Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. - Annual Report: 2016 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒           ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2016

OR

☐          TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                   to

Commission File Number 001-33831

EAGLE BULK SHIPPING INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (203) 276–8100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

(Title of Class)

The Common Stock is registered on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

(Name of exchange on which registered)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☐ No☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes☐ No☒

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☒ 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 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.☒

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes☐ No☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2016, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter, was $8,350,559 based on the closing price of $0.44 per share on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on that date, which was prior to and does not reflect the August 5, 2016, 1 for 20 reverse stock split. (For this purpose, all outstanding shares of common stock have been considered held by non-affiliates, other than the shares beneficially owned by directors, officers and certain shareholders of the registrant holding above 10% of the outstanding shares of common stock; without conceding that any of the excluded parties are "affiliates" of the registrant for purposes of the federal securities laws.)

As of March 28, 2017, 74,103,956 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes☒ No☐

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2017 annual meeting of shareholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of December 31, 2016, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report for the year ended December 31, 2016.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K” or “Annual Report”) to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Eagle Bulk,” the “Company” and similar terms all refer to Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires. References to “Predecessor” refer to the Company between the period January 1, 2014 and October 15, 2014 and prior. References to “Successor” refer to the Company on or after October 16, 2014.

A glossary of shipping terms (the “Glossary”) that should be used as a reference when reading this Annual Report can be found immediately prior to Item 1A. Capitalized terms that are used in this Annual Report are either defined when they are first used or in the Glossary.

All dollar amounts are stated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

Effective as of the opening of trading on August 5, 2016, the Company completed a 1 for 20 reverse stock split (the “Reverse Stock Split”) of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, as previously approved by the Board of Directors and shareholders. Proportional adjustments were made to the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock and to its common stock underlying stock options and other common stock-based equity grants outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split as well as the applicable exercise price. In addition, proportional adjustments were made to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants and to the exercise price of such warrants, pursuant to the terms thereof. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split, and shareholders who would have received a fractional share of common stock in connection with the Reverse Stock Split instead received a cash payment in lieu of such fractional share. All references to common stock and all per share data for the Successor contained in this 10-K have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split unless explicitly stated otherwise. Please see “Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements”.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided for under these sections.  These statements may include words such as “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations and observations with respect to future events and financial performance.

Where we express an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis.  However, our forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by those forward-looking statements. The principal factors that affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows include, charter market rates, which have declined significantly from historic highs, periods of charter hire, vessel operating expenses and voyage costs, which are incurred primarily in U.S. dollars, depreciation expenses, which are a function of the cost of our vessels, significant vessel improvement costs and our vessels' estimated useful lives, and financing costs related to our indebtedness. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors which could include the following: (i) changes in demand in the dry bulk market, including, without limitation, changes in production of, or demand for, commodities and bulk cargoes, generally or in particular regions; (ii) greater than anticipated levels of dry bulk vessel new building orders or lower than anticipated rates of dry bulk vessel scrapping; (iii) changes in rules and regulations applicable to the dry bulk industry, including, without limitation, legislation adopted by international bodies or organizations such as the International Maritime Organization and the European Union (the “EU”) or by individual countries; (iv) actions taken by regulatory authorities including without limitation the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”); (v) changes in trading patterns significantly impacting overall dry bulk tonnage requirements; (vi) changes in the typical seasonal variations in dry bulk charter rates; (vii) changes in the cost of other modes of bulk commodity transportation; (viii) changes in general domestic and international political conditions; (ix) changes in the condition of the Company's vessels or applicable maintenance or regulatory standards (which may affect, among other things, our anticipated dry docking costs); (x) significant deteriorations in charter hire rates from current levels or the inability of the Company to achieve its cost-cutting measures; and (xi) the outcome of legal proceeding in which we are involved; and other factors listed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This discussion also includes statistical data regarding world dry bulk fleet and orderbook and fleet age. We generated some of this data internally, and some were obtained from independent industry publications and reports that we believe to be reliable sources. We have not independently verified this data nor sought the consent of any organizations to refer to their reports in this Annual Report. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview and Recent Developments

We are Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc., a Marshall Islands corporation incorporated on March 23, 2005 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. We own one of the largest fleets of Supramax/Ultramax dry bulk vessels in the world. Supramax dry bulk are vessels which are constructed with on-board cranes, ranging in size from approximately 50,000 to 59,000 “dwt” and Ultramax dry bulk vessels range in size from 60,000 to 65,000 dwt. They are considered a sub-category of the Handymax segment; typically defined as 40,000 to 65,000 dwt. We transport a broad range of major and minor bulk cargoes, including but not limited to coal, grain, ore, petcoke, cement and fertilizer, along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2016, we owned and operated a modern fleet of 41 Handymax dry bulk vessels. We chartered-in a 37,000 dwt newbuilding Japanese vessel that was delivered in October 2014 for seven years with an option for one additional year.

We are focused on maintaining a high quality fleet that is concentrated primarily in Supramax/Ultramax dry bulk carriers. These vessels have the cargo loading and unloading flexibility of on-board cranes while offering cargo carrying capacities approaching that of Panamax dry bulk vessels, which range in size from 72,000 to 83,000 dwt and rely on port facilities to load and offload their cargoes. We believe that the cargo handling flexibility and cargo carrying capacity of the Supramax/Ultramax class vessels make them attractive to cargo interests and vessel charterers. The 41 vessels in our operating fleet, with an aggregate carrying capacity of 2,260,943 dwt, have an average age of 8.7 years as of December 31, 2016.

We carry out the commercial and strategic management of our fleet through our indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary, Eagle Shipping International (USA) LLC, a Marshall Islands limited liability company which maintains its principal executive offices in Stamford, Connecticut. We own each of our vessels through a separate wholly-owned Marshall Islands limited liability company. 

Corporate Reorganization and Refinancing

On March 30, 2016, we entered into the Contribution Agreement (the “Contribution Agreement”) with a newly-formed wholly-owned subsidiary, Eagle Shipping LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the Marshall Islands (“Eagle Shipping”) pursuant to which the Company transferred, assigned and contributed to Eagle Shipping, and Eagle Shipping received, accepted and assumed, all of the tangible and intangible assets of the Company other than the membership interests in Eagle Shipping owned by the Company and certain deposit accounts held by the Company, which deposit account balances were transferred and all of the liabilities of the Company, including all of the Company’s rights and obligations under the Exit Financing Facility (as defined below) (the “Contribution”). Immediately following the Contribution, Eagle Shipping became the direct parent company of each of the Company’s previously directly-owned subsidiaries and the indirect parent company of each of the Company’s previously indirectly-owned subsidiaries. The Contribution was part of a series of transactions contemplated by the agreements also entered into on March 30, 2016 and described below, which transactions were consummated on March 30, 2016, after the fulfillment of certain conditions precedent. See “Note 2. Corporate Reorganization” to the consolidated financial statements.

New Office, New Subsidiary and Vessel Acquisitions

On June 20, 2016, the Company announced the expansion of its global commercial presence with the establishment of a new office in Hamburg, Germany, and which is operated through a new subsidiary, Eagle Bulk Europe GmbH, which commenced operations in August 2016.

 On September 30, 2016, a newly formed subsidiary, Eagle Bulk Shipco LLC (“Eagle Shipco”), signed a memorandum of agreement to acquire a 2016 Nantong COSCO Kawasaki Heavy Industries Engineering Co Ltd (“NACKS”) built Ultramax 61,000 dwt vessel for $18.85 million. The Company took delivery of the vessel in the fourth quarter of 2016.

On November 14, 2016, Eagle Shipco, signed a memorandum of agreement to acquire a 2017 built 64,000 dwt SDARI-64 Ultramax dry bulk vessel constructed at Chengxi Shipyard Co., Ltd for $17.9 million. The Company took the delivery of the vessel in the first quarter of 2017.

On February 28, 2017, Eagle Bulk Ultraco LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Eagle Ultraco”), entered into a framework agreement (the “Greenship Agreement”) with Greenship Bulk Manager Pte. Ltd., as Trustee-Manager of Greenship Bulk Trust, a Norwegian OTC-listed entity (the “Greenship Sellers”), for the purchase of nine modern sister vessels built between 2012 and 2015 (each a “Greenship Vessel,” and collectively, the “Greenship Vessels”). Of the nine Greenship Vessels, three Greenship Vessels were subject to certain customary conditions as well as the approval of the requisite majority of the unitholders of the Greenship Sellers which approval was obtained. The aggregate purchase price for the nine Greenship Vessels is $153.0 million. The allocated purchase price for each Greenship Vessel is $17.0 million. The Greenship Vessels are expected to be delivered charter free between April and September 2017. See “Note 20. Subsequent Events” to the consolidated financial statements.

Management of Our Fleet

Our Connecticut-based management team primarily focuses on the sub-Panamax dry bulk sectors, such as Supramax, Ultramax, Handymax and Handysize vessels, undertakes all commercial and strategic management of our fleet. We have established in-house technical management capabilities, through which we provide technical management services to all of our vessels. On August 24, 2015, the Company provided its three months’ notice to V. Ships Limited to terminate the technical management contract between the companies. During the first quarter of 2016, the Company completed the process of transferring the vessels to our in-house technical management.

Our Competitive Strengths and our Business Strategy

We believe that we have a number of strengths that provide us with a competitive advantage in the dry bulk shipping industry, including:

Our Fleet

Our operating fleet of 41 vessels is fitted with cargo cranes and cargo grabs that permit our vessels to load and unload cargo in ports that do not have cargo handling infrastructure in place. Our vessels are flagged in the Marshall Islands. Our vessels are all employed on time and voyage charters. The following table represents certain information about our operating fleet as of December 31, 2016: 

Nature of Business

As mentioned above, the Company’s chartering strategy has historically been to time charter the vessels on short-to medium-term charter, often with vessel operators. However, under its new management team, the Company is in the midst of a transition to an active operating model where it is entering into a higher percentage of voyage charters and developing contractual relationships directly with cargo interests. These relationships and the related cargo contracts have what we believe to be the dual benefit of providing greater operational efficiencies and act as a balance to the Company’s naturally long position to the market. Notwithstanding the focus on voyage chartering, the Company consistently monitors the dry bulk shipping market and, based on market conditions, will consider taking advantage of long-term time charters at higher rates when appropriate.

The following table represents various types of employment arrangements for our vessels.

The following summary represents the number of our fleet of vessels performing the various types of employments as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

We have established our own in-house technical management capability, through which we provide technical management services to all of our vessels. During the first quarter of 2016, we completed the transfer of all vessels to in-house technical management.

In connection with the charters of each of our vessels, we pay commissions ranging from 1.25% to 5.00% of the total daily charter hire rate of each charter to unaffiliated ship brokers and to in-house ship brokers associated with the charterers, depending on the number of brokers involved with arranging the relevant charter.

Our vessels operate worldwide within the trading limits imposed by insurance terms and do not operate in countries or territories that are subject to United States, EU or United Nations (the “UN”) comprehensive country-wide or territory-wide sanctions.

Our Customers

Our customers include international companies such as SK Shipping, Mur Shipping, Oldendorff Carriers GmbH, Cargill International S.A. Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd, and Arcelo Mittal Sourcing SCA. Our assessment of customers’ financial condition and reliability is an important factor in negotiating employment for our vessels. We aim to charter our vessels to major trading houses (including commodities traders), publicly traded companies, reputable vessel owners and operators, major producers and government-owned entities rather than to more speculative or undercapitalized entities. We evaluate the counterparty risk of potential customers based on our management's experience in the shipping industry combined with the additional input of two independent credit risk consultants. In 2016, we did not have any customer who accounted for more than 10% of our time and voyage charter revenue. In 2015, the Navig8 pool (the “Navig8 Pool”) accounted for approximately 17.2% of our time and voyage charter revenue. In 2014, for the period January 1 to October 15, one customer and the Navig8 Pool individually accounted for approximately 10.5% and 17.7% of our time and voyage charter revenue, respectively. For the period October 16, 2014 to December 31, 2014, the Navig8 Pool accounted for 27.7% of our time and voyage charter revenue.

Operations

There are two central aspects to the operation of our fleet:

We carry out the commercial and strategic management of our fleet through our indirectly wholly-owned subsidiaries, Eagle Shipping International (USA) LLC, a Marshall Islands limited liability company that was formed in January 2005 and maintains its principal executive offices in Stamford, Connecticut, and Eagle Bulk Pte. Ltd, a Singapore company. On June 20, 2016, the Company announced the expansion of its global commercial presence with the establishment of a new office in Hamburg, Germany. A new subsidiary, Eagle Bulk Europe GmbH, commenced its operations in the Hamburg office in August 2016. Our office staff, either directly or through these subsidiaries, provides the following services:

We currently have an aggregate of approximately 75 shore-based personnel in our principal executive office in Stamford, Connecticut, as well as our offices in Hamburg, Germany and Singapore.

Each of the Company’s vessels serve the same type of customer, have similar operation and maintenance requirements, operate in the same regulatory environment, and are subject to similar economic characteristics.  Based on this, the Company has determined that it operates in one reportable segment which is engaged in the ocean transportation of dry bulk cargoes worldwide through the ownership and operation of dry bulk carrier vessels. The Company’s vessels regularly move between countries in international waters, over hundreds of trade routes and, as a result, the disclosure of geographic information is impracticable.

Commercial and Strategic Management

We perform all of the commercial and strategic management of our fleet including obtaining employment for our vessels and maintaining relationships with the charterers of our vessels. In order to increase our market coverage, we opened a commercial office in Hamburg, Germany in August 2016. Now, we have three offices across the globe including Singapore and Stamford and we effectively have twenty four hour global market coverage. We believe that because of our management team’s experience in operating dry bulk vessels, we have access to a broad range of charterers and can employ our fleet efficiently in any diverse market conditions and achieve high utilization rates. 

Being an active owner-operator means effectively seeking to operate our own vessels when possible, as compared with time chartering them to other operators, all with a view toward achieving higher than market net time charter equivalent (“TCE”). In doing so, we believe we can take advantage of rapidly changing market information and obtain better operational efficiencies from our fleet. In addition, we constantly look to arbitrage cargo and vessels positions by taking in additional vessels on time charter, and/or reletting cargo commitments on voyage basis. We also constantly monitor the dry bulk shipping market, and opportunistically time-charter charter vessels in for a period of time, where we typically obtain some optionality on the duration of the period. We also buy and sell freight forward agreements (“FFAs”) contracts to hedge exposure of physical commitments in order to mitigate market risk.

Under a voyage charter, the owner of a vessel provides the vessel for the transport of goods between specific ports in return for the payment of an agreed-upon freight per ton of cargo or, alternatively, a specified total amount. All operating costs, including fuel costs and port charges are borne by the owner of the vessel. A single voyage charter is often referred to as a “spot charter,” which generally lasts from two to ten weeks. Operating vessels in the spot market may afford greater opportunity to capitalize on fluctuations in the spot market; when vessel demand is high we earn higher rates, but when demand is low our rates are lower and potentially insufficient to cover costs. Spot market rates are volatile and are affected by world economics, international events, weather conditions, strikes, governmental policies, supply and demand, and other factors beyond our control. If the markets are especially weak for protracted periods, there is a risk that vessels in the spot market may spend time idle waiting for business, or in extreme cases may even have to be "laid up".

Technical Management 

We have established in-house technical management capabilities, through which we provide technical management services to all of our vessels. On August 24, 2015, we provided three months’ notice to V. Ships Limited to terminate the technical management contract,and, during the first quarter of 2016, we completed the transfer of all the vessels to in-house technical management.

Technical management includes managing day-to-day vessel operations, performing general vessel maintenance, ensuring regulatory and classification society compliance, supervising the maintenance and general efficiency of vessels, arranging the hire of qualified officers and crew, arranging and supervising drydocking and repairs, purchasing supplies, spare parts, lubricants, and new equipment for vessels, appointing supervisors and technical consultants and providing technical support.

We currently crew our vessels primarily with officers and seamen from Ukraine, Russia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Eastern European countries who are hired through our third party crew managers. As of December 31, 2016, we employed approximately 820 officers and seamen on the 41 vessels in our operating fleet. Each crew manager handles each seaman's training, travel, and payroll and is obligated to assure that all our seamen have the qualifications and licenses required to comply with current international regulations and shipping conventions. Additionally, our seafaring employees perform most operational and maintenance work and assist in supervising work during cargo operations and at drydock facilities. We typically man our vessels with more crew members than are required by the country of the vessel's flag safe manning certification in order to allow for the performance of routine maintenance duties. All of our crew members are subject to and are paid commensurate with international collective bargaining agreements and, therefore, we do not anticipate any labor disruptions. All international collective bargaining agreements to which we are a party are renewed for two years, prior to their expiry.

Permits, Authorizations and Regulations

We are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses and certificates with respect to our vessels. The kinds of permits, licenses and certificates required depend upon several factors, including the commodity transported, the waters in which the vessel operates, the nationality of the vessel's crew and the age of a vessel. We expect to be able to obtain all permits, licenses and certificates currently required to permit our vessels to operate. Additional laws and regulations, environmental or otherwise, may be adopted which could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of us doing business.

Our vessels operate worldwide within the trading limits imposed by our insurance terms and do not operate in countries or territories that are subject to United States, EU or UN comprehensive country-wide or territory wide sanctions.

In November 2015, the Company filed a voluntary self-disclosure report with OFAC regarding certain apparent violations of U.S. sanctions regulations in the provision of shipping services for third party charterers with respect to the transportation of cargo to or from Myanmar (formerly Burma). At the time of such apparent violations, the Company had a different senior operational management team. Notwithstanding the fact that the apparent violations took place under a different senior operational management team and although the Company’s new board and management have implemented robust remedial measures and significantly enhanced its compliance safeguards there can be no assurance that OFAC will not conclude that these past actions warrant the imposition of civil penalties and/or referral for further investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The report was provided to OFAC for the agency’s review, consideration and determination regarding what action, if any, may be taken in resolution of this matter. The Company will continue to cooperate with the agency regarding this matter and cannot estimate when such review will be concluded. While the ultimate impact of these matters cannot be determined, there can be no assurance that the impact will not be material to the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. See “Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings” to the consolidated financial statements.

Environmental and Other Regulations

Government regulation significantly affects the ownership and operation of our vessels. We are subject to international conventions and treaties, 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 non-hazardous materials, and 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 government and private entities subject our vessels to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections. These entities include the local port authorities (United States Coast Guard, (the “USCG”) harbor master or equivalent), classification societies; flag state administrations (country of registry) and charterers, particularly terminal operators. Certain of these entities require us to obtain permits, licenses and certificates for the operation of our vessels. Failure to maintain necessary permits 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 is leading to greater inspection and safety requirements on all vessels and may accelerate the scrapping of older vessels throughout the dry bulk shipping 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, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that causes significant adverse environmental impact could result in additional legislation or regulation that could negatively affect our profitability.

International Maritime Organization

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (the “IMO”) has adopted several international conventions, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (collectively referred to as MARPOL 73/78 and herein as “MARPOL”).  MARPOL entered into force on October 2, 1983.  It has been adopted by over 150 nations, including many of the jurisdictions in which our vessels operate.  MARPOL sets forth pollution-prevention requirements applicable to dry bulk carriers, among other vessels, and is broken into six Annexes, each of which regulates a different source of pollution.  Annex I relates to oil leakage or spilling; Annexes II and III relate to harmful substances carried, in bulk, in liquid or packaged form, respectively; Annexes IV and V relate to sewage and garbage management, respectively; and Annex VI, lastly, relates to air emissions.  Annex VI was separately adopted by the IMO in September of 1997, and relates to air emissions.

In 2012, the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (“MEPC”) adopted by resolution amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (the “IBC Code”). The provisions of the IBC Code are mandatory under MARPOL and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, (the “SOLAS”). These amendments, which entered into force in June 2014, pertain to revised international certificates of fitness for the carriage of dangerous chemicals in bulk and identifying new products that fall under the IBC Code. We may need to make certain financial expenditures to comply with these amendments.

In 2013, the MEPC adopted by resolution amendments to the MARPOL Annex I Conditional Assessment Scheme, or CAS. The amendments, which became effective on October 1, 2014, pertain to revising references to the inspections of bulk carriers and tankers after the 2011 ESP Code, which enhances the programs of inspections, became mandatory. We may need to make certain financial expenditures to comply with these amendments.

Air Emissions 

In September of 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to MARPOL to address air pollution (“Annex VI”).  Effective May 2005, Annex VI sets limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from ships whose diesel engines were constructed (or underwent major conversions) on or after January 1, 2000.  It also prohibits “deliberate emissions” of “ozone depleting substances,” defined to include certain halons and chlorofluorocarbons.  “Deliberate emissions” are not limited to times when the ship is at sea; they can for example include discharges occurring in the course of the ship’s repair and maintenance.  Emissions of “volatile organic compounds” from certain tankers, and the shipboard incineration (from incinerators installed after January 1, 2000) of certain substances (such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) are also prohibited.  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 of sulfur emissions known as “Emission Control Areas” (“ECAs”) (see below).

MEPC, adopted amendments to Annex VI on October 10, 2008, which entered into force on July 1, 2010.  The amended Annex VI seeks to further reduce air pollution by, among other things, implementing a progressive reduction of the amount of sulfur contained in any fuel oil used on board ships.  As of January 1, 2012, the amended Annex VI requires that fuel oil contain no more than 3.50% sulfur.  By January 1, 2020, sulfur content must not exceed 0.50%, subject to a feasibility review to be completed no later than 2018. On October 27, 2016, following a feasibility review, the IMO announced it will implement the global sulfur cap. By January 1, 2020, the sulfur content of fuel must not exceed 0.50%.

Sulfur content standards are even stricter within certain ECAs.  As of July 1, 2010, ships operating within an ECA may not use fuel with sulfur content in excess of 1.0% which was further reduced to 0.10% on January 1, 2015.  Amended Annex VI establishes procedures for designating new ECAs.  Currently, the Baltic Sea the North Sea and certain coastal areas of North America have been designated as ECAs. Furthermore as of January 1, 2014 the applicable areas of the United States and the Caribbean Sea were designated as ECAs.  Ocean-going vessels in these areas will be subject to stringent emissions controls and may cause us to incur additional costs. If other ECAs are approved by the IMO or other new or more stringent requirements relating to emissions from marine diesel engines or port operations by vessels are adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), or the states where we operate, compliance with these regulations could entail significant capital expenditures, operational changes, or otherwise increase the costs of our operations.

Amended Annex VI also establishes new tiers of stringent nitrogen oxide emissions standards for new marine engines, depending on their date of installation.  The EPA promulgated equivalent (and in some senses stricter) emissions standards in late 2009.

As of January 1, 2010, the Directive 2005/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 6, 2005, amending Directive 1999/32/EC, came into force. The objective of the directive is to reduce emission of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter caused by the combustion of certain petroleum derived fuels. The directive imposes limits on the sulfur content of such fuels as a condition of their use within a Member State territory. The maximum sulfur content for marine fuels used by inland waterway vessels and ships at berth in ports in EU countries after January 1, 2010, is 0.10% by mass. As of January 1, 2015, all vessels operating within ECAs worldwide must comply with 0.1% sulfur requirements. Currently, the only grade of fuel meeting 0.1% sulfur content requirements is low Sulfur marine gas oil. On July 15, 2011, the European Commission also adopted a proposal for an amendment of Directive 1999/32/EC which would align requirements with those imposed by the revised MARPOL Annex VI which introduced stricter sulfur limits.

Safety Management System Requirements 

The IMO also adopted SOLAS, and the International Convention on Load Lines,( the “LL Convention”), which impose a variety of standards that regulate the design and operational features of ships.  The IMO periodically revises the SOLAS and LL Convention standards. May 2012 SOLAS amendments entered into force on January 1, 2014. The Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims was recently amended and the amendments are expected to go into effect on June 8, 2015. The amendments alter the limits of liability for loss of life or personal injury claim and property claims against ship-owners.

The operation of our ships is also affected by the requirements set forth in Chapter IX of SOLAS, which sets forth the IMO's International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention, (the “ISM Code”). The ISM Code requires ship owners and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive Safety Management System (“SMS”) that includes among other things the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. We rely upon the safety management system that we and our technical manager have developed for compliance with the ISM Code. The failure of a ship owner or bareboat charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject such party to increased liability, may decrease available insurance coverage for the affected vessels and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports. As of the date of this filing, all of the vessels in our operating fleet are ISM code-certified. 

The ISM Code requires that vessel operators obtain a safety management certificate, or SMC, for each vessel they operate. This certificate evidences compliance by a vessel’s operators with the ISM Code requirements for a safety management system, or SMS. No vessel can obtain an SMC under the ISM Code unless its manager has been awarded a document of compliance, or DOC, issued in most instances by the vessel's flag state. Our appointed ship managers have obtained documents of compliance for their offices and safety management certificates for all of our vessels for which the certificates are required by the IMO, which are renewed as required.

Pollution Control and Liability Requirements 

The IMO has negotiated international conventions that impose liability for pollution in international waters and the territorial waters of the signatories to such conventions.  For example, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments in February 2004 (the “BWM Convention”). The BWM Convention’s implementing regulations called for a phased introduction of mandatory ballast water exchange requirements, to be replaced in time with mandatory concentration limits. On September 8, 2016, the BWM Convention met the requirement to be 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, becoming effective 12 months later on September 8, 2017. Many of the implementation dates originally written in the BWM Convention have already passed, so that once the BWM Convention enters into force, the period for installation of mandatory ballast water exchange requirements would be extremely short, with several thousand ships a year needing to install ballast water management systems (“BWMS”). For this reason, on December 4, 2013, the IMO Assembly passed a resolution revising the application dates of BWM Convention so that they are triggered by the entry into force date and not the dates originally in the BWM Convention. This in effect makes all vessels constructed before the entry into force date “existing’ vessels, and allows for the installation of a BWMS on such vessels at the first renewal survey following entry into force. The mid-ocean ballast exchange or ballast water treatment requirements became mandatory. The cost of compliance could increase for ocean carriers. Although we do not believe that the costs of such compliance would be material, it is difficult to predict the overall impact of such a requirement on our operations. On March 23, 2012, the USCG issued amended regulations relating to ballast water management for vessels operating in U.S. waters. The costs of compliance with ballast water treatment regulations may be material. 

The IMO adopted the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (the “Bunker Convention”) to impose strict liability on ship owners for pollution damage in jurisdictional waters of ratifying states caused by discharges of bunker fuel. The Bunker Convention requires registered owners of ships over 1,000 gross tons to maintain insurance for pollution damage in an amount equal to the limits of liability under the applicable national or international limitation regime (but not exceeding the amount calculated in accordance with the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims of 1976, as amended). With respect to non-ratifying states, liability for spills or releases of oil carried as fuel in ship’s bunkers typically is determined by the national or other domestic laws in the jurisdiction where the events or damages occur.

In March 2006, the IMO amended Annex I to MARPOL, including a regulation relating to oil fuel tank protection, which became effective August 1, 2007. The regulation applies to various ships delivered on or after August 1, 2010. The requirements it contains address issues like the fuel tanks, protected location accidental oil fuel outflow performance standards, a tank capacity limit and certain other maintenance, inspection and engineering standards.

IMO regulations also require owners and operators of certain vessels to adopt Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plans. Periodic training and drills for response personnel and for vessels and their crews are required.

Anti-Fouling Requirements 

In 2001, the IMO adopted the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, the Anti-fouling Convention.  The Anti-fouling Convention prohibits the use of organotin compound coatings to prevent the attachment of mollusks and other sea life to the hulls of vessels.  Vessels of over 400 gross tons engaged in international voyages are required to undergo an initial survey before the vessel is put into service or before an International Anti-fouling System Certificate is issued for the first time; and subsequent surveys when the anti-fouling systems are altered or replaced. We have obtained Anti-fouling System Certificates for all of our vessels that are subject to the Anti-fouling Convention.

The IMO continues to review and introduce new regulations. For example, in July 2011, MARPOL adopted amendments for the prevention of air pollution, which designate certain waters near the coasts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands ECAs for emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter. The new ECA designation entered into force on January 1, 2014. 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.

Compliance Enforcement

The flag state, as defined by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, is responsible for implementing and enforcing a broad range of international maritime regulations with respect to all ships granted the right to fly its flag.  The “Shipping Industry Guidelines on Flag State Performance” evaluates and reports on flag states based on factors such as sufficiency of infrastructure, ratification, implementation, and enforcement of principal international maritime treaties, supervision of statutory ship surveys, casualty investigations, and participation at IMO and International Labor Organization (“ILO”) meetings. Our vessels are flagged in the Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands-flagged vessels have historically received a good assessment in the shipping industry.  We recognize the importance of a credible flag state and do not intend to use flags of convenience or flag states with poor performance indicators.

Noncompliance with the ISM Code or other IMO regulations may subject the ship owner or bareboat charterer to increased liability, lead to decreases in available insurance coverage for affected vessels or result in the denial of access to, or detention in, some ports. As of the date of this report, each of our vessels is ISM Code certified.  However, there can be no assurance that such certificates will be maintained in the future.

The IMO continues to 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.

The U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act 

The U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”) established an extensive regulatory and liability regime for the protection and cleanup of the environment from oil spills. OPA affects all “owners and operators” whose vessels trade with the United States, its territories and possessions or whose vessels operate in United States waters, which includes the United States’ territorial sea and its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the United States.  The United States has also enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), which applies to the discharge of hazardous substances other than oil, except in limited circumstances whether on land or at sea. OPA and CERCLA both define “owner and operator” “in the case of a vessel, as any person owning, operating or chartering by demise, the vessel.”  Both OPA and CERCLA impact our operations.

Under OPA, vessel owners and operators are “responsible parties” and are jointly, severally and strictly liable (unless the spill results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war) for all containment and clean-up costs and other damages arising from discharges or threatened discharges of oil from their vessels. OPA defines these other damages broadly to include:

OPA contains statutory caps on liability and damages; such caps do not apply to direct cleanup costs.  Effective July 31, 2009, the USCG adjusted the limits of OPA liability for non-tank vessels (e.g. dry bulk) to the greater of $1,000 per gross ton or $854,400 (subject to periodic adjustment for inflation).  These limits of liability do not apply if an incident was proximately caused by the violation of an applicable U.S. federal safety, construction or operating regulation by a responsible party (or its agent, employee or a person acting pursuant to a contractual relationship), or a responsible party’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.  The limitation on liability similarly does not apply if the responsible party fails or refuses to (i) report the incident where the responsibility party knows or has reason to know of the incident; (ii) reasonably cooperate and assist as requested in connection with oil removal activities; or (iii) without sufficient cause, comply with an order issued under the Federal Water Pollution Act (Section 311 (c), (e)) or the Intervention on the High Seas Act.

CERCLA contains a similar liability regime whereby owners and operators of vessels are liable for cleanup, removal and remedial costs, as well as damage for injury to, or destruction or loss of, natural resources, including the reasonable costs associated with assessing same, and health assessments or health effects studies. There is no liability if the discharge of a hazardous substance results solely from the act or omission of a third party, an act of God or an act of war. 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 or residue and the greater of $300 per gross ton or $500,000 for any other vessel. These limits do not apply (rendering the responsible person liable for the total cost of response and damages) if the release or threat of release of a hazardous substance resulted from willful misconduct or negligence, or the primary cause of the release was a violation of applicable safety, construction or operating standards or regulations.  The limitation on liability also does not apply if the responsible person fails or refused to provide all reasonable cooperation and assistance as requested in connection with response activities where the vessel is subject to OPA.

OPA and CERCLA each preserve the right to recover damages under existing law, including maritime tort law.

OPA and CERCLA both require owners and operators of vessels to establish and maintain with the USCG evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to meet the maximum amount of liability to which the particular responsible person may be subject. Vessel owners and operators may satisfy their financial responsibility obligations by providing a proof of insurance, a surety bond, qualification as a self-insurer or a guarantee. We have complied with the regulations by providing a certificate of responsibility from third party entities that are acceptable to the USCG evidencing sufficient self-insurance.

We currently maintain pollution liability coverage insurance in the amount of $1 billion per incident for each of our vessels. If the damages from a catastrophic spill were to exceed our insurance coverages, it could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operation.

OPA specifically permits individual states to impose their own liability regimes with regard to oil pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries, provided they accept, at a minimum, the levels of liability established under OPA and some states have enacted legislation providing for unlimited liability for oil spills. In some cases, states which have enacted such legislation have not yet issued implementing regulations defining vessel owners’ responsibilities under these laws. We intend to comply with all applicable state regulations in the ports where our vessels call. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with all applicable existing state requirements. In addition, we intend to comply with all future applicable state regulations in the ports where our vessels call.

Other Environmental Initiatives

The U.S. Clean Water Act (the “CWA”) prohibits the discharge of oil, hazardous substances and ballast water 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. Furthermore, many U.S. states that border a navigable waterway have enacted environmental pollution laws that impose strict liability on a person for removal costs and damages resulting from a discharge of oil or a release of a hazardous substance. These laws may be more stringent than U.S. federal law.

The EPA and the USCG, have enacted rules relating to ballast water discharge, compliance with which requires 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.

The EPA has enacted rules requiring a permit regulating ballast water discharges and other discharges incidental to the normal operation of certain vessels within United States waters under the Vessel General Permit for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of Vessels (“the VGP”). For a new vessel delivered to an owner or operator after September 19, 2009 to be covered by the VGP, the owner must submit a Notice of Intent (“NOI”) at least 30 days before the vessel operates in United States waters. On March 28, 2013, the EPA re-issued the VGP for another five years; this 2013 VGP took effect December 19, 2013. The 2013 VGP contains numeric ballast water discharge limits for most vessels to reduce the risk of invasive species in US waters, more stringent requirements for exhaust gas scrubbers and the use of environmentally acceptable lubricants. We have submitted NOIs for our vessels where required and do not believe that the costs associated with obtaining and complying with the VGP will have a material impact on our operations.

In addition, under Section 401 of the CWA, the VGP must be certified by the state where the discharge is to take place. Certain states have enacted additional discharge standards as conditions to their certification of the VGP. These local standards bring the VGP into compliance with more stringent state requirements, such as those further restricting ballast water discharges and preventing the introduction of non-indigenous species considered to be invasive. The VGP and its state-specific regulations and any similar restrictions enacted in the future will increase the costs of operating in the relevant waters.

The USCG, regulations adopted under the U.S. National Invasive Species Act also impose mandatory ballast water management practices for all vessels equipped with ballast water tanks entering or operating in U.S. waters which require the installation of equipment to treat ballast water before it is discharged in U.S. waters or, in the alternative, the implementation of other port facility disposal arrangements or procedures. Vessels not complying with these regulations are restricted from entering U.S. waters. The USCG must approve any technology before it is placed on a vessel.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as of January 1, 2014, vessels are technically subject to the phasing-in of these standards. As a result, the USCG has provided waivers to vessels which cannot install the as-yet unapproved technology. The EPA, on the other hand, has taken a different approach to enforcing ballast discharge standards under the VGP. On December 27, 2013, the EPA issued an enforcement response policy in connection with the new VGP in which the EPA indicated that it would take into account the reasons why vessels do not have the requisite technology installed, but will not grant any waivers.

The U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 (including its amendments of 1977 and 1990) (the “CAA”) requires the EPA to promulgate standards applicable to emissions of volatile organic compounds and other air contaminants. The CAA also requires states to draft State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”) designed to attain national health-based air quality standards in each state.  Although state-specific, SIPs may include regulations concerning emissions resulting from vessel loading and unloading operations by requiring the installation of vapor control equipment.

As referenced above, the amended Annex VI to the IMO's MARPOL Convention, which addresses air pollution from ships, was ratified by the United States on October 8, 2008 and entered into force on January 1, 2010. The EPA and the state of California, however, have each proposed more stringent regulations of air emissions from ocean-going vessels. On July 24, 2008, the California Air Resources Board of the State of California (“CARB”), approved clean-fuel regulations applicable to all vessels sailing within 24 miles of the California coastline. The new CARB regulations require such vessels to use low sulfur marine fuels rather than bunker fuel. As of July 1, 2009, such vessels were 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%. As of August 1, 2012, only marine gas oil with a sulfur content of no more than 1% or marine diesel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.5% is allowed.  As of January 1, 2014, only marine gas oil and marine diesel oil fuels with 0.1% sulfur is allowed. These new regulations may require significant expenditures on low-sulfur fuel and would increase our operating costs. 

Our operations occasionally generate and require the transportation, treatment and disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous solid wastes that are subject to the requirements of the U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA,”) or comparable state, local or foreign requirements.  The RCRA imposes significant recordkeeping and reporting requirements on transporters of hazardous waste. In addition, from time to time we arrange for the disposal of hazardous waste or hazardous substances at offsite disposal facilities. If such materials are improperly disposed of by third parties, we may still be held liable for cleanup costs under applicable laws.

In October 2009, the EU amended a directive to impose criminal sanctions for illicit ship-source discharges of polluting substances, including minor discharges, if committed with intent, recklessly or with serious negligence and the discharges individually or in the aggregate result in deterioration of the quality of water. Aiding and abetting the discharge of a polluting substance may also lead to criminal penalties.  Member States were required to enact laws or regulations to comply with the directive by the end of 2010.  Criminal liability for pollution may result in substantial penalties or fines and increased civil liability claims.  The directive applies to all types of vessels, irrespective of their flag, but certain exceptions apply to warships or where human safety or that of the ship is in danger.

Greenhouse Gas Regulation 

Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which entered into force in 2005 and pursuant to which adopting countries have been required to implement national programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  As of January 1, 2013, all new ships must comply with two new sets of mandatory requirements, which were adopted by MEPC in July 2011, to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Currently operating ships will be required to develop Ship Energy Efficient Management Plans, and minimum energy efficiency levels per capacity mile will apply to new ships, as defined by the Energy Efficiency Design Index .These requirements could cause us to incur additional compliance costs. The IMO is also planning to implement market-based mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships at an upcoming MEPC session. The European Parliament and Council of Ministers are expected to endorse regulations that would require monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from marine vessels in 2015. In the United States, the EPA has issued a finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public health and safety and has adopted regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions from certain mobile sources and large stationary sources. The EPA enforces both the CAA and the international standards found in Annex VI of MARPOL concerning marine diesel emissions, and the sulfur content found in marine fuel. Any passage of climate control legislation or other regulatory initiatives by the IMO, the EU, the U.S. or other countries where we operate, or any treaty adopted at the international level to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, that restrict emissions of greenhouse gases could require us to make significant financial expenditures, including capital expenditures to upgrade our vessels, which we cannot predict with certainty at this time.

International Labor Organization 

ILO is a specialized agency of the UN with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO has adopted the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (the “MLC 2006”). A Maritime Labor Certificate and a Declaration of Maritime Labor Compliance will be required to ensure compliance with the MLC 2006 for all ships above 500 gross tons in international trade. The MLC 2006 entered into force on August 20, 2013. The MLC 2006 requires us to develop new procedures to ensure full compliance.

Vessel Security Regulations

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, there have been a variety of initiatives intended to enhance vessel security such as the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (“MTSA”).  To implement certain portions of the MTSA, in July 2003, the USCG issued regulations requiring the implementation of certain security requirements aboard vessels operating in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.  The regulations also impose requirements on certain ports and facilities, some of which are regulated by the EPA.

Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to SOLAS created a new chapter of the convention dealing specifically with maritime security.  The new Chapter V became effective in July 2004 and imposes various detailed security obligations on vessels and port authorities, and mandates compliance with the International Ship and Port Facilities Security Code (“ISPS Code”). The ISPS Code is designed to enhance the security of ports and ships against terrorism.  Amendments to SOLAS Chapter VII, made mandatory in 2004, apply to vessels transporting dangerous goods and require those vessels be in compliance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. To trade internationally, a vessel must attain an International Ship Security Certificate (“ISSC”) from a recognized security organization approved by the vessel’s flag state.  Among the various requirements are:

Ships operating without a valid certificate may be detained at port until it obtains an ISSC, or it may be expelled from port, or refused entry at port.

Furthermore, additional security measures could be required in the future which could have a significant financial impact on us. The USCG regulations, intended to be aligned with international maritime security standards, exempt non-U.S. vessels from MTSA vessel security measures, provided such vessels have on board a valid ISSC that attests to the vessel's compliance with SOLAS security requirements and the ISPS Code. We have implemented the various security measures addressed by the MTSA, SOLAS and the ISPS Code.

Financial Regulations

Our business operations in countries outside the U.S. are subject to a number of laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), as well as economic sanctions and trade embargos administered by OFAC. The FCPA prohibits bribery of foreign officials and requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect our transactions. OFAC administers and enforces economic sanctions and trade embargos based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, organizations and individuals.  

In November 2015, the Company filed a voluntary self-disclosure report with OFAC regarding certain apparent violations of U.S. sanctions regulations in the provision of shipping services for third party charterers with respect to the transportation of cargo to or from Myanmar. While the ultimate impact of these matters cannot be determined, there can be no assurance that the impact will not be material to the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. See “Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings” of the financial statements.

Inspection by Classification Societies

Every oceangoing 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 on request 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 certification, 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, within three months before or after each anniversary date of 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 are to be carried out at or between 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 approximately every five years, depending on whether a grace period was granted, a ship owner 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 drydocked 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.

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 (the “IACS”). In December 2013, the IACS adopted new harmonized Common Structure Rules, which will apply to oil tankers and bulk carriers to be constructed on or after July 1, 2015. All our vessels that we have purchased and may agree to purchase in the future must be certified as being “in class” prior to their delivery under our standard purchase 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. We have all of our vessels, and intend to have all vessels that we acquire in the future, classed by IACS members.

Risk of Loss and Liability Insurance

General

The operation of any dry bulk 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 (e.g. fuel oil) 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 vessels 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 U.S. market.

While we maintain hull and machinery insurance, war risks insurance, protection and indemnity cover and freight, demurrage and defense cover for our operating fleet in amounts that we believe to be prudent to cover normal risks in our operations, we may not be able to achieve or maintain this level of coverage throughout a vessel's useful life. Furthermore, while we believe that our current 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 & Machinery and War Risks Insurance

We maintain marine hull and machinery, war risks insurances, which cover the risk of actual or constructive total loss for all of our vessels. Our vessels are each covered up to at least their fair market value with a deductible of $100,000 per vessel per incident.

Protection and Indemnity Insurance

Protection and indemnity insurance is provided by mutual protection and indemnity associations (“P&I Associations”), which insure our third-party liabilities in connection with our shipping activities. This includes third-party liability and other related expenses resulting from the injury, illness or death of crew, passengers and other third parties, the loss or damage to cargo, claims arising from collisions with other vessels, damage to other third-party property, pollution arising from oil or other substances and salvage, towing and other related costs, including 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.

Our current protection and indemnity insurance coverage for pollution is $1 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. 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 the group’s 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 compete with a large number of international dry bulk owners. The international shipping industry is highly competitive and fragmented with many market participants with no single owner accounting for more than 5% of tonnage shipped in 2016. As of December 31, 2016 there are approximately 10,867 dry bulk carriers aggregating approximately 794 million dwt. We compete with other (primarily private) owners of dry bulk vessels in the Handysize, Handymax, and Panamax asset classes.

Competition in the ocean shipping industry varies primarily according to the nature of the contractual relationship as well as with respect to the kind of commodity being shipped. Our business will fluctuate in line with the main patterns of trade of dry bulk cargoes and varies according to changes in the supply and demand for these items. Competition in virtually all bulk trades is intense 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 owner and operator. Increasingly, major customers are demonstrating a preference for modern vessels based on concerns about the environmental and operational risks associated with older vessels. Consequently, owners of large modern fleets have gained a competitive advantage over owners of older fleets.

As in the spot market, the time charter market is price sensitive and also depends on our ability to demonstrate the high quality of our vessels and operations to chartering customers. However, because of the longer term commitment, customers entering time charters are more concerned about their exposure and image from chartering vessels that do not comply with environmental regulations or that will be forced out of service for extensive maintenance and repairs. Consequently, in the time charter market, factors such as the age and quality of a vessel and the reputation of the owner and operator tend to be more significant than in the spot market in competing for business.

Seasonality

Demand for vessel capacity has historically exhibited seasonal variations and, as a result, fluctuations in charter rates. This seasonality may result in quarter-to-quarter volatility in our operating results for our vessels trading in the spot market and our vessels operating under time index-based time charters. The dry bulk carrier market is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in anticipation of increased consumption of coal and other raw materials in the northern hemisphere during the winter months. In addition, unpredictable weather patterns in these months tend to disrupt vessel scheduling and supplies of certain commodities. To the extent that we must enter into a new charter or renew an existing charter for a vessel in our fleet during a time when seasonal variations have reduced prevailing charter rates, our operating results may be adversely affected.

Value of Assets and Cash Requirements

The replacement costs of comparable new vessels may be above or below the book value of our fleet. The market value of our fleet may be below book value when market conditions are weak and exceed book value when markets are strong. In common with other ship owners, we may consider asset redeployment which at times may include the sale of vessels at less than their book value.

The Company's results of operations and cash flows may be significantly affected by future charter and COA markets.

Exchange Controls

Under Marshall Islands law, there are currently no restrictions on the export or import of capital, including foreign exchange controls or restrictions that affect the remittance of dividends, interest or other payments to non-resident holders of our common stock.

Tax Considerations

The following is a discussion of the material Marshall Islands and United States federal income tax considerations relevant to owning common stock by a United States Holder or a Non-United States Holder, each as defined below. This discussion does not purport to deal with the tax consequences of owning the common stock to all categories of investors, some of which (such as financial institutions, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, persons holding our common stock as part of a hedging, integrated, conversion or constructive sale transaction or a straddle, traders in securities that have elected the mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities, persons liable for alternative minimum tax, persons who are investors in pass-through entities, dealers in securities or currencies, persons who own 10% or more of our common stock and investors whose functional currency is not the United States dollar) may be subject to special rules. This discussion deals only with holders who own the common stock as a capital asset. Shareholders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the overall tax consequences arising in their own particular situation under United States federal, state, local or foreign law of the ownership of our common stock.

Marshall Islands Tax Considerations

In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, the following are the material Marshall Islands tax consequences of our activities to us and 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 Considerations

In the opinion of Seward & Kissel LLP, our United States tax counsel, the following are the material United States federal income tax consequences to us of our activities and to United States Holders and to Non-United States Holders of our common stock. The following discussion of United States federal income tax matters is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, judicial decisions, administrative pronouncements, and existing and proposed regulations issued by the United States Department of the Treasury, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, the discussion below is based, in part, on the description of our business as described in “Item 1. Business” in this Annual Report and assumes that we conduct our business as described in that section.

We have made, or will make, special United States federal income tax elections in respect of each of our ship owning or operating subsidiaries that is potentially subject to tax as a result of deriving income attributable to the transportation of cargoes to or from the United States. The effect of the special U.S. tax elections is to ignore or disregard the subsidiaries for which elections have been made as separate taxable entities and to treat them as part of their parent, the ''Company.'' Therefore, for purposes of the following discussion, the Company, and not the subsidiaries subject to this special election, will be treated as the owner and operator of the vessels and as receiving the income therefrom.

United States Federal Income Taxation of Our Company

Taxation of Operating Income: In General

The Company currently earns, and anticipates that it will continue to earn, substantially all its income from the hiring or leasing of vessels for use on a time or voyage charter basis or from the performance of services directly related to those uses, all of which we refer to as ''shipping income.''

Unless exempt from United States federal income taxation under the rules of Section 883 of the Code (“Section 883”), as discussed below, a foreign corporation such as ourselves will be subject to United States federal income taxation on its ''shipping income'' that is treated as derived from sources within the United States, to which we refer as ''United States source shipping income.'' For tax purposes, ''United States source shipping income'' includes 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.

Shipping income attributable to transportation exclusively between non-United States 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.

Shipping income attributable to transportation exclusively between United States ports is considered to be 100% derived from United States sources. However, the Company is not permitted by United States law to engage in the transportation of cargoes that produces 100% United States source income.

Unless exempt from tax under Section 883, the Company's gross United States source shipping income would be subject to a 4% tax imposed without allowance for deductions as described below.

Exemption of Operating Income from United States Federal Income Taxation

Under Section 883 and the regulations thereunder, a foreign corporation will be exempt from United States federal income taxation on its United States source shipping income if:

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, the jurisdiction where the Company is incorporated, has been officially recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as a qualified foreign country that grants the requisite ''equivalent exemption'' from tax in respect of each category of shipping income the Company earns and currently expects to earn in the future. Therefore, the Company will be exempt from United States federal income taxation with respect to its United States source shipping income if it satisfies any one of the 50% Ownership Test, the Publicly-Traded Test, or the CFC Test.

For its 2016 taxable year, the Company does not believe it satisfied any of the ownership tests. As a result, the Company expects to be subject to United States federal income taxation on its United States source shipping income and its sale of vessels as discussed in more detail below. Depending on the composition of its ownership, the Company may qualify for the benefits of Section 883 for future taxable years.

Taxation in Absence of Section 883 Exemption

Because the Company does not qualify for the benefits of Section 883 for the 2016 taxable year, the Company's United States source shipping income was subject to a 4% tax imposed by Section 887 of the Code on a gross basis, without the benefit of deductions, to the extent that such income is not considered to be ''effectively connected'' with the conduct of a United States trade or business, as described below. Since under the sourcing rules described above, no more than 50% of the Company's shipping income would be treated as being United States source shipping income, the maximum effective rate of United States federal income tax on the Company’s shipping income can never exceed 2% under the 4% gross basis tax regime. The Company’s United States federal income tax liability was approximately $648,570 for the taxable year ended December 31, 2016 and is included in voyage expenses in our consolidated statement of operations. It should be noted that with respect to any future taxable year, the Company can give no assurance that the operation of its vessels, which are under the control of third party charterers, will not change such that its United States federal income tax liability would be substantially higher.

To the extent the Company's United States source shipping income is considered to be ''effectively connected'' with the conduct of a United States trade or business, as described below, any such ''effectively connected'' United States source shipping income, net of applicable deductions, would be subject to United States federal income tax, currently imposed at rates of up to 35%. In addition, the Company may be subject to the 30% ''branch profits'' tax 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 the Company's United States trade or business.

The Company's United States source shipping income would be considered ''effectively connected'' with the conduct of a United States trade or business only if:

The Company did not have any vessel sailing to or from the United States on a regularly scheduled basis during its 2016 taxable year. The Company does not intend to have, or permit circumstances that would result in having, any such vessels in future taxable years, but there can be no assurances that this will be the case. Based on the foregoing and on the expected mode of the Company's shipping operations and other activities, the Company believes that none of its United States source shipping income will be ''effectively connected'' with the conduct of a United States trade or business for its 2016 taxable year or any future taxable year.

United States Taxation of Gain on Sale of Vessels

Assuming that any decision on a vessel sale is made from and attributable to the United States office of the Company, as we believe likely to be the case as the Company is currently structured, then any gain derived from the sale of any such vessel will be treated as derived from United States sources and subject to United States federal income tax as ''effectively connected'' income (determined under rules different from those discussed above) under the above described net income tax regime. If the Company were to qualify for exemption from tax under Section 883 in respect of the shipping income derived from the international operation of its vessels, then gain from the sale of any such vessel should likewise be exempt from tax under Section 883.

United States Federal Income Taxation of United States Holders

As used herein, the term ''United States Holder'' means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is an individual United States citizen or resident, a United States corporation or other United States entity taxable as a corporation, an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source, or a trust if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary jurisdiction over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

If a partnership holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our common stock, you are encouraged to consult your tax advisor.

Distributions

Subject to the discussion of passive foreign investment companies below, any distributions made by the Company with respect to its common stock to a United States Holder will generally constitute dividends to the extent of the Company's current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits will be treated first as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the United States Holder's tax basis in his common stock on a dollar-for-dollar basis and thereafter as capital gain. Because the Company is not a United States corporation, United States 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 the Company's common stock will generally be treated as ''passive category income'' for purposes of computing allowable foreign tax credits for United States foreign tax credit purposes.

Dividends paid on the Company's common stock to a United States Holder who is an individual, trust or estate (a ''United States Non-Corporate Holder'') will generally be treated as ''qualified dividend income'' that is taxable to such United States Non-Corporate Holder at preferential tax rates 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 the Company's common stock is traded); (2) the Company is 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 have been, are or will be); (3) the United States Non-Corporate 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; and (4) the United States Non-Corporate Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property.

There is no assurance that any dividends paid on the Company's common stock will be eligible for these preferential rates in the hands of a United States Non-Corporate Holder, although we believe that they will be so eligible. Any dividends out of earnings, and profits the Company pays, which are not eligible for these preferential rates will be taxed as ordinary income to a United States Non-Corporate Holder.

Special rules may apply to any ''extraordinary dividend''—generally, a dividend in an amount which is equal to or in excess of 10% of a shareholder's adjusted basis in a common share—paid by the Company. If the Company pays an ''extraordinary dividend'' on its common stock that is treated as ''qualified dividend income,'' then any loss derived by a United States Non-Corporate 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 the Company does not constitute a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a United States Holder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other disposition of the Company's common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized by the United States Holder from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the United States Holder's tax basis in such stock. Such gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the United States 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 United States source income or loss, as applicable, for United States foreign tax credit purposes. Long-term capital gains of United States Non-Corporate Holders are currently eligible for reduced rates of taxation. A United States 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 United States Holder that holds shares in a foreign corporation classified as a ''passive foreign investment company'' for United States federal income tax purposes. In general, the Company will be treated as a passive foreign investment company with respect to a United States Holder if, for any taxable year in which such holder holds the Company's common stock, either:

Income earned, or deemed earned, by the Company in connection with the performance of services would not constitute passive income. By contrast, rental income would generally constitute ''passive income'' unless the Company was treated under specific rules as deriving its rental income in the active conduct of a trade or business.

Based on the Company's current operations and future projections, we do not believe that the Company has been or is, nor do we expect the Company to become, a passive foreign investment company with respect to any taxable year. Although there is no legal authority directly on point, our belief is based principally on the position that, for purposes of determining whether the Company is a passive foreign investment company, the gross income it derives from its time chartering and voyage chartering activities should constitute services income, rather than rental income. Accordingly, such income should not constitute passive income, and the assets that the Company owns and operates in connection with the production of such income, in particular, the vessels, should not constitute passive assets for purposes of determining whether the Company is a passive foreign investment company.

We believe there is substantial legal authority supporting our position consisting of case law and IRS 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 addition, we have obtained an opinion from our counsel, Seward & Kissel LLP, that, based upon the Company's operations as described herein, its income from time charters and voyage charters should not be treated as passive income for purposes of determining whether it is a passive foreign investment company. However, in the absence of any legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing passive foreign investment companies, the United States Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS or a court could disagree with our position. In addition, although the Company intends to conduct its affairs in a manner to avoid being classified as a passive foreign investment company with respect to any taxable year, we cannot assure you that the nature of its operations will not change in the future.

As discussed more fully below, if the Company were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a United States Holder would be subject to different taxation rules depending on whether the United States Holder makes an election to treat the Company as a ''Qualified Electing Fund,'' which election we refer to as a ''QEF election.'' As an alternative to making a QEF election, a United States Holder should be able to make a ''mark-to-market'' election with respect to the Company's common stock, as discussed below. In addition, if we were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company, a United States holder would be required to file an annual report with the IRS for that year with respect to such holder’s common stock.

Taxation of United States Holders Making a Timely QEF Election

If a United States Holder makes a timely QEF election, which United States Holder we refer to as an ''Electing Holder,'' the Electing Holder must report for United States federal income tax purposes its pro rata share of the Company's ordinary earnings and net capital gain, if any, for each taxable year of the Company for which it is a passive foreign investment company that ends with or within the taxable year of the Electing Holder, regardless of whether or not distributions were received from the Company by the Electing Holder. No portion of any such inclusions of ordinary earnings will be treated as ''qualified dividend income.'' Net capital gain inclusions of United States Non-Corporate Holders would be eligible for preferential capital gains tax rates. 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 not, however, be entitled to a deduction for its pro rata share of any losses that the Company incurs with respect to any year. An Electing Holder would generally recognize capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the Company's common stock. A United States Holder would make a timely QEF election for shares of the Company by filing one copy of IRS Form 8621 with his United States federal income tax return for the first year in which he held such shares when the Company was a passive foreign investment company. If the Company were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, the Company would provide each United States Holder with all necessary information in order to make the QEF election described above.

Taxation of United States Holders Making a ''Mark-to-Market'' Election

Alternatively, if the Company were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year and, as we anticipate, its shares are treated as "marketable stock", a United States Holder would be allowed to make a ''mark-to-market'' election with respect to the Company's common stock, provided the United States Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the relevant instructions and related Treasury regulations. If that election is made, the United States 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 United States Holder would also be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the United States 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 United States 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 the Company's common stock would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the Company’s 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 United States Holder. No income inclusions under this election will be treated as "qualified dividend income."

Taxation of United States Holders Not Making a Timely QEF or Mark-to-Market Election

Finally, if the Company were to be treated as a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, a United States 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 the common stock in a taxable year in excess of 125% 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 the Company's common stock. Under these special rules:

These special rules 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 the Company's common stock. If the Company is a passive foreign investment company and a Non-Electing Holder who is an individual dies while owning the Company's common stock, such holder's successor generally would not receive a step-up in tax basis with respect to such shares.

United States Federal Income Taxation of ''Non-United States Holders''

A beneficial owner of common stock (other than a partnership) that is not a United States Holder is referred to herein as a "Non-United States Holder".

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.

Dividends on Common Stock

Non-United States Holders generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax or withholding tax on dividends received from the Company with respect to its common stock, unless that income is effectively connected with the Non-United States Holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States. If the Non-United States 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-United States Holder in the United States.

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Stock

Non-United States 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 the Company's common stock, unless:

If the Non-United States 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 shares, 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 United States Holders. In addition, if you are a corporate Non-United States 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.

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 if you are a non-corporate United States Holder. Such payments or distributions may also be subject to backup withholding tax if you are a non-corporate United States Holder and you:

Non-United States Holders may be required to establish their exemption from information reporting and backup withholding by certifying their status on an appropriate IRS Form W-8.

If you are a Non-United States Holder and you sell your common stock to or through a United States office of a 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-United States 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. Such information reporting requirements will not apply, however, if the broker has documentary evidence in its records that you are a non-United States person and certain other conditions are met, or you otherwise establish an exemption.

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 IRS.

Individuals who are United States Holders (and to the extent specified in applicable Treasury regulations, certain United States entities and Non-United States Holders) who hold “specified foreign financial assets” (as defined in Section 6038D of the Code) are required to file IRS Form 8938 with information relating to the asset for each taxable year in which the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $75,000 at any time during the taxable year or $50,000 on the last day of the taxable year (or such higher dollar amount as prescribed by applicable Treasury regulations). Specified foreign financial assets would include, among other assets, our common shares, unless the shares are held through an account maintained with a United States financial institution. Substantial penalties apply to any failure to timely file IRS Form 8938, unless the failure is shown to be due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. Additionally, in the event an individual United States Holder (and to the extent specified in applicable Treasury regulations, a United States entity and Non-United States Holders) that is required to file IRS Form 8938 does not file such form, the statute of limitations on the assessment and collection of United States federal income taxes of such holder for the related tax year may not close until three years after the date that the required information is filed. United States Holders (including United States entities) and Non-United States Holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding their reporting obligations under this legislation.

Glossary of Shipping Terms

The following are definitions of shipping terms used in this Form 10-K.

Annual Survey— The inspection of a vessel by a classification society, on behalf of a flag state, that takes place every year.

Baltic Dry Index or BDI —The BDI is an index published by the Baltic Exchange which tracks worldwide international shipping prices of various dry bulk cargoes.  The index provides an assessment of the price for moving major raw materials by sea and is composed of 20 key shipping routes.

Baltic Exchange—Based in London, the Baltic Exchange is a market for the trading and settlement of shipping and freight contracts.  The exchange publishes daily freight market prices and maritime shipping cost indices, including: Baltic Dry Index (BDI), Baltic Supramax Index (BSI), Baltic Panamax Index (BPI), Baltic Capesize Index (BCI), Baltic Tanker Dirty Index (BDTI), and Baltic Tanker Clean Index (BCTI).

Baltic Supramax Index or BSI —The BSI is an index published by the Baltic Exchange which tracks gross time charter value for a specific 52,000 dwt. vessel.

Bareboat Charter—Also known as "demise charter." Contract or hire of a ship under which the ship owner is usually paid a fixed amount of charter hire rate for a certain period of time during which the charterer is responsible for the operating costs and voyage costs of the vessel as well as arranging for crewing.

Bulk Vessels/Carriers—Vessels which are specially designed and built to carry large volumes of cargo in bulk cargo form.

Bunkers—Heavy fuel oil used to power a vessel's engines.

Capesize—A dry bulk carrier in excess of 100,000 dwt.

Charter— The hire of a vessel for a specified period of time or to carry a cargo for a fixed fee from a loading port to a discharging port. The contract for a charter is called a charter party.

Charterer— The individual or company hiring a vessel.

Charter Hire Rate— A sum of money paid to the vessel owner by a charterer under a time charter party for the use of a vessel.

Classification Society—An independent organization which certifies that a vessel has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules of such organization and complies with the applicable rules and regulations of the country of such vessel and the international conventions of which that country is a member.

Contract of Affreightment or “COA”—An agreement providing for the transportation between specified points for a specific quantity of cargo over a specific time period but without designating specific vessels or voyage schedules, thereby allowing flexibility in scheduling since no vessel designation is required. COAs can either have a fixed rate or a market-related rate. 

Deadweight Ton or "dwt"—A unit of a vessel's capacity for cargo, fuel oil, stores and crew, measured in metric tons of 1,000 kilograms. A vessel's DWT or total deadweight is the total weight the vessel can carry when loaded to a particular load line.

Demise Charter—See bareboat charter.

Demurrage—Additional revenue paid to the ship owner on its Voyage Charters for delays experienced in loading and/or unloading cargo that are not deemed to be the responsibility of the ship owner, calculated in accordance with specific Charter terms.

Despatch —The amount payable by the ship owner if the vessel completes loading or discharging before the laytime has expired, calculated in accordance with specific charter terms.

Draft—Vertical Distance between the waterline and the bottom of the vessel's keel.

Dry Bulk—Non-liquid cargoes of commodities shipped in an unpackaged state.

Drydocking—The removal of a vessel from the water for inspection and/or repair of submerged parts.

Gross Ton—Unit of 100 cubic feet or 2.831 cubic meters used in arriving at the calculation of gross tonnage.

Handymax—A dry bulk carrier of approximately 35,000 to 65,000 dwt.

Handysize—A dry bulk carrier having a carrying capacity of up to approximately 35,000 dwt.

Hull—The shell or body of a vessel.

International Maritime Organization or "IMO"—A UN agency that issues international trade standards for shipping.

Intermediate Survey—The inspection of a vessel by a classification society surveyor which takes place between two and three years before and after each Special Survey for such vessel pursuant to the rules of international conventions and classification societies.

ISM Code—The International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, as adopted by the IMO.

Metric Ton—A unit of measurement equal to 1,000 kilograms.

Newbuilding—A newly constructed vessel.

OPA—The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (as amended).

Orderbook—A reference to currently placed orders for the construction of vessels (e.g., the Panamax orderbook).

Panamax—A dry bulk carrier of approximately 60,000 to 100,000 dwt of maximum length, depth and draft capable of passing fully loaded through the Panama Canal.

Protection & Indemnity Insurance—Insurance obtained through a mutual association formed by ship owners to provide liability insurance protection from large financial loss to one member through contributions towards that loss by all members.

Scrapping—The disposal of old or damaged vessel tonnage by way of sale as scrap metal.

Short-Term Time Charter—A time charter which lasts less than approximately 12 months.

Sister Ships—Vessels of the same class and specification which were built by the same shipyard.

SOLAS—The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974, as amended, adopted under the auspices of the IMO.

Special Survey—The inspection of a vessel by a classification society surveyor which takes place a minimum of every four years and a maximum of every five years.

Spot Market—The market for immediate chartering of a vessel usually for single voyages.

Strict Liability—Liability that is imposed without regard to fault.

Supramax—A new class of Handymax dry bulk carrier of approximately 50,000 to 59,000 dwt.

Technical Management—The management of the operation of a vessel, including physically maintaining the vessel, maintaining necessary certifications, and supplying necessary stores, spares, and lubricating oils. Responsibilities also generally include selecting, engaging and training crew, and arranging necessary insurance coverage.

Time Charter—Contract for hire of a ship. A charter under which the ship-owner is paid charter hire rate on a per day basis for a certain period of time, the ship owner being responsible for providing the crew and paying operating costs while the charterer is responsible for paying the voyage costs. Any delays at port or during the voyages are the responsibility of the charterer, save for certain specific exceptions such as loss of time arising from vessel breakdown and routine maintenance.

Ton —A metric ton.

Ultramax- A new class of Handymax dry bulk carrier of approximately 60,000 to 65,000 dwt.

Voyage Charter—Contract for hire of a vessel under which a ship owner is paid freight on the basis of moving cargo from a loading port to a discharge port. The ship owner is responsible for paying both operating costs and voyage costs. The charterer is typically responsible for any delay at the loading or discharging ports.

Voyage Expenses—Includes fuel, port charges, canal tolls, cargo handling operations and brokerage commissions paid by the Company under Voyage Charters. These expenses are subtracted from shipping revenues to calculate Time Charter Equivalent revenues for Voyage Charters. 

Vessel expenses – Includes crewing, repairs and maintenance, insurance, stores, lubes, communication expenses.

Available Information

The Company makes available free of charge through its internet website, www.eagleships.com, its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC's public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference facilities. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.

We maintain our principal executive offices at 300 First Stamford Place 5^th Floor, Stamford, Connecticut. Our telephone number at that address is (203) 276-8100. Our website address is www.eagleships.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute part of this Annual Report.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

We operate in an intensely competitive industry. Some of the following risks relate principally to the industry in which we operate and our business in general. Other risks relate principally to the securities market, national and global economic conditions and the ownership of our common stock. The occurrence of specific factors, including the risks described below could cause our results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements made in this report, and could significantly and negatively affect our business, financial condition or operating results.

Industry Specific Risk Factors 

Charter hire rates for dry bulk vessels are volatile and have declined significantly since their historic highs and may continue to decrease in the future, which may adversely affect our earnings, revenue and profitability and our ability to comply with our loan covenants.

The dry bulk shipping industry is cyclical with high volatility in charter hire rates and profitability.  The degree of charter hire rate volatility among different types of dry bulk vessels has varied widely; however, the continued downturn in the dry bulk charter market has severely affected the entire dry bulk shipping industry and charter hire rates for dry bulk vessels have declined significantly from historically high levels. The Baltic Dry Index (the “BDI”), a daily average of charter rates for key dry bulk routes published by The Baltic Exchange, which has long been viewed as the main benchmark to monitor the movements of the dry bulk vessel charter market and the performance of the entire dry bulk shipping market, declined 94% in 2008 from a peak of 11,793 in May 2008 to a low of 663 in December 2008. Since 2008, the BDI recorded a high of 4,661 in November 2009 and posted an all-time low of 290 in February 2016. During 2016, the high and low reached 1,257 and 290, respectively. There can be no assurance that the dry bulk charter market will increase further, and the market could decline.

Fluctuations in charter rates result from changes in the supply of and demand for vessel capacity and changes in the supply of and demand for the major commodities carried by water internationally. Because the factors affecting the supply of and demand for vessels are outside of our control and are unpredictable, the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are also unpredictable. If charter rates in the dry bulk market continue to decline and remain at low levels for any significant period in 2017, this will have an adverse effect on our revenues, profitability, cash flows and our ability to comply with the financial covenants in our loan agreements.

Factors that influence demand for dry bulk vessel capacity include:

 Factors that influence the supply of vessel capacity include:

In addition to the prevailing and anticipated freight rates, factors that affect the rate of newbuilding, scrapping and laying-up include newbuilding prices, secondhand vessel values in relation to scrap prices, costs of bunkers and other operating costs, costs associated with classification society surveys, normal maintenance and insurance coverage, the efficiency and age profile of the existing dry bulk fleet in the market and government and industry regulation of maritime transportation practices, particularly environmental protection laws and regulations. These factors influencing the supply of and demand for shipping capacity are outside of our control, and we may not be able to correctly assess the nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions.

We anticipate that the future demand for our dry bulk vessels will be dependent upon economic growth in the world's economies, including China and India, seasonal and regional changes in demand, changes in the capacity of the global dry bulk fleet and the sources and supply of dry bulk cargo to be transported by sea. Given the large number of new dry bulk carriers currently on order with the shipyards, the capacity of the global dry bulk carrier fleet seems likely to increase and there can be no assurance that economic growth will resume or continue. Adverse economic, political, social or other developments could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Because we employ most of our vessels on short-term time and voyage charters, we are exposed to changes in the spot market and short-term charter rates for dry bulk carriers and such changes may affect our earnings and the value of our vessels at any given time. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully renew the charters for these vessels at rates sufficient to allow us to meet our obligations. If the very low charter rates in the dry bulk market continue to exist when we are required to renew these charters or in the future when our other charters must be renewed, this may have an adverse effect on our revenues, profitability, cash flows and our ability to comply with the financial covenants in our loan agreements

In addition, because the market value of our vessels may fluctuate significantly, we may incur losses when we sell vessels, which may adversely affect our earnings. If we sell vessels at a time when vessel prices have fallen and before we have recorded an impairment adjustment to our financial statements, the sale may be at less than the vessel's carrying amount on our financial statements, resulting in a loss and a reduction in earnings.

The current global economic environment may continue to negatively impact our business.

While economies in certain parts of the world are in the initial stages of recovery, growth in economies such as China that have historically led to increased demand for dry bulk cargoes has decelerated. Decreasing demand for dry bulk cargoes has led to lower demand for dry bulk vessels, which combined with increased supply of dry bulk vessels has created downward pressure on charter rates. General market volatility has endured as a result of uncertainty about sovereign debt and government austerity measures and speculation about the growth rate of the Chinese economy. The economies of the EU and other parts of the world continue to experience relatively slow growth or exhibit weak economic trends.  If the current global economic environment persists or worsens, we may be negatively affected in the following ways:

The current state of global financial markets and current economic conditions may adversely impact our ability to obtain additional financing or refinance our existing credit facilities on acceptable terms, which may hinder or prevent us from operating or expanding our business.

Global financial markets and economic conditions have been, and continue to be, volatile. Although capital markets have shown signs of improvement recently, they still remain volatile. These issues, along with significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk and the current weak economic conditions, have made, and will likely continue to make, it difficult to obtain additional financing. The current state of global financial markets and current economic conditions might adversely impact our ability to issue additional equity.

Also, as a result of concerns about the stability of financial markets generally and the solvency of counterparties specifically, the cost of obtaining money from the credit markets has increased as many lenders have increased interest rates, enacted tighter lending standards, refused to refinance existing debt at all or on terms similar to current debt and reduced, and in some cases ceased, to provide funding to borrowers. Due to these factors, we cannot be certain that additional financing will be available if needed and to the extent required, or that we will be able to refinance our existing credit facilities, on acceptable terms or at all. If additional financing or refinancing is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our obligations as they come due or we may be unable to enhance our existing business, complete additional acquisitions or otherwise take advantage of business opportunities as they arise. For more information on the First Lien Facility (as defined herein) and Second Lien Facility (as defined herein), see “Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “Note 2. Corporate Reorganization” of the financial statements.

The instability of the euro or the inability of countries to refinance their debts could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, profitability and financial position.

As a result of the credit crisis in Europe, the European Commission created the European Financial Stability Facility (the “EFSF”) and the European Financial Stability Mechanism (the “EFSM”) to provide funding to Eurozone countries in financial difficulties that seek such support. In September 2012, the European Council established a permanent stability mechanism, the European Stability Mechanism, or the ESM, to assume the role of the EFSF and the EFSM in providing external financial assistance to Eurozone countries. Despite these measures, concerns persist regarding the debt burden of some Eurozone countries, such as Greece, and their ability to meet future financial obligations and the overall stability of the euro. An extended period of adverse development in the outlook for European countries could reduce the overall demand for dry bulk goods. These potential developments, or negative market perceptions, could affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flow.

Changes in the economic and political environment in China and policies adopted by the government to regulate its economy may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in such respects as structure, government involvement, level of development, growth rate, capital reinvestment, allocation of resources, rate of inflation and balance of payments position. Prior to 1978, the Chinese economy was a planned economy. Since 1978, increasing emphasis has been placed on the utilization of market forces in the development of the Chinese economy. Annual and five year State Plans are adopted by the Chinese government in connection with the development of the economy. Although state-owned enterprises still account for a substantial portion of the Chinese industrial output, in general, the Chinese government is reducing the level of direct control that it exercises over the economy through State Plans and other measures. There is an increasing level of freedom and autonomy in areas such as allocation of resources, production, pricing and management and a gradual shift in emphasis to a "market economy" and enterprise reform. Limited price reforms were undertaken with the result that prices for certain commodities are principally determined by market forces.

Many of the reforms are unprecedented or experimental and may be subject to revision, change or abolition based upon the outcome of such experiments. If the Chinese government does not continue to pursue a policy of economic reform, the level of imports to and exports from China could be adversely affected by changes to these economic reforms by the Chinese government, as well as by changes in political, economic and social conditions or other relevant policies of the Chinese government, such as changes in laws, regulations or export and import restrictions, all of which could, adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

The market values of our vessels have declined and may further decrease, which could limit the amount of funds that we can borrow or cause us to breach certain financial covenants in our current or future credit facilities and we may incur a loss if we sell vessels following a decline in their market value.

The fair market values of our vessels have generally experienced high volatility and have recently declined significantly. The market prices for secondhand Handymax and Supramax dry bulk carriers have recently decreased sharply from their historically high levels.  The fair market value of our vessels may continue to fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including:

Conversely, if vessel values are elevated at a time when we wish to acquire additional vessels, the cost of acquisition may increase and this could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. 

Fuel cost, or bunker prices, may adversely affect profits.

While we generally do not bear the cost of fuel, or bunkers, for vessels operating on time charters, fuel is a significant factor in negotiating charter rates. As a result, an increase in the price of fuel beyond our expectations may adversely affect our profitability at the time of charter negotiation. Fuel is also a significant, if not the largest, expense in our shipping operations when vessels are under voyage 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 the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns. Further, fuel may become much more expensive in the future, which may reduce the profitability and competitiveness of our business versus other forms of transportation, such as truck or rail.

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.

A vessel must undergo annual surveys, intermediate surveys and special surveys. In lieu of a special survey, a vessel’s machinery may be on a continuous survey cycle under which the machinery would be surveyed periodically over a five-year period. Every vessel is also required to be drydocked every two and a half to five years for inspection of its underwater parts.

Compliance with the above requirements may result in significant expense. If any vessel does not maintain its class or fails any annual, intermediate or special survey, the vessel will be unable to trade between ports and will be unemployable and uninsurable, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental regulations that can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.

Our operations are subject to numerous laws and regulations in the form of international conventions and treaties, national, state and local laws and national and international regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which our vessels operate or are registered, which can significantly affect the ownership and operation of our vessels. These regulations include, but are not limited to, OPA, CERCLA, the CAA, the CWA, the MTSA, requirements of the USCG and the EPA, and regulations of the IMO, including MARPOL, as from time to time amended including designation of ECAs thereunder, SOLAS, as from time to time amended, the ISM Code, the International Convention on Load Lines of 1966, as from time to time amended, the IMO International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as from time to time amended and replaced by the 1992 protocol, and generally referred to as CLC, the IMO International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage of 2001, or the Bunker Convention, and EU regulations. Compliance with such laws, regulations and standards, where applicable, may require installation of costly equipment or operational changes and may affect the resale value or useful lives of our vessels. We may also incur additional costs in order to comply with other existing and future regulatory obligations, including, but not limited to, costs relating to air emissions, the management of ballast and bilge waters, elimination of tin-based paint, maintenance and inspection, development and implementation of emergency procedures and insurance coverage or other financial assurance of our ability to address pollution incidents. These costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. A failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of our operations. Environmental laws often impose strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of oil and hazardous substances, which could subject us to liability without regard to whether we were negligent or at fault. Under OPA, for example, owners, operators and bareboat charterers are jointly and severally strictly liable for the discharge of oil within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone around the United States. An oil spill could result in significant liability, including fines, penalties and criminal liability and remediation costs for natural resource damages under other federal, state and local laws, as well as third-party damages. We are required to satisfy insurance and financial responsibility requirements for potential oil (including marine fuel) spills and other pollution incidents. Although we have arranged insurance to cover certain environmental risks, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be sufficient to cover all such risks or that any claims will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends, if any, in the future. 

Further declines in charter rates and vessel values could cause us to incur impairment charges.

We evaluate the carrying amounts of our vessels to determine if events have occurred that would require an impairment of their carrying amounts. The recoverable amount of vessels is reviewed based on events and changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recovered. The review for potential impairment indicators and projection of future cash flows related to the vessels is complex and requires us to make various estimates including future freight rates, earnings from the vessels and discount rates. All of these items have been historically volatile.

We evaluate the recoverable amount as the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. If the recoverable amount is less than the carrying amount of the vessel, the vessel is deemed impaired. The carrying values of our vessels may not represent their fair market value in the future because the new market prices of second-hand vessels tend to fluctuate with changes in charter rates and the cost of new buildings. Any impairment charges incurred as a result of declines in charter rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

An over-supply of dry bulk carrier capacity may prolong or further depress the current low charter rates, which may limit our ability to operate our dry bulk carriers profitably.

The market supply of dry bulk carriers has been increasing as a result of the delivery of numerous newbuilding orders over the last few years. Newbuildings have been delivered in significant numbers since the beginning of 2006. The oversupply of dry bulk carrier capacity has contributed to a reduction of charter hire rates, as evidenced by the low rates we have experienced during 2016.  The market is historically volatile. Although the current year charter rates are higher, we do not know if it will last and whether we can recharter our vessels at competitive rates or we may not be able to charter these vessels at all. The occurrence of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition.

A decrease in the level of China’s export of goods or an increase in trade protectionism could have a material adverse impact on our charterers’ business and, in turn, could cause a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

China exports considerably more goods than it imports. Our vessels may be deployed on routes involving trade in and out of emerging markets, and our charterers’ shipping and business revenue may be derived from the shipment of goods from the Asia Pacific region to various overseas export markets including the United States and Europe. Any reduction in or hindrance to the output of China-based exporters could have a material adverse effect on the growth rate of China’s exports and on our charterers’ business. For instance, the government of China has recently implemented economic policies aimed at increasing domestic consumption of Chinese-made goods. This may have the effect of reducing the supply of goods available for export and may, in turn, result in a decrease of demand. Additionally, though in China there is an increasing level of autonomy and a gradual shift in emphasis to a “market economy” and enterprise reform, many of the reforms, particularly some limited price reforms that result in the prices for certain commodities being principally determined by market forces, are unprecedented or experimental and may be subject to revision, change or abolition. 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.

Our operations expose us to the risk that increased trade protectionism will adversely affect our business. If the incipient global recovery is undermined by downside risks and the recent economic downturn is prolonged, governments may turn to trade barriers to protect their domestic industries against foreign imports, thereby depressing the demand for shipping. Specifically, increasing trade protectionism in the markets that our charterers serve has caused and may continue to cause an increase in: (i) the cost of goods exported from China, (ii) the length of time required to deliver goods from China and (iii) the risks associated with exporting goods from China, as well as a decrease in the quantity of goods to be shipped.

Any increased trade barriers or restrictions on trade, especially trade with China, would have an adverse impact on our charterers’ business, operating results and financial condition and could thereby affect their ability to make timely charter hire payments to us and to renew and increase the number of their time charters with us. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. 

World events, including terrorist attacks and international hostilities could affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Terrorist attacks such as those in New York on September 11, 2001, in London on July 7, 2005, and in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, as well as the threat of future terrorist attacks around the world, continues to cause uncertainty in the world’s financial markets and may affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Continuing conflicts and recent developments in the Middle East, including Egypt and North Africa, and the presence of U.S. or other armed forces in the Middle East, may lead to additional acts of terrorism and armed conflict around the world, which may contribute to further economic instability in the global financial markets. These uncertainties could also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. In the past, political conflicts have also resulted in attacks on vessels, such as the attack on the MT Limburg, a vessel unaffiliated with us, in October 2002. Mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt international shipping, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region could also affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Acts of terrorism and piracy have also affected vessels trading in regions such as the South China Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our operating results, revenues and costs.

Acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business.

Acts of piracy have historically affected ocean-going vessels trading in regions of the world such as the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Although the frequency of sea piracy worldwide has decreased from 2014 to 2016, sea piracy incidents continue to occur, particularly in the Gulf of Aden and increasingly in the Gulf of Guinea and the West Coast of Africa, with dry bulk vessels and tankers particularly vulnerable to such attacks. If these piracy attacks occur in regions that are characterized as “war risk” zones, or Joint War Committee “war and strikes” listed areas, premiums payable for such coverage could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. In addition, crew costs and costs in relation to the employment of onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. Furthermore, 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 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, any detention or 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 and results of operations.

If our vessels call on ports located in countries or territories that are subject to sanctions imposed by the UN, the United States, the EU or other relevant authorities, or if we otherwise are found to be in violation of sanctions, there could be an adverse effect on our reputation, business position, financial condition or results of operations, or the market for our common shares

As a company operating in the United States, we are subject to U.S. economic sanctions and trade embargo laws and regulations as well as equivalent economic sanctions laws of other relevant jurisdictions in connection with our activities. The laws and regulations of these different jurisdictions vary in their application and do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities. In addition, the sanctions and embargo laws and regulations of each jurisdiction may be amended to increase or reduce the restrictions they impose over time, and the lists of persons and entities designated under these laws and regulations are amended frequently. For example, on October 7, 2016, President Obama issued Executive Order 13742, which effectively eliminated sanctions against Myanmar and removed sanctions designations of formerly restricted parties under the Burma sanctions program. However, the termination of U.S. sanctions on Myanmar does not affect any potential violations that occurred prior to October 7, 2016. Additionally, new sanctions programs have been enacted in recent years, including the U.S. and EU, Ukraine-/Russia-related sanctions programs as well as the comprehensive sanctions imposed by the United States with respect to the territory of Crimea.

In recent years, multilateral international sanctions targeting Iran have restricted and/or prohibited us and our charterers from engaging in Iran-related activities, including calling on ports in Iran. On January 16, 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran implemented its key nuclear-related commitments described in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, triggering the suspension and/or easing of certain U.S., EU, and UN nuclear-related sanctions. The United States lifted most, though not all, of its secondary sanctions on Iran, including those related to Iran’s energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and insurance sectors and provided a general authorization under OFAC’s Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations for foreign entities owned or controlled by U.S. persons to engage in certain activities involving the Government of Iran and persons subject to the jurisdiction of Iran, subject to certain conditions. Nevertheless, the United States continues to prohibit persons and companies in the United States and U.S. persons, wherever located, from engaging in nearly all Iran-related activity. The EU lifted nearly all of its sanctions targeting Iran, except for targeted asset freezes and travel bans against certain Iranian individuals and entities and restrictions on activities related to weapons proliferation and human rights abuses. Accordingly, residual U.S. secondary sanctions designations and residual EU sanctions listings remain in effect against certain Iranian individuals and entities. While UN, U.S. and EU sanctions relief creates potential opportunities for businesses, risks that existed prior to January 16, 2016 continue to persist, and new risks have arisen, including in particular the divergence between U.S. and EU sanctions and evolving interpretation of the sanctions relief.

Although we intend to maintain compliance with all applicable economic sanctions and trade embargo laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that, notwithstanding our compliance safeguards, we will not be found in the future to have been in violation, particularly as the sanctions and embargo laws and regulations are amended, the scope of certain laws and regulations may be unclear, and laws and regulations are subject to strict liability and are subject to discretionary interpretations by regulators which may change over time. Any such violation could result in fines or other penalties and could severely impact our ability to access U.S. capital markets and conduct our business, and could result in some investors and/or lenders deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or not to invest, in us or lend to us. In addition, certain institutional investors may have investment policies or restrictions that prevent them from holding securities of companies that have contracts with countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. The determination by these investors not to invest in, or to divest from, our common shares may adversely affect the price at which our common shares trade.

Although no vessels owned or operated by us have called on ports located in countries or territories subject to comprehensive country-wide or territory-wide economic sanctions and trade embargoes imposed by the U.S., UN. or EU (Crimea, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria), in the future, our vessels may call on ports in countries or territories subject to such comprehensive sanctions from time to time, whether as a result of the easing of such sanctions, on charterers’ instructions notwithstanding contractual provisions that prohibit them from doing so, or otherwise. Moreover, our charterers or other contractual counter-parties may violate applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations as a result of actions that do not involve us or our vessels, and those violations could in turn negatively affect our reputation. In addition, our reputation and the market for our securities may be adversely affected if we engage in certain other activities with individuals or entities designated under or in countries or territories subject to sanctions and embargo laws even if the specific activities are lawful. 

Investor perception of the value of our common shares may be adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in these and surrounding countries.

In November 2015, the Company filed a voluntary self-disclosure report regarding certain apparent violations of U.S. sanctions regulations in the provision of shipping services for third party charterers with respect to the transportation of cargo to or from Myanmar (formerly Burma). At the time of such apparent violations, the Company had a different senior operational management team.

Notwithstanding the fact that the apparent violations took place under a different senior operational management team and although the Company’s new board and management have implemented robust remedial measures and significantly enhanced its compliance safeguards there can be no assurance that OFAC will not conclude that these past actions warrant the imposition of civil penalties and/or referral for further investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The self-disclosure report was provided to OFAC for the agency’s review, consideration and determination regarding what action, if any, may be taken in resolution of this matter. The Company will continue to cooperate with the agency regarding this matter and cannot estimate when such review will be concluded. While the ultimate impact of these matters cannot be determined, there can be no assurance that the impact will not be material to the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

If economic conditions throughout the world do not improve, it will impede our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and could cause the market price of our common shares to decline.

Continuing economic instability could have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our business strategy. The United States, the EU and other parts of the world have recently been or are currently in a recession and continue to exhibit weak economic trends. The credit markets in the United States and Europe have experienced significant contraction, deleveraging and reduced liquidity, and the U.S. federal and state governments and European authorities have implemented a broad variety of governmental action and/or new regulation of the financial markets and may implement additional regulations in the future. Securities and futures markets and the credit markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations and other requirements. The SEC, other regulators, self-regulatory organizations and exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of market emergencies, and may effect changes in law or interpretations of existing laws. Global financial markets and economic conditions have been, and continue to be, severely disrupted and volatile. Credit markets and the debt and equity capital markets have been exceedingly distressed and the uncertainty surrounding the future of the credit markets in the United States and the rest of the world has resulted in reduced access to credit worldwide.

We face risks attendant to changes in economic environments, changes in interest rates, and instability in the banking and securities markets around the world, among other factors. Major market disruptions and the current adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate in the United States and worldwide may adversely affect our business or impair our ability to borrow amounts under our credit facilities or any future financial arrangements. We cannot predict how long the current market conditions will last. However, these recent and developing economic and governmental factors, together with the concurrent decline in charter rates and vessel values, may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, have caused the trading price of our common shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market to decline and could cause the price of our common shares to continue to decline..

A significant number of the port calls made by our vessels involve the loading or discharging of raw materials and semi-finished products in ports in the Asia Pacific region. As a result, a negative change in economic conditions in any Asia Pacific country, and particularly in China, India or Japan, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to pay dividends. In particular, in recent years, China has been one of the world’s fastest growing economies in terms of gross domestic product. China’s gross domestic product grew by 6.7%, 6.9% and 7.4% in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. We cannot assure you that the Chinese economy will not experience a significant contraction in the future. If the Chinese government does not continue to pursue a policy of economic growth and urbanization, the level of imports to and exports from China could be adversely affected by changes to these initiatives 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. Notwithstanding economic reform, the Chinese government may adopt policies that favor domestic dry bulk shipping companies and may hinder our ability to compete with them effectively. Moreover, a significant or protracted slowdown in the economies of the United States, the EU or various Asian countries may adversely affect economic growth in China and elsewhere.  Our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and ability to pay dividends will likely be materially and adversely affected by an economic downturn in any of these countries.

Our operating results will be subject to seasonal fluctuations, which could affect our operating results.

We operate our vessels in markets that have historically exhibited seasonal variations in demand and, as a result, in charter hire rates. This seasonality may result in volatility in our operating results to the extent that we enter into new charter agreements or renew existing agreements during a time when charter rates are weaker or we operate our vessels on the spot market or index based time charters, which may result in quarter-to-quarter volatility in our operating results. The dry bulk sector is typically stronger in the fall and winter months in anticipation of increased consumption of coal and other raw materials in the northern hemisphere. In addition, unpredictable weather patterns in these months tend to disrupt vessel scheduling and supplies of certain commodities. As a result, our revenues from our dry bulk carriers may be weaker during the fiscal quarters ended June 30 and September 30, and, conversely, our revenues from our dry bulk carriers may be stronger in fiscal quarters ended December 31 and March 31.

We are subject to international safety regulations and the failure to comply with these regulations may subject us to increased liability, may adversely affect our insurance coverage and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.

The operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set forth in the ISM Code.  The ISM Code requires ship owners, ship managers and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive “Safety Management System” that includes the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. The failure of a ship owner or bareboat charterer to comply with the ISM Code may subject it to increased liability, may invalidate existing insurance or decrease available insurance coverage for the affected vessels and may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.  Each of the vessels that has been delivered to us is ISM Code-certified and we expect that each other vessel that we have agreed to purchase will be ISM Code-certified when delivered to us. However, if we are subject to increased liability for non-compliance or if our insurance coverage is adversely impacted as a result of non-compliance, it may negatively affect our ability to pay dividends, if any, in the future. If any of our vessels are denied access to, or are detained in, certain ports, our revenues may be adversely impacted.

In addition, vessel classification societies also impose significant safety and other requirements on our vessels. In complying with current and future environmental requirements, vessel-owners and operators may also incur significant additional costs in meeting new maintenance and inspection requirements, in developing contingency arrangements for potential spills and in obtaining insurance coverage. Government regulation of vessels, particularly in the areas of safety and environmental requirements, can be expected to become stricter in the future and require us to incur significant capital expenditures on our vessels to keep them in compliance.

The operation of our vessels is also affected by other government regulation in the form of international conventions, national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which the vessels operate, as well as in the country or countries of their registration. Because such conventions, laws, and regulations are often revised, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with such conventions, laws and regulations or the impact thereof on the resale prices or useful lives of our vessels. Additional conventions, laws and regulations may be adopted which could limit our ability to do business or increase the cost of our doing business and which may materially adversely affect our operations. We are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses, certificates, and financial assurances with respect to our operations.

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 and trans-shipment points. Inspection procedures may result in the seizure of contents of our vessels, delays in the loading, offloading, trans-shipment or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us.

It is possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us. Changes to inspection procedures could also impose additional costs and obligations on our customers and may, in certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or impractical. Any such changes or developments may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Arrests of our vessels by maritime claimants could cause a significant loss of earnings for the related off-hire period.

Crew members, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and other parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lienholder may enforce its lien by “arresting” or “attaching” a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could result in a significant loss of earnings for the related off-hire period. In addition, in jurisdictions where the “sister ship” theory of liability applies, a claimant may arrest 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. In countries with “sister ship” liability laws, claims might be asserted against us or any of our vessels for liabilities of other vessels that we own.

Risks associated with operating ocean going vessels could affect our business and reputation, which could adversely affect our revenues and stock price.

The operation of ocean going vessels carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of:

These hazards may 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. If our vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking facility. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and may be substantial. We may not have insurance that is sufficient to cover these costs or losses and may have to pay drydocking costs not covered by our insurance. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, would decrease our earnings and reduce the amount of cash that we have available for dividends. 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 our vessels may be forced to travel to a drydocking facility that is not conveniently located to our vessels’ positions. Any of these circumstances or events could increase our costs or lower our revenues. The involvement of our vessels in an environmental disaster may harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator.

Our business has inherent operational risks, which may not be adequately covered by insurance.

The operation of our company has certain unique risks. With a dry bulk carrier, the cargo itself and its interaction with the vessel can be an operational risk. By their nature, dry bulk cargoes are often heavy, dense, easily shifted, and react badly to water exposure. In addition, dry bulk carriers are often subjected to battering treatment during unloading operations with grabs, jackhammers (to pry encrusted cargoes out of the hold) and small bulldozers. This treatment may cause damage to the vessel. Vessels damaged due to treatment during unloading procedures may be more susceptible to breach to the sea. Hull breaches in dry bulk carriers may lead to the flooding of the vessels’ holds. If a dry bulk carrier suffers flooding in its forward holds, the bulk cargo may become so dense and waterlogged that its pressure may buckle the vessel’s bulkheads leading to the loss of a vessel. If we are unable to adequately maintain our vessels we may be unable to prevent these events. Any of these circumstances or events could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay dividends, if any, in the future. In addition, the loss of any of our vessels could harm our reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator.

Our vessels and their cargoes are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as marine disasters, bad weather, mechanical failures, human error, environmental accidents, war, terrorism, piracy and other circumstances or events. In addition, transporting cargoes across a wide variety of international jurisdictions creates a risk of business interruptions due to political circumstances in foreign countries, hostilities, labor strikes and boycotts, the potential for changes in tax rates or policies, and the potential for government expropriation of our vessels. Any of these events may result in loss of revenues, increased costs and decreased cash flows to our customers, which could impair their ability to make payments to us under our charters.

 In the event of a casualty to a vessel or other catastrophic event, we will rely on our insurance to pay the insured value of the vessel or the damages incurred. Through our management agreements with our technical managers, we procure insurance for the vessels in our fleet employed under time charters against those risks that we believe the shipping industry commonly insures against. These insurances include marine hull and machinery insurance, protection and indemnity insurance, which include pollution risks and crew insurances, and war risk insurance. Currently, the amount of coverage for liability for pollution, spillage and leakage available to us on commercially reasonable terms through protection and indemnity associations and providers of excess coverage is $1 billion per vessel per occurrence.

We have procured hull and machinery insurance, protection and indemnity insurance, which include environmental damage and pollution insurance coverage and war risk insurance for our fleet. We do not maintain, for our vessels, insurance against loss of hire, which covers business interruptions that result from the loss of use of a vessel. We may not be adequately insured against all risks. We may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage for our fleet in the future, and we may not be able to obtain certain insurance coverage, including insurance against charter party defaults, that we have obtained in the past on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. The insurers may not pay particular claims. Our insurance policies may contain deductibles for which we will be responsible and limitations and exclusions which may increase our costs or lower our revenue. Moreover, insurers may default on claims they are required to pay.

We cannot assure you that we will be adequately insured against all risks or that we will be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable rates for our vessels in the future.  For example, in the past more stringent environmental regulations have led to increased costs for, and in the future may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against risks of environmental damage or pollution. Additionally, our insurers may refuse to pay particular claims. Any significant loss or liability for which we are not insured could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

 Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency, resulting in a loss of earnings.

A government could requisition one or more of our vessels for title or for hire. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes her owner, while requisition for hire occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes her charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during periods of war or emergency, although governments may elect to requisition vessels in other circumstances. Although we would be entitled to compensation in the event of a requisition of one or more of our vessels, the amount and timing of payment would be uncertain. Government requisition of one or more of our vessels may negatively impact our revenues.

Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could result in fines, criminal penalties, and an adverse effect on our business.

We may operate in a number of countries throughout the world, including countries known to have a reputation for corruption. We are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics which is consistent and in full compliance with the FCPA. We are subject, however, to the risk that we, our affiliated entities or our or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents may take actions determined to be in violation of such anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties, curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business. Furthermore, detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management.

Company Specific Risk Factors 

We have significantly increased our indebtedness, and if we default under our loan agreements, our lenders may act to accelerate our outstanding indebtedness under our credit facilities, which would impact our ability to continue to conduct our business.   

At December 31, 2016, our outstanding debt consists of a First Lien Facility comprised of a first lien term loan of $184 million and a first lien revolving loan of $25 million and a Second Lien term loan of $67 million. Our first lien debt matures on October 15, 2019 and our second lien debt matures on January 19, 2020. Amounts drawn under the First Lien Facility bear interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus the margin. The revolving credit facility under the First Lien Facility is subject to an annual commitment fee of 40% of the margin on the undrawn portion of the facility. The Second Lien Facility carries an interest rate of LIBOR plus 14.00% per annum (with a 1.0% LIBOR floor). 

On March 30, 2016, Eagle Shipping entered into the A&R First Lien Loan Agreement (as defined herein), which amended and restated our Exit Financing Facility, and the Second Lien Loan Agreement (as defined herein), and after giving effect to the entry into these agreements, our outstanding debt consisted of a term loan under the A&R First Lien Loan Agreement in the amount of approximately $201.5 million outstanding, a revolving loan under the A&R First Loan Agreement in the amount of approximately $9.8 million outstanding, and a term loan under the Second Lien Loan Agreement in the amount of $60 million outstanding. As described under “Note 2.  Corporate Reorganization” to the consolidated financial statements, the obligations under these agreements are secured by collateral, contain a number of operating restrictions, covenants and events of default, and a breach of any of the covenants could result in an event of default under one or more of these agreements, including as a result of cross default provisions, and subject to the terms of the intercreditor agreement and the loan agreements, the agents could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness.

The failure of our charterers to meet their obligations under our time charter agreements, on which we depend for substantially all of our revenues, could cause us to suffer losses or otherwise adversely affect our business and ability to comply with covenants in our credit facilities.  

The ability and willingness of each of our counterparties to perform its obligations under a time charter agreement with us will depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the dry bulk shipping industry and the overall financial condition of the counterparties. Charterers are sensitive to the commodity markets and may be impacted by market forces affecting commodities, such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other minor bulks. In addition, in depressed market conditions, there have been reports of charterers, including some of our charter counterparties, defaulting on their obligations under charters, and our customers may fail to pay charter hire.

Consistent with dry bulk shipping industry practice, we have not independently analyzed the creditworthiness of the charterers. In addition, given the depressed market conditions, our charterers may no longer need a vessel that is currently under charter or may be able to obtain a comparable vessel at lower rates. As a result, charterers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their existing charter parties or avoid their obligations under those contracts.

Should a counterparty fail to honor its obligations under its charter with us, it may be difficult to secure substitute employment for such vessel, and any new charter arrangements we secure in the spot market or on time charters would be at lower rates given currently decreased dry bulk carrier charter rate levels. If our charterers fail to meet their obligations to us or attempt to renegotiate our charter agreements, we could sustain significant losses which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, if any, in the future, and compliance with covenants in our credit facilities, certain of which specifically require the maintenance of minimum charter rate levels. 

We are dependent on spot charters and any decrease in spot charter rates in the future may adversely affect our earnings, our ability to pay dividends or meet our financial covenants on our indebtedness.  

We currently own a fleet of 41 vessels, of which all are employed for less than one year as of December 31, 2016, exposing us to fluctuations in spot market charter rates. Historically, the dry bulk market has been volatile as a result of the many conditions and factors that can affect the price, supply and demand for dry bulk capacity. The continuing global economic crisis may further reduce demand for transportation of dry bulk cargoes over longer distances and supply of dry bulk vessels to carry such dry bulk cargoes, which may materially affect our revenues, profitability and cash flows. The spot charter market may fluctuate significantly based upon supply of and demand for vessels and cargoes. The successful operation of our vessels in the competitive spot charter market depends upon, among other things, obtaining profitable spot charters and minimizing, to the extent possible, time spent waiting for charters and time spent traveling unladen to pick up cargo. The spot market is very volatile, and, in the past, there have been periods when spot rates have declined below the operating cost of vessels. If future spot charter rates decline, then we may be unable to operate our vessels trading in the spot market profitably, meet our obligations, including payments on indebtedness, or to pay dividends, if any, in the future. Furthermore, as charter rates for spot charters are fixed for a single voyage, which may last up to several weeks, during periods in which spot charter rates are rising, we will generally experience delays in realizing the benefits from such increases.

Our ability to renew the charters on all of our 41 owned vessels, and the charter rates payable under any such replacement charters, will depend upon, among other things, economic conditions in the sectors in which our vessels operate at that time, changes in the supply of and demand for vessel capacity and changes in the supply of and demand for the seaborne transportation of energy resources.

The laws of the Marshall Islands generally prohibit the payment of dividends other than from surplus (retained earnings and the excess of consideration received for the sale of shares above the par value of the shares) or while a company is insolvent or would be rendered insolvent by the payment of such a dividend. We may not have sufficient surplus in the future to pay dividends and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient funds or surplus to make distributions to us. We can give no assurance that dividends will be paid at all.

In addition, the declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will always be subject to the discretion of the board of directors, restrictions contained in the First Lien Facility, the Second Lien Facility, and the requirements of Marshall Islands law. The timing and amount of any dividends declared will depend on, among other things, the Company's earnings, financial condition and cash requirements and availability, the ability to obtain debt and equity financing on acceptable terms as contemplated by the Company's growth strategy, the terms of its outstanding indebtedness and the ability of the Company's subsidiaries to distribute funds to it. The Company does not currently expect to pay dividends in the near term. Please see "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Dividends."

We may have difficulty managing our planned growth properly and integrating our newly acquired vessels.

The acquisition and management of the 41 vessels in our operating fleet have imposed, and additional dry bulk vessels that we may acquire in the future will impose, significant responsibilities on our management and staff. The addition of vessels to our fleet may require us to increase the number of our personnel. Further, we are providing technical management services to all of our vessels in our fleet.  We will also have to manage our customer base so that we can provide continued employment for our vessels upon the expiration of our existing time charters.

We intend to continue to grow our business. Our future growth will primarily depend on:

Growing any business by acquisition presents numerous risks, such as undisclosed liabilities and obligations, the possibility that indemnification agreements will be unenforceable or insufficient to cover potential losses and difficulties associated with imposing common standards, controls, procedures and policies, obtaining additional qualified personnel, managing relationships with customers and integrating newly acquired assets and operations into existing infrastructure. We cannot give any assurance that we will be successful in executing our growth plans or that we will not incur significant expenses and losses in connection with our future growth. 

Purchasing and operating secondhand vessels may result in increased operating costs and reduced fleet utilization.

While we have the right to inspect previously owned vessels prior to purchase, such an inspection does not provide us with the same knowledge about their condition that we would have if these vessels had been built for and operated exclusively by us. A secondhand vessel may have conditions or defects that we were not aware of when we bought the vessel and which may require us to incur costly repairs to the vessel. These repairs may require us to put a vessel into dry dock, which would reduce our fleet utilization. Furthermore, we usually do not receive the benefit of warranties on secondhand vessels.

We are subject to certain risks with respect to our counterparties on contracts, and failure of such counterparties to meet their obligations could cause us to suffer losses or otherwise adversely affect our business.

We have entered into and may enter into in the future, among other things, charter agreements with our customers, credit facilities with banks and interest rate swap agreements. Such agreements subject us to counterparty risks. The ability of each of our counterparties to perform its obligations under a contract with us will depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the maritime industry, the overall financial condition of the counterparty, charter rates received for specific types of vessels, the supply and demand for commodities such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other minor bulks and various expenses. Should a counter party fail to honor its obligations under agreements with us, we could sustain significant losses which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We depend upon a few significant customers for a large part of our revenues and the loss of one or more of these customers could adversely affect our financial performance.

We derive a significant part of our revenues from a small number of charterers. In 2016, we did not have any customers who accounted for greater than 10% of our revenue. However, in 2015, the Navig8 Pool accounted for approximately 17.2% of our revenue. Some of our charterers are privately owned companies for which limited credit and financial information was available to us in making our assessment of counterparty risk when we entered into our charter. In addition, the ability of each of our charterers to perform its obligations under a charter will depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control. These factors may include general economic conditions, the condition of the dry bulk shipping industry, the charter rates received for specific types of vessels and various operating expenses. If one or more of these charterers terminates its charter or chooses not to re-charter our vessel or is unable to perform under its charter with us and we are not able to find a replacement charter, we could suffer a loss of revenues that could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution as dividends to our shareholders. In addition, we may be required to change the flagging or registration of the related vessel and may incur additional costs, including maintenance and crew costs if a charterer were to default on its obligations. Our shareholders do not have any recourse against our charterers.

In the highly competitive international shipping industry, we may not be able to compete for charters with new entrants or established companies with greater resources, and as a result, we may be unable to employ our vessels profitably.

Our vessels are employed in a highly competitive market that is capital intensive and highly fragmented. Competition arises primarily from other vessel owners, some of whom have substantially greater resources than we do. Competition for the transportation of dry bulk cargo by sea is 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 the dry bulk shipping industry and operate larger fleets through consolidations or acquisitions and may be able to offer lower charter rates and higher quality vessels than we are able to offer. If we are unable to successfully compete with other dry bulk shipping companies, our results of operations would be adversely impacted.

We may be unable to attract and retain key management personnel and other employees in the shipping industry, which may negatively impact the effectiveness of our management and results of operations.

Our success depends to a significant extent upon the abilities and efforts of our management team. Our success will depend upon our ability to retain key members of our management team and to hire new members as may be necessary. The loss of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business prospects and financial condition. Difficulty in hiring and retaining replacement personnel could have a similar effect. We do not maintain "key man" life insurance on any of our officers.

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. Although the weighted average age of the 41 dry bulk vessels in our operating fleet as of December 31, 2016 was approximately 8.7 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 increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers. Governmental regulations and safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may also require expenditures for alterations or the addition of new equipment, to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which our vessels may engage. We cannot assure you that, as our vessels age, market conditions will justify those expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives.

Technological innovation could reduce our charter hire income and the value of our vessels.

The charter hire rates and the value and operational life of a vessel are determined by a number of factors including the vessel's efficiency, operational flexibility and physical life.  Efficiency includes speed, fuel economy and the ability to load and discharge cargo quickly.  Flexibility includes the ability to enter harbors, utilize related docking facilities and pass through canals and straits.  The length of a vessel's physical life is related to its original design and construction, its maintenance and the impact of the stress of operations.  If new dry bulk carriers are built that are more efficient or more flexible or have longer physical lives than our vessels, competition from these more technologically advanced vessels could adversely affect the amount of charter hire payments we receive for our vessels once their initial charters expire and the resale value of our vessels could significantly decrease.  As a result, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We may be subject to litigation that, if not resolved in our favor and not sufficiently insured against, could have a material adverse effect on us.

We may be, from time to time, involved in various litigation matters. These matters may include, among other things, contract disputes, personal injury claims, environmental claims or proceedings, asbestos and other toxic tort claims, employment matters, governmental claims for taxes or duties, and other litigation that arises in the ordinary course of our business. Although we intend to defend these matters vigorously, we cannot predict with certainty the outcome or effect of any claim or other litigation matter, and the ultimate outcome of any litigation or the potential costs to resolve them may have a material adverse effect on us. Insurance may not be applicable or sufficient in all cases and/or insurers may not remain solvent which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

We will have to pay tax on United States source income, which will reduce our earnings.

Under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, 50% of the gross shipping income of a vessel owning or chartering corporation, such as ourselves and our subsidiaries, that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the United States is characterized as United States source shipping income and such income is subject to a 4% United States federal income tax without allowance for any deductions, unless that corporation qualifies for exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder.

We believe that we did not qualify for this statutory tax exemption for our 2016 taxable year. Since we are not entitled to this exemption under Section 883 for the 2016 taxable year, we were subject to a 4% United States federal income tax on our gross United States source shipping income without allowance for deductions.

Our United States federal income tax liability was approximately $648,570 for the tax year ended December 31, 2016. It should be noted that with respect to any future taxable year, we can give no assurance that the operation of our vessels, which are under the control of third party charterers, will not change such that our United States federal income tax liability would be substantially higher. However, since no more that 50% of our shipping income would be treated as derived from U.S. sources, our maximum tax liability under the 4% tax regime would never exceed 2% of our shipping income.

If we were to realize gains on the sales of our vessels, then any such gain (less applicable deductions) would be subject to United States federal income tax, currently imposed at rates of up to 35%. In addition, we may be subject to the 30% ''branch profits'' tax on such gain, as determined after allowance for certain adjustments

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.

Based on our current method of operation, we do not believe that we have been, are or will be a PFIC with respect to any taxable year. In this regard, we intend to treat the gross income we derive or are deemed to derive from our time and voyage chartering activities as services income, rather than rental income. Accordingly, we believe that our income from our time and voyage 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 method of operation and there is authority which characterizes time charter income as rental income rather than services income for other tax purposes. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the IRS or a court of law will accept our position, and there is a risk that the IRS or a court of law could determine that we are a PFIC. Moreover, no assurance can be given that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in the nature and extent of our operations.

If the IRS were to find that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, our United States shareholders may face adverse United States tax consequences and information reporting obligations. Under the PFIC rules, unless those shareholders made an election available under the Code (which election could itself have adverse consequences for such shareholders), such shareholders would be liable to pay United States federal income tax upon excess distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common stock at the then prevailing income tax rates applicable to ordinary income plus interest as if the excess distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the shareholder’s holding period of our common stock.

We may be subject to additional taxes, including as a result of challenges by tax authorities or changes in applicable law, which could adversely impact our business and financial results. 

We are subject to tax in certain jurisdictions in which we are organized, own assets or have operations. In computing our tax obligations in these jurisdictions, we are required to take various tax accounting and reporting positions on matters that are not entirely free from doubt and for which we have not received rulings from the governing authorities. We cannot assure you that, upon review of these positions, the applicable authorities will agree with our positions. A successful challenge by a tax authority, or a change in applicable law, could result in additional tax imposed on us, which could adversely impact our business and financial results.

We are a holding company, and we depend on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute funds to us in order to satisfy our financial obligations and to make dividend payments.

We are a holding company and our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no significant assets other than the equity interests in our subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to satisfy our financial obligations and to make dividend payments in the future depends on our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute funds to us. If we are unable to obtain funds from our subsidiaries, our board of directors may exercise its discretion not to declare or pay dividends. We do not intend to obtain funds from other sources to pay dividends. We do not currently expect to pay dividends in the near term.

As we expand our business, we may need to improve our operating and financial systems and will need to recruit suitable employees and crew for our vessels.

Our current operating and financial systems may not be adequate if we continue to expand the size of our fleet in the future, as we recently did in the second half of 2016 and in connection with the Greenship Agreement and our attempts to improve those systems may be ineffective. In addition, if we further expand our fleet, we will need to recruit suitable additional seafarers and shore side administrative and management personnel. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to hire suitable employees as we expand our fleet. If we or our crewing agent encounters business or financial difficulties, we may not be able to adequately staff our vessels. If we are unable to grow our financial and operating systems or to recruit suitable employees as we expand our fleet, our financial performance may be adversely affected and, among other things, the amount of cash available for distribution as dividends to our shareholders may be reduced. 

Investment in derivative instruments, such as forward freight and swap agreements, could result in losses.

From time to time, we may take positions in derivative instruments, including FFAs. FFAs and other derivative instruments may be used to hedge a vessel owner's exposure to the charter market by providing for the sale of a contracted charter rate along a specified route and period of time. Upon settlement, if the contracted charter rate is less than the average of the rates, as reported by an identified index, for the specified route and period, the seller of the FFA is required to pay the buyer an amount equal to the difference between the contracted rate and the settlement rate, multiplied by the number of days in the specified period. Conversely, if the contracted rate is greater than the settlement rate, the buyer is required to pay the seller the settlement sum. If we take positions in FFAs or other derivative instruments and do not correctly anticipate charter rate movements over the specified route and time period, we could suffer losses in the settling or termination of the FFA. This could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. During 2016, we incurred a loss of $561,495 on FFAs which was recorded in other expense in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2016.

In addition, we may enter into interest rate swaps to effectively convert a portion of our debt from a floating to a fixed-rate basis. Under these swap contracts, exclusive of applicable margins, we pay fixed rate interest and receive floating-rate interest amounts based on three-month LIBOR settings. Our hedging strategies, however, may not be effective and we may incur substantial losses if interest rates move materially differently from our expectations. In addition, our financial condition could be materially adversely affected to the extent we do not hedge our exposure to interest rate fluctuations under our financing arrangements. Any hedging activities we engage in may not effectively manage our interest rate exposure or have the desired impact on our financial conditions or results of operations. At December 31, 2016, we had not entered into interest rate swaps.

If the increase in LIBOR continues, it could affect our profitability, earnings and cash flow.

If the spread between LIBOR and the prime lending rate widening 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.

As a result of the adoption of fresh-start reporting, our consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations subsequent to October 15, 2014 are not comparable in many respects to our consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations prior to October 15, 2014.

Following the consummation of the Plan (as defined herein), our financial condition and results of operations from and after October 15, 2014 (the “Effective Date”) are not comparable to the financial condition or results of operations reflected in our historical financial statements prior to the Effective Date due to the application of fresh-start reporting. Fresh-start reporting requires us to adjust our assets and liabilities to their estimated fair values using the acquisition method. Adjustments to the carrying amounts were material and will affect prospective results of operations as balance sheet items are settled, depreciated, amortized or impaired. As a result, this makes it difficult to assess our performance in relation to prior periods.

We conduct business in China, where the legal system is not fully developed and has inherent uncertainties that could limit the legal protections available to us.

Some of our vessels may be chartered to Chinese customers or from time to time on our charterers’ instructions, our vessels may call on Chinese ports. Such charters and any additional charters that we enter into may be subject to new regulations in China that may require us to incur new or additional compliance or other administrative costs and may require that we pay to the Chinese government new taxes or other fees. Changes in laws and regulations, including with regards to tax matters, and their implementation by local authorities could affect our vessels chartered to Chinese customers as well as our vessels calling to Chinese ports and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

 We are incorporated in the Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of corporate law.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Third Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Charter”) and Second Amended and Restated By-laws (the “Bylaws”) and by the Marshall Islands Business Corporations Act (the “BCA”). The provisions of the BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the United States. However, there have been few judicial cases in the Marshall Islands interpreting the BCA. The rights and fiduciary responsibilities of directors under the laws 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 the United States. The rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in the Marshall Islands may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in the United States. While the BCA provides that it is to be interpreted according to the laws of the State of Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative provisions, there have been few, if any, court cases interpreting the BCA in the Marshall Islands and we cannot predict whether Marshall Islands courts would reach the same conclusions as United States courts. Thus, you may have more difficulty in protecting your interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a United States jurisdiction which has developed a relatively more substantial body of case law. 

The market price of our common shares has fluctuated widely and may continue to fluctuate in the future.

The market price of our common shares has fluctuated widely since we became a public company in June 2005 and may continue to do so as a result of many factors, including our actual results of operations and perceived prospects, the prospects of our competition and of the shipping industry in general and in particular the dry bulk sector, differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors and analysts, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections, changes in general valuations for companies in the shipping industry, particularly the dry bulk sector, changes in general economic or market conditions and broad market fluctuations.

The public market for our common shares may not be active and liquid enough for you to resell our common shares in the future.

We maintained our NASDAQ listing throughout our Chapter 11 proceeding. Since 2008, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. If the volatility in the market continues or worsens, it could continue to have an adverse effect on the market price of our common shares and could impact a potential sale price if holders of our common stock decide to sell their shares. 

The seaborne transportation industry has been highly unpredictable and volatile. The market for common shares in this industry may be equally volatile. The market price of our common shares may be influenced by many factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

As a result of these and other factors, investors in our common stock may not be able to resell their shares at or above the price they paid for such shares. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common shares, regardless of our operating performance.

Certain shareholders own large portions of our outstanding common stock, which may limit your ability to influence our actions.

Certain shareholders currently hold significant percentages of our common stock. As of December 31, 2016, funds and/or managed accounts affiliated with Oaktree Capital Management LP owned approximately 32%, funds and/or managed accounts affiliated with GoldenTree Asset Management LP owned approximately 18% of our common stock.

To the extent a significant percentage of the ownership of our common stock is concentrated in a small number of holders, such holders will be able to influence the outcome of any shareholder vote, including the election of directors, the adoption or amendment of provisions in our articles of incorporation or by-laws and possible mergers, corporate control contests and other significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control, merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us. This concentration of ownership could also discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, which could in turn have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Future sales of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and could dilute our shareholders’ interests in the Company.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market price for our common stock. These sales could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities in the future. Our Charter authorizes us to issue 700,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 48,106,827 and 74,103,956, shares excluding restricted shares, were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and March 28, 2017, respectively. As we did in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, we intend to issue additional shares of our common stock in the future. Our shareholders may incur dilution from any future equity offering and upon the issuance of additional shares of our common stock upon the exercise of options we have granted to certain of our executive officers or upon the issuance of additional shares of common stock pursuant to our equity incentive plan. In addition, we have a registration rights agreement in favor of certain of our shareholders. Sales of our common stock by one or more of those holders could lower the trading price of our shares.

Our shareholders are limited in their ability to elect or remove directors.

The Charter prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors. The Bylaws require parties other than the board of directors to give advance written notice of nominations for the election of directors. The Charter also provides that directors may only be removed for cause upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote for the election of directors. Newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors and vacancies occurring in the board of directors for any reason may only be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum exists.

Our shareholders may take action only at Annual or Special Meetings.

The Charter and the Bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by shareholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of shareholders. Except as otherwise mandated by law, shareholders may not act by written consent.

Under the Bylaws, annual shareholder meetings will be held at a time and place selected by the board of directors. The meetings may be held in or outside of the Marshall Islands. These provisions may impede shareholders’ ability to take actions with respect to the Company that they deem appropriate or advisable.

The Charter and the Bylaws provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of shareholders may be called at any time only by (i) the lead director (if any), (ii) the chairman of the board of directors, (iii) the board of directors pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by a majority of the board stating the purpose or purposes thereof, or (iv) any one or more shareholders who beneficially owns, in the aggregate, 15% or more of the aggregate voting power of all then-outstanding shares of Voting Stock. The notice of any such special meeting is to include the purpose or purposes thereof, and the business transacted at the special meeting is limited to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice (or any supplement thereto). These provisions may impede the ability of shareholders to bring matters before a special meeting of shareholders. 

The board of directors may set a record date between 15 and 60 days before the date of any meeting to determine the shareholders that will be eligible to receive notice and vote at the meeting.

Our shareholders are subject to advance notice requirements for shareholder proposals and director nominations

The Bylaws provide that shareholders seeking to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring business before an annual meeting of shareholders must provide timely notice of their proposal in writing to the corporate secretary. To be timely, a shareholder's notice will have to be received at the Company’s principal executive offices not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of shareholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a date that is not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the shareholder must be received not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such notice of the date of the annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting was made, whichever occurs first, in order for such notice by a shareholder to be timely. The Bylaws also specify requirements as to the form and content of a shareholder's notice. These advance notice requirements, particularly the 60 to 90 day requirement, may impede shareholders' ability to bring matters before an annual meeting of shareholders or make nominations for directors at an annual meeting of shareholders.

Certain super majority provisions in our organizational documents may discourage, delay or prevent changes to such documents.

The Charter provides that a two-thirds vote is required to amend or repeal certain provisions of the Charter and Bylaws, including those provisions relating to: the number and election of directors; filling of board vacancies; resignations and removals of directors; director liability and indemnification of directors; the power of shareholders to call special meetings; advance notice of director nominations and shareholders proposals; and amendments to the Charter and Bylaws. These supermajority provisions may discourage, delay or prevent changes to the Charter or Bylaws.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

We do not own any real property. We lease office space at 300 First Stamford Place, Stamford CT 06902. In addition, we lease offices in Singapore and Hamburg, Germany. Our interests in our dry bulk vessels are our only material properties. See “Item 1. Business—Our Fleet.”

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

See Note 11, “Commitments and Contingencies” to the Company’s consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K, for information regarding legal proceedings in which we are involved.

 ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Common Stock 

The trading market for shares of our common stock is the Nasdaq Global Select Market, on which our shares are quoted under the symbol "EGLE.” The following table summarizes the quarter high and low sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for the two most recent fiscal years.

On March 28, 2017, the closing sale price of our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, was $5.78 per share.

Holders.  The number of shareholders of record of our common stock was approximately 99 on March 28, 2017, which does not include beneficial owners whose shares are held by a clearing agency, such as a broker or a bank.

Reverse Stock Split Authorization

On August 2, 2016, the Company held a Special Meeting of Shareholders where the shareholders approved, among other things, to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock, from 150,000,000 to 700,000,000 and establish the number of authorized shares of preferred stock, par value US$0.01 per share, at 25,000,000 shares.

On August 5, 2016, the Company effected a 1 – for – 20 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Upon the effectiveness of the reverse stock split, every 20 shares of issued and outstanding common stock were combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock, with no change in par value per share.

Payment of Dividends to Shareholders

The Company did not make any dividend payments in 2016, 2015 and 2014. In the future, the declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will always be subject to the discretion of the board of directors, restrictions contained in the First Lien Facility, the Second Lien Facility, and the requirements of Marshall Islands law. The timing and amount of any dividends declared will depend on, among other things, the Company's earnings, financial condition and cash requirements and availability, the ability to obtain debt and equity financing on acceptable terms as contemplated by the Company's growth strategy, the terms of its outstanding indebtedness and the ability of the Company's subsidiaries to distribute funds to it. The Company does not currently expect to pay dividends in the near term.. Please see "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Dividends" and Note 2. “Corporate Reorganization” to the consolidated financial statements.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

On October 15, 2014, the Company adopted the post-emergence Management Incentive Program, which provided for the distribution of Company equity in the form of shares of Company common stock, and options, to the participating senior management and other employees of the reorganized Company (the “2014 Plan”).

On December 15, 2016, the Company adopted 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”) which replaced the 2014 Plan. Outstanding awards under the 2014 Plan will continue to be governed by the terms of the 2014 Plan until exercised, expired or otherwise terminated or cancelled. Under the terms of the 2016 Plan, a maximum of 5,348,613 shares may be issued. Any director, officer, employee or consultant of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (including any prospective officer or employee) is eligible to be designated to participate in the 2016 Plan.

The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2016 regarding the 2016 Plan. The 2016 Plan was approved by our shareholders on December 15, 2016.

Company Common Stock Performance Graph