, is intended to or shall be construed as to impose upon either of the Agents any obligations in respect of this Credit Facility Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents except as expressly set forth herein or therein.
 
14.18        Delegation of Power .  The Agents shall be entitled at any time and as often as may be expedient to delegate all or any of the powers and discretions vested in it by this Credit Facility Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents in such manner and upon such terms and to such Persons as the Agents in their absolute discretion may deem advisable.
 

 
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15.       NOTICES AND DEMANDS
 
15.1          Notices .  All notices, requests, demands and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including prepaid overnight courier, facsimile transmission, electronic transmission or similar writing) and shall be given to any Security Party, the Administrative Agent or the Security Trustee at the address, facsimile number or email address of each set forth below and to the Lenders at each such Lender's address, facsimile numbers or email address set forth in Schedule 1 or at such other address, facsimile number or email address as such party may hereafter specify for the purpose by notice to each other party hereto.  Any notice sent by facsimile or electronic transmission shall be confirmed by letter dispatched as soon as practicable thereafter.
 
If to any Security Party:
c/o Top Tanker Management Inc.
1 Vassillissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str.
151 24, Maroussi, Greece
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile  No.:  + 30 210 614 1272
Email: legal@toptman.com

If to the Administrative Agent
 or Security Trustee:
HSH Nordbank AG
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50
20095 Hamburg, Germany
Attention: Shipping, Greek Clients
Facsimile No.:  + 49 40 3333 34121


Every notice or other communication shall, except so far as otherwise expressly provided by this Credit Facility Agreement, be deemed to have been received (provided that it is received prior to 2 p.m. local time; otherwise it shall be deemed to have been received on the next following Banking Day) (i) if given by facsimile or electronic transmission, on the date of dispatch thereof (provided further that if the date of dispatch is not a Banking Day in the locality of the party to whom such notice or demand is sent, it shall be deemed to have been received on the next following Banking Day in such locality) or (ii) if given by mail, prepaid overnight courier or any other means, when received at the address specified in this Section or when delivery at such address is refused.
 
16.
MISCELLANEOUS
 
16.1            Time of Essence .  Time is of the essence with respect to this Credit Facility Agreement but no failure or delay on the part of any Lender or any Agent to exercise any power or right under this Credit Facility Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by any Lender or any Agent of any power or right hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other power or right.  The remedies provided herein are cumulative and are not exclusive of any remedies provided by law.
 

 
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16.2    Invalidity .  If any provision of this Credit Facility Agreement shall at any time, for any reason, be declared invalid, void or otherwise inoperative by a court of competent jurisdiction, such declaration or decision shall not affect the validity of any other provision or provisions of this Credit Facility Agreement, or the validity of this Credit Facility Agreement as a whole and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the other provisions hereof shall remain in full force and effect in such jurisdiction and shall be liberally construed in favor of the Agents and the Lenders in order to carry out the intentions of the parties hereto as nearly as may be possible.  The invalidity and unenforceability of any provision hereof in any jurisdiction shall not affect the validity or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.
 
16.3            Further Assurances .  Each of the Security Parties agrees that if this Credit Facility Agreement or any Security Document shall, in the reasonable opinion of the Lenders, at any time be deemed by the Lenders for any reason insufficient in whole or in part to carry out the true intent and spirit hereof or thereof, it will execute or cause to be executed such other and further assurances and documents as in the opinion of the Lenders may be required in order to more effectively accomplish the purposes of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Note or any other Transaction Document.
 
16.4            Prior Agreements, Merger .  Any and all prior understandings and agreements heretofore entered into between the Security Parties on the one part, and the Agents or the Lenders, on the other part, whether written or oral, other than the Fee Letter, are superseded by and merged into this Credit Facility Agreement and the other agreements (the forms of which are exhibited hereto) to be executed and delivered in connection herewith to which the Security Parties, the Agents and/or the Lenders are parties, which alone fully and completely express the agreements between the Security Parties, the Agents and the Lenders.
 
16.5            Entire Agreement; Amendments .  This Credit Facility Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto, including all parties added hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption Agreement.   Subject to Section 14.8, any provision of this Credit Facility Agreement, the Consent and Agreement, the Note or any Security Document may be amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is signed by the Borrowers, the Agents and the Majority Lenders.  This Credit Facility Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.  
 
16.6            Indemnification .  Each of the Borrowers and, by its execution and delivery of the Consent and Agreement set forth below, the Guarantor and each of the Collateral Obligors, jointly and severally agree to indemnify each Lender and each Agent, their respective successors and assigns, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (each an "Indemnitee") from, and hold each of them harmless against, any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages, expenses, obligations, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever (including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of counsel for such Indemnitee in connection with any investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding commenced or threatened, whether or not such Indemnitee shall be designated a party thereto) that may at any time (including, without limitation, at any time following the payment of the obligations of the Borrowers hereunder) be imposed on, asserted against or incurred by, any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of or in any way related to or by reason of, (a) any violation by any Security
 

 
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Party (or any charterer or other operator of any Vessel) of any applicable Environmental Law, (b) any Environmental Claim arising out of the management, use, control, ownership or operation of property or assets by any Security Party (or, after foreclosure, by any Lender or any Agent or any of their respective successors or assigns), (c) the breach of any representation, warranty or covenant set forth in Sections 2.1 (p) or 9.1(l), (d) the Facility (including the use of the proceeds of the Facility and any claim made for any brokerage commission, fee or compensation from any Person), or (e) the execution, delivery, performance or non-performance of any Transaction Document, or any of the documents referred to herein or contemplated hereby (whether or not the Indemnitee is a party thereto).  If and to the extent that the obligations of the Security Parties under this Section are unenforceable for any reason, the Borrowers and, by its execution and delivery of the Consent and Agreement set forth below, the Guarantor, jointly and severally agree to make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of such obligations which is permissible under applicable law.  The obligations of the Security Parties under this Section 16.6 shall survive the termination of this Credit Facility Agreement and the repayment to the Lenders of all amounts owing thereto under or in connection herewith.
 
16.7            Remedies Cumulative and Not Exclusive; No Waiver .  Each and every right, power and remedy herein given to the Agents shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to every other right, power and remedy of the Agents now or hereafter existing at law, in equity or by statute, and each and every right, power and remedy, whether herein given or otherwise existing, may be exercised from time to time, in whole or in part, and as often and in such order as may be deemed expedient by the Agents, and the exercise or the beginning of the exercise of any right, power or remedy shall not be construed to be a waiver of the right to exercise at the same time or thereafter any other right, power or remedy.  No failure, delay or omission by the Agents or any of the Lenders in the exercise of any right or power or in the pursuance of any remedy accruing upon any breach or default by any Security Party shall impair any such right, power or remedy or be construed to be a waiver of any such right, power or remedy or to be an acquiescence therein; nor shall the acceptance by the Agents or any of the Lenders of any security or of any payment of or on account of any of the amounts due from the any Security Party to the Agents or the Lenders and maturing after any breach or default or of any payment on account of any past breach or default be construed to be a waiver of any right with respect to any future breach or default or of any past breach or default not completely cured thereby.  In addition to the rights and remedies granted to it in this Credit Facility Agreement and in any other instrument or agreement securing, evidencing or relating to any of the obligations of any Security Party hereunder, the Agents shall have rights and remedies of a secured party under the UCC.
 
16.8            Successors and Assigns .  This Credit Facility Agreement and all obligations of each of the Security Parties hereunder shall be binding upon its successors and assigns and shall, together with the rights and remedies of the Finance Parties hereunder, inure to the benefit of the Finance Parties and their respective successors and assigns.
 
16.9                       Counterparts; Electronic Delivery .  This Credit Facility Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.  Delivery of an executed counterpart of this Credit Facility Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission shall be deemed as effective as

 
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delivery of an originally executed counterpart.  In the event that any Security Party delivers an executed counterpart of this Credit Facility Agreement (or Consent and Agreement thereto) by facsimile or electronic transmission, such Security Party shall also deliver an originally executed counterpart as soon as practicable, but the failure of such Security Party to deliver an originally executed counterpart shall not affect the validity or effectiveness of this Credit Facility Agreement.
16.10           References .  References herein to Sections, Exhibits and Schedules are to be construed as references to sections of, exhibits to, and schedules to, this Credit Facility Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires.
 
16.11         Headings .  In this Credit Facility Agreement, section headings are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be taken into account in the interpretation of this Credit Facility Agreement.
 
17.
APPLICABLE LAW, JURISDICTION AND WAIVERS
 
17.1            Applicable Law .  This Credit Facility Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflicts of laws thereof other than Section 5-1402 and 5-1402 of the General Obligations Law of the State of New York.
 
17.2            Jurisdiction .  Each of the Borrowers (and each of the Guarantor and the Collateral Obligors by its execution of the Consent and Agreement annexed hereto) hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in any action or proceeding brought against it by any of the Lenders or the Agents under this Credit Facility Agreement or under any document delivered hereunder and hereby irrevocably agrees that valid service of summons or other legal process on it may be effected by serving a copy of the summons and other legal process in any such action or proceeding on such Security Party, by mailing or delivering the same by hand to such Security Party at the address indicated for notices in Section 15.1 or its agent as designated in Section 4.1(o).  The service, as herein provided, of such summons or other legal process in any such action or proceeding shall be deemed personal service and accepted by each Security Party as such, and shall be legal and binding upon such Security Party for all the purposes of any such action or proceeding.  Final judgment (a certified or exemplified copy of which shall be conclusive evidence of the fact and of the amount of any indebtedness of the Borrowers to the Lenders or the Administrative Agent) against any Security Party in any such legal action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment.  Each Security Party will advise the Administrative Agent promptly of any change of address for the purpose of service of process.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Lenders may bring any legal action or proceeding in any other appropriate jurisdiction.
 
17.3            Waiver of Jury Trial .   IT IS MUTUALLY AGREED BY AND AMONG THE BORROWERS, THE OTHER SECURITY PARTIES, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND THE LENDERS THAT EACH OF THEM HEREBY WAIVES TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY HERETO AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY HERETO ON ANY MATTER WHATSOEVER

 
68

 
 
ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THIS CREDIT FACILITY AGREEMENT, THE NOTE OR THE SECURITY DOCUMENTS.
17.4           Waiver of Immunity .   TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY SECURITY PARTY HAS OR HEREAFTER MAY ACQUIRE ANY IMMUNITY FROM SUIT, JURISDICTION OF ANY COURT OR ANY LEGAL PROCESS (WHETHER THROUGH ATTACHMENT PRIOR TO JUDGMENT, ATTACHMENT IN AID OF EXECUTION, EXECUTION OF A JUDGMENT, OR FROM ANY OTHER LEGAL PROCESS OR REMEDY) WITH RESPECT TO ITSELF OR ITS PROPERTY, SUCH SECURITY PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES SUCH IMMUNITY IN RESPECT OF ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS CREDIT FACILITY AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS.
 

 
69

 

IN WITNESS whereof, the parties hereto have caused this Credit Facility Agreement to be duly executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the day and year first above written.
 
   
WARHOL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
     
   
By:
 /s/ Gary Wolfe 
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
INDIANA SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
     
   
By:
 /s/ Gary Wolfe
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
BRITTO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
     
   
By:
  /s/ Gary Wolfe
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
HSH NORDBANK AG,
as Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter, Swap Provider, Administrative Agent and Security Trustee
     
   
By:
  /s/ Matthew Cooley
     
Name: Matthew Cooley
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
The Lenders:
     
     
   
HSH NORDBANK AG
     
   
By:
 /s/ Matthew Cooley 
     
Name: Matthew Cooley
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
 
 

 

CONSENT AND AGREEMENT
 
The undersigned, referred to in the foregoing Credit Facility Agreement as the "Guarantor" or as a "Collateral Obligor", as the case may be, hereby consents and agrees to said Credit Facility Agreement and to the documents contemplated thereby and to the provisions contained therein relating to conditions to be fulfilled and obligations to be performed by the undersigned pursuant to or in connection with said Credit Facility Agreement and agrees particularly to be bound by the representations, warranties and covenants relating to the undersigned contained in Sections 2 and 9 of said Credit Facility Agreement to the same extent as if the undersigned were a party to said Credit Facility Agreement.
 
   
Guarantor:
     
   
TOP SHIPS INC.
     
   
By:
 /s/ Gary Wolfe
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
Collateral Obligors:
     
   
AMALFI SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
     
   
By:
  /s/ Gary Wolfe
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     
   
JEKE SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
     
   
By:
  /s/ Gary Wolfe
     
Name: Gary Wolfe
     
Title: Attorney-in-Fact
     
     


 
 

 

Schedule 1
 
 
     
Lenders Commitment  
     
HSH Nordbank AG
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz 50
20095 Hamburg, Germany
Attn: Shipping, Greek Clients
Facsimile No.:  + 49 40 3333 34121
 
$121,286,500
 
     
     


 
 

 

Schedule 2

THE VESSELS
 

Name of Vessel
 
 
Owner
Hull Number
Flag
 
 
DWT
 
 
Classification Society
WARHOL
Warhol Shipping Company Limited
 
S-1025
Liberia
50,000
Det Norske Veritas ("DNV")
INDIANA
Indiana R Shipping Company Limited
 
S-1029
Malta
50,000
DNV
BRITTO
Britto Shipping Company Limited
 
S-1031
Liberia
50,000
DNV



 
 

 

Schedule 3

Indebtedness of each Security Party as of October 1, 2008:

$95M Credit Agreement

RBS Loan Agreement to TOP SHIPS INC. (f/k/a Top Tankers Inc.) dated 1 November 2005 for USD 545,656,899.82 (as same has been amended from time to time)

Emporiki Bank of Greece S.A. loan agreement dated 5 th March 2008 for a secured floating interest rate loan facility of up to US$50,000,000 – mv Pepito - JAPAN I SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, of Liberia and Emporiki Bank of Greece S.A.
 
Alpha Bank A.E. US$48,000,000 Secured Loan Agreement dated 17 th December 2007 - mv Cyclades - Between Alpha Bank A.E. - JAPAN III SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, of Liberia
 
DVB Bank US$48,000,000 dated 24 th April 2008 - mv Astrale - Between DVB BANK AG and JAPAN II SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, of Liberia
 
Alpha Bank A.E. Loan Agreement dated 18 th August 2008 - for Hull no S1026 - Between Alpha Bank A.E. and Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited, of Liberia


SK 23116 0005 1007905

Exhibit 4.82
 
 
Date   6 th October 2008

 


BANKSY SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
HONGBO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
as joint and several Borrowers


- and -


THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
listed in Schedule 1
as Lenders


- and –


THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
listed in Schedule 2
as Swap Banks


- and -


DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.
as Agent
and as Security Trustee
 

                                                   

LOAN AGREEMENT
                                                   


 
relating to
a facility of up to US$80,000,000
to part finance the construction of
hull numbers S-1027 and S-1033
at SPP Plant & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
 
 
WATSON, FARLEY & WILLIAMS
London

 
 

 

INDEX

Clause
 
Page
     
1
INTERPRETATION
1
     
2
FACILITY
15
     
3
POSITION OF THE LENDERS AND SWAP BANKS
15
     
4
DRAWDOWN
16
     
5
INTEREST
18
     
6
INTEREST PERIODS
20
     
7
DEFAULT INTEREST
20
     
8
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
21
     
9
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
23
     
10
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
25
     
11
GENERAL UNDERTAKINGS
28
     
12
CORPORATE UNDERTAKINGS
34
     
13
INSURANCE
35
     
14
SHIP COVENANTS
39
     
15
SECURITY COVER
42
     
16
PAYMENTS AND CALCULATIONS
44
     
17
APPLICATION OF RECEIPTS
46
     
18
APPLICATION OF EARNINGS
47
     
19
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
47
     
20
FEES AND EXPENSES
52
     
21
INDEMNITIES
54
     
22
NO SET-OFF OR TAX DEDUCTION
55
     
23
ILLEGALITY, ETC
56
     
24
INCREASED COSTS
57
     
25
SET OFF
58
     
26
TRANSFERS AND CHANGES IN LENDING OFFICES
59
     
27
VARIATIONS AND WAIVERS
62
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
28
NOTICES
63
     
29
JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY
65
     
30
SUPPLEMENTAL
66
     
31
LAW AND JURISDICTION
66
 
SCHEDULE 1     LENDERS AND COMMITMENTS
68
   
SCHEDULE 2     SWAP BANKS
69
   
SCHEDULE 3     DRAWDOWN NOTICE
70
   
SCHEDULE 4     CONDITION PRECEDENT DOCUMENTS
71
   
SCHEDULE 5     TRANSFER CERTIFICATE
75
   
SCHEDULE 6     DESIGNATION NOTICE
79
   
SCHEDULE 7     DVB LOAN ADMINISTRATION FORM
80
   
EXECUTION PAGES
82
 
 

 
 

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made on       October 2008

BETWEEN

(1)
BANKSY SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED and HONGBO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED , as joint and several Borrowers ;
 
(2)
THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS listed in Schedule 1, as Lenders ;
 
(3)
THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS listed in Schedule 2, as Swap Banks ;
 
(4)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V. , as Agent ; and
 
(5)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V. , as Security Trustee .
 
BACKGROUND

(A)
The Lenders have agreed to make available to the Borrowers a facility of up to $80,000,000 for the purpose of part financing the purchase price of the Ships which are to be constructed by the Builder for, and purchased by, the Borrowers.
 
(B)
The Swap Banks may enter into interest rate swap transactions with the Borrowers from time to time to hedge the Borrowers' exposure under this Agreement to interest rate fluctuations.
 
(C)
The Lenders and the Swap Banks have agreed to share pari passu in the security to be granted to the Security Trustee pursuant to this Agreement.
 
IT IS AGREED as follows:

1
INTERPRETATION
 
1.1
Definitions.   Subject to Clause 1.5, in this Agreement:
 
 
" Account Security Deed " means, in relation to an Earnings Account, a deed creating security in respect of that Earnings Accounts in the Agreed Form;

 
" Advance " means the principal amount of each borrowing by the Borrowers under this Agreement;

 
" Affected Lender " has the meaning given in Clause 5.7;

 
" Agency and Trust Agreement " means the agency and trust agreement dated the same date as this Agreement and made between the same parties;

 
" Agent " means DVB Bank America N.V., acting in such capacity through its office at Zeelandia Office Park, Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, or any successor of it appointed under clause 5 of the Agency and Trust Agreement;

 
" Agreed Form " means in relation to any document, that document in the form approved in writing by the Agent or as otherwise approved in accordance with any other approval procedure specified in any relevant provisions of any Finance Document;

 
" Approved Manager " means, in relation to a Ship, any company which the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, approve from time to time as the technical  or commercial manager of the Ship;

 
1

 

" Availability Period " means the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and ending on:

 
(a)
30 September 2009 (or such later date as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Lenders, agree with the Borrowers); or
 
 
(b)
if earlier, the date on which the Total Commitments are fully borrowed, cancelled or terminated;
 
 
" Borrowers " means each of Banksy Shipping Company Limited (" Banksy ") and Hongbo Shipping Company Limited (" Hongbo "), each being a company incorporated in the Republic of Liberia whose registered office is at 80 Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia (and includes their respective successors);

 
" Builder "  means SPP Plant & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of the Republic of Korea;

 
" Business Day " means a day on which banks are open in Curaçao, Frankfurt, London and Piraeus and, in respect of a day on which a payment is required to be made under a Finance Document, also in New York City;

 
" Charter Assignment " means, in relation to a Ship, an assignment of the Charter and the Charter Guarantee in the Agreed Form;

 
" Charters "  means:

 
(a)
in relation to Ship A, the "hell and high water" bareboat charter dated 27 May 2008 and made between the Guarantor (or its nominee) and Magellano Marine C.V. for a period of 7 years on a rate of US$14,300 (net) per day (with the Borrower having options to extend the period for an additional year on a rate of US$14,800 (net) per day, thereafter for an additional year on a rate of US$15,300 (net) per day and thereafter for an additional year on a rate of US$15,800 (net) per day); and

 
(b)
in relation to Ship B, the "hell and high water" bareboat charter dated 8 April 2008 and made between the Guarantor (or its guaranteed nominee) and Daelim H&L Co., Ltd. for a period of 10 years on a rate of US$14,550 (net) per day,

 
each in a form approved by the Lenders and as supplemented and/or amended from time to time and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
" Charter Guarantees "  means:

 
(a)
in relation to the Charter of Ship A, the guarantee dated 27 May 2008 and issued by Marco Polo Seatrade B.V. in favour of the Guarantor; and

 
(b)
in relation to the Charter of Ship B, the guarantee dated 21 April 2008 and issued by Daelim Corporation in favour of the Guarantor (or its guaranteed nominee),

 
each in a form approved by the Lenders and as supplemented and/or amended from time to time and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
" Charter Guarantor "  means, in relation to a Charter Guarantee, the party which has issued by that Charter Guarantor in favour of the relevant Borrower;

 
" Charterer "  means, in relation to a Charter, the party which has entered into that Charter with the relevant Borrower;

 
" Commitment " means, in relation to a Lender, the amount set opposite its name in Schedule 1, or, as the case may require, the amount specified in the relevant Transfer

 
2

 

Certificate, as that amount may be reduced, cancelled or terminated in accordance with this Agreement (and " Total Commitments " means the aggregate of the Commitments of all the Lenders);

 
" Confirmation " and " Early Termination Date ", in relation to any continuing Designated Transaction, have the meanings given in the relevant Master Agreement;

 
" Contractual Currency " has the meaning given in Clause 21.4;

 
" Contribution " means, in relation to a Lender, the part of the Loan which is owing to that Lender;

 
" Creditor Party " means the Agent, the Security Trustee, any Lender or any Swap Bank, whether as at the date of this Agreement or at any later time;

" Delivery Date "  means, in relation to a Ship, the date on which that Ship is actually delivered to (and accepted by) the relevant Borrower under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship;
 
" Designated Transaction " means a Transaction which fulfils the following requirements:
 
 
(a)
it is entered into by the Borrowers pursuant to a Master Agreement with a Swap Bank which, at the time the Transaction is entered into, is also a Lender;
 
 
(b)
its purpose is the hedging of the Borrowers' exposure under this Agreement to fluctuations in LIBOR arising from the funding of the Loan (or any part thereof) for a period expiring no later than the final Repayment Date; and
 
 
(c)
it is designated by the Borrowers, by delivery by the Borrowers to the Agent of a notice of designation in the form set out in Schedule 6, as a Designated Transaction for the purposes of the Finance Documents;
 
 
" Dollars " and " $ " means the lawful currency for the time being of the United States of America;

 
" Drawdown Date " means, in relation to an Advance, the date requested by the Borrowers for the Advance to be made, or (as the context requires) the date on which the Advance is actually made;

 
" Drawdown Notice " means a notice in the form set out in Schedule 3 (or in any other form which the Agent approves or reasonably requires);

" DVB LAM Form " means a form in the form set out in Schedule 7;
 
" Earnings "  means, in relation to a Ship, all moneys whatsoever which are now, or later become, payable (actually or contingently) to the Borrower owning that Ship or the Security Trustee and which arise out of the use or operation of that Ship, including (but not limited to):
 
 
(a)
except to the extent that they fall within paragraph (b);
 
 
(i)
all freight, hire and passage moneys;
 
 
(ii)
compensation payable to any Borrower or the Security Trustee in the event of requisition of a Ship for hire;
 
 
(iii)
remuneration for salvage and towage services;
 

 
3

 

 
(iv)
demurrage and detention moneys;
 
 
(v)
damages for breach (or payments for variation or termination) of any charterparty or other contract for the employment of a Ship; and
 
 
(vi)
all moneys which are at any time payable under any Insurances in respect of loss of hire; and
 
 
(b)
if and whenever a Ship is employed on terms whereby any moneys falling within paragraphs (a)(i) to (vi) are pooled or shared with any other person, that proportion of the net receipts of the relevant pooling or sharing arrangement which is attributable to the Ship;
 
 
" Earnings Account " means, in relation to a Ship, an account in the name of the Borrower owning the Ship with a bank or financial institution approved by the Agent which is designated by the Agent as the Earnings Account in relation to that Ship for the purposes of this Agreement;

 
" Environmental Claim " means:

 
(a)
any claim by any governmental, judicial or regulatory authority which arises out of an Environmental Incident or an alleged Environmental Incident or which relates to any Environmental Law; or
 
 
(b)
any claim by any other person which relates to an Environmental Incident or to an alleged Environmental Incident,
 
 
and " claim " means a claim for damages, compensation, fines, penalties or any other payment of any kind whether or not similar to the foregoing; an order or direction to take, or not to take, certain action or to desist from or suspend certain action; and any form of enforcement or regulatory action, including the arrest or attachment of any asset;

 
" Environmental Incident " means:

 
(a)
any release of Environmentally Sensitive Material from a Ship; or
 
 
(b)
any incident in which Environmentally Sensitive Material is released from a vessel other than a Ship and which involves a collision between a Ship and such other vessel or some other incident of navigation or operation, in either case, in connection with which a Ship is actually or potentially liable to be arrested, attached, detained or injuncted and/or a Ship and/or any Borrower and/or any operator or manager of a Ship is at fault or allegedly at fault or otherwise liable to any legal or administrative action; or
 
 
(c)
any other incident in which Environmentally Sensitive Material is released otherwise than from a Ship and in connection with which a Ship is actually or potentially liable to be arrested and/or where any Borrower and/or any operator or manager of a Ship is at fault or allegedly at fault or otherwise liable to any legal or administrative action;
 
 
" Environmental Law " means any law relating to pollution or protection of the environment, to the carriage of Environmentally Sensitive Material or to actual or threatened releases of Environmentally Sensitive Material;

 
" Environmentally Sensitive Material " means oil, oil products and any other substance (including any chemical, gas or other hazardous or noxious substance) which is (or is capable of being or becoming) polluting, toxic or hazardous;

 
4

 

" Event of Default " means any of the events or circumstances described in Clause 19.1;

 
" Fee Letter "  means a fee letter signed or to be signed on or around the date of this Agreement between DVB Bank America N.V., the Borrowers and the Guarantor in the Agreed Form;

 
" Finance Documents " means:

 
(a)
this Agreement;
 
 
(b)
the Fee Letter;
 
 
(c)
the Agency and Trust Agreement;
 
 
(d)
the Guarantee;
 
 
(e)
the Master Agreement Assignments;
 
 
(f)
the Account Security Deeds;
 
 
(g)
the Shares Pledges;
 
 
(h)
the Predelivery Security Assignments;
 
 
(i)
the Mortgages;
 
 
(j)
the General Assignments;
 
 
(k)
the Charter Assignments;
 
 
(l)
the Quadripartite Agreements; and
 
 
(m)
any other document (whether creating a Security Interest or not) which is executed at any time by any Borrower or any other person as security for, or to establish any form of subordination or priorities arrangement in relation to, any amount payable to the Lenders and/or the Swap Banks under this Agreement or any of the other documents referred to in this definition;
 
 
" Financial Indebtedness " means, in relation to a person (the " debtor "), a liability of the debtor:

 
(a)
for principal, interest or any other sum payable in respect of any moneys borrowed or raised by the debtor;
 
 
(b)
under any loan stock, bond, note or other security issued by the debtor;
 
 
(c)
under any acceptance credit, guarantee or letter of credit facility or dematerialised equivalent made available to the debtor;
 
 
(d)
under a financial lease (including, without limitation, off-balance sheet liabilities such as remaining obligations under any leasing/chartering arrangement (whether or not a financial lease)), a deferred purchase consideration arrangement or any other agreement having the commercial effect of a borrowing or raising of money by the debtor;
 
 
(e)
under any foreign exchange transaction, any interest or currency swap or any other kind of derivative transaction entered into by the debtor; or
 

 
5

 

 
(f)
under a guarantee, indemnity or similar obligation entered into by the debtor in respect of a liability of another person which would fall within paragraphs (a) to (e) if the references to the debtor referred to the other person;
 
 
" GAAP " means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America;

 
" General Assignment " means, in relation to a Ship, a general assignment of the Earnings, the Insurances and any Requisition Compensation in the Agreed Form;

 
" Guarantee " means a guarantee issued by the Guarantor in favour of the Security Trustee in the Agreed Form;

 
" Guarantor " means Top Ships Inc. (formerly known as Top Tankers Inc.), a corporation incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands whose registered office is at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Island, P.O. Box 1405, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH96960;

 
" IAPPC "  means an International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate for the purposes of MARPOL Annex VI, "Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships";

 
" Insurances " means, in relation to a Ship:

 
(a)
all policies and contracts of insurance, including entries of the Ship in any protection and indemnity or war risks association, which are effected in respect of the Ship, its Earnings or otherwise in relation to it; and
 
 
(b)
all rights and other assets relating to, or derived from, any of the foregoing, including any rights to a return of a premium;
 
 
" Interest Period " means a period determined in accordance with Clause 6;

 
" ISM Code " means the International Safety Management Code (including the guidelines on its implementation), adopted by the International Maritime Organisation as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time (and the terms " safety management system ", " Safety Management Certificate " and " Document of Compliance " have the same meanings as are given to them in the ISM Code);

"ISPS Code"   means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code as adopted by the International Maritime Organisation, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time;

"ISSC"   means a valid and current International Ship Security Certificate issued under the ISPS Code;

 
" Lender " means a bank or financial institution listed in Schedule 1 and acting through its branch indicated in Schedule 1 (or through another branch notified to the Agent under Clause 26.14) or its transferee, successor or assign;

" LIBOR " means, in relation to any period for which an interest rate is to be determined under any provision of a Finance Document:
 
 
(a)
the rate per annum equal to the offered quotation for deposits in Dollars for a period equal to, or as near as possible equal to, that period which appears on REUTERS BBA Page LIBOR 01 at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for that period (and, for the purposes of this Agreement, " REUTERS BBA Page LIBOR 01 " means the display designated as "Page 01" on the REUTERS Service or such other page as may replace Page 01 on that
 

 
6

 

service for the purpose of displaying rates comparable to that rate or on such other service as may be nominated by the British Bankers' Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying British Bankers' Association Interest Settlement Rates for Dollars) Provided that should there be a discrepancy between such offered quotation for deposits in Dollars appearing on Reuters BBA Page LIBOR 01 and the actual rate at which deposits in Dollars are offered to each Reference Bank by leading banks in the London Interbank Market at that Reference Bank's request at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for that period for a period equal to that period and for delivery on the first Business Day of it, the highest of the actual rates available to the Reference Banks shall be "LIBOR" for the purposes of this paragraph (a); or
 
 
(b)
if no rate is quoted on REUTERS BBA Page LIBOR 01, the rate per annum determined by the Agent to be the arithmetic mean (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the nearest one-sixteenth of one per cent.) of the rates per annum notified to the Agent by each Reference Bank as the rate at which deposits in Dollars are offered to that Reference Bank by leading banks in the London Interbank Market at that Reference Bank's request at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for that period for a period equal to that period and for delivery on the first Business Day of it;
 
 
" Loan " means the principal amount for the time being outstanding under this Agreement;

 
" Major Casualty " means, in relation to a Ship, any casualty to the Ship in respect of which the claim or the aggregate of the claims against all insurers, before adjustment for any relevant franchise or deductible, exceeds $500,000 or the equivalent in any other currency;

 
" Majority Lenders " means:

 
(a)
before an Advance has been made, Lenders whose Commitments total more than 67 per cent. of the Total Commitments; and
 
 
(b)
after an Advance has been made, Lenders whose Contributions total more than 67 per cent. of the Loan;
 
 
" Margin " means 1.55 per cent. per annum;

" Master Agreement "  means each master agreement (on the 2002 ISDA (Multicurrency - Crossborder) form) in the Agreed Form made between the Borrowers and a Swap Bank and includes all Designated Transactions from time to time entered into and Confirmations from time to time exchanged under the master agreement;
 
" Master Agreement Assignment "  means, in relation to each Master Agreement and each Borrower, the assignment of the Master Agreement by that Borrower in the Agreed Form;
 
 
" Mortgages " means:

 
(a)
in relation to Ship A, the first priority Maltese ship mortgage on that Ship and deed of covenant collateral thereto; and

 
(b)
in relation to Ship B, the first preferred Liberian ship mortgage on that Ship,

 
each in the Agreed Form and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
" Negotiation Period " has the meaning given in Clause 5.10;

 
7

 

" Notifying Lender " has the meaning given in Clause 23.1 or Clause 24.1 as the context requires;

 
" Payment Currency " has the meaning given in Clause 21.4;

 
" Permitted Security Interests " means:

 
(a)
Security Interests created by the Finance Documents;
 
 
(b)
liens for unpaid master's and crew's wages in accordance with usual maritime practice;
 
 
(c)
liens for salvage;
 
 
(d)
liens arising by operation of law for not more than 2 months' prepaid hire under any charter in relation to a Ship not prohibited by this Agreement;
 
 
(e)
liens for master's disbursements incurred in the ordinary course of trading and any other lien arising by operation of law or otherwise in the ordinary course of the operation, repair or maintenance of a Ship, provided such liens do not secure amounts more than 30 days overdue (unless the overdue amount is being contested by the relevant Borrower in good faith by appropriate steps) and subject, in the case of liens for repair or maintenance, to Clause 14.12(g);
 
 
(f)
any Security Interest created in favour of a plaintiff or defendant in any proceedings or arbitration as security for costs and expenses while a Borrower is actively prosecuting or defending such proceedings or arbitration in good faith; and
 
 
(g)
Security Interests arising by operation of law in respect of taxes which are not overdue for payment or in respect of taxes being contested in good faith by appropriate steps and in respect of which appropriate reserves have been made;
 
" Pertinent Document " means:

 
(a)
any Finance Document;
 
 
(b)
any policy or contract of insurance contemplated by or referred to in Clause 13 or any other provision of this Agreement or another Finance Document;
 
 
(c)
any other document contemplated by or referred to in any Finance Document; and
 
 
(d)
any document which has been or is at any time sent by or to a Servicing Bank in contemplation of or in connection with any Finance Document or any policy, contract or document falling within paragraphs (b) or (c);
 
 
" Pertinent Jurisdiction ", in relation to a company, means:

 
(a)
England and Wales;
 
 
(b)
the country under the laws of which the company is incorporated or formed;
 
 
(c)
a country in which the company has the centre of its main interests or which the company's central management and control is or has recently been exercised;
 
 
(d)
a country in which the overall net income of the company is subject to corporation tax, income tax or any similar tax;
 

 
8

 

 
(e)
a country in which assets of the company (other than securities issued by, or loans to, related companies) having a substantial value are situated, in which the company maintains a branch or permanent place of business, or in which a Security Interest created by the company must or should be registered in order to ensure its validity or priority; and
 
 
(f)
a country the courts of which have jurisdiction to make a winding up, administration or similar order in relation to the company, whether as a main or territorial or ancillary proceedings, or which would have such jurisdiction if their assistance were requested by the courts of a country referred to in paragraphs (b) or (c);
 
 
" Pertinent Matter " means:

 
(a)
any transaction or matter contemplated by, arising out of, or in connection with a Pertinent Document; or
 
 
(b)
any statement relating to a Pertinent Document or to a transaction or matter falling within paragraph (a),
 
and covers any such transaction, matter or statement, whether entered into, arising or made at any time before the signing of this Agreement or on or at any time after that signing;

 
" Potential Event of Default " means an event or circumstance which, with the giving of any notice, the lapse of time, a determination of the Majority Lenders and/or the satisfaction of any other condition, would constitute an Event of Default;

 
" Predelivery Security Assignment "  means, in relation to a Ship, an assignment of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship and of the Refund Guarantee in relation to that Shipbuilding Contract in the Agreed Form;

 
" Principal Subsidiaries "  means each company which has total assets which are valued at 5 per cent. or more of the value of the consolidated total assets of the Guarantor and its subsidiaries, as calculated by reference to the then latest audited annual accounts of such subsidiary and the Guarantor and, in the singular, means any of them;

 
" Quadripartite Agreement " means, in relation to a Ship, an agreement between the Borrower owning or to own that Ship, the Charterer of that Ship, the relevant Charter Guarantor and the Security Trustee in the Agreed Form;

 
" Quotation Date " means, in relation to any period for which an interest rate is to be determined under any provision of a Finance Document, the day which is 2 Business Days before the first day of that period, unless market practice differs in the London Interbank Market for a currency, in which case the Quotation Date will be determined by the Agent in accordance with market practice in the London Interbank Market (and if quotations would normally be given by leading banks in the London Interbank Market on more than one day, the Quotation Date will be the last of those days);

 
" Reference Banks " means, subject to Clause 26.16, DVB Bank America N.V.;

 
" Refund Guarantees "  means:

 
(a)
in relation to the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship A, the guarantee dated 18 December 2006 and issued by the Refund Guarantor in favour of the Guarantor together with an agreement made or to be made between the Refund Guarantor, the Guarantor and Banksy pursuant to which Banksy will become the beneficiary under such guarantee; and

 
9

 


 
(b)
in relation to the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship B, the guarantee dated 18 December 2006 and issued by the Refund Guarantor in favour of the Guarantor together with an agreement made or to be made between the Refund Guarantor, the Guarantor and Hongbo pursuant to which Hongbo will become the beneficiary under such guarantee,

 
each in a form approved by the Lenders and as supplemented and/or amended from time to time and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
" Refund Guarantor "  means Woori Bank of the Republic of Korea;

 
" Relevant Person " has the meaning given in Clause 19.9;

 
" Repayment Date " means a date on which a repayment is required to be made under Clause 8;

 
" Requisition Compensation "  includes all compensation or other moneys payable by reason of any act or event such as is referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of " Total Loss ";

 
" Secured Liabilities " means all liabilities which the Borrowers, the Security Parties or any of them have, at the date of this Agreement or at any later time or times, under or in connection with any Finance Document or any Designated Transaction under any Master Agreement or any judgment relating to any Finance Document or any Designated Transaction under any Master Agreement; and for this purpose, there shall be disregarded any total or partial discharge of these liabilities, or variation of their terms, which is effected by, or in connection with, any bankruptcy, liquidation, arrangement or other procedure under the insolvency laws of any country;

 
" Security Interest " means:

 
(a)
a mortgage, charge (whether fixed or floating) or pledge, any maritime or other lien or any other security interest of any kind;
 
 
(b)
the security rights of a plaintiff under an action in rem ; and
 
 
(c)
any arrangement entered into by a person (A) the effect of which is to place another person (B) in a position which is similar, in economic terms, to the position in which B would have been had he held a security interest over an asset of A; but this paragraph (c) does not apply to a right of set off or combination of accounts conferred by the standard terms of business of a bank or financial institution;
 
 
" Security Party " means the Guarantor, each party to each Quadripartite Agreement (except a Creditor Party) and any other person (except a Creditor Party) who, as a surety or mortgagor, as a party to any subordination or priorities arrangement, or in any similar capacity, executes a document falling within the last paragraph of the definition of "Finance Documents";

 
" Security Period " means the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and ending on the date on which the Agent notifies the Borrowers, the Security Parties and the Lenders that:

 
(a)
all amounts which have become due for payment by any Borrower or any Security Party under the Finance Documents and the Master Agreements have been paid;
 

 
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(b)
no amount is owing or has accrued (without yet having become due for payment) under any Finance Document or any Master Agreement;
 
 
(c)
neither any Borrower nor any Security Party has any future or contingent liability under Clause 20, 21 or 22 or any other provision of this Agreement or another Finance Document or a Master Agreement; and
 
 
(d)
the Agent, the Security Trustee and the Majority Lenders do not consider that there is a significant risk that any payment or transaction under a Finance Document or a Master Agreement would be set aside, or would have to be reversed or adjusted, in any present or possible future bankruptcy of a Borrower or a Security Party or in any present or possible future proceeding relating to a Finance Document or a Master Agreement or any asset covered (or previously covered) by a Security Interest created by a Finance Document;
 
 
" Security Trustee "  means DVB Bank America N.V., acting in such capacity through its office at Zeelandia Office Park, Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, or any successor of it appointed under clause 5 of the Agency and Trust Agreement;

 
" Servicing Bank " means the Agent or the Security Trustee;

 
" Shares Pledge " means, in relation to a Borrower, a deed creating security over the share capital of that Borrower in the Agreed Form;

 
" Ship " means each of:

 
(a)
" Ship A ", being the newbuilding IMO III, double hull product tanker of 50,000 dwt which is to be constructed by the Builder for, and purchased by, Banksy under the Shipbuilding Contract in respect of hull number S-1027 and upon delivery registered in the name of Banksy under Maltese flag; and
 
 
(b)
" Ship B ", being the newbuilding IMO III, double hull product tanker of 50,000 dwt which is to be constructed by the Builder for, and purchased by, Hongbo under the Shipbuilding Contract in respect of hull number S-1033 and upon delivery registered in the name of Hongbo under Liberian flag;
 
 
and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
" Shipbuilding Contracts "  means:

 
(a)
the shipbuilding contract dated 31 October 2006 and made between the Builder and the Guarantor for the construction by the Builder of a newbuilding IMO III, double hull product tanker of 50,000 dwt with hull number S-1027 and its purchase by Guarantor together with a novation agreement made or to be made between the Builder, the Guarantor and Banksy pursuant to which the Guarantor's rights and obligations under such shipbuilding contract are novated in favour of Banksy; and
 
 
(b)
the shipbuilding contract dated 31 October 2006 and made between the Builder and the Guarantor for the construction by the Builder of a newbuilding IMO III, double hull product tanker of 50,000 dwt with hull number S-1033 and its purchase by Guarantor together with a novation agreement made or to be made between the Builder, the Guarantor and Hongbo pursuant to which the Guarantor's rights and obligations under such shipbuilding contract are novated in favour of Hongbo;
 
each in a form approved by the Lenders and as supplemented and/or amended from time to time and, in the singular, means either of them;

 
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" Total Loss " means, in relation to a Ship:

 
(a)
actual, constructive, compromised, agreed or arranged total loss of the Ship;
 
 
(b)
any expropriation, confiscation, requisition or acquisition of the Ship, whether for full consideration, a consideration less than its proper value, a nominal consideration or without any consideration, which is effected by any government or official authority or by any person or persons claiming to be or to represent a government or official authority (excluding a requisition for hire for a fixed period not exceeding 1 year without any right to an extension) unless it is within 1 month redelivered to the full control of the Borrower owning the Ship; and
 
 
(c)
any arrest, capture, seizure or detention of the Ship (including any hijacking or theft) unless it is within 1 month redelivered to the full control of the Borrower owning the Ship;
 
" Swap Bank "  means a bank or financial institution listed in Schedule 2 and acting through its branch indicated in Schedule 1;
 
" Swap Counterparty "  means, at any relevant time and in relation to a continuing Designated Transaction, the Swap Bank which is a party to that Designated Transaction;
 
" Swap Exposure "  means, as at any relevant date and in relation to a Swap Counterparty, the amount certified by the Swap Counterparty to the Agent to be the aggregate net amount in Dollars which would be payable by the Borrowers to the Swap Counterparty under (and calculated in accordance with) section 6(e) ( Payments on Early Termination ) of the Master Agreement entered into by the Swap Counterparty with the Borrowers if an Early Termination Date had occurred on the relevant date in relation to all continuing Designated Transactions entered into between the Borrowers and the Swap Counterparty;
 
 
" Total Loss Date " means, in relation to a Ship:

 
(a)
in the case of an actual loss of the Ship, the date on which it occurred or, if that is unknown, the date when the Ship was last heard of;
 
 
(b)
in the case of a constructive, compromised, agreed or arranged total loss of the Ship, the earliest of:
 
 
(i)
the date on which a notice of abandonment is given to the insurers; and
 
 
(ii)
the date of any compromise, arrangement or agreement made by or on behalf of the Borrower owning the Ship with the Ship's insurers in which the insurers agree to treat the Ship as a total loss; and
 
 
(a)
in the case of any other type of total loss, on the date (or the most likely date) on which it appears to the Agent that the event constituting the total loss occurred;
 
 
" Tranche "  means, in relation to a Ship, the aggregate of the Advances relating to that Ship;

 
" Transaction "  has the meaning given in each Master Agreement;

 
" Transaction Documents "  means the Shipbuilding Contracts, the Charters and the Charter Guarantees and, in the singular, means any of them;

 
" Transfer Certificate "  has the meaning given in Clause 26.2; and

 
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" Trust Property " has the meaning given in clause 3.1 of the Agency and Trust Agreement.

1.2
Construction of certain terms.   In this Agreement:
 
"administration notice"   means a notice appointing an administrator, a notice of intended appointment and any other notice which is required by law (generally or in the case concerned) to be filed with the court or given to a person prior to, or in connection with, the appointment of an administrator;

 
" approved " means, for the purposes of Clause 13, approved in writing by the Agent;

 
" asset " includes every kind of property, asset, interest or right, including any present, future or contingent right to any revenues or other payment;

 
" company " includes any partnership, joint venture and unincorporated association;

" consent " includes an authorisation, consent, approval, resolution, licence, exemption, filing, registration, notarisation and legalisation;

 
" contingent liability " means a liability which is not certain to arise and/or the amount of which remains unascertained;

 
" control "  by one person (A) of another (B) means that A (whether directly or indirectly and whether by the ownership of share capital, the possession of voting power, contract or otherwise and whether acting alone or in concert with one or more other parties) has the power to appoint and/or remove all or the majority of the members of the board of directors or other governing body of B or otherwise controls or has the power to control the affairs and policies of B;

 
" document " includes a deed; also a letter or fax;

 
" excess risks " means, in relation to a Ship, the proportion of claims for general average, salvage and salvage charges not recoverable under the hull and machinery policies in respect of the Ship in consequence of its insured value being less than the value at which the Ship is assessed for the purpose of such claims;

 
" expense " means any kind of cost, charge or expense (including all legal costs, charges and expenses) and any applicable value added or other tax;

 
" law " includes any order or decree, any form of delegated legislation, any treaty or international convention and any regulation or resolution of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the United Nations or its Security Council;

 
" legal or administrative action " means any legal proceeding or arbitration and any administrative or regulatory action or investigation;

 
" liability "  includes every kind of debt or liability (present or future, certain or contingent), whether incurred as principal or surety or otherwise;

 
" months "  shall be construed in accordance with Clause 1.3;

 
" obligatory insurances " means, in relation to a Ship, all insurances effected, or which the Borrower owning the Ship is obliged to effect, under Clause 13 or any other provision of this Agreement or another Finance Document;

 
" parent company "  has the meaning given in Clause 1.4;

 
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" person "  includes any company; any state, political sub-division of a state and local or municipal authority; and any international organisation;

 
" policy ", in relation to any insurance, includes a slip, cover note, certificate of entry or other document evidencing the contract of insurance or its terms;

 
" protection and indemnity risks " means the usual risks covered by a protection and indemnity association managed in London, including pollution risks and the proportion (if any) of any sums payable to any other person or persons in case of collision which are not recoverable under the hull and machinery policies by reason of the incorporation in them of clause 6 of the International Hull Clauses (1/11/02 or 1/11/03), clause 8 of the Institute Time Clauses (Hulls) (1/11/95) or clause 8 of the Institute Time Clauses (Hulls) (1/10/83) or the Institute Amended Running Down Clause (1/10/71) or any equivalent provision;

" regulation " includes any regulation, rule, official directive, request or guideline whether or not having the force of law of any governmental, intergovernmental or supranational body, agency, department or regulatory, self-regulatory or other authority or organisation;

 
" subsidiary "  has the meaning given in Clause 1.4;

 
" tax "  includes any present or future tax, duty, impost, levy or charge of any kind which is imposed by any state, any political sub-division of a state or any local or municipal authority (including any such imposed in connection with exchange controls), and any connected penalty, interest or fine; and

 
" war risks "  includes the risk of mines, blocking, trapping and all risks excluded by clause 29 of the International Hull Clauses (1/11/02 or 1/11/03), clause 24 of the Institute Time Clauses (Hulls)(1/11/95) or clause 23 of the Institute Time Clauses (Hulls) (1/10/83).

1.3
Meaning of "month".   A period of one or more " months " ends on the day in the relevant calendar month numerically corresponding to the day of the calendar month on which the period started (" the numerically corresponding day "), but:
 
(a)
on the Business Day following the numerically corresponding day if the numerically corresponding day is not a Business Day or, if there is no later Business Day in the same calendar month, on the Business Day preceding the numerically corresponding day; or
 
(b)
on the last Business Day in the relevant calendar month, if the period started on the last Business Day in a calendar month or if the last calendar month of the period has no numerically corresponding day,
 
and " month " and " monthly " shall be construed accordingly.

1.4
Meaning of "subsidiary".   A company (S) is a subsidiary of another company (P) if:
 
(a)
a majority of the issued shares in S (or a majority of the issued shares in S which carry unlimited rights to capital and income distributions) are directly owned by P or are indirectly attributable to P; or
 
(b)
P has direct or indirect control over a majority of the voting rights attaching to the issued shares of S; or
 
(c)
P has the direct or indirect power to appoint or remove a majority of the directors of S; or
 
(d)
P otherwise has the direct or indirect power to ensure that the affairs of S are conducted in accordance with the wishes of P,
 

 
14

 

 
and any company of which S is a subsidiary is a parent company of S.
 

1.5
General Interpretation.   In this Agreement:
 
(a)
references to, or to a provision of, a Finance Document or any other document are references to it as amended or supplemented, whether before the date of this Agreement or otherwise;
 
(b)
references to, or to a provision of, any law include any amendment, extension, re-enactment or replacement, whether made before the date of this Agreement or otherwise;
 
(c)
words denoting the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa; and
 
(d)
Clauses 1.1 to 1.5 apply unless the contrary intention appears.
 
1.6
Headings.   In interpreting a Finance Document or any provision of a Finance Document, all clause, sub-clause and other headings in that and any other Finance Document shall be entirely disregarded.
 
2
FACILITY
 
2.1
Amount of facility.   Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Lenders shall make a loan facility not exceeding $80,000,000 available to the Borrowers.
 
2.2
Lenders' participations in Advances.   Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, each Lender shall participate in each Advance in the proportion which, as at the relevant Drawdown Date, its Commitment bears to the Total Commitments.
 
2.3
Purpose of Advances.   The Borrowers undertake with each Creditor Party to use each Advance only for the purpose stated in the preamble to this Agreement.
 
3
POSITION OF THE LENDERS AND SWAP BANKS
 
3.1
Interests several.   The rights of the Lenders and of the Swap Banks under this Agreement and under the Master Agreements are several.
 
3.2
Individual right of action.   Each Lender and each Swap Bank shall be entitled to sue for any amount which has become due and payable by the Borrowers to it under this Agreement or under a Master Agreement without joining the Agent, the Security Trustee, any other Lender or any other Swap Bank as additional parties in the proceedings.
 
3.3
Proceedings requiring Majority Lenders' consent.   Except as provided in Clause 3.2, no Lender and no Swap Bank may commence proceedings against any Borrower or any Security Party in connection with a Finance Document or a Master Agreement without the prior consent of the Majority Lenders.
 
3.4
Obligations several.   The obligations of the Lenders under this Agreement and of the Swap Banks under the Master Agreement to which each is a party are several; and a failure of a Lender to perform its obligations under this Agreement or a failure of a Swap Bank to perform its obligations under the Master Agreement to which it is a party shall not result in:
 
(a)
the obligations of the other Lenders or Swap Banks being increased; nor
 
(b)
any Borrower, any Security Party, any other Lender or any other Swap Bank being discharged (in whole or in part) from its obligations under any Finance Document or under any Master Agreement,
 

 
15

 

 
and in no circumstances shall a Lender or a Swap Bank have any responsibility for a failure of another Lender or another Swap Bank to perform its obligations under this Agreement or a Master Agreement.
 

4
DRAWDOWN
 
4.1
Request for Advance.   Subject to the following conditions, the Borrowers may request an Advance to be made by ensuring that the Agent receives a completed Drawdown Notice not later than 11.00 a.m. (London time) 3 Business Days prior to the intended Drawdown Date.
 
4.2
Availability.   The conditions referred to in Clause 4.1 are that:
 
(a)
a Drawdown Date has to be a Business Day during the Availability Period;
 
(b)
each Advance shall relate to either Ship A or Ship B;
 
(c)
there shall be no more than 5 Advances relating to each Ship and the aggregate of such Advances relating to a Ship shall not exceed $40,000,000;
 
(d)
the amount of the first Advance relating to a Ship shall not exceed the lesser of:
 
 
(i)
70 per cent. of the net amount of the instalment of the purchase price already paid to the Builder under article 10(b)(i) (refund guarantee arrangement) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship;
 
 
(ii)
$5,011,650; or
 
 
(iii)
such lesser amount required to ensure that, if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1(a) were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrowers would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under that Clause;
 
(e)
the amount of the second Advance relating to a Ship shall not exceed the lesser of:
 
 
(i)
70 per cent. of the net amount of the instalment of the purchase price due to the Builder under article 10(b)(ii) (steel cutting) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship on the relevant Drawdown Date;
 
 
(ii)
$5,011,650; or
 
 
(iii)
such lesser amount required to ensure that, if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1(a) were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrowers would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under that Clause;
 
(f)
the amount of the third Advance relating to a Ship shall not exceed the lesser of:
 
 
(i)
70 per cent. of the net amount of the instalment of the purchase price due to the Builder under article 10(b)(iii) (keel laying) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship on the relevant Drawdown Date;
 
 
(ii)
$6,682,200; or
 
 
(iii)
such lesser amount required to ensure that, if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1(a) were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrowers
 

 
16

 
 
would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under that Clause;
 
(g)
the amount of the fourth Advance relating to a Ship shall not exceed the lesser of:
 
 
(i)
70 per cent. of the net amount of the instalment of the purchase price due to the Builder under article 10(b)(iv) (launching) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship on the relevant Drawdown Date;
 
 
(ii)
$6,682,200; or
 
 
(iii)
such lesser amount required to ensure that, if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1(a) were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrowers would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under that Clause;
 
(h)
the amount of the final Advance relating to a Ship shall not exceed the lesser of:
 
 
(i)
116 per cent. of the net amount of the instalment of the purchase price due to the Builder under article 10(b)(v) (delivery) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship on the relevant Drawdown Date;
 
 
(ii)
$16,612,300;
 
 
(iii)
together with the aggregate amount of the previous Advances relating to that Ship, 75 per cent. of the market value (determined as provided in Clause 15.3 on the basis of a valuation carried out not more than 2 weeks prior to the Drawdown Date) of that Ship; or
 
 
(iv)
such lesser amount as the Lenders may determine in their absolute discretion if the Borrowers have not provided all of the documents and evidence set out in Clauses 11.28 and 11.29 in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers; and
 
(i)
the aggregate amount of the Advances shall not exceed the Total Commitments.
 
4.3
Notification to Lenders of receipt of a Drawdown Notice.   The Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders that it has received a Drawdown Notice and shall inform each Lender of:
 
(a)
the amount of the Advance and the Drawdown Date;
 
(b)
the amount of that Lender's participation in the Advance; and
 
(c)
the duration of the first Interest Period.
 
4.4
Drawdown Notice irrevocable.   A Drawdown Notice must be signed by a director, officer or attorney-in-fact of each Borrower; and once served, a Drawdown Notice cannot be revoked without the prior consent of the Agent, acting on the authority of the Majority Lenders.
 
4.5
Lenders to make available Contributions.   Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, each Lender shall, on and with value on each Drawdown Date, make available to the Agent the amount due from that Lender on that Drawdown Date under Clause 2.2.
 

 
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4.6
Disbursement of Advance.   Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Agent shall on each Drawdown Date pay to the Borrowers the amounts which the Agent receives from the Lenders under Clause 4.5; and that payment to the Borrowers shall be made:
 
(a)
to the account which the Borrowers specify in the Drawdown Notice; and
 
(b)
in the like funds as the Agent received the payments from the Lenders.
 
4.7
Disbursement of Advance to third party.   The payment by the Agent under Clause 4.6 shall constitute the making of the Advance and the Borrowers shall at that time become indebted, as principal and direct obligors, to each Lender in an amount equal to that Lender's Contribution.
 
5
INTEREST
 
5.1
Payment of normal interest.   Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, interest on the Loan in respect of each Interest Period shall be paid by the Borrowers on the last day of that Interest Period.
 
5.2
Normal rate of interest.   Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the rate of interest on the Loan in respect of an Interest Period shall be the aggregate of the Margin and LIBOR for that Interest Period.
 
5.3
Payment of accrued interest.   In the case of an Interest Period longer than 3 months, accrued interest shall be paid every 3 months during that Interest Period and on the last day of that Interest Period.
 
5.4
Notification of Interest Periods and rates of normal interest.   The Agent shall notify the Borrowers and each Lender of:
 
(a)
each rate of interest; and
 
(b)
the duration of each Interest Period,
 
as soon as reasonably practicable after each is determined.

5.5
Obligation of Reference Banks to quote.   A Reference Bank which is a Lender shall use all reasonable efforts to supply the quotation required of it for the purposes of fixing a rate of interest under this Agreement.
 
5.6
Absence of quotations by Reference Banks.   If any Reference Bank fails to supply a quotation, the Agent shall determine the relevant LIBOR on the basis of the quotations supplied by the other Reference Bank or Banks; but if the Reference Banks fail to provide a quotation, the relevant rate of interest shall be set in accordance with the following provisions of this Clause 5.
 
5.7
Market disruption.   The following provisions of this Clause 5 apply if:
 
(a)
no rate is quoted on REUTERS BBA Page LIBOR 01 and the Reference Banks do not, before 1.00 p.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date, provide quotations to the Agent in order to fix LIBOR; or
 
(b)
at least 1 Business Day before the start of an Interest Period, Lenders having Contributions together amounting to more than 50 per cent. of the Loan (or, if an Advance has not been made, Commitments amounting to more than 50 per cent. of the Total Commitments) notify the Agent that LIBOR fixed by the Agent would not accurately reflect the cost to those Lenders of funding their respective Contributions (or
 
 
 
18

 
 
 
any part of them) during the Interest Period in the London Interbank Market at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the Quotation Date for the Interest Period; or
 
(c)
at least 1 Business Day before the start of an Interest Period, the Agent is notified by a Lender (the " Affected Lender ") that for any reason it is unable to obtain Dollars in the London Interbank Market in order to fund its Contribution (or any part of it) during the Interest Period.
 
5.8
Notification of market disruption.   The Agent shall promptly notify the Borrowers and each of the Lenders and each of the Swap Counterparties stating the circumstances falling within Clause 5.7 which have caused its notice to be given.
 
5.9
Suspension of drawdown.   If the Agent's notice under Clause 5.8 is served before an Advance is made:
 
(a)
in a case falling within Clauses 5.7(a) or (b), the Lenders' obligations to make the Advance; and
 
(b)
in a case falling within Clause 5.7(c), the Affected Lender's obligation to participate in the Advance,
 
shall be suspended while the circumstances referred to in the Agent's notice continue.

5.10
Negotiation of alternative rate of interest.   If the Agent's notice under Clause 5.8 is served after an Advance is made, the Borrowers, the Agent and the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender and the Swap Counterparties shall use reasonable endeavours to agree, within the 30 days after the date on which the Agent serves its notice under Clause 5.8 (the " Negotiation Period "), an alternative interest rate or (as the case may be) an alternative basis for the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender to fund or continue to fund their or its Contribution during the Interest Period concerned.
 
5.11
Application of agreed alternative rate of interest.   Any alternative interest rate or an alternative basis which is agreed during the Negotiation Period shall take effect in accordance with the terms agreed.
 
5.12
Alternative rate of interest in absence of agreement .  If an alternative interest rate or alternative basis is not agreed within the Negotiation Period, and the relevant  circumstances are continuing at the end of the Negotiation Period, then the Agent shall, with the agreement of each Lender or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender, set an interest period and interest rate representing the cost of funding of the Lenders or (as the case may be) the Affected Lender in Dollars or in any available currency of their or its Contribution plus the Margin; and the procedure provided for by this Clause 5.12 shall be repeated if the relevant circumstances are continuing at the end of the interest period so set by the Agent.
 
5.13
Notice of prepayment.   If the Borrowers do not agree with an interest rate set by the Agent under Clause 5.12, the Borrowers may give the Agent not less than 15 Business Days' notice of their intention to prepay at the end of the interest period set by the Agent.
 
5.14
Prepayment; termination of Commitments .  A notice under Clause 5.13 shall be irrevocable; the Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders or (as the case may require) the Affected Lender of the Borrowers' notice of intended prepayment; and:
 
(a)
on the date on which the Agent serves that notice, the Total Commitments or (as the case may require) the Commitment of the Affected Lender shall be cancelled; and
 

 
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(b)
on the last Business Day of the interest period set by the Agent, the Borrowers shall prepay (without premium or penalty) the Loan or, as the case may be, the Affected Lender's Contribution, together with accrued interest thereon at the applicable rate plus the Margin.
 
5.15
Application of prepayment.   The provisions of Clause 8 shall apply in relation to the prepayment.
 
6
INTEREST PERIODS
 
6.1
Commencement of Interest Periods.   The first Interest Period applicable to an Advance shall commence on the Drawdown Date and each subsequent Interest Period shall commence on the expiry of the preceding Interest Period.
 
6.2
Duration of normal Interest Periods.   Subject to Clauses 6.3 and 6.4, each Interest Period shall be:
 
(a)
3, 6, 9 or 12 months as notified by the Borrowers to the Agent not later than 11.00 a.m. (London time) 5 Business Days before the commencement of the Interest Period Provided that the Borrowers shall only be permitted to select the same period for both Tranches; or
 
(b)
in the case of the first Interest Period applicable to the second Advance under a Tranche, a period ending on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the first Advance under that Tranche then current, whereupon both Advances under that Tranche shall be consolidated and treated as a single Advance under that Tranche;
 
(c)
3 months, if the Borrowers fail to notify the Agent by the time specified in paragraph (a); or
 
(d)
such other period as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Lenders, agree with the Borrowers.
 
6.3
Duration of Interest Periods for repayment instalments.   In respect of an amount due to be repaid under Clause 8 on a particular Repayment Date, an Interest Period shall end on that Repayment Date.
 
6.4
Non-availability of matching deposits for Interest Period selected.   If, after the Borrowers have selected and the Lenders have agreed an Interest Period longer than 6 months, any Lender notifies the Agent by 11.00 a.m. (London time) on the third Business Day before the commencement of the Interest Period that it is not satisfied that deposits in Dollars for a period equal to the Interest Period will be available to it in the London Interbank Market when the Interest Period commences, the Interest Period shall be of 6 months.
 
7
DEFAULT INTEREST
 
7.1
Payment of default interest on overdue amounts.   The Borrowers shall pay interest in accordance with the following provisions of this Clause 7 on any amount payable by the Borrowers under any Finance Document which the Agent, the Security Trustee or the other designated payee does not receive on or before the relevant date, that is:
 
(a)
the date on which the Finance Documents provide that such amount is due for payment; or
 
(b)
if a Finance Document provides that such amount is payable on demand, the date on which the demand is served; or
 

 
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(c)
if such amount has become immediately due and payable under Clause 19.4, the date on which it became immediately due and payable.
 
7.2
Default rate of interest.   Interest shall accrue on an overdue amount from (and including) the relevant date until the date of actual payment (as well after as before judgment) at the rate per annum determined by the Agent to be 2 per cent. above:
 
(a)
in the case of an overdue amount of principal, the higher of the rates set out at Clauses 7.3(a) and (b); or
 
(b)
in the case of any other overdue amount, the rate set out at Clause 7.3(b).
 
7.3
Calculation of default rate of interest.   The rates referred to in Clause 7.2 are:
 
(a)
the rate applicable to the overdue principal amount immediately prior to the relevant date (but only for any unexpired part of any then current Interest Period applicable to it);
 
(b)
the Margin plus, in respect of successive periods of any duration (including at call) up to 3 months which the Agent may select from time to time:
 
 
(i)
LIBOR; or
 
 
(ii)
if the Agent (after consultation with the Reference Banks) determines that Dollar deposits for any such period are not being made available to any Reference Bank by leading banks in the London Interbank Market in the ordinary course of business, a rate from time to time determined by the Agent by reference to the cost of funds to the Reference Banks from such other sources as the Agent (after consultation with the Reference Banks) may from time to time determine.
 
7.4
Notification of interest periods and default rates.   The Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders and the Borrowers of each interest rate determined by the Agent under Clause 7.3 and of each period selected by the Agent for the purposes of paragraph (b) of that Clause; but this shall not be taken to imply that the Borrowers are liable to pay such interest only with effect from the date of the Agent's notification.
 
7.5
Payment of accrued default interest.   Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, any interest due under this Clause shall be paid on the Agent's demand but also in any event, on the last day of the period by reference to which it was determined; and the payment shall be made to the Agent for the account of the Creditor Party to which the overdue amount is due.
 
7.6
Compounding of default interest.   Any such interest which is not paid at the end of the period by reference to which it was determined shall thereupon be compounded.
 
7.7
Application to Master Agreements.   For the avoidance of doubt, this Clause 7 does not apply to any amount payable under a Master Agreement in respect of any continuing Designated Transaction as to which section 2(e) ( Default Interest; Other Amounts ) of that Master Agreement shall apply.
 
8
REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT
 
8.1
Amount of repayment instalments.   The Borrowers shall repay each Tranche by 40 equal consecutive quarterly instalments of $625,000 each together with a balloon instalment equal to the outstanding balance of that Tranche.
 
8.2
Repayment Dates.   The first instalment of each Tranche shall be repaid on the earlier of (i) the date falling 6 months after the first Delivery Date or (ii) 31 December 2009; and
 

 
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both the last instalment of each Tranche and the balloon instalment of each Tranche on the date falling 120 months after the first Delivery Date.
 
8.3
Final Repayment Date.   On the earlier of (i) the final Repayment Date or (ii) 30 September 2019, the Borrowers shall additionally pay to the Agent for the account of the Creditor Parties all other sums then accrued or owing under any Finance Document.
 
8.4
Voluntary prepayment.   Subject to the following conditions, the Borrowers may prepay the whole or any part of a Tranche.
 
8.5
Conditions for voluntary prepayment.   The conditions referred to in Clause 8.4 are that:
 
(a)
a partial prepayment shall be $500,000 or an integral multiple of $500,000;
 
(b)
the Agent has received from the Borrowers at least 3 Business Days' prior written notice specifying the amount to be prepaid and the date on which the prepayment is to be made;
 
(c)
the Borrowers have provided evidence satisfactory to the Agent that any consent required by any Borrower or any Security Party in connection with the prepayment has been obtained and remains in force, and that any official  regulation relevant to this Agreement which affects any Borrower or any Security Party has been complied with; and
 
(d)
the Borrowers have complied with Clause 8.12 on or prior to the date of prepayment.
 
8.6
Effect of notice of prepayment.   A prepayment notice may not be withdrawn or amended without the consent of the Agent, given with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, and the amount specified in the prepayment notice shall become due and payable by the Borrowers on the date for prepayment specified in the prepayment notice.
 
8.7
Notification of notice of prepayment.   The Agent shall notify the Lenders promptly upon receiving a prepayment notice, and shall provide any Lender which so requests with a copy of any document delivered by the Borrowers under Clause 8.5(c).
 
8.8
Mandatory prepayment.   The Borrowers shall be obliged to prepay in full the Tranche relating to that Ship, and to comply with Clause 8.12:
 
(a)
if a Ship is sold, on or before the date on which the sale is completed by delivery of the Ship to the buyer; or
 
(b)
if a Ship becomes a Total Loss, on the earlier of the date falling 180 days after the Total Loss Date and the date of receipt by the Security Trustee of the proceeds of insurance relating to such Total Loss; or
 
(c)
if any of a Borrower's rights under a Shipbuilding Contract are assigned (other than pursuant to a Predelivery Security Assignment), novated or sold, on or before the date on which such assignment, novation or sale is executed (in the case of an assignment or novation) or completed (in the case of a sale); or
 
(d)
if, prior to the Delivery Date of a Ship, the Borrowers arrange financing in part or full of any pre-delivery instalment or the delivery instalment of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship with a bank or financial institution (other than DVB Bank America N.V.), on or before the first drawdown under such financing; or
 
(e)
if any of the following occurs in relation to a Ship, on demand by the Agent:
 

 
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(i)
any of the events specified in article 11(a) or 11(c) of the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship occurs; or
     
 
(ii)
either the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship or the Refund Guarantee in relation to that Ship is cancelled, terminated, rescinded or suspended or otherwise ceases to remain in force for any reason; or
 
 
(iii)
the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship is amended or varied without the prior written consent of the Majority Lenders except for any such amendment or variation as is permitted by this Agreement or any other relevant Finance Document; or
 
 
(iv)
that Ship has not for any reason been delivered to, and accepted by, the relevant Borrower under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship by the date specified in article 3(a)(iii) of that Shipbuilding Contract,
 
and, if the Delivery Date of that Ship has occurred, the Borrowers shall also be obliged on the same prepayment date to prepay the additional amount (if any) required to ensure that if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1 were applied immediately following the prepayment(s) pursuant to this Clause 8.8, the Borrowers would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under Clause 15.

8.9
Amounts payable on prepayment.   A prepayment shall be made together with:
 
(a)
accrued interest (and any other amount payable under Clause 21 or otherwise) in respect of the amount prepaid;
 
(b)
if the prepayment is not made on the last day of an Interest Period, together with any sums payable under Clause 21.1(b); and
 
(c)
if any part of the Loan is prepaid in connection with a financing or refinancing arranged by a bank or financial institution (other than DVB Bank America N.V.), as an agreed compensation for the loss of the Lenders' anticipated return on capital, a prepayment fee equal to 1 per cent. of the amount prepaid, for distribution among the Lenders pro rata to their Commitments,
 
but otherwise without premium or penalty.

8.10
Application of partial prepayment.   Each partial prepayment of a Tranche shall be applied pro rata against the repayment instalments and the balloon both specified in Clause 8.1 for that Tranche.
 
8.11
No reborrowing.   No amount prepaid may be reborrowed.
 
8.12
Unwinding of Designated Transactions.   On or prior to any repayment or prepayment of the Loan under this Clause 8 or any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrowers shall wholly or partially reverse, offset, unwind or otherwise terminate one or more of the continuing Designated Transactions so that the notional principal amount of the continuing Designated Transactions thereafter remaining does not and will not in the future (taking into account the scheduled amortisation) exceed the amount of the Loan as reducing from time to time thereafter pursuant to Clause 8.1.
 
9
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
 
9.1
Documents, fees and no default.   Each Lender's obligation to contribute to an Advance is subject to the following conditions precedent:
 

 
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(a)
that, on or before the service of the first Drawdown Notice, the Agent receives the documents described in Part A of Schedule 4 in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers;
 
(b)
that, on or before each Drawdown Date after the first Advance, but prior to the making of that subsequent Advance, the Agent receives:
 
 
(i)
evidence (which shall include a copy of the relevant invoice or invoices and any class stage certification) that the instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract to be financed by the Advance is due for payment; and
 
 
(ii)
evidence that the Builder has been paid or will be paid that part of the relevant instalment to be financed by the relevant Advance which is not itself financed by that Advance;
 
(c)
that, on or before the Drawdown Date of an Advance relating to the delivery instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship A:
 
 
(i)
the Agent receives or is satisfied that it will receive on the making of that Advance the documents described in Part B of Schedule 4 in form and substance satisfactory to it and its lawyers; and
 
 
(ii)
the Borrowers enter into one or more Designated Transactions fixing the interest rate for that Tranche under this Agreement via an interest rate swap mechanism for a minimum period of 3 years but otherwise, on terms in all respects approved by the Agent, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders;
 
(d)
that, on or before the Drawdown Date of an Advance relating to the delivery instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship B:
 
 
(i)
the Agent receives or is satisfied that it will receive on the making of that Advance the documents described in Part C of Schedule 4 in form and substance satisfactory to it and its lawyers; and
 
 
(ii)
the Borrowers enter into one or more Designated Transactions fixing the interest rate for that Tranche under this Agreement via an interest rate swap mechanism for a minimum period of 3 years but otherwise, on terms in all respects approved by the Agent, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders;
 
(e)
that, on or before the service of the first Drawdown Notice, the Agent has received the upfront fee referred to in Clause 20.1 and the first instalment of the annual agency fee referred to in Clause 20.1 and has received payment of the expenses referred to in Clause 20.2;
 
(f)
that both at the date of each Drawdown Notice and at each Drawdown Date:
 
 
(i)
no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred or would result from the borrowing of the Advance;
 
 
(ii)
the representations and warranties in Clause 10.1 and those of any Borrower or any Security Party which are set out in the other Finance Documents would be true and not misleading if repeated on each of those dates with reference to the circumstances then existing; and
 
 
(iii)
none of the circumstances contemplated by Clause 5.7 has occurred and is continuing;
 

 
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(g)
that, if the ratio set out in Clause 15.1 (with the market value of the Ship to which the Advance relates determined as provided in Clause 15.3 on the basis of a valuation carried out not more than 2 weeks prior to the Drawdown Date) were applied immediately following the making of the Advance, the Borrowers would not be obliged to provide additional security or prepay part of the Loan under that Clause; and
 
(h)
that the Agent has received, and found to be acceptable to it, any further opinions, consents, agreements and documents in connection with the Finance Documents which the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, request by notice to the Borrowers prior to the Drawdown Date.
 
9.2
Waiver of conditions precedent .  If the Majority Lenders, at their discretion, permit an Advance to be borrowed before certain of the conditions referred to in Clause 9.1 are satisfied, the Borrowers shall ensure that those conditions are satisfied within 5 Business Days after the Drawdown Date (or such longer period as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, specify).
 
10
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
 
10.1
General.   Each Borrower represents and warrants to each Creditor Party as follows.
 
10.2
Status.   Each Borrower is duly incorporated and validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia and is not immune to any legal proceedings in such country of incorporation.
 
10.3
Share capital and ownership.   Each Borrower has an authorised share capital of 500 registered and/or bearer shares of no par value, all of which shares have been issued in registered form and the legal title and beneficial ownership of all those shares is held, free of any Security Interest or other claim, by the Guarantor.
 
10.4
Corporate power.
 
(a)
Each Borrower has the corporate capacity, and has taken all corporate action and obtained all consents, licenses and authorisations necessary for it:
 
 
(i)
to carry out its business carried on or to be carried on by it and own its assets owned or to be owned by it;
 
 
(ii)
to purchase and pay for the Ship to be owned by it under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship and register that Ship in its name under Maltese flag (in the case of Ship A) or Liberian flag (in the case of Ship B);
 
 
(iii)
to execute the Finance Documents and the Transaction Documents to which that Borrower is a party and the Master Agreements; and
 
 
(iv)
to borrow under this Agreement, to enter into Designated Transactions under the Master Agreements and to make all the payments contemplated by, and to comply with, the Finance Documents and the Transaction Documents to which that Borrower is a party and the Master Agreements.
 
(b)
The copies of the constitutional documents of the Borrower delivered to the Agent before the date of this Agreement is a true and complete copy.
 
10.5
Consents in force.   All the consents referred to in Clause 10.4 remain in force and nothing has occurred which makes any of them liable to revocation.
 

 
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10.6
Legal validity; admissibility in evidence; pari passu ranking; effective Security Interests.   The Finance Documents and the Transaction Documents to which each Borrower is a party and the Master Agreements, do now or, as the case may be, will, upon execution and delivery (and, where applicable, registration as provided for in the Finance Documents):
 
(a)
constitute that Borrower's legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable against that Borrower in accordance with their respective terms;
 
(b)
are admissible in evidence and are in full force and effect;
 
(c)
rank at least pari passu with all its other present and future unsecured liabilities, except for liabilities which are mandatorily preferred by law; and
 
(d)
create legal, valid and binding first priority Security Interests enforceable in accordance with their respective terms over all the assets to which they, by their terms, relate,
 
subject to any relevant insolvency laws affecting creditors' rights generally.

10.7
No third party Security Interests.   Without limiting the generality of Clause 10.6, at the time of the execution and delivery of each Finance Document:
 
(a)
each Borrower which is a party to that Finance Document will have the right to create all the Security Interests which that Finance Document purports to create; and
 
(b)
no third party will have any Security Interest (except for Permitted Security Interests) or any other interest, right or claim over, in or in relation to any asset to which any such Security Interest, by its terms, relates.
 
10.8
No conflicts.   The execution by each Borrower of each Finance Document and each Transaction Document to which it is a party and each Master Agreement, and the borrowing by that Borrower of the Loan, and its compliance with each Finance Document and each Transaction Document to which it is a party and each Master Agreement will not involve or lead to a contravention of:
 
(a)
any law or regulation; or
 
(b)
the constitutional documents of that Borrower; or
 
(c)
any contractual or other obligation or restriction which is binding on that Borrower or any of its assets.
 
10.9
No withholding taxes; stamp duty.   All payments which each Borrower is liable to make under the Finance Documents to which it is a party may be made without deduction or withholding for or on account of any tax payable under any law of any Pertinent Jurisdiction.  No Finance Document is subject to any filing or stamp duty in any Pertinent Jurisdiction.
 
10.10
No default.   No Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred.
 
10.11
Information.   All information which has been provided in writing by or on behalf of the Borrowers or any Security Party to any Creditor Party in connection with any Finance Document satisfied the requirements of Clause 11.5; all audited and unaudited accounts which have been so provided satisfied the requirements of Clause 11.7; and there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or state of affairs of any Borrower from that disclosed in the latest of those accounts.
 

 
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10.12
No litigation.   No legal or administrative action involving any Borrower (including action relating to any alleged or actual breach of the ISM Code or the ISPS Code) has been commenced or taken or, to any Borrower's knowledge, is likely to be commenced or taken.
 
10.13
Validity and completeness of Transaction Documents .  Each Transaction Document constitutes valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the respective parties thereto in accordance with its terms; and:
 
(a)
the copy of each Transaction Document delivered to the Agent before the date of this Agreement is a true and complete copy; and
 
(b)
no amendments or additions to any Transaction Document have been agreed nor has the party to any Transaction Document waived any of their respective rights under that Transaction Document.
 
10.14
No rebates etc.   There is no agreement or understanding to allow or pay any rebate, premium, commission, discount or other benefit or payment (howsoever described) to any party to a Transaction Document or a third party in connection with any Transaction Document, other than as disclosed to the Lenders in writing on or prior to the date of this Agreement.
 
10.15
Compliance with certain undertakings.   At the date of this Agreement, the Borrowers are in compliance with Clauses 11.2, 11.4, 11.9 and 11.14.
 
10.16
Taxes paid.   Each Borrower has paid all taxes applicable to, or imposed on or in relation to that Borrower, its business or the Ship owned by it.
 
10.17
ISM Code and ISPS Code compliance.   All requirements of the ISM Code and the ISPS Code as they relate to the Borrowers, the Approved Managers and the Ships have been complied with.
 
10.18
No money laundering.   Without prejudice to the generality of Clause 2.3, in relation to the borrowing by the Borrowers of the Loan, the performance and discharge of their obligations and liabilities under the Finance Documents, and the transactions and other arrangements affected or contemplated by the Finance Documents to which a Borrower is a party, the Borrowers confirm (i) that they are acting for their own account; (ii) that they will use the proceeds of the Loan for their own benefit, under their full responsibility and exclusively for the purposes specified in this Agreement; and (iii) that the foregoing will not involve or lead to a contravention of any law, official requirement or other regulatory measure or procedure implemented to combat "money laundering" (as defined in Article 1 of Directive (91/308) (EEC) of the Council of the European Communities).
 
10.19
Title and ownership.   The Borrower has good title to and is the ultimate beneficial owner of each of the assets owned or purported to be owned by it.
 
10.20
No prior business.   The Borrower has not traded or carried on business prior to the date of this Agreement other than the entering into of the Transaction Documents.
 
10.21
Employees and pension scheme obligations.   The Borrower does not have any employees or obligations in respect of any pensions scheme save for, and in relation to, the master, officers and crew of the Ship owned or to be owned by it.
 
10.22
Submission to jurisdiction and choice of laws.   Each submission to jurisdiction, and choice of law, by the Borrower contained in any Finance Document is effective.
 
10.23
No adverse consequences in jurisdiction of incorporation.   No Creditor Party will be deemed to be resident, domiciled, carrying on business or subject to taxation in the
 

 
27

 

Republic of Liberia by reason only of the negotiation, preparation, execution, performance, enforcement of, and/or receipt of any payment due from the Borrower under any Finance Document.
 
10.24
Accounting reference date.   The accounting reference date for the Borrower is 31 December.
 
10.25
Repetition of representations and warranties.   The representations and warranties set out in this Clause 10 (except Clause 10.12) will be deemed to be repeated by each Borrower to each Creditor Party at the end of each Interest Period with reference to the circumstances then existing.
 
11
GENERAL UNDERTAKINGS
 
11.1
General.   Each Borrower undertakes with each Creditor Party to comply with the following provisions of this Clause 11 at all times during the Security Period except as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, otherwise permit.
 
11.2
Title; negative pledge.   Each Borrower will:
 
(a)
hold the legal title to, and own the entire beneficial interest in the Ship owned by it, her Insurances and Earnings, free from all Security Interests and other interests and rights of every kind, except for those created by the Finance Documents and the effect of assignments contained in the Finance Documents and except for Permitted Security Interests; and
 
(b)
not create or permit to arise any Security Interest (except for Permitted Security Interests) over any other asset, present or future (including, but not limited to, that Borrower's rights against a Swap Counterparty under a Master Agreement or all or any part of that Borrower's interest in any amount payable to that Borrower by a Swap Counterparty under a Master Agreement).
 
11.3
No disposal of assets.   No Borrower will transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of:
 
(a)
all or a substantial part of its assets, whether by one transaction or a number of transactions, whether related or not; or
 
(b)
any debt payable to it or any other right (present, future or contingent right) to receive a payment, including any right to damages or compensation,
 
but paragraph (a) does not apply to any charter of a Ship as to which Clause 14.12 applies.
 
11.4
No other liabilities or obligations to be incurred.   No Borrower will incur any liability or obligation except:
 
(a)
liabilities and obligations under the Transaction Documents and the Finance Documents to which it is a party;
 
(b)
liabilities or obligations reasonably incurred in the ordinary course of operating and chartering the Ship owned by it (and then only if any such Financial Indebtedness is unsecured trade credit with an aggregate amount not exceeding $500,000 (or the equivalent in any other currency) at any time); and
 
(c)
Designated Transactions.
 
11.5
Information provided to be accurate.   All financial and other information which is provided in writing by or on behalf of a Borrower under or in connection with any
 

 
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Finance Document will be true and not misleading and will not omit any material fact or consideration.
 
11.6
Provision of financial statements.
 
(a)
Each Borrower will send to the Agent:
 
 
(i)
as soon as possible, but in no event later than 180 days after the end of each financial year of that Borrower, the audited accounts of that Borrower (together with updated details of all off-balance sheet and time charter hire commitments of the Borrower); and
 
 
(ii)
as soon as possible, but in no event later than 90 days after the end of each quarter in each financial year of that Borrower:
 
 
(A)
unaudited accounts of that Borrower which are certified as to their correctness by the chief financial officer of that Borrower; and
 
 
(B)
management accounts in a format approved by the Agent which show the results of the operation of the Ship owned by it during the preceding financial quarter and which are certified as to their correctness by the chief financial officer of that Borrower.
 
(b)
Each Borrower will procure that there is sent to the Agent in relation to each Charterer and each Charter Guarantor:
 
 
(i)
as soon as possible, and the Borrower shall use its best efforts to procure that in no event later than 180 days after the end of each financial year of that company there is sent to the Agent, the audited consolidated accounts of that company and its subsidiaries and audited individual accounts of that company (together with in either case updated details of all off-balance sheet and time charter hire commitments of that company); and
 
 
(ii)
as soon as possible, and the Borrower shall use its best efforts to procure that in no event later than 90 days after the end of each half-year period in each financial year of that company there is sent to the Agent:
 
 
(A)
unaudited consolidated accounts of that company and its subsidiaries and unaudited individual accounts of that company, each of which are certified as to their correctness by the chief financial officer of that company; and
 
 
(B)
management accounts in a format approved by the Agent which show the results of the operation of the Ship chartered by it (or, as the case may be, which is the subject of a guarantee issued by it) during the preceding financial half-year and which are certified as to their correctness by the chief financial officer of that company.
 
11.7
Form of financial statements.   All accounts (audited and unaudited) delivered under Clause 11.6 will:
 
(a)
be prepared in accordance with all applicable laws and GAAP (or, in the case of a Charterer or a Charter Guarantor, such other accounting principles approved by the Agent) consistently applied;
 
(b)
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the relevant company and (if applicable) its subsidiaries at the date of those accounts and of its or their profit for the period to which those accounts relate; and
 

 
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(c)
fully disclose or provide for all significant liabilities of the relevant company and (if applicable) its subsidiaries.
 
11.8
Shareholder and creditor notices.   Each Borrower will send the Agent, at the same time as they are despatched, copies of all communications which are despatched to that Borrower's shareholders or creditors or any class of them.
 
11.9
Consents and compliance with laws.
 
(a)
Each Borrower will maintain in force and promptly obtain or renew, and will promptly send certified copies to the Agent of, all consents required:
 
 
(i)
for that Borrower to perform its obligations under any Finance Document or any Transaction Document to which it is a party or any Master Agreement;
 
 
(ii)
for the validity or enforceability of any Finance Document or any Transaction Document to which it is a party or any Master Agreement;
 
 
(iii)
for that Borrower to continue to own and operate the Ship and any other asset owned by it;
 
 
(iv)
for that Borrower to continue to carry on its business as currently conducted,
 
and that Borrower will comply with the terms of all such consents.

(b)
Without prejudice to the other obligations under the Finance Documents, each Borrower is in compliance, and shall comply in all respects, with all laws and regulations to which it may be subject including, without limitation, all Environmental Laws and all intellectual property laws.
 
11.10
Maintenance of Security Interests.   Each Borrower will:
 
(a)
at its own cost, do all that is legally possible to ensure that any Finance Document validly creates the obligations and the Security Interests which it purports to create; and
 
(b)
without limiting the generality of paragraph (a), at its own cost, promptly register, file, record or enrol any Finance Document with any court or authority in all Pertinent Jurisdictions, pay any stamp, registration or similar tax in all Pertinent Jurisdictions in respect of any Finance Document, give any notice or take any other step which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, is or has become necessary or desirable for any Finance Document to be valid, enforceable or admissible in evidence or to ensure or protect the priority of any Security Interest which it creates.
 
11.11
Notification of litigation.   Each Borrower will provide the Agent with details of any legal or administrative action involving that Borrower, any Security Party, any Approved Manager or the Ship owned by it, the Earnings or the Insurances as soon as such action is instituted or it becomes apparent to that Borrower that it is likely to be instituted, unless it is clear that the legal or administrative action cannot be considered material in the context of any Finance Document.
 
11.12
No amendment to Transaction Documents.   Neither Borrower will agree to any amendment or supplement to, nor waive nor fail to enforce, any Transaction Document or any of its provisions.
 
11.13
No amendment to Master Agreements.   Neither Borrower will agree to any amendment or supplement to, or waive or fail to enforce, any Master Agreement or any of its provisions.
 

 
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11.14
Principal place of business.   Each Borrower will maintain its place of business, and keep its corporate documents and records, at the address stated at the commencement of this Agreement; and no Borrower will establish, or do anything as a result of which it would be deemed to have, a place of business in any country other than Greece.
 
11.15
Confirmation of no default.   Each Borrower will, within 2 Business Days after service by the Agent of a written request, serve on the Agent a notice which is signed by 2 directors of that Borrower and which:
 
(a)
states that no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred; or
 
(b)
states that no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred, except for a specified event or matter, of which all material details are given.
 
The Agent may serve requests under this Clause 11.15 from time to time but only if asked to do so by a Lender or Lenders having Contributions exceeding 10 per cent. of the Loan or (if no Advances have been made) Commitments exceeding 10 per cent. of the Total Commitments; and this Clause 11.15 does not affect the Borrowers' obligations under Clause 11.16.

11.16
Notification of default.   Each Borrower will notify the Agent as soon as that Borrower becomes aware of:
 
(a)
the occurrence of an Event of Default or a Potential Event of Default; or
 
(b)
any matter which indicates that an Event of Default or a Potential Event of Default may have occurred,
 
 
and will keep the Agent fully up-to-date with all developments.

11.17
Provision of further information.   Each Borrower will, as soon as practicable after receiving the request, provide the Agent with any additional financial or other information relating:
 
(a)
to that Borrower, the Ship owned by it, the Earnings or the Insurances; or
 
(b)
to any other matter relevant to, or to any provision of, a Finance Document,
 
which may be reasonably requested by the Agent, the Security Trustee, any Lender or any Swap Bank at any time including, without limitation, management accounts and forward-looking budgets and projections.

11.18
Provision of copies and translation of documents.   Each Borrower will supply the Agent with a sufficient number of copies of the documents referred to above to provide 1 copy for each Creditor Party; and if the Agent so requires in respect of any of those documents, the Borrowers will provide a certified English translation prepared by a translator approved by the Agent.
 
11.19
"Know your customer" checks.   If:
 
(a)
the introduction of or any change in (or in the interpretation, administration or application of) any law or regulation made after the date of this Agreement;
 
(b)
any change in the status of the Borrowers or any Security Party after the date of this Agreement; or
 
(c)
a proposed assignment or transfer by a Lender of any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement to a party that is not a Lender prior to such assignment or transfer,
 

 
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obliges the Agent or any Lender (or, in the case of paragraph (c), any prospective new Lender) to comply with "know your customer" or similar identification procedures in circumstances where the necessary information is not already available to it, the Borrowers shall promptly upon the request of the Agent or the Lender concerned supply, or procure the supply of, such documentation and other evidence as is reasonably requested by the Agent (for itself or on behalf of any Lender) or the Lender concerned (for itself or, in the case of the event described in paragraph (c), on behalf of any prospective new Lender) in order for the Agent, the Lender concerned or, in the case of the event described in paragraph (c), any prospective new Lender to carry out and be satisfied it has complied with all necessary "know your customer" or other similar checks under all applicable laws and regulations pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Finance Documents.
 
11.20
Splitting of the Loan.
 
(a)
The Borrowers agree that the Agent (acting with the authorisation of the Lenders) has the right at any time to request that the Loan is split into two tranches, which may or may not be ranked pari passu and which may or may not have identical pricing, so long as the blended margin on the Loan as split is equal to the Margin and the repayment profile of each tranche is the same as that of the Loan prior to the split.
 
(b)
If the Agent notifies the Borrowers that the Agent is exercising the right in this Clause:
 
 
(i)
the Borrowers will, and will procure that each Security Party will. at the Borrowers' cost promptly enter into any documentation in a form reasonably required by the Agent to implement such split required by the Agent (including, without limitation, any documentation required to amend the Finance Documents and to secure the Borrower's and the Security Parties' liabilities and obligations under the Finance Documents as amended and/or supplemented);
 
 
(ii)
the Borrower shall also at the same time procure that the Agent is promptly provided with favourable legal opinions from lawyers appointed by the Agent on such matters concerning the laws of such relevant jurisdictions as the Agent may require; corporate authorities of the Borrowers and the Security Parties each in a form approved by the Agent authorising the execution of any documentation; a process agent letter confirming the acceptance of appointment of any process agent appointed by the Borrowers and the Security Parties; and evidence that any filings required in relation to any Borrower and/or any Security Party and/or any new Finance Document have been made; and
 
 
(iii)
the Borrowers shall fully indemnify the Agent and each Lender on the Agent's demand and the Security Trustee on its demand in respect of all reasonable expenses incurred by that Creditor Party as a result of or in connection with such splitting of the Loan.
 
11.21
Subordination.   Without prejudice to the generality of Clause 11.4, each Borrower shall procure that any claim of the Guarantor and/or any Approved Manager against either Borrower shall at all times be fully subordinated to the Secured Liabilities to the satisfaction of the Agent.
 
11.22
Bank account statements.   Each Borrower will procure that the Agent is sent at its request all of the bank statement for each Earnings Account (with such statements to be, if available, in electronic format).
 
11.23
Capital expenditure.   The Borrowers will not, and shall procure that none of their respective subsidiaries (whether direct or indirect) will, acquire or permit to be acquired any investments or other assets, or make or permit to be made any capital expenditure save for any investment or any other asset acquired by, or any capital expenditure by, a
 

 
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Borrower in each case relating to the repair or upgrade of the Ship owned by that Borrower for an aggregate consideration (taking into account all such acquisitions and expenditure by that Borrower) of no more than $500,000 during each calendar year, whether by one transaction or a number of transactions, whether related or not.
 
11.24
No petition for insolvency.   Each Borrower will procure that each of its material creditors will not petition for that Borrower's insolvency nor take any related proceedings.
 
11.25
Separateness.   Each Borrower will:
 
(a)
keep its own separate books and records;
 
(b)
maintain its own separate accounts;
 
(c)
not co-mingle its assets with any other person;
 
(d)
conduct business in its own name;
 
(e)
observe all corporate and other formalities required by its constitutional documents;
 
(f)
prepare its own separate financial statements;
 
(g)
pay its liabilities out of its own funds;
 
(h)
maintain adequate capital for the business carried out or to be carried out by that Borrower;
 
(i)
not pledge any Creditor Party's credit;
 
(j)
(if applicable) use its own separate stationery, invoices and cheque books;
 
(k)
hold itself out as a separate legal entity; and
 
(l)
correct any known misunderstanding regarding its separate identity.
 
11.26
No VAT group.   Neither Borrower shall be a member of a VAT (value added tax) group.
 
11.27
Change of ownership or control of a Charter Guarantor.   As soon as it becomes aware, each Borrower shall notify (and each Borrower shall procure that the Guarantor notifies) the Agent of any material change in the beneficial or legal ownership of any of the shares in either Charter Guarantor or in the ultimate control of the voting rights attaching to any of those shares.
 
11.28
Charter Assignments and Quadripartite Agreements.   The Borrowers shall procure that no later than 90 days after the first Drawdown Date (or such later date as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Lenders, agree with the Borrowers) the Agent receives in relation to each Ship the following documents and evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers:
 
(a)
duly executed originals of the Quadripartite Agreement and the Charter Assignment (and of each document to be delivered by each of them);
 
(b)
such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by any party to that Quadripartite Agreement or that Charter Assignment of that document and of all documents to be executed by that party under that document; and
 

 
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(c)
in relation to each of that Quadripartite Agreement and that Charter Agreement, such legal opinions required by the Agent and each in a form approved by the Agent.
 
11.29
Charters and Charter Guarantees.   The Borrowers shall procure that no later than 90 days after the first Drawdown Date (or such later date as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Lenders, agree with the Borrowers) the Agent receives the following documents and evidence in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its lawyers:
 
(a)
copies of each Charter and each Charter Guarantee and of all documents signed or issued by any party to that document under or in connection with it;
 
(b)
evidence that the relevant Borrower has been nominated as the charterer under each Charter;
 
(c)
evidence that the relevant Borrower is the beneficiary under each Charter Guarantee;
 
(d)
such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by any party to a Charter or a Charter Guarantee of that document and of all documents to be executed by that party under that document; and
 
(e)
in relation to each Charter and each Charter Guarantee, such legal opinions required by the Agent and each in a form approved by the Agent.
 
12
CORPORATE UNDERTAKINGS
 
12.1
General.   Each Borrower also undertakes with each Creditor Party to comply with the following provisions of this Clause 12 at all times during the Security Period except as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, otherwise permit.
 
12.2
Maintenance of status.   Each Borrower will maintain its separate corporate existence and remain in good standing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia.
 
12.3
Negative undertakings.   No Borrower will:
 
(a)
carry on any business other than the ownership, chartering and operation of the Ship owned by it; or
 
(b)
change its constitutional documents; or
 
(c)
pay any dividend or make any other form of distribution (whether of a revenue or capital nature or otherwise) or effect any form of redemption, purchase or return of share capital or (re)pay any principal, interest or any other amount on any loan from a shareholder or any other connected person; or
 
(d)
provide any form of credit or financial assistance to any person or enter into any transaction with or involving any person which is not in the normal course of business of that Borrower or on terms which are, in any respect, less favourable to that Borrower than those which it could obtain in a bargain made at arms' length;
 
(e)
open or maintain any account with any bank or financial institution except any account with a bank or financial institution approved by the Agent and then only Provided that a Security Interest created by an Account Security Deed exists over such account;
 
(f)
issue, allot or grant any person a right to any shares in its capital or repurchase or reduce its issued share capital;
 

 
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(g)
acquire any shares or other securities other than US or UK Treasury bills and certificates of deposit issued by major North American or European banks, or enter into any transaction in a derivative other than Designated Transactions; or
 
(h)
enter into any form of amalgamation, merger or de-merger or any form of reconstruction or reorganisation.
 
13
INSURANCE
 
13.1
General.   Each Borrower also undertakes with each Creditor Party to comply with the following provisions of this Clause 13 at all times during the Security Period (after the Ship to be owned by it has been delivered to it under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship) except as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, otherwise permit Provided that to the extent that a Charterer, by its performance of the Charter of a Ship, performs and discharges the obligations of the Borrower owning that Ship contained in this Clause, then such performance and discharge shall, to that extent, be deemed due performance and discharge of that Borrower's corresponding obligations under this Clause.
 
13.2
Maintenance of obligatory insurances.   Each Borrower shall keep the Ship owned by it insured at the expense of that Borrower against:
 
(a)
fire and usual marine risks (including hull and machinery and excess risks);
 
(b)
war risks;
 
(c)
protection and indemnity risks (including, without limitation, freight, demurrage and defence cover);
 
(d)
risk of loss of Earnings; and
 
(e)
any other risks against which the Security Trustee considers, having regard to practices and other circumstances prevailing at the relevant time, it would in the opinion of the Security Trustee be reasonable for that Borrower to insure and which are specified by the Security Trustee by notice to that Borrower.
 
13.3
Terms of obligatory insurances.   Each Borrower shall effect such insurances:
 
(a)
in Dollars;
 
(b)
in the case of fire and usual marine risks and war risks, in an amount on an agreed value basis (determined at the time of taking out such insurances or upon the latest renewal) at least the greater of (i) together with the Ship owned by the other Borrower, 120 per cent. of the aggregate of the Loan and the Swap Exposure of each Swap Counterparty and (ii) the market value of the Ship owned by it;
 
(c)
in the case of oil pollution liability risks, for an aggregate amount equal to the highest level of cover from time to time available under basic protection and indemnity club entry and in the international marine insurance market;
 
(d)
in relation to protection and indemnity risks in respect of the full tonnage of the Ship owned by it;
 
(e)
in the case of risk of loss of Earnings insurance, in an amount of at least equal to the daily rate under the Charter of the Ship owned by it for the best market cover available and a minimum waiting period;
 
(f)
on approved terms; and
 

 
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(g)
through approved brokers and with approved insurance companies and/or underwriters or, in the case of war risks and protection and indemnity risks, in approved war risks and protection and indemnity risks associations.
 
13.4
Further protections for the Creditor Parties.   In addition to the terms set out in Clause 13.3, each Borrower shall procure that the obligatory insurances shall:
 
(a)
whenever the Security Trustee requires, name (or be amended to name) the Security Trustee as additional named assured for its rights and interests, warranted no operational interest and with full waiver of rights of subrogation against the Security Trustee, but without the Security Trustee thereby being liable to pay (but having the right to pay) premiums, calls or other assessments in respect of such insurance;
 
(b)
name the Security Trustee as loss payee with such directions for payment as the Security Trustee may specify;
 
(c)
provide that all payments by or on behalf of the insurers under the obligatory insurances to the Security Trustee shall be made without set-off, counterclaim or deductions or condition whatsoever;
 
(d)
provide that such obligatory insurances shall be primary without right of contribution from other insurances which may be carried by the Security Trustee or any other Creditor Party; and
 
(e)
provide that the Security Trustee may make proof of loss if the Borrowers fail to do so.
 
13.5
Renewal of obligatory insurances.   Each Borrower shall:
 
(a)
at least 21 days before the expiry of any obligatory insurance effected by it:
 
 
(i)
notify the Security Trustee of the brokers (or other insurers) and any protection and indemnity or war risks association through or with whom that Borrower proposes to renew that obligatory insurance and of the proposed terms of renewal; and
 
 
(ii)
obtain the Security Trustee's approval to the matters referred to in paragraph (i);
 
(b)
at least 14 days before the expiry of any obligatory insurance effected by it, renew that obligatory insurance in accordance with the Security Trustee's approval pursuant to paragraph (a); and
 
(c)
procure that the approved brokers and/or the war risks and protection and indemnity associations with which such a renewal is effected shall promptly after the renewal notify the Security Trustee in writing of the terms and conditions of the renewal.
 
13.6
Copies of policies; letters of undertaking.   Each Borrower shall ensure that all approved brokers provide the Security Trustee with pro forma copies of all policies relating to the obligatory insurances which they are to effect or renew and of a letter or letters or undertaking in a form required by the Security Trustee and including undertakings by the approved brokers that:
 
(a)
they will have endorsed on each policy, immediately upon issue, a loss payable clause and a notice of assignment complying with the provisions of Clause 13.4;
 
(b)
they will hold such policies, and the benefit of such insurances, to the order of the Security Trustee in accordance with the said loss payable clause;
 

 
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(c)
they will advise the Security Trustee immediately of any material change to the terms of the obligatory insurances;
 
(d)
they will notify the Security Trustee, not less than 14 days before the expiry of the obligatory insurances, in the event of their not having received notice of renewal instructions from that Borrower or its agents and, in the event of their receiving instructions to renew, they will promptly notify the Security Trustee of the terms of the instructions; and
 
(e)
they will not set off against any sum recoverable in respect of a claim relating to the Ship owned by that Borrower under such obligatory insurances any premiums or other amounts due to them or any other person whether in respect of that Ship or otherwise, they waive any lien on the policies, or any sums received under them, which they might have in respect of such premiums or other amounts, and they will not cancel such obligatory insurances by reason of non-payment of such premiums or other amounts, and will arrange for a separate policy to be issued in respect of that Ship forthwith upon being so requested by the Security Trustee.
 
13.7
Copies of certificates of entry.   Each Borrower shall ensure that any protection and indemnity and/or war risks associations in which the Ship owned by it is entered provides the Security Trustee with:
 
(a)
a certified copy of the certificate of entry for that Ship;
 
(b)
a letter or letters of undertaking in such form as may be required by the Security Trustee; and
 
(c)
a certified copy of each certificate of financial responsibility for pollution by oil or other Environmentally Sensitive Material issued by the relevant certifying authority in relation to that Ship.
 
13.8
Deposit of original policies.   Each Borrower shall ensure that all policies relating to obligatory insurances effected by it are deposited with the approved brokers through which the insurances are effected or renewed.
 
13.9
Payment of premiums.   Each Borrower shall punctually pay all premiums or other sums payable in respect of the obligatory insurances effected by it and produce all relevant receipts when so required by the Security Trustee.
 
13.10
Guarantees.   Each Borrower shall ensure that any guarantees required by a protection and indemnity or war risks association are promptly issued and remain in full force and effect.
 
13.11
Compliance with terms of insurances.   No Borrower shall do nor omit to do (nor permit to be done or not to be done) any act or thing which would or might render any obligatory insurance invalid, void, voidable or unenforceable or render any sum payable under an obligatory insurance repayable in whole or in part; and, in particular:
 
(a)
each Borrower shall take all necessary action and comply with all requirements which may from time to time be applicable to the obligatory insurances, and (without limiting the obligation contained in Clause 13.6(c)) ensure that the obligatory insurances are not made subject to any exclusions or qualifications to which the Security Trustee has not given its prior approval;
 
(b)
no Borrower shall make any changes relating to the classification or classification society or manager or operator of the Ship owned by it approved by the underwriters of the obligatory insurances;
 

 
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(c)
each Borrower shall make (and promptly supply copies to the Agent of) all quarterly or other voyage declarations which may be required by the protection and indemnity risks association in which the Ship owned by it is entered to maintain cover for trading to the United States of America and Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined in the United States Oil Pollution Act 1990 or any other applicable legislation); and
 
(d)
no Borrower shall employ the Ship owned by it, nor allow it to be employed, otherwise than in conformity with the terms and conditions of the obligatory insurances, without first obtaining the consent of the insurers and complying with any requirements (as to extra premium or otherwise) which the insurers specify.
 
13.12
Alteration to terms of insurances.   No Borrower shall either make or agree to any alteration to the terms of any obligatory insurance nor waive any right relating to any obligatory insurance.
 
13.13
Settlement of claims.   No Borrower shall settle, compromise or abandon any claim under any obligatory insurance for Total Loss or for a Major Casualty, and shall do all things necessary and provide all documents, evidence and information to enable the Security Trustee to collect or recover any moneys which at any time become payable in respect of the obligatory insurances.
 
13.14
Provision of copies of communications.   Each Borrower shall provide the Security Trustee, at the time of each such communication, copies of all written communications between that Borrower and:
 
(a)
the approved brokers;
 
(b)
the approved protection and indemnity and/or war risks associations; and
 
(c)
the approved insurance companies and/or underwriters, which relate directly or indirectly to:
 
 
(i)
that Borrower's obligations relating to the obligatory insurances including, without limitation, all requisite declarations and payments of additional premiums or calls; and
 
 
(ii)
any credit arrangements made between that Borrower and any of the persons referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b) relating wholly or partly to the effecting or maintenance of the obligatory insurances.
 
13.15
Provision of information.   In addition, each Borrower shall promptly provide the Security Trustee (or any persons which it may designate) with any information which the Security Trustee (or any such designated person) requests for the purpose of:
 
(a)
obtaining or preparing any report from an independent marine insurance broker as to the adequacy of the obligatory insurances effected or proposed to be effected; and/or
 
(b)
effecting, maintaining or renewing any such insurances as are referred to in Clause 13.16 or dealing with or considering any matters relating to any such insurances,
 
 
and the Borrowers shall, forthwith upon demand, indemnify the Security Trustee in respect of all fees and other expenses incurred by or for the account of the Security Trustee in connection with any such report as is referred to in paragraph (a).

13.16
Mortgagee's interest and additional perils insurances.   The Security Trustee shall be entitled from time to time to effect, maintain and renew a mortgagee's interest additional perils insurance and a mortgagee's interest marine insurance in an amount not more than 120 per cent. of the aggregate of the Loan and the Swap Exposure of each Swap
 

 
38

 

Counterparty but otherwise, on such terms, through such insurers and generally in such manner as the Security Trustee may from time to time consider appropriate and the Borrowers shall upon demand fully indemnify the Security Trustee in respect of all premiums and other expenses which are incurred in connection with or with a view to effecting, maintaining or renewing any such insurance or dealing with, or considering, any matter arising out of any such insurance.
 
14
SHIP COVENANTS
 
14.1
General.   Each Borrower also undertakes with each Creditor Party to comply with the following provisions of this Clause 14 at all times during the Security Period (after the Ship to be owned by it has been delivered to it under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship) except as the Agent, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld in the case of a change of flag, class, management or bareboat charter and subject to such conditions as the Majority Lenders may reasonably require), may otherwise permit Provided that to the extent that a Charterer, by its performance of the Charter of a Ship, performs and discharges the obligations of the Borrower owning that Ship contained in this Clause, then such performance and discharge shall, to that extent, be deemed due performance and discharge of that Borrower's corresponding obligations under this Clause.
 
14.2
Ship's name and registration.   Each Borrower shall keep the Ship owned by it registered in its name as a Maltese ship (in the case of Ship A) or a Liberian ship (in the case of Ship B); shall not do, omit to do or allow to be done anything as a result of which such registration might be cancelled or imperilled; and shall not change the name or port of registry of the Ship owned by it Provided that if the Agent notifies the Borrower that the country of the flag of either Ship is affected by instability (as determined by the Majority Lenders acting reasonably), the Borrower shall within 30 days of such notification procure that that Ship is reflagged to another flag approved by the Majority Lenders and shall also:
 
(a)
execute and register a first priority ship mortgage (and, if applicable, collateral deed of covenant) on that Ship in favour of the Security Trustee or the Lenders in a form approved by the Security Trustee;
 
(b)
execute a supplement to this Agreement and the other Finance Documents in a form approved by the Security Trustee making necessary amendments to this Agreement and the other Finance Documents;
 
(c)
provide such corporate authorities, legal opinions and other conditions precedent documents required by the Security Trustee and each in a form approved by the Security Trustee;
 
(d)
pay all of the Creditor Parties' reasonable expenses in relation to such re-flagging; and
 
(e)
comply with such other conditions as the Security Trustee may reasonably require.
 
14.3
Repair and classification.   Each Borrower shall keep the Ship owned by it in a good and safe condition and state of repair:
 
(a)
consistent with first-class ship ownership and management practice;
 
(b)
so as to maintain that Ship in the highest classification available for ships of the same type, age and specification as the Ship with Det norske Veritas free of recommendations and conditions; and
 
(c)
so as to comply with all laws and regulations applicable to vessels registered under Maltese flag (in the case of Ship A) or Liberian flag (in the case of Ship B) or to vessels
 

 
39

 

trading to any jurisdiction to which that Ship may trade from time to time, including but not limited to the ISM Code and the ISPS Code.
 
14.4
Modification.   No Borrower shall make any modification or repairs to, or replacement of, any Ship or equipment installed on it which would or might materially alter the structure, type or performance characteristics of that Ship or materially reduce its value.
 
14.5
Removal of parts.   No Borrower shall remove any material part of any Ship, or any item of equipment installed on, any Ship unless the part or item so removed is forthwith replaced by a suitable part or item which is in the same condition as or better condition than the part or item removed, is free from any Security Interest or any right in favour of any person other than the Security Trustee and becomes on installation on the relevant Ship the property of the relevant Borrower and subject to the security constituted by the relevant Mortgage Provided that a Borrower may install equipment owned by a third party if the equipment can be removed without any risk of damage to the Ship owned by it.
 
14.6
Surveys.   Each Borrower shall submit the Ship owned by it regularly to all periodical or other surveys which may be required for classification purposes and, if so required by the Security Trustee provide the Security Trustee, with copies of all survey reports.
 
14.7
Inspection.   Each Borrower shall permit the Security Trustee (by surveyors or other persons appointed by it for that purpose) to board the Ship owned by it at all reasonable times and without unduly interfering with that Ship's operation to inspect its condition or to satisfy themselves about proposed or executed repairs and shall afford all proper facilities for such inspections.
 
14.8
Prevention of and release from arrest.   Each Borrower shall promptly discharge:
 
(a)
all liabilities which give or may give rise to maritime or possessory liens on or claims enforceable against the Ship owned by it, the Earnings or the Insurances;
 
(b)
all taxes, dues and other amounts charged in respect of the Ship owned by it, the Earnings or the Insurances; and
 
(c)
all other outgoings whatsoever in respect of the Ship owned by it, the Earnings or the Insurances,
 
 
and, forthwith upon receiving notice of the arrest of the Ship owned by it, or of its detention in exercise or purported exercise of any lien or claim, that Borrower shall procure its release by providing bail or otherwise as the circumstances may require.

14.9
Compliance with laws etc.   Each Borrower shall:
 
(a)
comply, or procure compliance with the ISM Code, the ISPS Code, all Environmental Laws and all other laws or regulations relating to the Ship owned by it, its ownership, operation and management or to the business of that Borrower;
 
(b)
not employ the Ship owned by it nor allow its employment in any manner contrary to any law or regulation in any relevant jurisdiction including but not limited to the ISM Code and the ISPS Code; and
 
(c)
in the event of hostilities in any part of the world (whether war is declared or not), not cause or permit the Ship owned by it to enter or trade to any zone which is declared a war zone by any government or by the Ship's war risks insurers unless the prior written consent of the Security Trustee has been given and that Borrower has (at its expense) effected any special, additional or modified insurance cover which the Security Trustee may require.
 

 
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14.10
Provision of information.   Each Borrower shall promptly provide the Security Trustee with any information which it requests regarding:
 
(a)
the Ship owned by it, its employment, position and engagements (including, without limitation, the provision of the latest complete technical report from any Approved Manager);
 
(b)
the Earnings and payments and amounts due to the master and crew of the Ship owned by it;
 
(c)
any expenses incurred, or likely to be incurred, in connection with the operation, maintenance or repair of the Ship owned by it and any payments made in respect of that Ship;
 
(d)
any towages and salvages; and
 
(e)
its compliance, any Approved Manager's compliance and the compliance of the Ship owned by it with the ISM Code and the ISPS Code,
 
 
and, upon the Security Trustee's request, provide copies of any current charter relating to the Ship owned by it, of any current charter guarantee and copies of the Borrower's or any Approved Manager's Document of Compliance.

14.11
Notification of certain events.   Each Borrower shall immediately notify the Security Trustee by fax, confirmed forthwith by letter, of:
 
(a)
any casualty which is or is likely to be or to become a Major Casualty;
 
(b)
any occurrence as a result of which the Ship owned by it has become or is, by the passing of time or otherwise, likely to become a Total Loss;
 
(c)
any requirement or recommendation made by any insurer or classification society or by any competent authority which is not immediately complied with;
 
(d)
any arrest or detention of the Ship owned by it, any exercise or purported exercise of any lien on that Ship or its Earnings or any requisition of that Ship for hire;
 
(e)
any intended dry docking of the Ship owned by it;
 
(f)
any Environmental Claim made against that Borrower or in connection with the Ship owned by it, or any Environmental Incident;
 
(g)
any claim for breach of the ISM Code or the ISPS Code being made against that Borrower, any Approved Manager or otherwise in connection with the Ship owned by it; or
 
(h)
any other matter, event or incident, actual or threatened, the effect of which will or could lead to the ISM Code or the ISPS Code not being complied with,
 
 
and that Borrower shall keep the Security Trustee advised in writing on a regular basis and in such detail as the Security Trustee shall require of that Borrower's, that Approved Manager's or any other person's response to any of those events or matters.

14.12
Restrictions on chartering, appointment of managers etc.   No Borrower shall, in relation to the Ship owned by it:
 

 
41

 

(a)
save for a Charter, let that Ship on demise charter (or permit that Ship to be let on demise charter) for any period;
 
(b)
enter into any time or consecutive voyage charter in respect of that Ship for a term which exceeds, or which by virtue of any optional extensions may exceed, 13 months;
 
(c)
enter into any charter in relation to that Ship under which more than 2 months' hire (or the equivalent) is payable in advance;
 
(d)
charter that Ship otherwise than on bona fide arm's length terms at the time when that Ship is fixed;
 
(e)
agree to any assignment of any charter of that Ship or any charter hire review of any such charter;
 
(f)
appoint a manager of that Ship other than an Approved Manager (which, each Borrower represents and warrants to each Creditor Party, has the ability to carry out such appointment) or agree to any alteration to the terms of an Approved Manager's appointment;
 
(g)
de-activate or lay up that Ship or permit that Ship to be de-activated or laid up; or
 
(h)
put that Ship (or permit that Ship to be put) into the possession of any person for the purpose of work being done upon it in an amount exceeding or likely to exceed $500,000 (or the equivalent in any other currency) unless that person has first given to the Security Trustee and in terms satisfactory to it a written undertaking not to exercise any lien on that Ship or its Earnings for the cost of such work or for any other reason.
 
14.13
Notice of Mortgage.   Each Borrower shall keep the relevant Mortgage registered against the Ship owned by it as a valid first priority mortgage, carry on board that Ship a certified copy of the relevant Mortgage and place and maintain in a conspicuous place in the navigation room and the Master's cabin of that Ship a framed printed notice stating that that Ship is mortgaged by that Borrower to the Security Trustee.
 
14.14
Sharing of Earnings.    No Borrower shall enter into any agreement or arrangement for the sharing of any Earnings.
 
14.15
ISPS Code.   Each Borrower shall comply with the ISPS Code and in particular, without limitation, shall:
 
(a)
procure that the Ship owned by that Borrower and the company responsible for that Ship's compliance with the ISPS Code comply with the ISPS Code; and
 
(b)
maintain for that Ship an ISSC;  and
 
(c)
notify the Agent immediately in writing of any actual or threatened withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of the ISSC.
 
15
SECURITY COVER
 
15.1
Minimum required security cover.   Clause 15.2 applies if the Agent notifies the Borrowers of any of the following:
 
(a)
at the earlier of (i) the end of November 2008 or (ii) the Drawdown Date in relation to the launching instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract for the first Ship to reach that stage, the aggregate of:
 

 
42

 

(i)
the aggregate of the market value (each determined as provided in Clause 15.3 on a resale basis on the basis of a valuation carried out not more than 2 weeks prior to the Drawdown Date (or as the case may be) the end of November 2008) of each Ship less the aggregate amount of the instalment(s) to be paid to the Builder under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship (save that if that Shipbuilding Contract is the subject of the circumstances described in either Clauses 8.8(c) or 8.8(e), the market value of that Ship for the purposes of this paragraph (i) shall be zero); plus
 
 
(ii)
the net realisable value of any additional security previously provided under this Clause 15,
 
is below 110 per cent. of the aggregate of the Loan and of the Swap Exposure of each Swap Counterparty; or

(b)
at any time following the Delivery Date of the first Ship but prior to the Delivery Date of the second Ship, the aggregate of:
 
 
(i)
the market value (determined as provided in Clause 15.3) of the Ship which has delivered (save that if that Ship is not subject to a Mortgage, the market value for the purposes of this paragraph (i) shall be zero); plus
 
 
(ii)
the market value (determined as provided in Clause 15.3 on a resale basis) of the Ship which has not yet delivered less the aggregate amount of the instalment(s) to be paid to the Builder under the Shipbuilding Contract for that Ship (save that if that Shipbuilding Contract is the subject of the circumstances described in either Clauses 8.8(c) or 8.8(e), the market value of that Ship for the purposes of this paragraph (ii) shall be zero); plus
 
 
(iii)
the net realisable value of any additional security previously provided under this Clause 15,
 
is below 110 per cent. (during the period commencing from the first Delivery Date and ending on 30 September 2009) or 115 per cent. (during the period commencing from 30 September 2009 and ending on the final Delivery Date) of the aggregate of the Loan and of the Swap Exposure of each Swap Counterparty; or

(c)
at any time following the Delivery Date of both Ships, the aggregate of:
 
 
(i)
the aggregate of the market value (each determined as provided in Clause 15.3) of each Ship subject to a Mortgage; plus
 
 
(ii)
the net realisable value of any additional security previously provided under this Clause 15,
 
 
is below 115 per cent. (during the period commencing from the final Delivery Date and ending on the date falling 5 years after the first Delivery Date) or 125 per cent. (during the period commencing from the date falling 5 years after the first Delivery Date and ending on the end of the Security Period) of the aggregate of the Loan and of the Swap Exposure of each Swap Counterparty.

15.2
Provision of additional security; prepayment.   If the Agent serves a notice on the Borrowers under Clause 15.1, the Borrowers shall, within 30 days after the date on which the Agent's notice is served, either:
 
(a)
provide, or ensure that a third party provides, additional security which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, has a net realisable value at least equal to the shortfall and is documented in such terms as the Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, approve or require; or
 

 
43

 

(b)
prepay such part (at least) of the Loan as will eliminate the shortfall.
 
15.3
Valuation of Ships.   The market value of a Ship at any date is that shown by a valuation prepared:
 
(a)
as at a date not more than 14 days previously;
 
(b)
by an independent sale and purchase shipbroker which the Agent has approved or appointed for the purpose;
 
(c)
with or without physical inspection of the Ship (as the Agent may require);
 
(d)
on the basis of a sale for prompt delivery for cash on normal arm's length commercial terms as between a willing seller and a willing buyer, free of any existing charter or other contract of employment; and
 
(e)
after deducting the estimated amount of the usual and reasonable expenses which would be incurred in connection with the sale.
 
15.4
Value of additional vessel security.   The net realisable value of any additional security which is provided under Clause 15.2 and which consists of a Security Interest over a vessel shall be that shown by a valuation complying with the requirements of Clause 15.3.
 
15.5
Valuations binding.   Any valuation under Clause 15.2, 15.3 or 15.4 shall be binding and conclusive as regards the Borrowers, as shall be any valuation which the Majority Lenders make of any additional security which does not consist of or include a Security Interest.
 
15.6
Provision of information.   The Borrowers shall promptly provide the Agent and any shipbroker or expert acting under Clause 15.3 or 15.4 with any information which the Agent or the shipbroker or expert may request for the purposes of the valuation; and, if the Borrowers fail to provide the information by the date specified in the request, the valuation may be made on any basis and assumptions which the shipbroker or the Majority Lenders (or the expert appointed by them) consider prudent.
 
15.7
Payment of valuation expenses.   Without prejudice to the generality of the Borrowers' obligations under Clauses 20.2, 20.3 and 21.3, the Borrowers shall, on demand, pay the Agent the amount of the fees and expenses of any shipbroker or expert instructed by the Agent under this Clause and all legal and other expenses incurred by any Creditor Party in connection with any matter arising out of this Clause.
 
15.8
Application of prepayment.   Clause 8 shall apply in relation to any prepayment pursuant to Clause 15.2(b).
 
16
PAYMENTS AND CALCULATIONS
 
16.1
Currency and method of payments.   All payments to be made by the Lenders or by any Borrower under a Finance Document shall be made to the Agent or to the Security Trustee, in the case of an amount payable to it:
 
(a)
by not later than 11.00 a.m. (New York City time) on the due date;
 
(b)
in same day Dollar funds settled through the New York Clearing House Interbank Payments System (or in such other Dollar funds and/or settled in such other manner as the Agent shall specify as being customary at the time for the settlement of international transactions of the type contemplated by this Agreement);
 

 
44

 

(c)
in the case of an amount payable by a Lender to the Agent or by any Borrower to the Agent or any Lender, to such account with such bank as the Agent may from time to time notify to the Borrowers and the other Creditor Parties; and
 
(d)
in the case of an amount payable to the Security Trustee, to such account as it may from time to time notify to the Borrowers and the other Creditor Parties.
 
16.2
Payment on non-Business Day.   If any payment by any Borrower under a Finance Document would otherwise fall due on a day which is not a Business Day:
 
(a)
the due date shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day; or
 
(b)
if the next succeeding Business Day falls in the next calendar month, the due date shall be brought forward to the immediately preceding Business Day,
 
and interest shall be payable during any extension under paragraph (a) at the rate payable on the original due date.

16.3
Basis for calculation of periodic payments.   All interest and commitment fee and any other payments under any Finance Document which are of an annual or periodic nature shall accrue from day to day and shall be calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed and a 360 day year.
 
16.4
Distribution of payments to Creditor Parties.   Subject to Clauses 16.5, 16.6 and 16.7:
 
(a)
any amount received by the Agent under a Finance Document for distribution or remittance to a Lender, a Swap Counterparty or the Security Trustee shall be made available by the Agent to that Lender, that Swap Counterparty or, as the case may be, the Security Trustee by payment, with funds having the same value as the funds received, to such account as the Lender, the Swap Counterparty or the Security Trustee may have notified to the Agent not less than 5 Business Days previously; and
 
(b)
amounts to be applied in satisfying amounts of a particular category which are due to the Lenders and/or the Swap Counterparties generally shall be distributed by the Agent to each Lender and each Swap Counterparty pro rata to the amount in that category which is due to it.
 
16.5
Permitted deductions by Agent.   Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document, the Agent may, before making an amount available to a Lender or a Swap Counterparty, deduct and withhold from that amount any sum which is then due and payable to the Agent from that Lender or that Swap Counterparty under any Finance Document or any sum which the Agent is then entitled under any Finance Document to require that Lender or that Swap Counterparty to pay on demand.
 
16.6
Agent only obliged to pay when monies received.   Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other Finance Document, the Agent shall not be obliged to make available to any Borrower or any Lender or any Swap Counterparty any sum which the Agent is expecting to receive for remittance or distribution to that Borrower or that Lender or that Swap Counterparty until the Agent has satisfied itself that it has received that sum.
 
16.7
Refund to Agent of monies not received.   If and to the extent that the Agent makes available a sum to a Borrower, a Lender or a Swap Counterparty, without first having received that sum, that Borrower or (as the case may be) the Lender or the Swap Counterparty concerned shall, on demand:
 
(a)
refund the sum in full to the Agent; and
 

 
45

 

(b)
pay to the Agent the amount (as certified by the Agent) which will indemnify the Agent against any funding or other loss, liability or expense incurred by the Agent as a result of making the sum available before receiving it.
 
16.8
Agent may assume receipt.   Clause 16.7 shall not affect any claim which the Agent has under the law of restitution, and applies irrespective of whether the Agent had any form of notice that it had not received the sum which it made available.
 
16.9
Creditor Party accounts.   Each Creditor Party shall maintain accounts showing the amounts owing to it by the Borrowers and each Security Party under the Finance Documents and all payments in respect of those amounts made by the Borrowers and any Security Party.
 
16.10
Agent's memorandum account.   The Agent shall maintain a memorandum account showing the amounts advanced by the Lenders and all other sums owing to the Agent, the Security Trustee and each Lender from the Borrowers and each Security Party under the Finance Documents and all payments in respect of those amounts made by the Borrowers and any Security Party.
 
16.11
Accounts prima facie evidence.   If any accounts maintained under Clauses 16.9 and 16.10 show an amount to be owing by a Borrower or a Security Party to a Creditor Party, those accounts shall be prima facie evidence that that amount is owing to that Creditor Party.
 
17
APPLICATION OF RECEIPTS
 
17.1
Normal order of application.   Except as any Finance Document may otherwise provide, any sums which are received or recovered by any Creditor Party under or by virtue of any Finance Document after service of notice on the Borrowers under Clause 19.2(a)(i) or (ii) shall be applied:
 
(a)
FIRST: in or towards satisfaction of any amounts then due and payable under the Finance Documents and the Master Agreements in the following order and proportions:
 
 
(i)
first, in or towards satisfaction pro rata of all amounts then due and payable to the Creditor Parties under the Finance Documents other than those amounts referred to at paragraphs (ii) to (v) inclusive below (including, but without limitation, all amounts payable by any Borrower under Clauses 20, 21 and 22 of this Agreement or by any Borrower or any Security Party under any corresponding or similar provision in any other Finance Document or in any Master Agreement);
 
 
(ii)
secondly, in or towards satisfaction pro rata of any and all amounts of interest or default interest payable to the Creditor Parties under the Finance Documents;
 
 
(iii)
thirdly, in or towards satisfaction pro rata of each Tranche;
 
 
(iv)
fourthly, in or towards satisfaction pro rata of any and all amounts of interest or default interest payable to the Creditor Parties under the Master Agreements (and, for this purpose, the expression " interest " shall include any net amount which any Borrower shall have become liable to pay or deliver under section 2(e) ( Obligations ) of any Master Agreement but shall have failed to pay or deliver to the relevant Swap Counterparty at the time of application or distribution under this Clause 17); and
 
 
(v)
fifthly, in or towards satisfaction pro rata of he Swap Exposure of each Swap Counterparty (in the case of the latter, calculated as at the actual Early Termination Date applying to each particular Designated Transaction, or if no
 

 
46

 

such Early Termination Date shall have occurred, calculated as if an Early Termination Date occurred on the date of application or distribution hereunder);
 
(b)
SECONDLY: in retention of an amount equal to any amount not then due and payable under any Finance Document or any Master Agreement but which the Agent, by notice to the Borrowers, the Security Parties and the other Creditor Parties, states in its opinion will or may become due and payable in the future and, upon those amounts becoming due and payable, in or towards satisfaction of them in accordance with the provisions of Clause 17.1(a); and
 
(c)
THIRDLY: any surplus shall be paid to the Borrowers or to any other person appearing to be entitled to it.
 
17.2
Variation of order of application.   The Agent may, with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders and the Swap Counterparties, by notice to the Borrowers, the Security Parties and the other Creditor Parties provide for a different manner of application from that set out in Clause 17.1 either as regards a specified sum or sums or as regards sums in a specified category or categories.
 
17.3
Notice of variation of order of application.   The Agent may give notices under Clause 17.2 from time to time; and such a notice may be stated to apply not only to sums which may be received or recovered in the future, but also to any sum which has been received or recovered on or after the third Business Day before the date on which the notice is served.
 
17.4
Appropriation rights overridden.   This Clause 17 and any notice which the Agent gives under Clause 17.2 shall override any right of appropriation possessed, and any appropriation made, by any Borrower or any Security Party.
 
18
APPLICATION OF EARNINGS
 
18.1
Payment of Earnings.   Each Borrower undertakes with each Creditor Party to ensure that, throughout the Security Period and subject only to the provisions of the General Assignment and the Charter Assignment, all the Earnings of the Ship owned by it are paid to the Earnings Account for that Ship.
 
18.2
Location of accounts.   Each Borrower shall promptly:
 
(a)
comply with any requirement of the Agent as to the location or re-location of the Earnings Accounts (or either of them); and
 
(b)
execute any documents which the Agent specifies to create or maintain in favour of the Security Trustee a Security Interest over (and/or rights of set-off, consolidation or other rights in relation to) the Earnings Accounts (or either of them).
 
18.3
Debits for expenses etc.   The Agent shall be entitled (but not obliged) from time to time to debit any Earnings Account without prior notice in order to discharge any amount due and payable under Clause 20 or 21 to a Creditor Party or payment of which any Creditor Party has become entitled to demand under Clause 20 or 21.
 
19
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
19.1
Events of Default.   An Event of Default occurs if:
 
 
 
47

 
 
(a)
any Borrower or any Security Party fails to pay when due or (if so payable) on demand any sum payable under a Finance Document or under any document relating to a Finance Document; or
 
(b)
any breach occurs of Clause 9.2, 11.2, 11.3, 12.2, 12.3 or 15.2; or
 
(c)
any breach by any Borrower or any Security Party occurs of any provision of a Finance Document (other than a breach covered by paragraphs (a) or (b)) which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, is capable of remedy, and such default continues unremedied 10 days after written notice from the Agent requesting action to remedy the same; or
 
(d)
(subject to any applicable grace period specified in the Finance Document) any breach by any Borrower or any Security Party occurs of any provision of a Finance Document (other than a breach falling within paragraphs (a), (b) or (c)); or
 
(e)
any representation, warranty or statement made or repeated by, or by an officer of, a Borrower or a Security Party in a Finance Document or in a Drawdown Notice or any other notice or document relating to a Finance Document is untrue or misleading when it is made or repeated; or
 
(f)
any of the following occurs in relation to any secured Financial Indebtedness (including, without limitation, leases) of $2,500,000 or more in aggregate of a Relevant Person:
 
 
(i)
any Financial Indebtedness of a Relevant Person is not paid when due; or
 
 
(ii)
any Financial Indebtedness of a Relevant Person becomes due and payable or capable of being declared due and payable prior to its stated maturity date as a consequence of any event of default; or
 
 
(iii)
a lease, hire purchase agreement or charter creating any Financial Indebtedness of a Relevant Person is terminated by the lessor or owner or becomes capable of being terminated as a consequence of any termination event; or
 
 
(iv)
any overdraft, loan, note issuance, acceptance credit, letter of credit, guarantee, foreign exchange or other facility relating to any Financial Indebtedness of a Relevant Person ceases to be available or becomes capable of being terminated as a result of any event of default, or cash cover is required, or becomes capable of being required, in respect of such a facility as a result of any event of default; or
 
 
(v)
any Security Interest securing any Financial Indebtedness of a Relevant Person becomes enforceable; or
 
(g)
any of the following occurs in relation to a Relevant Person:
 
 
(i)
a Relevant Person becomes, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, unable to pay its debts as they fall due; or
 
 
(ii)
any assets of a Relevant Person are subject to any form of execution, attachment, arrest, sequestration or distress in respect of a sum of, or sums aggregating, $100,000 or more or the equivalent in another currency Provided that in the case of the arrest of a Ship, it shall only be an Event of Default if the Borrowers have not procured the release of that Ship by the date falling 40 days after the commencement of the arrest; or
 

 
48

 

 
(iii)
any administrative or other receiver is appointed over any asset of a Relevant Person; or
 
 
(iv)
an administrator is appointed (whether by the court or otherwise) in respect of a Relevant Person; or
 
 
(v)
any formal declaration of bankruptcy or any formal statement to the effect that a Relevant Person is insolvent or likely to become insolvent is made by a Relevant Person or by the directors of a Relevant Person or, in any proceedings, by a lawyer acting for a Relevant Person; or
 
 
(vi)
a provisional liquidator is appointed in respect of a Relevant Person, a winding up order is made in relation to a Relevant Person or a winding up resolution is passed by a Relevant Person; or
 
 
(vii)
a resolution is passed, an administration notice is given or filed, an application or petition to a court is made or presented or any other step is taken by (aa) a Relevant Person, (bb) the members or directors of a Relevant Person, (cc) a holder of Security Interests which together relate to all or substantially all of the assets of a Relevant Person, or (dd) a government minister or public or regulatory authority for or with a view to the winding up of that or another Relevant Person or the appointment of a provisional liquidator or administrator in respect of that or another Relevant Person, or that or another Relevant Person ceasing or suspending business operations or payments to creditors, save that this paragraph does not apply to a fully solvent winding up of a Relevant Person other than a Borrower or the Guarantor which is, or is to be, effected for the purposes of an amalgamation or reconstruction previously approved by the Majority Lenders and effected not later than 3 months after the commencement of the winding up; or
 
                (viii)
an administration notice is given or filed, an application or petition to a court is made or presented or any other step is taken by a creditor of a Relevant Person (other than a holder of Security Interests which together relate to all or substantially all of the assets of a Relevant Person) for the winding up of a Relevant Person or the appointment of a provisional liquidator or administrator in respect of a Relevant Person, unless the proposed winding up, appointment of a provisional liquidator or administration is being contested in good faith, on substantial grounds and not with a view to some other insolvency law procedure being implemented instead and either (aa) the application or petition is dismissed or withdrawn within 30 days of being made or presented, or (bb) within 30 days of the administration notice being given or filed, or the other relevant steps being taken, other action is taken which will ensure that there will be no administration and (in both cases (aa) or (bb)) the Relevant Person will continue to carry on business in the ordinary way and without being the subject of any actual, interim or pending insolvency law procedure; or
 
 
(ix)
a Relevant Person or its directors take any steps (whether by making or presenting an application or petition to a court, or submitting or presenting a document setting out a proposal or proposed terms, or otherwise) with a view to obtaining, in relation to that or another Relevant Person, any form of moratorium, suspension or deferral of payments, reorganisation of debt (or certain debt) or arrangement with all or a substantial proportion (by number or value) of creditors or of any class of them or any such moratorium, suspension or deferral of payments, reorganisation or arrangement is effected by court order, by the filing of documents with a court, by means of a contract or in any other way at all; or
 
 
(x)
any meeting of the members or directors, or of any committee of the board or senior management, of a Relevant Person is held or summoned for the purpose of considering a resolution or proposal to authorise or take any action of a type
 

 
49

 

described in paragraphs (iv) to (ix) or a step preparatory to such action, or (with or without such a meeting) the members, directors or such a committee resolve or agree that such an action or step should be taken or should be taken if certain conditions materialise or fail to materialise; or
 
 
(xi)
in a country other than England, any event occurs, any proceedings are opened or commenced or any step is taken which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders is similar to any of the foregoing; or
 
(h)
any Borrower or any Security Party ceases or suspends carrying on its business or a part of its business which, in the opinion of the Majority Lenders, is material in the context of this Agreement; or
 
(i)
it becomes unlawful or impossible:
 
 
(i)
for any Borrower or any Security Party to discharge any liability under a Finance Document or to comply with any other obligation which the Majority Lenders consider material under a Finance Document; or
 
 
(ii)
for the Agent, the Security Trustee, the Lenders or the Swap Banks to exercise or enforce any right under, or to enforce any Security Interest created by, a Finance Document; or
 
(j)
any official consent necessary to enable any Borrower to own, operate or charter the Ship owned by it or to enable any Borrower or any Security Party to comply with any provision which the Majority Lenders consider material of a Finance Document or a Transaction Document is not granted, expires without being renewed, is revoked or becomes liable to revocation or any condition of such a consent is not fulfilled; or
 
(k)
it appears to the Majority Lenders that, without their prior consent, at any time:
 
 
(i)
either Borrower is not a wholly owned direct subsidiary of the Guarantor; or
 
 
(ii)
a change has occurred or probably has occurred after the date of this Agreement in the beneficial or legal ownership of any of the shares in either Borrower or any Security Party (other than the Charterers, the Charter Guarantors and the Guarantor) or in the ultimate control of the voting rights attaching to any of those shares; or
 
 
(iii)
either Charter Guarantor ceases to hold directly or indirectly at least 51 per cent. of the ultimate beneficial ownership of, or at least 51 per cent. of the ultimate control of the voting rights in, the shares of the Charterer under the Charter guaranteed by that Charter Guarantor or ceases to have sufficient control over that Charterer to remove and appoint a majority to the board of directors of that Charterer and otherwise exercise control of that Charterer; or
 
 
(iv)
Mr Evangelos Pistiolis is not the chief executive officer of the Guarantor; or
 
 
(v)
the person(s) having control of the Guarantor on the date of this Agreement cease to have sufficient control over the Guarantor to remove and appoint a majority to the board of directors of the Guarantor and otherwise exercise control of the Guarantor; or
 
(l)
any provision which the Majority Lenders consider material of a Finance Document proves to have been or becomes invalid or unenforceable or a Borrower or a Security Party repudiates any such provision, or a Security Interest created by a Finance Document proves to have been or becomes invalid or unenforceable or such a Security Interest
 

 
50

 

proves to have ranked after, or loses its priority to, another Security Interest or any other third party claim or interest; or
 
(m)
the security constituted by a Finance Document is in any way imperilled or in jeopardy; or
 
(n)
any Charter or any Charter Guarantee is terminated (other than by the effluxion of time or the sale (with the consent of the Lenders) or Total Loss of the relevant Ship), becomes invalid or unenforceable or otherwise ceases to be in full force and effect for any reason or any amount payable under any Charter or any Charter Guarantee is not paid when due and payable or any other default (howsoever described) occurs under any Charter or any Charter Guarantee; or
 
(o)
an Event of Default (as defined in section 14 of a Master Agreement) occurs; or
 
(p)
a Master Agreement is terminated, cancelled, suspended, rescinded or revoked or otherwise ceases to remain in full force and effect for any reason except with the consent of the Agent, acting with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders; or
 
(q)
any other event occurs or any other circumstances arise or develop including, without limitation:
 
 
(i)
a change in the financial position, state of affairs or prospects of either Borrower or the Guarantor; or
 
 
(ii)
any accident or other event involving either Ship or another vessel owned, chartered or operated by the Guarantor,
 
in the light of which the Majority Lenders consider that there is a significant risk that either Borrower or the Guarantor is, or will later become, unable to discharge its liabilities under the Finance Documents, the Master Agreements and the Transaction Documents as they fall due.

19.2
Actions following an Event of Default.   On, or at any time after, the occurrence of an Event of Default:
 
(a)
the Agent may, and if so instructed by the Majority Lenders, the Agent shall:
 
 
(i)
serve on the Borrowers a notice stating that the Commitments and all other obligations of each Lender to the Borrowers under this Agreement are cancelled; and/or
 
 
(ii)
serve on the Borrowers a notice stating that the Loan, all accrued interest and all other amounts accrued or owing under this Agreement are immediately due and payable or are due and payable on demand; and/or
 
 
(iii)
take any other action which, as a result of the Event of Default or any notice served under paragraph (i) or (ii), the Agent and/or the Lenders are entitled to take under any Finance Document or any applicable law; and/or
 
(b)
the Security Trustee may, and if so instructed by the Agent, acting with the authorisation of the Majority Lenders, the Security Trustee shall take any action which, as a result of the Event of Default or any notice served under paragraph (a) (i) or (ii), the Security Trustee, the Agent and/or the Lenders and/or the Swap Counterparties are entitled to take under any Finance Document or any applicable law.
 

 
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19.3
Termination of Commitments.   On the service of a notice under Clause 19.2(a)(i), the Commitments and all other obligations of each Lender to the Borrowers under this Agreement shall be cancelled.
 
19.4
Acceleration of Loan.   On the service of a notice under Clause 19.2(a)(ii), the Loan, all accrued interest and all other amounts accrued or owing from the Borrowers or any Security Party under this Agreement and every other Finance Document shall become immediately due and payable or, as the case may be, payable on demand.
 
19.5
Multiple notices; action without notice.   The Agent may serve notices under Clauses 19.2(a)(i) or (ii) simultaneously or on different dates and it and/or the Security Trustee may take any action referred to in Clause 19.2 if no such notice is served or simultaneously with or at any time after the service of both or either of such notices.
 
19.6
Notification of Creditor Parties and Security Parties.   The Agent shall send to each Lender, each Swap Counterparty, the Security Trustee and each Security Party a copy or the text of any notice which the Agent serves on the Borrowers under Clause 19.2; but the notice shall become effective when it is served on any Borrower, and no failure or delay by the Agent to send a copy or the text of the notice to any other person shall invalidate the notice or provide any Borrower or any Security Party with any form of claim or defence.
 
19.7
Creditor Parties' rights unimpaired.   Nothing in this Clause shall be taken to impair or restrict the exercise of any right given to individual Lenders or Swap Counterparties under a Finance Document, a Master Agreement or the general law; and, in particular, this Clause is without prejudice to Clause 3.1.
 
19.8
Exclusion of Creditor Party liability.   No Creditor Party, and no receiver or manager appointed by the Security Trustee, shall have any liability to a Borrower or a Security Party:
 
(a)
for any loss caused by an exercise of rights under, or enforcement of a Security Interest created by, a Finance Document or by any failure or delay to exercise such a right or to enforce such a Security Interest; or
 
(b)
as mortgagee in possession or otherwise, for any income or principal amount which might have been produced by or realised from any asset comprised in such a Security Interest or for any reduction (however caused) in the value of such an asset,
 
except that this does not exempt a Creditor Party or a receiver or manager from liability for losses shown to have been directly and mainly caused by the dishonesty or the wilful misconduct of such Creditor Party's own officers and employees or (as the case may be) such receiver's or manager's own partners or employees.

19.9
Relevant Persons.   In this Clause 19, a " Relevant Person " means a Borrower, a Security Party or any Principal Subsidiary.
 
19.10
Interpretation.   In Clause 19.1(f) references to an event of default or a termination event include any event, howsoever described, which is similar to an event of default in a facility agreement or a termination event in a finance lease; and in Clause 19.1(g) " petition " includes an application.
 
19.11
Position of Swap Counterparties.   Neither the Agent nor the Security Trustee shall be obliged, in connection with any action taken or proposed to be taken under or pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Clause 19, to have any regard to the requirements of a Swap Counterparty except to the extent that such Swap Counterparty is also a Lender.
 
20
FEES AND EXPENSES
 
20.1
Fees.   The Borrowers shall pay to the Agent:
 
 
 
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(a)
on the date of this Agreement, an upfront fee of an amount previously agreed in writing between the Agent and the Borrowers, for distribution among the Lenders in the proportions agreed by the Agent and the Lenders;
 
(b)
quarterly in arrears (with the first payment due on the first end of calendar quarter after the date of this Agreement) during the period from (and including) the date of this Agreement to the earlier of (i) the second Delivery Date and (ii) the end of the Availability Period and on the last day of that period for the account of the Lenders, a commitment fee at the rate of 0.50 per cent. per annum on the amount of the Total Commitments less the amount of the Loan, for distribution among the Lenders pro rata to their Commitments;
 
(c)
on the date of this Agreement and on each anniversary thereof during the Security Period, an annual agency fee of an amount previously agreed in writing between the Agent and the Borrowers, such agency fee to be payable to the Agent in advance for its own account; and
 
(d)
the other fees in the amounts, and on the dates, set out in the Fee Letter.
 
20.2
Costs of negotiation, preparation etc.   The Borrowers shall pay to the Agent on its demand the amount of all expenses incurred by the Agent or the Security Trustee in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution or registration of any Finance Document or any related document or with any transaction contemplated by a Finance Document or a related document.
 
20.3
Costs of variations, amendments, enforcement etc.   The Borrowers shall pay to the Agent, on the Agent's demand, for the account of the Creditor Party concerned the amount of all expenses incurred by a Creditor Party in connection with:
 
(a)
any amendment or supplement to a Finance Document, or any proposal for such an amendment to be made;
 
(b)
any consent or waiver by the Lenders, the Swap Banks, the Majority Lenders or the Creditor Party concerned under or in connection with a Finance Document, or any request for such a consent or waiver;
 
(c)
the valuation of any security provided or offered under Clause 15 or any other matter relating to such security; or
 
(d)
any step taken by the Lender or the Swap Bank concerned with a view to the protection, exercise or enforcement of any right or Security Interest created by a Finance Document or for any similar purpose.
 
There shall be recoverable under paragraph (d) the full amount of all legal expenses, whether or not such as would be allowed under rules of court or any taxation or other procedure carried out under such rules.

20.4
Extraordinary management time.   The Borrowers shall pay to the Agent on its demand compensation in respect of the reasonable and documented amount of time which the management of either Servicing Bank has spent in connection with a matter covered by Clause 20.3 and which exceeds the amount of time which would ordinarily be spent in the performance of the relevant Servicing Bank's routine functions.  Any such compensation shall be based on such reasonable daily or hourly rates as the Agent may
 

 
53

 

notify to the Borrowers and is in addition to any fee paid or payable to the relevant Servicing Bank.
 
20.5
Documentary taxes.   The Borrowers shall promptly pay any tax payable on or by reference to any Finance Document, and shall, on the Agent's demand, fully indemnify each Creditor Party against any claims, expenses, liabilities and losses resulting from any failure or delay by the Borrowers to pay such a tax.
 
20.6
Certification of amounts.   A notice which is signed by 2 officers of a Creditor Party, which states that a specified amount, or aggregate amount, is due to that Creditor Party under this Clause 20 and which indicates (without necessarily specifying a detailed breakdown) the matters in respect of which the amount, or aggregate amount, is due shall be prima facie evidence that the amount, or aggregate amount, is due.
 
21
INDEMNITIES
 
21.1
Indemnities regarding borrowing and repayment of Loan.   The Borrowers shall fully indemnify the Agent and each Lender on the Agent's demand and the Security Trustee on its demand in respect of all claims, expenses, liabilities and losses which are made or brought against or incurred by that Creditor Party, or which that Creditor Party reasonably and with due diligence estimates that it will incur, as a result of or in connection with:
 
(a)
an Advance not being borrowed on the date specified in the Drawdown Notice for any reason other than a default by the Lender claiming the indemnity;
 
(b)
the receipt or recovery of all or any part of the Loan or an overdue sum otherwise than on the last day of an Interest Period or other relevant period;
 
(c)
any failure (for whatever reason) by the Borrowers to make payment of any amount due under a Finance Document on the due date or, if so payable, on demand (after giving credit for any default interest paid by the Borrowers on the amount concerned under Clause 7); and
 
(d)
the occurrence of an Event of Default or a Potential Event of Default and/or the acceleration of repayment of the Loan under Clause 19,
 
and in respect of any tax (other than tax on its overall net income) for which a Creditor Party is liable in connection with any amount paid or payable to that Creditor Party (whether for its own account or otherwise) under any Finance Document.

21.2
Breakage costs.   Without limiting its generality, Clause 21.1 covers any claim, expense, liability or loss, including a loss of a prospective profit, incurred by a Lender:
 
(a)
in liquidating or employing deposits from third parties acquired or arranged to fund or maintain all or any part of its Contribution and/or any overdue amount (or an aggregate amount which includes its Contribution or any overdue amount); and
 
(b)
in terminating, or otherwise in connection with, any interest and/or currency swap or any other transaction entered into (whether with another legal entity or with another office or department of the Lender concerned) to hedge any exposure arising under this Agreement or that part which the Lender concerned determines is fairly attributable to this Agreement of the amount of the liabilities, expenses or losses (including losses of prospective profits) incurred by it in terminating, or otherwise in connection with, a number of transactions of which this Agreement is one.
 
21.3
Miscellaneous indemnities.   The Borrowers shall fully indemnify each Creditor Party severally on their respective demands in respect of all claims, expenses, liabilities and
 

 
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losses which may be made or brought against or incurred by a Creditor Party, in any country, as a result of or in connection with:
 
(a)
any action taken, or omitted or neglected to be taken, under or in connection with any Finance Document by the Agent, the Security Trustee or any other Creditor Party or by any receiver appointed under a Finance Document; or
 
(b)
any other Pertinent Matter,
 
other than claims, expenses, liabilities and losses which are shown to have been directly and mainly caused by the dishonesty or wilful misconduct of the officers or employees of the Creditor Party concerned.

Without prejudice to its generality, this Clause 21.3 covers any claims, expenses, liabilities and losses which arise, or are asserted, under or in connection with any law relating to safety at sea, the ISM Code, the ISPS Code or any Environmental Law.

21.4
Currency indemnity.   If any sum due from any Borrower or any Security Party to a Creditor Party under a Finance Document or under any order or judgment relating to a Finance Document has to be converted from the currency in which the Finance Document provided for the sum to be paid (the " Contractual Currency ") into another currency (the " Payment Currency ") for the purpose of:
 
(a)
making or lodging any claim or proof against any Borrower or any Security Party, whether in its liquidation, any arrangement involving it or otherwise; or
 
(b)
obtaining an order or judgment from any court or other tribunal; or
 
(c)
enforcing any such order or judgment,
 
the Borrowers shall indemnify the Creditor Party concerned against the loss arising when the amount of the payment actually received by that Creditor Party is converted at the available rate of exchange into the Contractual Currency.

In this Clause 21.4 the " available rate of exchange " means the rate at which the Creditor Party concerned is able at the opening of business (London time) on the Business Day after it receives the sum concerned to purchase the Contractual Currency with the Payment Currency.

This Clause 21.4 creates a separate liability of the Borrowers which is distinct from their other liabilities under the Finance Documents and which shall not be merged in any judgment or order relating to those other liabilities.

21.5
Application to Master Agreements.   For the avoidance of doubt, Clause 21.4 does not apply in respect of sums due from a Borrower to a Swap Counterparty under or in connection with a Master Agreement as to which sums the provisions of section 8 ( Contractual Currency ) of that Master Agreement shall apply.
 
21.6
Certification of amounts.   A notice which is signed by 2 officers of a Creditor Party, which states that a specified amount, or aggregate amount, is due to that Creditor Party under this Clause 21 and which indicates (without necessarily specifying a detailed breakdown) the matters in respect of which the amount, or aggregate amount, is due shall be prima facie evidence that the amount, or aggregate amount, is due.
 
21.7
Sums deemed due to a Lender.   For the purposes of this Clause 21, a sum payable by the Borrowers to the Agent or the Security Trustee for distribution to a Lender shall be treated as a sum due to that Lender.
 
22
NO SET-OFF OR TAX DEDUCTION

 
 
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22.1
No deductions.   All amounts due from the Borrowers under a Finance Document shall be paid:
 
(a)
without any form of set-off, cross-claim or condition; and
 
(b)
free and clear of any tax deduction except a tax deduction which a Borrower is required by law to make.
 
22.2
Grossing-up for taxes.   If a Borrower is required by law to make a tax deduction from any payment:
 
(a)
that Borrower shall notify the Agent as soon as it becomes aware of the requirement;
 
(b)
that Borrower shall pay the tax deducted to the appropriate taxation authority promptly, and in any event before any fine or penalty arises;
 
(c)
the amount due in respect of the payment shall be increased by the amount necessary to ensure that each Creditor Party receives and retains (free from any liability relating to the tax deduction) a net amount which, after the tax deduction, is equal to the full amount which it would otherwise have received.
 
22.3
Evidence of payment of taxes.   Within 1 month after making any tax deduction, the Borrower concerned shall deliver to the Agent documentary evidence satisfactory to the Agent that the tax had been paid to the appropriate taxation authority.
 
22.4
Exclusion of tax on overall net income.   In this Clause 22 " tax deduction " means any deduction or withholding for or on account of any present or future tax except tax on a Creditor Party's overall net income.
 
22.5
Application to Master Agreements.   For the avoidance of doubt, Clause 22 does not apply in respect of sums due from a Borrower to a Swap Counterparty under or in connection with a Master Agreement as to which sums the provisions of section 2(d) ( Deduction or Withholding for Tax ) of that Master Agreement shall apply.
 
23
ILLEGALITY, ETC
 
23.1
Illegality.   This Clause 23 applies if a Lender (the " Notifying Lender ") notifies the Agent that it has become, or will with effect from a specified date, become:
 
(a)
unlawful or prohibited as a result of the introduction of a new law, an amendment to an existing law or a change in the manner in which an existing law is or will be interpreted or applied; or
 
(b)
contrary to, or inconsistent with, any regulation,
 
for the Notifying Lender to maintain or give effect to any of its obligations under this Agreement in the manner contemplated by this Agreement.

23.2
Notification of illegality.   The Agent shall promptly notify the Borrowers, the Security Parties, the Security Trustee and the other Lenders of the notice under Clause 23.1 which the Agent receives from the Notifying Lender.
 
23.3
Prepayment; termination of Commitment.   On the Agent notifying the Borrowers under Clause 23.2, the Notifying Lender's Commitment shall terminate; and thereupon or, if later, on the date specified in the Notifying Lender's notice under Clause 23.1 as the
 

 
56

 

date on which the notified event would become effective the Borrowers shall prepay the Notifying Lender's Contribution in accordance with Clause 8.
 
23.4
Mitigation . If circumstances arise which would result in a notification under Clause 23.1 then, without in any way limiting the rights of the Notifying Lender under Clause 23.3, the Notifying Lender shall use reasonable endeavours to transfer its obligations, liabilities and rights under this Agreement and the Finance Documents to another office or financial institution not affected by the circumstances but the Notifying Lender shall not be under any obligation to take any such action if, in its opinion, to do would or might:
 
(a)
have an adverse effect on its business, operations or financial condition; or
 
(b)
involve it in any activity which is unlawful or prohibited or any activity that is contrary to, or inconsistent with, any regulation; or
 
(c)
involve it in any expense (unless indemnified to its satisfaction) or tax disadvantage.
 
24
INCREASED COSTS
 
24.1
Increased costs.   This Clause 24 applies if a Lender (the " Notifying Lender ") notifies the Agent that the Notifying Lender considers that as a result of:
 
(a)
the introduction or alteration after the date of this Agreement of a law or an alteration after the date of this Agreement in the manner in which a law is interpreted or applied (disregarding any effect which relates to the application to payments under this Agreement of a tax on the Lender's overall net income); or
 
(b)
complying with any regulation (including any which relates to capital adequacy or liquidity controls or which affects the manner in which the Notifying Lender allocates capital resources to its obligations under this Agreement) which is introduced, or altered, or the interpretation or application of which is altered, after the date of this Agreement,
 
the Notifying Lender (or a parent company of it) has incurred or will incur an " increased cost ".

24.2
Meaning of "increase cost".   In this Clause 24, " increased cost " means, in relation to a Notifying Lender:
 
(a)
an additional or increased cost incurred as a result of, or in connection with, the Notifying Lender having entered into, or being a party to, this Agreement or a Transfer Certificate, of funding or maintaining its Commitment or Contribution or performing its obligations under this Agreement, or of having outstanding all or any part of its Contribution or other unpaid sums;
 
(b)
a reduction in the amount of any payment to the Notifying Lender under this Agreement or in the effective return which such a payment represents to the Notifying Lender or on its capital;
 
(c)
an additional or increased cost of funding all or maintaining all or any of the advances comprised in a class of advances formed by or including the Notifying Lender's Contribution or (as the case may require) the proportion of that cost attributable to the Contribution; or
 
(d)
a liability to make a payment, or a return foregone, which is calculated by reference to any amounts received or receivable by the Notifying Lender under this Agreement,
 

 
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but not an item attributable to a change in the rate of tax on the overall net income of the Notifying Lender (or a parent company of it) or an item covered by the indemnity for tax in Clause 21.1 or by Clause 22.
 
For the purposes of this Clause 24.2 the Notifying Lender may in good faith allocate or spread costs and/or losses among its assets and liabilities (or any class of its assets and liabilities) on such basis as it considers appropriate.

24.3
Notification to Borrowers of claim for increased costs.   The Agent shall promptly notify the Borrowers and the Security Parties of the notice which the Agent received from the Notifying Lender under Clause 24.1.
 
24.4
Payment of increased costs.   The Borrowers shall pay to the Agent, on the Agent's demand, for the account of the Notifying Lender the amounts which the Agent from time to time notifies the Borrowers that the Notifying Lender has specified to be necessary to compensate the Notifying Lender for the increased cost.
 
24.5
Notice of prepayment.   If the Borrowers are not willing to continue to compensate the Notifying Lender for the increased cost under Clause 24.4, the Borrowers may give the Agent not less than 14 days' notice of their intention to prepay the Notifying Lender's Contribution at the end of an Interest Period.
 
24.6
Prepayment; termination of Commitment.   A notice under Clause 24.5 shall be irrevocable; the Agent shall promptly notify the Notifying Lender of the Borrowers' notice of intended prepayment; and:
 
(a)
on the date on which the Agent serves that notice, the Commitment of the Notifying Lender shall be cancelled; and
 
(b)
on the date specified in its notice of intended prepayment, the Borrowers shall prepay (without premium or penalty) the Notifying Lender's Contribution, together with accrued interest thereon at the applicable rate plus the Margin.
 
24.7
Application of prepayment.   Clause 8 shall apply in relation to the prepayment.
 
25
SET-OFF
 
25.1
Application of credit balances.   Each Creditor Party may without prior notice:
 
(a)
apply any balance (whether or not then due) which at any time stands to the credit of any account in the name of a Borrower at any office in any country of that Creditor Party in or towards satisfaction of any sum then due from that Borrower to that Creditor Party under any of the Finance Documents; and
 
(b)
for that purpose:
 
 
(i)
break, or alter the maturity of, all or any part of a deposit of that Borrower;
 
 
(ii)
convert or translate all or any part of a deposit or other credit balance into Dollars; and
 
 
(iii)
enter into any other transaction or make any entry with regard to the credit balance which the Creditor Party concerned considers appropriate.
 
25.2
Existing rights unaffected.   No Creditor Party shall be obliged to exercise any of its rights under Clause 25.1; and those rights shall be without prejudice and in addition to
 

 
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any right of set-off, combination of accounts, charge, lien or other right or remedy to which a Creditor Party is entitled (whether under the general law or any document).
 
25.3
Sums deemed due to a Lender.   For the purposes of this Clause 25, a sum payable by the Borrowers to the Agent or the Security Trustee for distribution to, or for the account of, a Lender shall be treated as a sum due to that Lender; and each Lender's proportion of a sum so payable for distribution to, or for the account of, the Lenders shall be treated as a sum due to such Lender.
 
25.4
No Security Interest.   This Clause 25 gives the Creditor Parties a contractual right of set-off only, and does not create any equitable charge or other Security Interest over any credit balance of any Borrower.
 
26
TRANSFERS AND CHANGES IN LENDING OFFICES
 
26.1
Transfer by Borrowers.   No Borrower may, without the consent of the Agent, given on the instructions of all the Lenders transfer any of its rights, liabilities or obligations under any Finance Document.
 
26.2
Transfer by a Lender.   Subject to Clause 26.4, a Lender (the " Transferor Lender ") may at any time, with the consent of the Borrowers (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed; and such consent not to be required in connection with or in contemplation of a securitisation (or similar transaction)) but otherwise without needing the consent of any Security Party, cause:
 
(a)
its rights in respect of all or part of its Contribution; or
 
(b)
its obligations in respect of all or part of its Commitment; or
 
(c)
a combination of (a) and (b),
 
to be (in the case of its rights) transferred to, or (in the case of its obligations) assumed by, another bank or financial institution or a trust, fund or other entity which is regularly engaged in or established for the purpose of making, purchasing or investing in loans, securities or other financial assets (a " Transferee Lender ") by delivering to the Agent a completed certificate in the form set out in Schedule 5 with any modifications approved or required by the Agent (a " Transfer Certificate ") executed by the Transferor Lender and the Transferee Lender.
 
However any rights and obligations of the Transferor Lender in its capacity as Agent or Security Trustee will have to be dealt with separately in accordance with the Agency and Trust Agreement.
 
26.3
Transfer Certificate, delivery and notification.   As soon as reasonably practicable after a Transfer Certificate is delivered to the Agent, it shall (unless it has reason to believe that the Transfer Certificate may be defective):
 
(a)
sign the Transfer Certificate on behalf of itself, the Borrowers, the Security Parties, the Security Trustee, each of the other Lenders and each of the Swap Banks;
 
(b)
on behalf of the Transferee Lender, send to each Borrower and each Security Party letters or faxes notifying them of the Transfer Certificate and attaching a copy of it; and
 
(c)
send to the Transferee Lender copies of the letters or faxes sent under paragraph (b) above,
 
but the Agent shall only be obliged to execute a Transfer Certificate delivered to it by the Transferor Lender and the Transferee Lender once it is satisfied it has complied with all

 
59

 

necessary "know your customer" or other similar checks under all applicable laws and regulations in relation to the transfer to that Transferee Lender.

26.4
Effective Date of Transfer Certificate.   A Transfer Certificate becomes effective on the date, if any, specified in the Transfer Certificate as its effective date, Provided that it is signed by the Agent under Clause 26.3 on or before that date.
 
26.5
No transfer without Transfer Certificate.   No assignment or transfer of any right or obligation of a Lender under any Finance Document is binding on, or effective in relation to, any Borrower, any Security Party, the Agent or the Security Trustee unless it is effected, evidenced or perfected by a Transfer Certificate.
 
26.6
Lender re-organisation; waiver of Transfer Certificate.   However, if a Lender enters into any merger, de-merger or other reorganisation as a result of which all its rights or obligations vest in another person (the " successor "), the Agent may, if it sees fit, by notice to the successor and the Borrowers and the Security Trustee waive the need for the execution and delivery of a Transfer Certificate; and, upon service of the Agent's notice, the successor shall become a Lender with the same Commitment and Contribution as were held by the predecessor Lender.
 
26.7
Effect of Transfer Certificate.   A Transfer Certificate takes effect in accordance with English law as follows:
 
(a)
to the extent specified in the Transfer Certificate, all rights and interests (present, future or contingent) which the Transferor Lender has under or by virtue of the Finance Documents are assigned to the Transferee Lender absolutely, free of any defects in the Transferor Lender's title and of any rights or equities which any Borrower or any Security Party had against the Transferor Lender;
 
(b)
the Transferor Lender's Commitment is discharged to the extent specified in the Transfer Certificate;
 
(c)
the Transferee Lender becomes a Lender with the Contribution previously held by the Transferor Lender and a Commitment of an amount specified in the Transfer Certificate;
 
(d)
the Transferee Lender becomes bound by all the provisions of the Finance Documents which are applicable to the Lenders generally, including those about pro-rata sharing and the exclusion of liability on the part of, and the indemnification of, the Agent and the Security Trustee and, to the extent that the Transferee Lender becomes bound by those provisions (other than those relating to exclusion of liability), the Transferor Lender ceases to be bound by them;
 
(e)
any part of the Loan which the Transferee Lender advances after the Transfer Certificate's effective date ranks in point of priority and security in the same way as it would have ranked had it been advanced by the transferor, assuming that any defects in the transferor's title and any rights or equities of any Borrower or any Security Party against the Transferor Lender had not existed;
 
(f)
the Transferee Lender becomes entitled to all the rights under the Finance Documents which are applicable to the Lenders generally, including but not limited to those relating to the Majority Lenders and those under Clause 5.7 and Clause 20, and to the extent that the Transferee Lender becomes entitled to such rights, the Transferor Lender ceases to be entitled to them; and
 
(g)
in respect of any breach of a warranty, undertaking, condition or other provision of a Finance Document or any misrepresentation made in or in connection with a Finance Document, the Transferee Lender shall be entitled to recover damages by reference to the
 

 
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loss incurred by it as a result of the breach or misrepresentation, irrespective of whether the original Lender would have incurred a loss of that kind or amount.
 
The rights and equities of any Borrower or any Security Party referred to above include, but are not limited to, any right of set off and any other kind of cross-claim.

26.8
Maintenance of register of Lenders.   During the Security Period the Agent shall maintain a register in which it shall record the name, Commitment, Contribution and administrative details (including the lending office) from time to time of each Lender holding a Transfer Certificate and the effective date (in accordance with Clause 26.4) of the Transfer Certificate; and the Agent shall make the register available for inspection by any Lender, the Security Trustee and the Borrowers during normal banking hours, subject to receiving at least 3 Business Days' prior notice.
 
26.9
Reliance on register of Lenders.   The entries on that register shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive in determining the identities of the Lenders and the amounts of their Commitments and Contributions and the effective dates of Transfer Certificates and may be relied upon by the Agent and the other parties to the Finance Documents for all purposes relating to the Finance Documents.
 
26.10
Authorisation of Agent to sign Transfer Certificates.   Each Borrower, the Security Trustee, each Lender and each Swap Bank irrevocably authorise the Agent to sign Transfer Certificates on its behalf.
 
26.11
Registration fee.   In respect of any Transfer Certificate, the Agent shall be entitled to recover a registration fee of $1,000 from the Transferor Lender or (at the Agent's option) the Transferee Lender.
 
26.12
Sub-participation; securitisation; subrogation assignment.
 
(a)
A Lender may sub-participate or include in a securitisation or similar transaction all or any part of its rights and/or obligations under or in connection with the Finance Documents without the consent of, or any consultation with or notice to, any Borrower, any Security Party, the Agent or the Security Trustee; and the Lenders may assign, in any manner and terms agreed by the Majority Lenders, the Agent and the Security Trustee, all or any part of those rights to an insurer or surety who has become subrogated to them.
 
(b)
Each Borrower shall, and shall procure that each Security Party shall, do everything desirable or necessary to assist the Creditor Parties (or any of them) to achieve a successful (in the opinion of the Creditor Parties concerned) securitisation (or similar transaction) Provided only that the Borrowers' third party costs are met by the Creditor Parties concerned.
 
26.13
Disclosure of information.   In relation to any information which a Creditor Party has received in relation to either Borrower, any Security Party or their affairs under or in connection with any Finance Document or any Master Agreement, that Creditor Party may disclose any such information as it considers in its absolute discretion appropriate to:
 
(a)
a potential Transferee Lender, sub-participant, affiliate, any other assignee or transferee or any other person who may propose entering into a contractual relation with that Creditor Party in relation to this Agreement; and/or
 
(b)
any direct or indirect subsidiary, any direct or indirect parent company (including, for the avoidance of doubt in the case of the DVB Group, DZ Bank A.G.), any affiliate or any other company in its group; and/or
 
(c)
any authorities or any party to any Finance Document or any professional adviser to that Creditor Party; and/or
 

 
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(d)
any other person regarding the funding, operational arrangement or other transaction in relation thereto,
 
and including, without limitation, (x) for purposes in connection with (1) any enforcement or (2) assignment or transfer of any Creditor Party's rights or obligations under any Master Agreement or any Finance Document or (y) to the extent desirable or necessary in connection with or in contemplation of a securitisation (or similar transaction).

26.14
Change of lending office.   A Lender may change its lending office by giving notice to the Agent and the change shall become effective on the later of:
 
(a)
the date on which the Agent receives the notice; and
 
(b)
the date, if any, specified in the notice as the date on which the change will come into effect.
 
26.15
Notification.   On receiving such a notice, the Agent shall notify the Borrowers and the Security Trustee; and, until the Agent receives such a notice, it shall be entitled to assume that a Lender is acting through the lending office of which the Agent last had notice.
 
26.16
Replacement of Reference Bank.   If any Reference Bank ceases to be a Lender or is unable on a continuing basis to supply quotations for the purposes of Clause 5 then, unless the Borrowers, the Agent and the Majority Lenders otherwise agree, the Agent, acting on the instructions of the Majority Lenders, and after consulting the Borrowers, shall appoint another bank (whether or not a Lender) to be a replacement Reference Bank; and, when that appointment comes into effect, the first-mentioned Reference Bank's appointment shall cease to be effective.
 
26.17
Syndication.
 
(a)
If the Borrowers agree to the syndication of this Agreement but after a period of at least 3 months after the date of this Agreement has elapsed, it appears likely (in the Agent's reasonable opinion) that the normal syndication process of this Agreement on the basis of the agreed, structure, terms and pricing will not be successful, the Borrowers acknowledge that the Agent has the right at any time to change any or all of the terms, structure and/or pricing of the Loan if the Agent determines that such changes are advisable in order to ensure a successful syndication of this Agreement.
 
(b)
If the Agent determines such changes are necessary, the Agent will consult with the Borrowers for a period of up to 5 Business Days about such changes and, following such period of consultation but subject to Clause 26.17(c), the Borrowers will and will procure that each Security Party will enter into any documentation in a form required by the Agent to implement such changes required by the Agent (including, without limitation, any documentation required to amend the Finance Documents and to secure the Borrowers' and the Security Parties' liabilities and obligations under the Finance Documents as amended and/or supplemented).
 
(c)
If either Borrower or any Security Party does not agree with such changes required by the Agent, the Borrowers may give the Agent within a period of 5 days following the expiry of the consultation period not less than 14 days' notice of its intention to terminate the Commitments and prepay the Loan in full at the end of the current Interest Period.
 
(d)
A notice under Clause 26.17(c) shall be irrevocable; the Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders of the Borrowers' notice of intended prepayment; and:
 
 
(i)
on the date on which the Agent serves that notice, the Total Commitments shall be cancelled; and
 
 
(ii)
on the date specified in its notice of intended prepayment, the Borrowers shall prepay (without premium or penalty) the Loan, together with accrued interest thereon at the applicable rate plus the Margin.
 
(e)
Clause 8 shall apply in relation to any such prepayment.
 
27
VARIATIONS AND WAIVERS
 
 
 
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27.1
Variations, waivers etc. by Majority Lenders.   Subject to Clause 27.2, a document shall be effective to vary, waive, suspend or limit any provision of a Finance Document, or any Creditor Party's rights or remedies under such a provision or the general law, only if the document is signed, or specifically agreed to by fax, by the Borrowers, by the Agent on behalf of the Majority Lenders, by the Agent and the Security Trustee in their own rights, and, if the document relates to a Finance Document to which a Security Party is party, by that Security Party.
 
27.2
Variations, waivers etc. requiring agreement of all Lenders.   However, as regards the following, Clause 27.1 applies as if the words "by the Agent on behalf of the Majority Lenders" were replaced by the words "by or on behalf of every Lender and every Swap Bank":
 
(a)
a change in the Margin or in the definition of LIBOR;
 
(b)
a change to the date for, the amount of, any payment of principal, interest, fees, or other sum payable under this Agreement;
 
(c)
a change to any Lender's Commitment;
 
(d)
an extension of Availability Period;
 
(e)
a change to the definition of " Majority Lenders " or " Finance Documents ";
 
(f)
a change to the preamble or to Clause 2, 3, 4, 5.1, 17, 18 or 30;
 
(g)
a change to this Clause 27;
 
(h)
any release of, or material variation to, a Security Interest, guarantee, indemnity or subordination arrangement set out in a Finance Document; and
 
(i)
any other change or matter as regards which this Agreement or another Finance Document expressly provides that each Lender's consent is required.
 
27.3
Exclusion of other or implied variations.   Except for a document which satisfies the requirements of Clauses 27.1 and 27.2, no document, and no act, course of conduct, failure or neglect to act, delay or acquiescence on the part of the Creditor Parties or any of them (or any person acting on behalf of any of them) shall result in the Creditor Parties or any of them (or any person acting on behalf of any of them) being taken to have varied, waived, suspended or limited, or being precluded (permanently or temporarily) from enforcing, relying on or exercising:
 
(a)
a provision of this Agreement or another Finance Document; or
 
(b)
an Event of Default; or
 
(c)
a breach by a Borrower or a Security Party of an obligation under a Finance Document or the general law; or
 
(d)
any right or remedy conferred by any Finance Document or by the general law,
 
 
and there shall not be implied into any Finance Document any term or condition requiring any such provision to be enforced, or such right or remedy to be exercised, within a certain or reasonable time.
 

28
NOTICES
 
 
 
63

 
 
 
28.1
General.   Unless otherwise specifically provided, any notice under or in connection with any Finance Document shall be given by letter or fax; and references in the Finance Documents to written notices, notices in writing and notices signed by particular persons shall be construed accordingly.
 
28.2
Addresses for communications.   A notice by letter or fax shall be sent:
 
(a)
to the Borrowers:
c/o Top Tanker Management Inc.
   
1 Vassilissis Sofias Str. & Meg. Alexandrou Str.
   
151 24, Maroussi
   
Greece
     
   
Fax No:  +30 210 614 1204;
     
(b)
to a Lender or a Swap Bank
at the address below its name in Schedule 1 (in the case of a Lender), Schedule 2 (in the case of a Swap Bank) or (as the case may require) in the relevant Transfer Certificate;
     
     
(c)
to the Agent:
Zeelandia Office Park
 
and/or the Security Trustee:
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
   
P.O. Box 3107, Curaçao
   
Netherlands Antilles
   
Attention: Natacha Bloem
     
   
Fax No: +599 9 465 2366
     
   
with a copy to:
   
DVB Bank SE, Rep. Office Greece
   
95 Akti Miaouli
   
185 38 Piraeus
   
Greece
   
Attention: Nikolas Chontzopoulos
   
Fax No: +30 210 455 7420
     
  or to such other address as the relevant party may notify the Agent or, if the relevant party is the Agent or the Security Trustee, the Borrowers, the Lenders, the Swap Banks and the Security Parties.

28.3
Effective date of notices.   Subject to Clauses 28.4 and 28.5:
 
(a)
a notice which is delivered personally or posted shall be deemed to be served, and shall take effect, at the time when it is delivered; and
 
(b)
a notice which is sent by fax shall be deemed to be served, and shall take effect, 2 hours after its transmission is completed.
 
28.4
Service outside business hours.   However, if under Clause 28.3 a notice would be deemed to be served:
 

 
64

 

(a)
on a day which is not a business day in the place of receipt; or
 
(b)
on such a business day, but after 5 p.m. local time,
 
the notice shall (subject to Clause 28.5) be deemed to be served, and shall take effect, at 9 a.m. on the next day which is such a business day.

28.5
Illegible notices.   Clauses 28.3 and 28.4 do not apply if the recipient of a notice notifies the sender within 1 hour after the time at which the notice would otherwise be deemed to be served that the notice has been received in a form which is illegible in a material respect.
 
28.6
Valid notices.   A notice under or in connection with a Finance Document shall not be invalid by reason that its contents or the manner of serving it do not comply with the requirements of this Agreement or, where appropriate, any other Finance Document under which it is served if:
 
(a)
the failure to serve it in accordance with the requirements of this Agreement or other Finance Document, as the case may be, has not caused any party to suffer any significant loss or prejudice;  or
 
(b)
in the case of incorrect and/or incomplete contents, it should have been reasonably clear to the party on which the notice was served what the correct or missing particulars should have been.
 
28.7
Electronic communication.   Any communication to be made between the Agent and a Lender under or in connection with the Finance Documents may be made by electronic mail or other electronic means, if the Agent and the relevant Lender:
 
(a)
agree that, unless and until notified to the contrary, this is to be an accepted form of communication;
 
(b)
notify each other in writing of their electronic mail address and/or any other information required to enable the sending and receipt of information by that means; and
 
(c)
notify each other of any change to their respective addresses or any other such information supplied to them.
 
Any electronic communication made between the Agent and a Lender will be effective only when actually received in readable form and, in the case of any electronic communication made by a Lender to the Agent, only if it is addressed in such a manner as the Agent shall specify for this purpose.

28.8
English language.   Any notice under or in connection with a Finance Document shall be in English.
 
28.9
Meaning of "notice".   In this Clause 28, " notice " includes any demand, consent, authorisation, approval, instruction, waiver or other communication.
 
29
JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY
 
29.1
General.   All liabilities and obligations of the Borrowers under this Agreement shall, whether expressed to be so or not, be several and, if and to the extent consistent with Clause 29.2, joint.
 
29.2
No impairment of Borrower's obligations.   The liabilities and obligations of a Borrower shall not be impaired by:
 
(a)
this Agreement being or later becoming void, unenforceable or illegal as regards any other Borrower;
 

 
65

 

(b)
any Lender or the Security Trustee entering into any rescheduling, refinancing or other arrangement of any kind with any other Borrower;
 
(c)
any Lender or the Security Trustee releasing any other Borrower or any Security Interest created by a Finance Document; or
 
(d)
any combination of the foregoing.
 
29.3
Principal debtors.   Each Borrower declares that it is and will, throughout the Security Period, remain a principal debtor for all amounts owing under this Agreement and the Finance Documents and no Borrower shall in any circumstances be construed to be a surety for the obligations of any other Borrower under this Agreement.
 
29.4
Subordination.   Subject to Clause 29.5, during the Security Period, no Borrower shall:
 
(a)
claim any amount which may be due to it from any other Borrower whether in respect of a payment made, or matter arising out of, this Agreement or any Finance Document, or any matter unconnected with this Agreement or any Finance Document; or
 
(b)
take or enforce any form of security from any other Borrower for such an amount, or in any other way seek to have recourse in respect of such an amount against any asset of any other Borrower; or
 
(c)
set off such an amount against any sum due from it to any other Borrower; or
 
(d)
prove or claim for such an amount in any liquidation, administration, arrangement or similar procedure involving any other Borrower or other Security Party; or
 
(e)
exercise or assert any combination of the foregoing.
 
29.5
Borrower's required action.   If during the Security Period, the Agent, by notice to a Borrower, requires it to take any action referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d) of Clause 29.4, in relation to any other Borrower, that Borrower shall take that action as soon as practicable after receiving the Agent's notice.
 
30
SUPPLEMENTAL
 
30.1
Rights cumulative, non-exclusive.   The rights and remedies which the Finance Documents give to each Creditor Party are:
 
(a)
cumulative;
 
(b)
may be exercised as often as appears expedient; and
 
(c)
shall not, unless a Finance Document explicitly and specifically states so, be taken to exclude or limit any right or remedy conferred by any law.
 
30.2
Severability of provisions.   If any provision of a Finance Document is or subsequently becomes void, unenforceable or illegal, that shall not affect the validity, enforceability or legality of the other provisions of that Finance Document or of the provisions of any other Finance Document.
 
30.3
Counterparts.   A Finance Document may be executed in any number of counterparts.
 
30.4
Third party rights.   A person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce or to enjoy the benefit of any term of this Agreement.
 
31
LAW AND JURISDICTION
 

 
66

 
 
 
31.1
English law.   This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, English law.
 
31.2
Exclusive English jurisdiction.   Subject to Clause 31.3, the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any disputes which may arise out of or in connection with this Agreement.
 
31.3
Choice of forum for the exclusive benefit of the Creditor Parties.   Clause 31.2 is for the exclusive benefit of the Creditor Parties, each of which reserves the right:
 
(a)
to commence proceedings in relation to any matter which arises out of or in connection with this Agreement in the courts of any country other than England and which have or claim jurisdiction to that matter; and
 
(b)
to commence such proceedings in the courts of any such country or countries concurrently with or in addition to proceedings in England or without commencing proceedings in England.
 
Neither Borrower shall commence any proceedings in any country other than England in relation to a matter which arises out of or in connection with this Agreement.

31.4
Process agent.   Each Borrower irrevocably appoints Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited at its registered office for the time being, presently at 3rd Floor, 8 Duke Street, London W1U 3EW, to act as its agent to receive and accept on its behalf any process or other document relating to any proceedings in the English courts which are connected with this Agreement.
 
31.5
Creditor Party rights unaffected.   Nothing in this Clause 31 shall exclude or limit any right which any Creditor Party may have (whether under the law of any country, an international convention or otherwise) with regard to the bringing of proceedings, the service of process, the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or any similar or related matter in any jurisdiction.
 
31.6
Meaning of "proceedings".   In this Clause 31, " proceedings " means proceedings of any kind, including an application for a provisional or protective measure.
 
THIS AGREEMENT has been entered into on the date stated at the beginning of this Agreement.

 
67

 

SCHEDULE 1
 
LENDERS AND COMMITMENTS
 


Lender
Lending Office
Commitment
(US Dollars)
     
DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
80,000,000
 
 

 
 
68

 

SCHEDULE 2
 
SWAP BANKS
 

Swap Bank
Booking Office
   
 DVB Bank SE
Platz der Republik 6
D-60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

                                                                          

 
69

 

SCHEDULE 3
 
DRAWDOWN NOTICE
 

To:          DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
P.O. Box 3107
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
 
 
 Attention: Loans Administration
  [ date ]
 

DRAWDOWN NOTICE

1
We refer to the loan agreement (the " Loan Agreement ") dated [ l ] October 2008 and made between ourselves, as Borrowers, the Lenders referred to therein, the Swap Banks referred to therein, and yourselves as Agent and as Security Trustee in connection with a facility of up to US$80,000,000.  Terms defined in the Loan Agreement have their defined meanings when used in this Drawdown Notice.
 
2
We request to borrow an Advance relating to the Ship with hull number S-[ l ] as follows:
 
(a)
Amount: US$[ l ];
 
(b)
Drawdown Date: [ l ];
 
(c)
[Duration of the first Interest Period shall be [ l ] months;] and
 
(d)
Payment instructions: [ l ].
 
3
We represent and warrant that:
 
(a)
the representations and warranties in Clause 10 of the Loan Agreement would remain true and not misleading if repeated on the date of this notice with reference to the circumstances now existing; and
 
(b)
no Event of Default or Potential Event of Default has occurred or will result from the borrowing of the Loan.
 
4
This notice cannot be revoked without the prior consent of the Majority Lenders.
 
5
[We authorise you to deduct the fees referred to in Clause 20 from the amount of the Advance.]
 



                                
for and on behalf of
BANKSY SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED and
HONGBO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

 
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SCHEDULE 4
 
CONDITION PRECEDENT DOCUMENTS
 

PART A

The following are the documents referred to in Clause 9.1(a) required before service of the first Drawdown Notice.
 
1
A duly executed original of each Finance Document (and of each document required to be delivered by each Finance Document) other than those referred to in Part B or Part C.
 
2
Copies of the constitutional documents of each Borrower and each Security Party.
 
3
Copies of resolutions of the shareholders and directors of each Borrower and each Security Party authorising the execution of each of the Finance Documents and the Transaction Documents to which that Borrower or that Security Party is a party and, in the case of a Borrower, authorising named officers to give the Drawdown Notices and other notices under this Agreement and ratifying the execution of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.
 
4
The original of any power of attorney under which any Finance Document is executed on behalf of a Borrower or a Security Party.
 
5
Copies of all consents which any Borrower or any Security Party requires to enter into, or make any payment under, any Finance Document or any Transaction Document.
 
6
Copies of each Shipbuilding Contract and of all documents signed or issued by any party to that Shipbuilding Contract under or in connection with it.
 
7
Such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by any party to a Shipbuilding Contract of that Shipbuilding Contract and of all documents to be executed by that party under that Shipbuilding Contract.
 
8
The original of each Refund Guarantee together with such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by the Refund Guarantor of each Refund Guarantee.
 
9
Documentary evidence that the agent for service of process named in Clause 31 has accepted its appointment.
 
10
Favourable legal opinions from lawyers appointed by the Agent on such matters concerning the laws of Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Korea and such other relevant jurisdictions as the Agent may require.
 
11
A duly completed DVB LAM Form signed by the Borrowers.
 
12
All documentation required by each Lender in respect of either Borrower or any Security Party pursuant to that Lender's "Know your customer" requirements.
 
13
If the Agent so requires, in respect of any of the documents referred to above, a certified English translation prepared by a translator approved by the Agent.
 


71

 
PART B

The following are the documents referred to in Clause 9.1(c) required before the Advance relating to the delivery instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship A:
 
1
A duly executed original of the Mortgage, the Quadripartite Agreement (if not already executed), the Charter Assignment (if not already executed), the Account Security Deed and of the General Assignment relating to Ship A (and of each document to be delivered by each of them).
 
2
The originals of any mandates or other documents required in connection with the opening or operation of the Earnings Account relation to Ship A.
 
3
Documentary evidence that:
 
(a)
Ship A has been unconditionally delivered by the Builder to, and accepted by, Banksy under the Shipbuilding Contract, and the full purchase price payable under the Shipbuilding Contract (in addition to the part to be financed by the Loan) has been duly paid;
 
(b)
Ship A has been unconditionally delivered by Banksy to, and accepted by, the relevant Charterer under the Charter;
 
(c)
Ship A is definitively and permanently registered in the name of Banksy under Maltese flag;
 
(d)
Ship A is in the absolute and unencumbered ownership of Banksy save as contemplated by the Finance Documents;
 
(e)
Ship A maintains the class set out in article 1(b)(i) of the Shipbuilding Contract with Det norske Veritas free of all recommendations and conditions of such Classification Society (with the Agent being advised of such class and classification society at least 15 days prior to the Drawdown Date);
 
(f)
the Mortgage relating to Ship A has been duly registered against Ship A as a valid first priority Maltese ship mortgage in accordance with the laws of Malta; and
 
(g)
Ship A is insured in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and all requirements therein in respect of insurances have been complied with.
 
4
Copies of the Document of Compliance relating to Ship A and of Ship A's Safety Management Certificate (together with any other details of the applicable safety management system which the Agent requires), ISSC and IAPPC.
 
5
Favourable legal opinions from lawyers appointed by the Agent on such matters concerning the law of Malta, Liberia and such other relevant jurisdictions as the Agent may require.
 
6
A favourable opinion from an independent insurance consultant acceptable to the Agent on such matters relating to the insurances for Ship A as the Agent may require (with the Agent being advised with whom such insurances will be placed and upon what main terms they will be effected at least 15 days prior to the Drawdown Date).
 
7
Such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by any party to the Quadripartite Agreement of that Quadripartite Agreement and of all documents to be executed by that party under that Quadripartite Agreement.
 
8
Copies of all charters of Ship A and related documents.
 
 
 
72

 
 
 
9
A survey report addressed to the Agent and the Lenders, stated to be for the purposes of this Agreement and dated not earlier than 7 days before the Drawdown Date from an independent marine surveyor selected by the Agent in respect of the physical condition of the Ship.
 
10
If the Agent so requires, in respect of any of the documents referred to above, a certified English translation prepared by a translator approved by the Agent.
 
PART C

The following are the documents referred to in Clause 9.1(d) required before the Advance relating to the delivery instalment under the Shipbuilding Contract for Ship B:

1
A duly executed original of the Mortgage, the Quadripartite Agreement (if not already executed), the Charter Assignment (if not already executed), the Account Security Deed and of the General Assignment relating to Ship B (and of each document to be delivered by each of them).
 
2
The originals of any mandates or other documents required in connection with the opening or operation of the Earnings Account relation to Ship B.
 
3
Documentary evidence that:
 
(a)
Ship B has been unconditionally delivered by the Builder to, and accepted by, Hongbo under the Shipbuilding Contract, and the full purchase price payable under the Shipbuilding Contract (in addition to the part to be financed by the Loan) has been duly paid;
 
(b)
Ship B has been unconditionally delivered by Hongbo to, and accepted by, the relevant Charterer under the Charter;
 
(c)
Ship B is definitively and permanently registered in the name of Hongbo under Liberian flag;
 
(d)
Ship B is in the absolute and unencumbered ownership of Hongbo save as contemplated by the Finance Documents;
 
(e)
Ship B maintains the class set out in article 1(b)(i) of the Shipbuilding Contract with Det norske Veritas free of all recommendations and conditions of such Classification Society (with the Agent being advised of such class and classification society at least 15 days prior to the Drawdown Date);
 
(f)
the Mortgage relating to Ship B has been duly recorded against Ship B as a valid first preferred Liberian ship mortgage in accordance with the laws of Liberia; and
 
(g)
Ship B is insured in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and all requirements therein in respect of insurances have been complied with.
 
4
Copies of the Document of Compliance relating to Ship B and of Ship B's Safety Management Certificate (together with any other details of the applicable safety management system which the Agent requires), ISSC and IAPPC.
 
5
Favourable legal opinions from lawyers appointed by the Agent on such matters concerning the law of Liberia and such other relevant jurisdictions as the Agent may require.
 
 
 
73

 
 
 
6
A favourable opinion from an independent insurance consultant acceptable to the Agent on such matters relating to the insurances for Ship B as the Agent may require (with the Agent being advised with whom such insurances will be placed and upon what main terms they will be effected at least 15 days prior to the Drawdown Date).
 
7
Such documentary evidence as the Agent and its legal advisers may require in relation to the due authorisation and execution by any party to the Quadripartite Agreement of that Quadripartite Agreement and of all documents to be executed by that party under that Quadripartite Agreement.
 
8
Copies of all charters of Ship B and related documents.
 
9
A survey report addressed to the Agent and the Lenders, stated to be for the purposes of this Agreement and dated not earlier than 7 days before the Drawdown Date from an independent marine surveyor selected by the Agent in respect of the physical condition of the Ship.
 
10
If the Agent so requires, in respect of any of the documents referred to above, a certified English translation prepared by a translator approved by the Agent.
 
Each of the documents specified in paragraphs 2, 3, 5 and 9 of Part A and every other copy document delivered under this Schedule shall be certified as a true and up to date copy by a director or the secretary (or equivalent officer) of a Borrower.

 
74

 


SCHEDULE 5
 
TRANSFER CERTIFICATE

 
The Transferor and the Transferee accept exclusive responsibility for ensuring that this Certificate and the transaction to which it relates comply with all legal and regulatory requirements applicable to them respectively.


To:
DVB Bank America N.V. for itself and for and on behalf of each Borrower, each Security Party, the Security Trustee, each Lender and each Swap Bank, as defined in the Loan Agreement referred to below.

[ l ]
 
1
This Certificate relates to a Loan Agreement (the " Loan Agreement ") dated [ l ] October 2008 and made between (1) Banksy Shipping Company Limited and Hongbo Shipping Company Limited as joint and several borrowers (together, the " Borrowers "), (2) the banks and financial institutions named therein as Lenders, (3) the banks and financial institutions named therein as Swap Banks, (4) DVB Bank America N.V. as Agent and (5) DVB Bank America N.V. as Security Trustee for a loan facility of up to US$80,000,000.
 
2
In this Certificate, terms defined in the Loan Agreement shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the same meanings and:
 
 
" Relevant Parties " means the Agent, each Borrower, each Security Party, the Security Trustee, each Lender and each Swap Bank;

 
" Transferor " means [ full name ] of [ lending office ]; and

 
" Transferee " means [ full name ] of [ lending office ].

3
The effective date of this Certificate is [ l ] Provided that this Certificate shall not come into effect unless it is signed by the Agent on or before that date.
 
4
The Transferor assigns to the Transferee absolutely all rights and interests (present, future or contingent) which the Transferor has as Lender under or by virtue of the Loan Agreement and every other Finance Document in relation to [ l ] per cent. of its Contribution, which percentage represents $[ l ].
 
5
By virtue of this Certificate and Clause 26 of the Loan Agreement, the Transferor is discharged [entirely from its Commitment which amounts to $[ l ]] [from [ l ] per cent. of its Commitment, which percentage represents $[ l ]] and the Transferee acquires a Commitment of $[ l ].]
 
6
The Transferee undertakes with the Transferor and each of the Relevant Parties that the Transferee will observe and perform all the obligations under the Finance Documents which Clause 26 of the Loan Agreement provides will become binding on it upon this Certificate taking effect.
 
 
 
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7
The Agent, at the request of the Transferee (which request is hereby made) accepts, for the Agent itself and for and on behalf of every other Relevant Party, this Certificate as a Transfer Certificate taking effect in accordance with Clause 26 of the Loan Agreement.
 
8
The Transferor:
 
(a)
warrants to the Transferee and each Relevant Party that:
 
 
(i)
the Transferor has full capacity to enter into this transaction and has taken all corporate action and obtained all consents which are in connection with this transaction; and
 
 
(ii)
this Certificate is valid and binding as regards the Transferor;
 
(b)
warrants to the Transferee that the Transferor is absolutely entitled, free of encumbrances, to all the rights and interests covered by the assignment in paragraph 4 above; and
 
(c)
undertakes with the Transferee that the Transferor will, at its own expense, execute any documents which the Transferee reasonably requests for perfecting in any relevant jurisdiction the Transferee's title under this Certificate or for a similar purpose.
 
9
The Transferee:
 
(a)
confirms that it has received a copy of the Loan Agreement and each of the other Finance Documents;
 
(b)
agrees that it will have no rights of recourse on any ground against either the Transferor, the Agent, the Security Trustee, any Lender or any Swap Bank in the event that:
 
 
(i)
any of the Finance Documents prove to be invalid or ineffective;
 
 
(ii)
any Borrower or any Security Party fails to observe or perform its obligations, or to discharge its liabilities, under any of the Finance Documents;
 
 
(iii)
it proves impossible to realise any asset covered by a Security Interest created by a Finance Document, or the proceeds of such assets are insufficient to discharge the liabilities of the Borrowers or Security Party under the Finance Documents;
 
(c)
agrees that it will have no rights of recourse on any ground against the Agent, the Security Trustee, any Lender or any Swap Bank in the event that this Certificate proves to be invalid or ineffective;
 
(d)
warrants to the Transferor and each Relevant Party that:
 
 
(i)
it has full capacity to enter into this transaction and has taken all corporate action and obtained all consents which it needs to take or obtain in connection with this transaction; and
 
 
(ii)
this Certificate is valid and binding as regards the Transferee; and
 
(e)
confirms the accuracy of the administrative details set out below regarding the Transferee.
 
10
The Transferor and the Transferee each undertake with the Agent and the Security Trustee severally, on demand, fully to indemnify the Agent and/or the Security Trustee in respect of any claim, proceeding, liability or expense (including all legal expenses) which they or either of them may incur in connection with this Certificate or any matter arising out of it, except such as are shown to have been mainly and directly caused by the gross and culpable negligence or dishonesty of the Agent's or the Security Trustee's own officers or employees.
 
 
 
76

 
 
 
11
The Transferee shall repay to the Transferor on demand so much of any sum paid by the Transferor under paragraph 10 as exceeds one-half of the amount demanded by the Agent or the Security Trustee in respect of a claim, proceeding, liability or expense which was not reasonably foreseeable at the date of this Certificate; but nothing in this paragraph shall affect the liability of each of the Transferor and the Transferee to the Agent or the Security Trustee for the full amount demanded by it.
 


[Name of Transferor]
[Name of Transferee]
   
 By:  Date:
   
 By: Date: 
 

Agent

Signed for itself and for and on behalf of itself
as Agent and for every other Relevant Party

DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.

By:

Date:

 
77

 

Administrative Details of Transferee


Name of Transferee:

Lending Office:

Contact Person
(Loan Administration Department):

Telephone:

Fax:

Contact Person
(Credit Administration Department):

Telephone:

Fax:

Account for payments:




Note :
This Transfer Certificate alone may not be sufficient to transfer a proportionate share of the Transferor's interest in the security constituted by the Finance Documents in the Transferor's or Transferee's jurisdiction.  It is the responsibility of each Lender to ascertain whether any other documents are required for this purpose.
 

 
 
78

 

SCHEDULE 6
 
DESIGNATION NOTICE
 

To:           DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
 
 Attn: Loans Administration
[ date ]

 
Dear Sirs

Loan Agreement dated [ l ] October 2008 made between (i) ourselves as Borrower, (ii) the Lenders, (iii) the Swap Banks, (iv) and (v) yourselves as Agent and Security Trustee (the "Loan Agreement")
 
We refer to:
 
1
the Loan Agreement;
 
2
the Master Agreement dated as of [ l ] October 2008 made between ourselves and DVB Bank SE; and
 
3
a Confirmation delivered pursuant to the said Master Agreement dated [ l ] and addressed by DVB Bank SE to us.
 
In accordance with the terms of the Loan Agreement, we hereby give you notice of the said Confirmation and hereby confirm that the Transaction evidenced by it will be designated as a "Designated Transaction" for the purposes of the Loan Agreement and the Finance Documents.
 
Yours faithfully





.................................................
 
for and on behalf of
BANKSY SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED and
HONGBO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED

 
79

 

SCHEDULE 7
 
DVB LOAN ADMINISTRATION FORM
 

To:           DVB Bank America N.V.
Zeelandia Office Park
Kaya W.F.G. Mensing 14
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles
 
 Attn: Loans Administration
[ date ]
 

Dear Sirs

Term loan facility of up to $80,000,000 (the "Financing") made available to Banksy Shipping Company Limited and Hongbo Shipping Company Limited (together, the "Companies")

We refer to the loan agreement (the " Loan Agreement ") dated [ l ] October 2008 and made between ourselves, as joint and several Borrowers, the Lenders referred to therein, the Swap Banks referred to therein, and yourselves as Agent and as Security Trustee in connection with a term loan facility of up to $80,000,000.  Terms and expressions not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning as defined in the Loan Agreement.

We hereby appoint the following persons to act as our point of contact with regards to any issue arising in connection with the administration of the Loan Agreement or any other documents related to the Financing:

1           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ];
2           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ]; and
3           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ].

No persons other than the Directors of the Companies and the persons listed above (together, the " Authorised Persons ") are hereby authorised to request any information from you regarding the Loan Agreement or any other matter related to the Facility or either Company or communicate with you in any way regarding the forgoing in and under any circumstances.

For the avoidance of doubt, the following are the Directors of each Company:

1           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ];
2           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ]; and
3           [ name, title, address, phone, fax, mobile, email ].

This list of authorised persons may only be amended, modified or varied in writing by an Authorised Person with copy to the other Authorised Persons.

We agree to indemnify you and hold you harmless in relation to any information you provide to any Authorised Person.

This letter shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, English law.

Yours sincerely



for and on behalf of
 

 
80

 

 
BANKSY SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED and
HONGBO SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
 
 
 
 
81

 
 
 
 
EXECUTION PAGES
 

 
BORROWERS

SIGNED by
)
/s/ Eirini Alexandropoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
BANKSY SHIPPING
)
COMPANY LIMITED
)
in the presence of:
)

 
SIGNED by
)
/s/ Eirini Alexandropoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
HONGBO SHIPPING
)
COMPANY LIMITED
)
in the presence of:
)

 
LENDERS

SIGNED by
)
/s/ Alexandra Michalopoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.
)
in the presence of:
)
 

SWAP BANKS

SIGNED by
)
/s/ Alexandra Michalopoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
DVB BANK SE
)
in the presence of:
)

 
AGENT

SIGNED by
)
/s/ Alexandra Michalopoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.
)
in the presence of:
)
   

 
SECURITY TRUSTEE

SIGNED by
)
/s/ Alexandra Michalopoulou
)
for and on behalf of
)
DVB BANK AMERICA N.V.
)
in the presence of:
)


 
 
 
82
 
 
SK 23116 0005 1007470


Exhibit 8.1




Name of Significant Subsidiary
Country of Incorporation
Portion of Ownership Interest
TOP Tanker Management Inc.
Marshall Islands
100%
Top Bulker Management Inc.
Marshall Islands
100%
Top Tankers (U.K.) Limited
United Kingdom
100%
Helidona Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Gramos Shipping Company Inc.
Marshall Islands
100%
Vermio Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Rupel Shipping Company Inc.
Marshall Islands
100%
Mytikas Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Litochoro Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Falakro Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Pageon Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
100%
Vardousia Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
100%
Psiloritis Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Parnon Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
100%
Menalo Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
100%
Pintos Shipping Company Limited
Cyprus
100%
Pylio Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Idi Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Taygetus Shipping Company Ltd.
Liberia
100%
Kalidromo Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Olympos Shipping Company Limited(MI)
Marshall Islands
100%
Olympos Shipping Company Limited(BC)
British Cayman Islands
100%
Kisavos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Imitos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Parnis Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Parnasos Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Vitsi Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Giona Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Lefka Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Agrafa Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Agion Oros Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Nedas Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Ilisos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Sperhios Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Ardas Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Kifisos Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Noir Shipping S.A.
Marshall Islands
100%
Amalfi Shipping Company Limited
Marshall Islands
100%
Jeke Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Japan I Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Japan II Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Japan III Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Warhol Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Lichtenstein Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Banksy Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Indiana R Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Britto Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Hongbo Shipping Company Limited
Liberia
100%
Ierissos   Shipping Inc.
Marshall Islands
100%


SK 23116 0005 1008014



Exhibit 12.1

CERTIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
 
I, Evangelos Pistiolis, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Top Ships Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The company’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The company’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit committee of the company’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the company’s internal control over financial reporting.


Date: June 29, 2009


/s/Evangelos Pistiolis            
Evangelos Pistiolis
President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)



Exhibit 12.2


CERTIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
 
 
I, Alexandros Tsirikos, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Top Ships Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The company’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The company’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit committee of the company’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the company’s internal control over financial reporting.


Date:  June 29, 2009


/s/ Alexandros Tsirikos            
Alexandros Tsirikos
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)



Exhibit 13.1


PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER CERTIFICATION
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with this Annual Report of Top Ships Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on or about the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Evangelos Pistiolis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)
The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2)
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

A signed original of this written statement has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the SEC or its staff upon request.

Date: June 29, 2009


/s/ Evangelos Pistiolis            
Evangelos Pistiolis
President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)



Exhibit 13.2


PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER CERTIFICATION
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with this Annual Report of Top Ships Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on or about the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Alexandros Tsirikos, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)
The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2)
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

A signed original of this written statement has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the SEC or its staff upon request.


Date:  June 29, 2009


/s/ Alexandros Tsirikos            
Alexandros Tsirikos
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)




Exhibit 15.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement No. 333-152150 on Form F-3 of our reports dated June 26, 2009, relating to the financial statements and financial statement schedule of Top Ships Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern), and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, appearing in this Annual Report on Form 20-F of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2008.

We also consent to the reference to us under the headings "Selected Financial Data" in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

/s/ Deloitte. Hadjipavlou, Sofianos, & Cambanis S.A.
Athens, Greece
June 26, 2009